Sprint 1 spike: What's in ExampleComponents.wxs?

HeatWave's template for a package includes an installed file because -- it turns out -- installing files is a pretty common job for an installer. HeatWave isn't psychic and can't guess what you want to install, so it just installs a placeholder file. For now, that's good enough. Soon enough we'll install something real.

<Wix xmlns="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs">
  <Fragment>

ExampleComponents.wxs is another WiX source file containing a fragment.

<ComponentGroup Id="ExampleComponents" Directory="INSTALLFOLDER">

Here's a concrete example of something we've talked about before: a component group. In fact, it's the very same component group that we referenced with a ComponentGroupRef element, back in Package.wxs, under the Feature element. That means that all the components (well, one in this placeholder case) are grouped together and brought in as one piece under the parent feature.

Remember that WiX groups don't always have equivalents in MSI. ComponentGroup, for example, is a WiX concept to make it easier to build groups of components without worrying immediately which feature they go into. You can even build component groups out of other component groups: Use a ComponentGroupRef under ComponentGroup.

<Component>
  <File Source="ExampleComponents.wxs" />
</Component>

There is one component in the grand component group HeatWave named ExampleComponents. That component has a single file in it. The name of that file is ExampleComponents.wxs. Yes, that means that the lone file this package installs is a copy of one of the WiX source files used to create the package. Is that just the HeatWave template designer having a bit of fun? Maybe. But remember that this file (and component) (and component group) is just a placeholder, waiting for us to replace it with something much better. Soon!