Summary
In this chapter, we discussed the elements used to install files and create directories. The File, Directory and Component elements play vital roles here, but you may also benefit from using ComponentGroup to group your components. This allows you to better organize your markup and even to separate it into multiple WiX source files.
The heat.exe tool can create Component elements for you. You simply need to point it at a certain directory. However, it's best to fine-tune its arguments so that the output that you get is optimal. We discussed a few other topics such as how to copy a file, how to set file permissions and how to organize your File element Id attributes for maximum installation speed.
In the next chapter, we'll move on to discuss WiX properties and the various ways of searching the end user's system for files, directories, and settings.
