WiX Repeat Dynamic Configurable Build?

Question

I have a .wixproj in VS 2010 that makes a MSI just the way I need it (using heat for harvesting in the pre build event). Now I need to distribute 3 versions of the same thing, that only need to differ in app.config settings, output MSI name, and some dialog stuff defined in some secondary .wxs files.

I was thinking about creating a console app that would take parameters and modify the .wixproj and .wxs and app.config files and then kick off MSBuild, but that seems like a lot of work.

What would be a better way to use WiX as a build factory so I can have it generate many customized MSI installers?

Thanks.

Answer 1

The WiX Preprocessor is your friend here. Using its values and conditional statements will help you to make "universal" sources, which will output various packages based on what you pass in.