# PackageInstaller<no value>
The `PackageInstaller` sample is a Visual Studio 2022 solution which demonstrates how users can create installers for add-ons through the WiX Toolset v5 (based on Windows Installer). This sample is a working example of how the WiX Toolset v5 can be used - together with a specific VS extension named HeatWave - to install one or more packages into [The Community Folder](../../../introduction/sdk-overview/#community) of both the OneStore and Steam versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

 

You can expand the link below to see the `PackageInstaller` file and folder structure:

{{< glossterm >}}file_overview{{< /glossterm >}}

``` codeblock
|---+ PackageInstaller
    |---+ DetectMSFS
    |   |---- CustomAction.cpp
    |   |---- CustomAction.def
    |   |---- DetectMSFS.vcxproj
    |   |---- stdafx.cpp
    |   |---- stdafx.h
    |   |---- targetver.h
    |---+ PackageInstaller
    |   |---- CustomAction.wxs
    |   |---- PackageFiles.wxs
    |   |---- PackageInstaller.wixproj
    |   |---- Product.wxs
    |---+ Packages
    |   |---+ mycompany-module-standalone
    |       |---+ modules
    |       |   |---- StandaloneModule.wasm
    |       |---- layout.json
    |       |---- manifest.json
    |---- PackageInstaller.sln
```

 

 

### Requirements

This project has the following requirements for it to be used to create installer packages:

-   [Visual Studio 2022](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/) (it should be possible to port the solution to VS2019 fairly easily)
-   [HeatWave for Visual Studio](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/search?term=HeatWave&target=VS&category=Tools&vsVersion=&subCategory=Coding&sortBy=Relevance) (it can be installed directly from VS2022 using the "Manage Extensions..." entry in the "Extensions" menu)

 

 

### Using This Sample

To use this sample you first need to have installed the above listed tools and then opened the `PackageInstaller.sln` in Visual Studio. Without editing anything, simply go to the **Build** menu and then select **Build Solution**. This will take the contents of the `Packages` folder, and build it as an MSI installer. The final installer - `PackageInstaller.msi` - can be found in the following directory:

&lt;root directory&gt;\(PackageInstaller\)PackageInstaller\(bin\)Debug\\PackageInstaller.msi

You can then double-click on this and the installer will open so you can install the test package to the OneStore and/or the Steam Community folder:

{{< image-center
    src="images/7_Samples_Tutorials/Samples/Misc/PackageInstaller/installer.png"
    alt="The Package Installer MSI Window" >}}

 

 

### Customising The Installer

This example uses the default settings for creating the installer, but this will obviously not be what you want for your own packages. The installer itself is 100% configurable and you can find details of how to change the licence file and bitmaps used - as well as other details - from the following link:

-   [Customizing Built-in WiXUI Dialog Sets](https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/wixui/wixui_customizations.html)

 

To change the name of the built MSI executable, you can do this from Visual Studio by selecting the **Properties** for the PackageInstaller:

{{< image-center
    src="images/7_Samples_Tutorials/Samples/Misc/PackageInstaller/properties.png"
    alt="Opening The Package Installer Properties Window" >}}

From here you can then change the name of the MSI executable that is created:

{{< image-center
    src="images/7_Samples_Tutorials/Samples/Misc/PackageInstaller/installer_name.png"
    alt="Changing The Name Of The MSI Installer Executable" >}}

It is also worth noting that you are not limited to having a single package within the installer, and you can have multiple packages included if required. For this, simply ensure that each package you want to include is added to the `Packages` folder, and it they will all be built as part of the installer, eg:

{{< image-center
    src="images/7_Samples_Tutorials/Samples/Misc/PackageInstaller/multiple_packages.png"
    alt="An Example Of Multiple Packages To Be Built As An Installer" >}}

In this case, all three packages will be installed by the user when the run the MSI file.