installer-creator 0.1.7

Python package for compiling projects with Nuitka and creating Windows installers with Wix Toolset

Installer Creator

Python package for compiling projects with Nuitka and creating Windows installers with Wix Toolset.

Installation

pip install installer-creator

Prerequisites

1. Wix Toolset (required for installer creation):

   dotnet tool install --global wix
   

   The package will automatically install the Wix UI extension if missing

2. Nuitka (will be installed automatically)

Configuration

Create a build_config.yaml file:

# Nuitka build configuration
project:
  name: "MyApp"  # Application name
  version: "1.0.0"
  description: "My Application Description"
  company: ""
  icon: "app_icon.ico"  # Optional icon file
  main_file: "main.py"  # Entry point file

build:
  output:
    directory: "dist"
    filename: "my_app.exe"  # Output executable name
  options:
    standalone: true
    onefile: true
    splash_screen: ""
    remove_output: true
  include:
    packages:
      - ""
    plugins:
      - ""
    data_dirs:
      - source: "resources"
        target: "resources"
    external_data:
      - "*.dll"
    files:
      - "requirements.txt"
      - "readme.md"
      - "*.json"  # Example wildcard pattern
  copy_beside:
    - "resources"

installer:
  enabled: true
  output:
    directory: "dist"
    filename: "my_app_installer.msi"
  metadata:
    manufacturer: "Your Company"
    product_name: "My Application"
    upgrade_code: ""  # Generate with installer-creator generate-uuid
  ui:
    banner_image: "banner.bmp"
    dialog_image: "dialog.bmp"
  license_file: "license.rtf"
  shortcuts:
    desktop: true
    start_menu: true

debug:
  enabled: false
  console:
    mode: "disabled"
    stdout: null
    stderr: null

exclude:
  - "__pycache__"
  - "*.pyc"
  - "*.pyo"
  - "*.pyd"
  - "build"
  - "dist"

Resource Paths

The installer supports flexible resource locations:

• UI images (banner/dialog) can be anywhere
• License file can be anywhere
• Paths can be absolute or relative to config file

Usage

# Generate UUID for upgrade code
installer-creator generate-uuid -s "MyAppName"

# Build executable
installer-creator build-exe -c build_config.yaml

# Create installer
installer-creator build-installer -c build_config.yaml

Testing

The project includes a comprehensive test suite to ensure functionality works as expected. The tests cover:

• Building executables with Nuitka
• Creating Windows installers with WiX Toolset
• Handling special characters in manufacturer and product names
• Configuration validation and loading

To run the tests:

# Install test dependencies
pip install pytest

# Run all tests
python tests/run_tests.py

# Or run specific tests
pytest tests/test_build_exe.py
pytest tests/test_build_installer.py

The test suite uses mocking to simulate the build environment, so you don't need to have WiX Toolset installed to run the tests.