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Version: v3

Writing WiX Tests

This document describes how to write tests for WiX.

Location of the Tests​

The root directory for the tests is %WIX_ROOT%\test. There are three main subdirectories:

  • data: contains test data, eg wxs files
  • src: contains source code for the tests
  • WixTestTools: contains source code for the WixTestTools library

Test Directory Tree

The data and src directories are further organized by feature area:

  • Examples: Example tests
  • Extensions: Tests for WiX extensions
  • Integration: Tests for integration of two or more tools. Eg. Building an MSI from source with Candle and Light.
  • QTests: Tests migrated from the previous test infrastructure
  • SharedData: Test data that is shared across multiple tests
  • Tools: Tests for a particular tool's command line options
  • Wixproj: Tests for building .wixproj's with MSBuild

Test Directory Tree

WixTests Solution​

The test solution file, WixTests.sln, is located in %WIX_ROOT%\test\WixTests.sln. The WixTests solution currently contains two projects:

  • WixTests: Contains all of the tests
  • WixTestsTools: A library of wrapper classes and verification methods used by the tests

The solution should be opened from the WiX command window to ensure that the %WIX_ROOT% environment variable is set.

Example Tests​

Example: Build and Verify an MSI​

The following example shows how to test building an MSI from WiX source.

[TestMethod]
[Description("An example test that verifies an MSI is built correctly")]
[Priority(3)]
public void ExampleTest1()
{
    // Use the BuildPackage method to build an MSI from source
    string actualMSI = Builder.BuildPackage(@"%WIX_ROOT%\test\data\SharedData\Authoring\BasicProduct.wxs");
    
    // The expected MSI to compare against
    string expectedMSI = @"%WIX_ROOT%\test\data\SharedData\Baselines\MSIs\BasicProduct.msi";
    
    // Use the VerifyResults method to compare the actual and expected MSIs
    Verifier.VerifyResults(expectedMSI, actualMSI);
}

Example: Check for a Warning and Query an MSI​

The following example shows how to build an MSI using the Candle and Light wrapper classes. It also demonstrates how to check for a warning from Light and query the resuling MSI.

[TestMethod]
[Description("An example test that checks for a Light warning and queries the resulting MSI")]
[Priority(3)]
public void ExampleTest2()
{
    // Compile a wxs file
    Candle candle = new Candle();
    candle.SourceFiles.Add(@"%WIX_ROOT%\test\data\Examples\ExampleTest2\product.wxs");
    candle.Run();
    
    // Create a Light object that uses some properties of the Candle object
    Light light = new Light(candle);
    
    // Define the Light warning that we expect to see
    WixMessage LGHT1079 = new WixMessage(1079, WixMessage.MessageTypeEnum.Warning);
    light.ExpectedWixMessages.Add(LGHT1079);
    
    // Link
    light.Run();
    
    // Query the resulting MSI for verification
    string query = "SELECT `Value` FROM `Property` WHERE `Property` = 'Manufacturer'";
    Verifier.VerifyQuery(light.OutputFile, query, ".NET Foundation");
}

Example: ICE Validation with Smoke​

The following example shows how to verify that Smoke catches a particular ICE violation and how to use the Result object to perform further verification.

[TestMethod]
[Description("An example test that verifies an ICE violation is caught by smoke")]
[Priority(3)]
public void ExampleTest3()
{
    string testDirectory = Environment.ExpandEnvironmentVariables(@"%WIX_ROOT%\test\data\Examples\ExampleTest3");
    
    // Build the MSI that will be run against Smoke. Pass the -sval argument to delay validation until Smoke is run
    string msi = Builder.BuildPackage(testDirectory, "product.wxs", "product.msi", null, "-sval");
    
    // Create a new Smoke object
    Smoke smoke = new Smoke();
    smoke.DatabaseFiles.Add(msi);
    smoke.CubFiles.Add(@"%WIX_ROOT%\test\data\Examples\ExampleTest3\test.cub");
    
    // Define the expected ICE error
    WixMessage LGHT1076 = new WixMessage(1076, "ICE1000: Component 'ExtraICE.0.ProductComponent' installs into directory 'TARGETDIR', which will get installed into the volume with the most free space unless explicitly set.", WixMessage.MessageTypeEnum.Warning);
    smoke.ExpectedWixMessages.Add(LGHT1076);
    
    // Run Smoke and keep a reference to the Result object that is returned by the Run() method
    Result result = smoke.Run();
    
    // Use the Result object to verify the exit code
    // Note: checking for an exit code of 0 is done implicitly in the Run() method but
    // this is just for demonstration purposes.
    Assert.AreEqual(0, result.ExitCode, "Actual exit code did not match expected exit code");
}