Deprecate and remove Package element
Proposal
The split between the Product and Package elements is confusing and mostly
historical. At the same time, the Package element contains a number of
obsolete and/or questionably-useful attributes that mostly exist to allow WiX to
generate an arbitrary package. WiX v4.0 should
- Rename the
Productelement toPackageto better reflect the purpose of the element. - Move common attributes from the old
Packageto the newPackage. - Move obscure attributes from the old
Packageto the newSummaryInformationelement to better reflect its purpose.
| Old Package attribute | Disposition |
|---|---|
| AdminImage | Eliminate. Its only use is in using WiX to construct an arbitrary database. The name encourages users to use it to try to create a package that elevates. |
| Comments | Eliminate. MSI SDK describes what it should say. |
| Compressed | Move to Package/@Compressed. |
| Description | Move to SummaryInformation. |
| Id | Move to Module/@Guid. |
| InstallerVersion | Move to Package/@InstallerVersion and Module/@InstallerVersion. |
| InstallPrivileges | Eliminate. |
| InstallScope | Move to Package/@Scope. |
| Keywords | Move to SummaryInformation. |
| Languages | Eliminate. WiX doesn't currently support multi-language merge modules and if that support were added, it would automatically take care of this value. |
| Manufacturer | Move to SummaryInformation. |
| Platform | Eliminate. |
| Platforms | Eliminate. |
| ReadOnly | Eliminate. |
| ShortNames | Move to Package/@ShortNames. |
| SummaryCodepage | Move to SummaryInformation/@Codepage. |
Considerations
WixCop needs to be updated to handle moving attributes as required.