[WiX-users] Candle & pre-processor variables

[Brian E. <br...@gm...>]

I am following the example of installing a website found at
http://blog.bartdemeyer.be/2013/10/create-an-installer-for-website-with-wix-part-1/.
 I am running into an issue when I try to use the following in the
setup.build file used by msbuild:

  <!-- Location of published files to compile-->
  <Target Name="WIX">
    <!-- At last create an installer -->
    <Message Text="TEST: @(WixCode)"/>
    <Exec
        Command='"$(WixPath)candle.exe" -dpublishDir=$(Publish)
-dHRActionsComponents=. @(WixCode, &apos; &apos;)'
        ContinueOnError="false"
        WorkingDirectory="." />

    <Exec
      Command='"$(WixPath)light.exe" -out "$(MsiOut)" @(WixObject, &apos;
&apos;)'
      ContinueOnError="false"
      WorkingDirectory="." />


    <!-- A message at the end -->
    <Message Text="Install package has been created." />
  </Target>


When I try to run "msbuild /t:WIX setup.build" I get the following error:

  Product.wxs
C:\Users\benderle\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\HRActions
10.3.2\HRActionsSetupWiX\Product.wxs(67): error CNDL0
150: Undefined preprocessor variable
'$(var.ApprovalClassLibrary.TargetDir)'.
[C:\Users\benderle\Documents\Visual Studi
o 2012\Projects\HRActions 10.3.2\HRActionsSetupWiX\setup.build]
C:\Users\benderle\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\HRActions
10.3.2\HRActionsSetupWiX\setup.build(92,5): error MSB
3073: The command ""C:\Program Files (x86)\WiX Toolset v3.8\bin\candle.exe"
-dpublishDir=..\SetupFiles\publish\ -dHRAct
ionsComponents=. Product.wxs HRActionsWeb.wxs" exited with code 150.

The "$(var.ApprovalClassLibrary.TargetDir)" is from my Product.wxs file as
follows:

  <Fragment>
    <ComponentGroup Id="BinComponents" Directory="INSTALL_FOLDER_BIN">
      <Component Id="ApprovalClassLibraryDLL">
        <File Id="ApprovalClassLibraryDLL"
              Name="ApprovalClassLibrary.dll"

Source="$(var.ApprovalClassLibrary.TargetDir)ApprovalClassLibrary.dll"
              Vital="yes"
              KeyPath="yes"/>
      </Component>

Is there something special I need to do or setup so that candle can
reference these var's?  I have a number of projects in the solution and all
use the same format to include what is needed in Product.wxs.


Brian

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.  -
Albert Einstein