WiXAware 2.0: The visual IDE for WiX

SAN FRANCISCO, USA: InstallAware has released WiXAware version 2.0, a WiX IDE with visual editors that automatically generates XML code in the background. While Microsoft teams internally use WiX to build setup packages for their world-class software installers like Office, SQL Server, and Live Messenger; WiX's steep XML source code learning curve has limited the number of developers able to leverage this powerful technology. WiXAware makes WiX technology accessible to the masses through the use of automatic setup code generation.

WiXAware helps setup developers who are new to WiX, and unskilled with WiX's underlying XML source code, to get up and running with their Windows Installer MSI setup packages in no time - without any training! For instance, when files are dragged and dropped from Windows Explorer to WiXAware design surfaces, WiXAware seamlessly generates all the necessary XML code that WiX would need to install those files. This way, even complete newcomers to WiX can create setup packages without writing a single line of WiX XML code. This helps novice setup developers get productive with WiXAware immediately, while still helping them pick up necessary WiX XML language skills along the way.

The WiX XML source code generated by WiXAware remains fully accessible at all times inside WiXAware's intelligent, syntax highlighting, code-folding, and auto-completing XML code editor. Veteran WiX developers will appreciate the unfettered access WiXAware provides to the source code of the entire installation. Moreover, when changes are made inside the XML code editor, WiXAware's design surfaces automatically update themselves, rendering the modified XML source code in a visual, easy to understand way. Further changes made in the visual design surfaces are reflected back in the XML source code as well. This makes WiXAware very powerful and easy to use at the same time.

WiXAware 2.0 provides even more features and benefits as driven by customer requests. The IDE has been fortified for team development with the addition of support for multi document projects, fragments, and include files. Also new is MSBuild support, helping developers integrate their setups into their application build process -WiXAware 2.0 now automatically creates .wixproj files. Resources may also be harvested into fragments through the incorporation of new Tallow functionality.

WiXAware 2.0 also includes Setup Squeezer, an ideal tool for making .MSI setup files smaller. Setup Squeezer is completely automated, and re-compresses an MSI setup to make it up to 67 percent smaller. Typical space savings are in the neighborhood of 40 percent for most .MSI files. Setup Squeezer works well with MSI files created by WiXAware 2.0, as well as any other MSI authoring tool.

"While formerly industry leading brands like InstallShield still lack a tool targeting the WiX toolkit, we've already released our second major version of WiXAware," says Agustín K-ballo Bergé, vice president,  research and development, InstallAware Software Corporation. "We listen to our customers and closely follow the latest trends in setup engineering. WiX is an important piece of technology and as such, deserves our full support."