WiX Toolset .NET Core service example

WiX toolset .NET Core service installation example

Description

Creation of .NET Core 2.2 windows service msi installation file with WiX 3.11.

Steps to setup installation project

Be sure that your project can be installed and started as service with sc.exe
In service project add runtime win10-x64 in .csproj

<PropertyGroup>
  ...
  <RuntimeIdentifier>win10-x64</RuntimeIdentifier>
</PropertyGroup>

Install WiX with VS extension
Add new "Setup Project for WiX v3" project in solution
Add reference to service project in new WiX project: right click on WiX project -> Add -> Reference -> Tab Projects -> Select and add your service project.
Edit .wixproj file in WiX project to add Heat copying

<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
  <Exec Command="dotnet publish ..\WiXToolsetNetCoreService\WiXToolsetNetCoreService.csproj -c $(Configuration) -r win10-x64" />
  <PropertyGroup>
    <LinkerBaseInputPaths>..\WiXToolsetNetCoreService\bin\$(Configuration)\netcoreapp2.2\win10-x64\publish</LinkerBaseInputPaths>
    <DefineConstants>BasePath=..\WiXToolsetNetCoreService\bin\$(Configuration)\netcoreapp2.2\win10-x64\publish</DefineConstants>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <HeatDirectory OutputFile="WiXToolsetNetCoreService.wxs" DirectoryRefId="INSTALLFOLDER" ComponentGroupName="WiXToolsetNetCoreServiceProject"
    SuppressCom="true" Directory="..\WiXToolsetNetCoreService\bin\$(Configuration)\netcoreapp2.2\win10-x64\publish" SuppressFragments="true"
    SuppressRegistry="true" SuppressRootDirectory="true" AutoGenerateGuids="false" GenerateGuidsNow="true" ToolPath="$(WixToolPath)" PreprocessorVariable="var.BasePath" />
</Target>

Fill Manufacturer attribute for Product in Product.wxs in WiX project
Build WiX project
Add WiXToolsetNetCoreService.wxs (Heat-henerated file references) to WiX Project in Visual Studio (Add existing item)
Add reference to WiXToolsetNetCoreService.wxs in Product.wxs

<Feature Id="ProductFeature" Title="SetupProject" Level="1">
  <!-- heat references -->
  <ComponentGroupRef Id="WiXToolsetNetCoreServiceProject" />

  <ComponentGroupRef Id="ProductComponents" />
</Feature>

Add service registration in Product.wxs

<Fragment>
  <ComponentGroup Id="ProductComponents" Directory="INSTALLFOLDER">

    <!-- service registration -->
    <Component Id="ProductComponent" >
      <File Id="JobServiceEXE"
            Name="WiXToolsetNetCoreService.exe"
            DiskId="1"
            Source="$(var.WiXToolsetNetCoreService.TargetDir)\WiXToolsetNetCoreService.exe"
            Vital="yes"
            KeyPath="yes" />

      <ServiceInstall Id="ServiceInstaller"
                      Type="ownProcess"
                      Vital="yes"
                      Name="WiXToolsetNetCoreService"
                      DisplayName="WiX Toolset .NET Core Service"
                      Description="Example for installing .NET Core service with WiX toolset"
                      Start="auto"
                      Account="LocalSystem"
                      ErrorControl="normal" />

      <ServiceControl Id="StartService"
                      Name="WiXToolsetNetCoreService"
                      Start="install"
                      Wait="no" />
      <ServiceControl Id="StopService"
                      Name="WiXToolsetNetCoreService"
                      Stop="uninstall"
                      Remove="uninstall"
                      Wait="yes" />
    </Component>

  </ComponentGroup>
</Fragment>

Open WiX project properties -> Tool Settings and add ICE30 in field "Suppress specific ICE validation" for all configurations (Debug\Release). This step suppress error about two references to .exe file by Heat config and service installer.

After this you can try to build WiX project and run .msi installation file. The service should be installed in ProgramFilesFolder (c:\Program Files (x86)) and registered in Services.

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