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How to create an MSI installer for a .NET application in Rider (WiX Toolset)

Alexandra Guk
Updated

Background/Situation

Rider has no built-in installer-authoring project comparable to the Visual Studio "Setup Project" (.vdproj), and it does not ship a WiX "New Project" template. The supported way to produce a Windows Installer (.msi) package is the WiX Toolset, which Rider loads and builds through MSBuild. The project files are created manually, after which Rider builds them like any other project.

Question

How can a Windows Installer (.msi) package be created for a .NET application in Rider?

Answer

Prerequisites

The WiX Toolset needs .NET SDK 6.0 or later. The WiX MSBuild SDK is restored from NuGet automatically on the first build, so the IDE workflow needs nothing extra installed. Command-line builds with the standalone tool require it once: dotnet tool install --global wix.

1. Create the WiX project file

In a new folder, create a project file, for example MyInstaller.wixproj, that references the WiX MSBuild SDK. Set the SDK version to the WiX release in use:

<Project Sdk="WixToolset.Sdk/6.0.0">
</Project>

2. Create the installer definition

Add a WiX source file, for example Package.wxs. A minimal definition installs one file into a subfolder of Program Files:

<Wix xmlns="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs">
  <Package Name="MyApp" Manufacturer="Example Corp" Version="1.0.0.0"
           UpgradeCode="PUT-A-STABLE-GUID-HERE">
    <MajorUpgrade DowngradeErrorMessage="A newer version is already installed." />
    <Feature Id="Main">
      <ComponentGroupRef Id="MyAppFiles" />
    </Feature>
  </Package>
  <Fragment>
    <StandardDirectory Id="ProgramFiles6432Folder">
      <Directory Id="INSTALLFOLDER" Name="MyApp" />
    </StandardDirectory>
    <ComponentGroup Id="MyAppFiles" Directory="INSTALLFOLDER">
      <File Source="example.txt" />
    </ComponentGroup>
  </Fragment>
</Wix>

Generate the UpgradeCode GUID once and keep it constant across releases so that Windows recognizes version upgrades. Replace example.txt with the application's build output.

3. Open and build in Rider

  1. Open the Explorer tool window (Alt+1, or View | Tool Windows | Explorer).
  2. Right-click the solution node and choose Add | Existing Project, then select the .wixproj file. Rider loads it as a WiX project. Opening the containing folder in Rider also works.
  3. Build the project: Build | Build Solution, or right-click the WiX project and choose Build. The .msi is written to the project's output folder, for example bin\Debug\MyInstaller.msi.

Build from the command line (optional)

The same project builds without the IDE: run dotnet build in the project folder, or wix build Package.wxs -o MyInstaller.msi after installing the wix global tool.

Known limitations

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