WiX - create a bootstrap that passes arguments to the msiexec

Question

I need to create a bootstrap for my WiX project I've tried using setupbld.exe but it will only allow me to create an executable that will show my UI or one that will behave as a silent installer but not both.

I need to be able to run the resulting executable with argument that will tell it wether or not to show the UI during installation.

I've found this post by John Robbins that explains how to re-build the setup.exe stub used in the creation of the bootstrap but I was hoping there is a simpler way to do what I need.

Does anyone know of a way to create a bootstrap that I use to run either as a simple (with UI) install or as a silent install.

Answer 1

I've seen dotNetInstaller recommended on the WiX mailing list a lot, should be a lot more flexible than setupbld.exe but I haven't used it myself.

Update: If you've got budget to purchase software, try the bootstrapper that comes with MSI Factory (the demo just displays a nag screen before launching the bootstrapper). We use this ourselves and it's been worth every penny.

Answer 2

AT the end I've used 7zip to zip the MSI in a self extracting archive. You can add a "config" file to let 7zip which files to run when opening the executable.

Check out 7zip's manual for more details.