The following list describes the supported file types in WiX:
Extension | Type | Description |
Include File |
A .wxi file is analogous to .h files for C++. The root element of this file is <Include>. Everything under the root element will be inserted inline when this file is included in another source or include file. |
|
Localization File |
A .wxl file contains a set of strings used for localizing a product into a specified culture. The root element of this file is <WixLocalization>. The culture is specified by setting the Culture attribute on the <WixLocalization> element. |
|
Source File |
A .wxs file as analogous to a .cpp file for C++. The Root element of this file is <Wix>. |
|
Object File |
A .wixobj file is created by the compiler for each source file compiled. The .wixobj file contains one or more sections that, in turn, contain symbols and references to other symbols. |
|
.wixout |
XML Output File |
A .wixout file is created by the linker which represents the result of linking a set of object files. The .wixout is an XML representation of the final output. |
.wixlib |
WiX Library File |
A .wixlib file is a library of setup functionality that can be easily shared across different WiX-based packages by including it when linking the setup package. |
.wixpdb |
Debug File |
A .wixpdb file is created by the linker for each final output. It contains the debugging information. |
.wixmsp |
XML Patch File |
A .wixmsp file is the XML output generated by linking object files in a patch build. |
.wixmst |
Transform File |
A .wixmst file is an XML representation of the difference between a pair of final outputs or XML outputs. |
Windows Installer Installation Package |
An installation package file (.msi) is the basic unit of installation for the Windows Installer. For more information on .msi files, see the Windows Installer documentation. |
|
Windows Installer Merge Module |
A merge module file (.msm) is used to share setup logic across different .msi packages. A merge module can be created by one development team, then merged into another development team's .msi package. For more information on .msm files, see the Windows Installer documentation. |
|
.mst |
Windows Installer Transform |
A transform file (.mst) is used to apply changes to an .msi file. For more information on .mst files, see the Windows Installer documentation. |
.pcp |
Windows Installer Patch Creation Process File |
A patch creation properties file (.pcp) is used as an input to the patch building tools provided in the Windows Installer SDK. For more information on .pcp files, see the Windows Installer documentation. |