Re: [WiX-users] Re: WiX web Site

[Nicholas M. <nic...@gm...>]

heh...your comments on WcaUtil.lib are exactly the problem with it.
Most people do not know it exists, or even how to use it (I dug
through the source and figured it out, and it does make a lot of
things a lot easier). It includes helper functions for CA's. One of
the functions that it has is WcaLog( LOGLEVEL, "%...", );. If your
familliar with C printf syntax it follows that with a LOGLEVEL
parameter. It's a lot easier to call WcaLog and creating the record.
Plus if you call WcaInitialize (you have to) with the name of the
function or CA it will preprend that to the log messages. I have a
#define in a common include that sets my loglevel. That way, by
changing one line, I can alter the logging level for all my CA's (I'll
probably eventually branch them into categories).  It's one of those
"tricks" that I really wish I would have known when I first started
using WiX. I'm currently working on some docs for WcaUtil.lib, I just
haven't finished them yet.

Nick

On 6/17/05, Foster, Richard - PAL <RF...@qu...> wrote:
> Hi Nick,
>=20
> Sounds like a good summary.
>=20
> As long as the site gets googled (which it probably will) then I don't
> see searching of the FAQ etc being much of a problem.
>=20
> You suggested a "Why I should use WcaUtil.lib for CA's since it enables
> much better logging" section....
>=20
> Huh? WcaUtil.lib? I missed that completely, and so far even Google only
> finds 25 results... Most of them references to the file rather than the
> custom actions I assume (from your comment) it contains!
>=20
> No, what I was referring to is the fact that I didn't understand for far
> too long what I had to do to enable the logging at all! O.K. So I
> *should* have read the Windows Installer SDK documentation more
> thoroughly before I began - I'm not sure logging was included in Gabor's
> tutorial at that time (it is now).
>=20
> I came to WiX from other installation packages where log files were
> created *by default*. All I really paid attention to initially was that
> when I clicked on the MSI file, the installation ran! Sure it's an RTFM
> question, but we probably want to make using WiX as easy as possible,
> even for people creating their first ever setup, otherwise they are
> going to want to *avoid* WiX instead of learn how to use it properly.
>=20
> Perhaps what would really be useful is a new tutorial section dedicated
> to debugging setup problems. (I.e. the MSI file seems to be created
> fine, but doesn't do what is expected on the machine where it is
> installed). This would include running MSI validation tests, analyzing
> the log files, etc.
>=20
> Regards,
> Richard
>