AT Installer

한국어 | English

A lightweight Windows installer framework built with WinUI 3

Overview

AT Installer is a modern, lightweight installer framework for Windows applications. It consists of two main components:

1. Installer Composer - A GUI tool for creating installation packages
2. Installer - The runtime installer that extracts and installs applications

The framework uses WinUI 3 with Mica backdrop for a modern Windows 11 appearance and supports multiple languages (English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese).

Features

• Modern UI with WinUI 3 interface and Mica backdrop
• Multi-language Support (English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese)
• Simple Package Format using .atp (AT Package) format with ZIP compression
• Customizable scripts during install/uninstall
• Multi-Architecture support (x64, ARM64)
• Silent Install via command-line
• Registry Integration for proper Windows uninstaller registration
• Start Menu Integration with automatic shortcut creation
• Self-Extracting Installer creation using 7z SFX

Project Structure

The solution contains three projects:

Installer

Runtime installer application that handles:

• Package extraction and installation
• Registry registration
• Start menu shortcut creation
• Multi-language UI

InstallerComposer

Package creation tool featuring:

• Application manifest configuration
• Icon embedding
• Custom script configuration
• Settings save/load functionality

InstallerCommons

Shared library containing:

• ZIP compression utilities with progress reporting
• Installation and uninstallation manifest definitions
• Common helper classes

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (1809) or later
• .NET 10.0 SDK
• Visual Studio 2022 with WinUI 3 workload

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository
2. Open AT Installer.sln in Visual Studio 2022
3. Build the solution

Creating an Installation Package

1. Launch InstallerComposer
2. Fill in the application manifest:
   • Application ID: Click "Generate" to create a unique GUID
   • Application Name: Display name of your application
   • Application Publisher: Publisher/Company name
   • Installation Folder Name: Folder name in %AppData%
3. Set the application icon (PNG format)
4. Select the Application Root Directory containing your application files
5. Choose the main Executable File
6. (Optional) Configure post-install/uninstall scripts
7. Set the Package File Path for the output .atp file
8. Go to File > Export Package

Installing an Application

Double-click the .atp file to launch the installer, or run via command line:

Installer.exe "path\to\package.atp"

Silent installation:

Installer.exe "path\to\package.atp" /silent

Silent Installation Exit Codes

Code	Description
0	Success
24	Cannot downgrade (installed version is newer)
25	Extraction failed
26	Registry registration failed

Package Format (.atp)

The .atp package is a ZIP archive containing:

• manifest.json: Installation manifest
• data.bin: Compressed application files

Configuration Files

Composer Config (.aticconfig)

Save and load package configurations for repeated builds:

• File > Save Settings
• File > Load Settings

Automate package creation by passing the config file as a command-line argument:

InstallerComposer.exe "path\to\config.aticconfig"

Downloads

Download the latest release from the Releases page.

Available Downloads

The release includes a compressed archive (Release.7z) containing tools to create self-extracting installers.

Note: Currently supports x64 and ARM64 architectures. x86 support will be added in a future release. If you need x86 right now, the Installer project itself supports x86 - you can build it from source and use the output.

Creating Self-Extracting Installers

The Release folder includes tools to create self-extracting (SFX) installers that bundle the AT Installer with your .atp package into a single .exe file.

Release Folder Structure

Release/
├── Archive/                    # x64 Installer build
│   ├── Installer.exe
│   └── (other runtime files)
├── Archive-arm64/              # ARM64 Installer build
│   ├── Installer.exe
│   └── (other runtime files)
├── 7zS.sfx                     # 7-Zip SFX module
├── bz.exe                      # Bandizip command-line tool (optional)
├── config.txt                  # Normal installer config
├── config_silent.txt           # Silent installer config
├── createArchive.bat           # Create Archive.7z from Archive folder
├── createArchive-arm64.bat     # Create Archive-arm64.7z from Archive-arm64 folder
├── composeInstaller.bat        # Create Installer.exe (x64)
├── composeInstaller-arm64.bat  # Create Installer-arm64.exe
├── composeSilentInstaller.bat  # Create silent Installer.exe (x64)
├── composeSilentInstaller-arm64.bat  # Create silent Installer.exe (ARM64)
├── composeByName.bat           # Create custom-named installer (x64)
└── composeByName-arm64.bat     # Create custom-named installer (ARM64)

Note: The Archive and Archive-arm64 folders contain the published Installer runtime only. InstallerComposer is a separate development tool and not included in these folders.

Tip: If you have Bandizip installed on your system, you can delete bz.exe as the batch files can use the system-installed Bandizip command-line tool instead.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Download and Extract Release Archive

Download Release.7z from GitHub Releases and extract it to a folder (e.g., C:\ATInstaller\Release\)

2. Prepare Your Package

Place your .atp package file in the appropriate folder and rename it to Package.atp:

• For x64: Copy to Release\Archive\Package.atp
• For ARM64: Copy to Release\Archive-arm64\Package.atp

Important: The file must be named exactly Package.atp

3. Create 7z Archive

Run the appropriate batch file to create the compressed archive:

# For x64
createArchive.bat

# For ARM64
createArchive-arm64.bat

This creates Archive.7z or Archive-arm64.7z in the Release folder.

Note: These batch files use bz.exe (Bandizip CLI) or the system-installed Bandizip to create the 7z archive.

4. Create Self-Extracting Installer

Choose one of the following options:

Option A: Standard Installer

# For x64
composeInstaller.bat

# For ARM64
composeInstaller-arm64.bat

Creates Installer.exe that shows the installation UI.

Option B: Silent Installer

# For x64
composeSilentInstaller.bat

# For ARM64
composeSilentInstaller-arm64.bat

Creates Installer.exe that runs in silent mode (no UI).

Option C: Custom Named Installer

# For x64
composeByName.bat

# For ARM64
composeByName-arm64.bat

Prompts for a custom filename and creates YourName.exe.

5. Distribute

The generated .exe file is a standalone installer that:

1. Extracts the bundled files to a temporary location
2. Launches Installer.exe with Package.atp
3. Installs your application

Config Files Explained

config.txt (Normal installation):

;!@Install@!UTF-8!
RunProgram="Installer.exe Package.atp"
;!@InstallEnd@!

config_silent.txt (Silent installation):

;!@Install@!UTF-8!
RunProgram="Installer.exe Package.atp /silent"
;!@InstallEnd@!

These config files tell the 7z SFX module what command to run after extraction.

Example Workflow

# 1. Extract Release.7z
7z x Release.7z -oC:\ATInstaller\Release

# 2. Copy your package
copy MyApp.atp C:\ATInstaller\Release\Archive\Package.atp

# 3. Create archive
cd C:\ATInstaller\Release
createArchive.bat

# 4. Create installer
composeInstaller.bat

# 5. Distribute Installer.exe to your users

Technical Details

• Framework: .NET 10.0
• UI Framework: WinUI 3 (Windows App SDK 1.8)
• Compression: ZIP with optimal compression
• Installation Location: %AppData%\{InstallationFolderName}
• Registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
• SFX Module: 7-Zip SFX (7zS.sfx)
• Archive Tool: Bandizip CLI (bz.exe) or system-installed Bandizip
• Supported Architectures: x64, ARM64 (x86 support coming soon)

Author

Howon Lee (airtaxi)

• GitHub: @airtaxi

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.