go-msi

Package go-msi helps to generate msi package for a Go project.

This tool is part of the go-github-release workflow

Find a demo program here

TOC

• Install
  • Go
  • Bintray
  • Chocolatey
  • linux rpm/deb repository
  • linux rpm/deb standalone package
• Usage
  • Requirements
  • Workflow
  • configuration file
  • License file
• Personnalization
  • wix templates
• Cli
• Recipes
  • Appveyor
  • Unix like
  • Release the project
• History
• Credits

Install

Check the release page!

Go

go get github.com/mh-cbon/go-msi

Bintray

choco source add -n=mh-cbon -s="https://api.bintray.com/nuget/mh-cbon/choco"
choco install go-msi

Chocolatey

choco install go-msi

linux rpm/deb repository

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mh-cbon/latest/master/bintray.sh \
| GH=mh-cbon/go-msi sh -xe
# or
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mh-cbon/latest/master/bintray.sh \
| GH=mh-cbon/go-msi sh -xe

linux rpm/deb standalone package

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mh-cbon/latest/master/install.sh \
| GH=mh-cbon/go-msi sh -xe
# or
wget -q -O - --no-check-certificate \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mh-cbon/latest/master/install.sh \
| GH=mh-cbon/go-msi sh -xe

Usage

Requirements

• A windows machine (see here for an appveyor file, see here for unix friendly users)
• wix >= 3.10 (may work on older release, but it is untested, feel free to report)
• you must add wix bin to your PATH
• use check-env sub command to get a report.

Workflow

For simple cases,

• Create a wix.json file like this one
• Apply it guids with go-msi set-guid, you must do it once only for each app.
• Run go-msi make --msi your_program.msi --version 0.0.2

configuration file

wix.json file describe the desired packaging rules between your sources and the resulting msi file.

Check the demo json file

Post an issue if it is not self-explanatory.

Always double check the documentation and SO when you face a difficulty with heat, candle, light

• http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/
• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/wix

If you wonder why INSTALLDIR, [INSTALLDIR], this is part of wix rules, please check their documentation.

License file

Take care to the license file, it must be an rtf file, it must be encoded with Windows1252 charset.

I have provided some tools to help with that matter.

Personnalization

wix templates

For simplicity a default install flow is provided, which you can find here

You can create a new one for your own personalization, you should only take care to reproduce the go templating already defined for files, directories, environment variables, license and shortcuts.

I guess most of your changes will be about the WixUI_HK.wxs file.

Cli

$ go-msi -h

NAME:
   go-msi - Easy msi pakage for Go

USAGE:
   go-msi <cmd> <options>

VERSION:
   0.0.0

COMMANDS:
     check-json          Check the JSON wix manifest
     check-env           Provide a report about your environment setup
     set-guid            Sets appropriate guids in your wix manifest
     generate-templates  Generate wix templates
     to-windows          Write Windows1252 encoded file
     to-rtf              Write RTF formatted file
     gen-wix-cmd         Generate a batch file of Wix commands to run
     run-wix-cmd         Run the batch file of Wix commands
     make                All-in-one command to make MSI files
     choco               Generate a chocolatey package of your msi files
     help, h             Shows a list of commands or help for one command

GLOBAL OPTIONS:
   --help, -h     show help
   --version, -v  print the version

$ go-msi check-env -h

NAME:
   go-msi check-env - Provide a report about your environment setup

USAGE:
   go-msi check-env [arguments...]

$ go-msi check-json -h

NAME:
   go-msi check-json - Check the JSON wix manifest

USAGE:
   go-msi check-json [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --path value, -p value  Path to the wix manifest file (default: "wix.json")

$ go-msi set-guid -h

NAME:
   go-msi set-guid - Sets appropriate guids in your wix manifest

USAGE:
   go-msi set-guid [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --path value, -p value  Path to the wix manifest file (default: "wix.json")
   --force, -f             Force update the guids

$ go-msi make -h

NAME:
   go-msi make - All-in-one command to make MSI files

USAGE:
   go-msi make [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --path value, -p value     Path to the wix manifest file (default: "wix.json")
   --src value, -s value      Directory path to the wix templates files (default: "/home/mh-cbon/gow/bin/templates")
   --out value, -o value      Directory path to the generated wix cmd file (default: "/tmp/go-msi645264968")
   --arch value, -a value     A target architecture, amd64 or 386 (ia64 is not handled)
   --msi value, -m value      Path to write resulting msi file to
   --version value            The version of your program
   --license value, -l value  Path to the license file
   --keep, -k                 Keep output directory containing build files (useful for debug)

$ go-msi choco -h

NAME:
   go-msi choco - Generate a chocolatey package of your msi files

USAGE:
   go-msi choco [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --path value, -p value           Path to the wix manifest file (default: "wix.json")
   --src value, -s value            Directory path to the wix templates files (default: "/home/mh-cbon/gow/bin/templates/choco")
   --version value                  The version of your program
   --out value, -o value            Directory path to the generated chocolatey build file (default: "/tmp/go-msi697894350")
   --input value, -i value          Path to the msi file to package into the chocolatey package
   --changelog-cmd value, -c value  A command to generate the content of the changlog in the package
   --keep, -k                       Keep output directory containing build files (useful for debug)

$ go-msi generate-templates -h

NAME:
   go-msi generate-templates - Generate wix templates

USAGE:
   go-msi generate-templates [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --path value, -p value     Path to the wix manifest file (default: "wix.json")
   --src value, -s value      Directory path to the wix templates files (default: "/home/mh-cbon/gow/bin/templates")
   --out value, -o value      Directory path to the generated wix templates files (default: "/tmp/go-msi522345138")
   --version value            The version of your program
   --license value, -l value  Path to the license file

$ go-msi to-windows -h

NAME:
   go-msi to-windows - Write Windows1252 encoded file

USAGE:
   go-msi to-windows [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --src value, -s value  Path to an UTF-8 encoded file
   --out value, -o value  Path to the ANSI generated file

$ go-msi to-rtf -h

NAME:
   go-msi to-rtf - Write RTF formatted file

USAGE:
   go-msi to-rtf [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --src value, -s value  Path to a text file
   --out value, -o value  Path to the RTF generated file
   --reencode, -e         Also re encode UTF-8 to Windows1252 charset

$ go-msi gen-wix-cmd -h

NAME:
   go-msi gen-wix-cmd - Generate a batch file of Wix commands to run

USAGE:
   go-msi gen-wix-cmd [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --path value, -p value  Path to the wix manifest file (default: "wix.json")
   --src value, -s value   Directory path to the wix templates files (default: "/home/mh-cbon/gow/bin/templates")
   --out value, -o value   Directory path to the generated wix cmd file (default: "/tmp/go-msi844736928")
   --arch value, -a value  A target architecture, amd64 or 386 (ia64 is not handled)
   --msi value, -m value   Path to write resulting msi file to

$ go-msi run-wix-cmd -h

NAME:
   go-msi run-wix-cmd - Run the batch file of Wix commands

USAGE:
   go-msi run-wix-cmd [command options] [arguments...]

OPTIONS:
   --out value, -o value  Directory path to the generated wix cmd file (default: "/tmp/go-msi773158361")

Recipes

Appveyor

Please check this

Unix like

Please check this

Release the project

gump patch -d # check
gump patch # bump

History

CHANGELOG

Credits

A big big thanks to

• Helge Klein, which i do not know personally, but made this project possible by sharing a real world example at https://helgeklein.com/blog/2014/09/real-world-example-wix-msi-application-installer/
• all SO contributors on wix tag.