Split WiX ComponentGroup across multiple files

0
votes

I am an InstallShield veteran but keen to move our product over to Wix. So far I am impressed and enjoying the challenge but I have one question:

I have split my source files (*.wxs) up as they were getting rather unwieldy. I have split the registry and file parts into separate files, however I would like them to be part of the same component group and I get an error LGHT0091 : Duplicate symbol when I compile the files with the ComponentGroup Id tag set the same.

Is there a way to have multiple files which contain child elements for the same ComponentGroup?

1
xmlwixwindows-installer
Why do you need to use different ComponentGroup id's? Why not have each .wxs have a separate ComponentGroup? Seems like you might be fighting the system... – Lynn Crumbling
I would second @LynnCrumbling advice: the number of component groups does not matter. Just have one for files part, and another for registry part, and include both into a Product or a Fragment. – Yan Sklyarenko
oh really? It just seems that logically the files and registry should be in the same group. is that not a done thing? – takesides
@LynnCrumbling I want to work with the system. But logically the files and registry parts belong together and it feels wrong to me to have them as separate components. I could put them in the same file but then I'd have a ludicrously large file. – takesides
"Belong together" might be true in the application sense, but the unit of installation in an MSI is the Component, so organise them as complete components. If they belong together as an application runtime unit of functionality, then put that set of components into a Feature. – PhilDW

1 Answers

3
votes

"Why" you'd want to do this aside, here's how you'd do it:

<ComponentGroup Id="MyGroup">
   <?include MyComponents1.wxi?>
   <?include MyComponents2.wxi?>
</ComponentGroup>

Have your components defined in separate wxi files, and just include them inside your single ComponentGroup element.