Inno Setup Node.js Compiler Wrapper

Common errors

• err:macdrv:process_attach Failed to start Cocoa app main loop

  cause An outdated or unstable version of Wine on macOS is attempting to run the Inno Setup compiler, leading to an application launch failure.
  fix Update Wine to the latest development version using Homebrew: `brew update && brew install wine --devel`.

• Error: Command failed: C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe "path\to\my\script.iss" [...] /O="output\directory"
  [...] Error on line X: Unknown parameter 'O'.

  cause Inno Setup compiler options are being passed incorrectly, specifically with a leading slash `/O=` instead of without for this wrapper's API.
  fix Ensure all Inno Setup compiler options passed via the Node.js API or CLI are provided without the leading slash (e.g., `{ O: 'output/directory' }` for Node.js, or `--O=output/directory` for CLI) as the wrapper adds it automatically. Review the official Inno Setup Command Line Compiler Execution documentation for valid parameters.

Warnings

• gotcha Running `innosetup-compiler` on non-Windows operating systems (Linux, macOS) requires a working installation of Wine to execute the Windows-native `ISCC.exe` compiler.
  Fix: Ensure Wine is properly installed and configured on your system. For macOS users, `brew install wine --devel` is often recommended to get the latest development version.
• gotcha When the `gui` option is set to `true`, `innosetup-compiler` will launch `Compil32.exe` (the Inno Setup GUI compiler), and all other programmatic options passed to the function will be ignored. The user must manually interact with the GUI.
  Fix: Set `gui: false` for automated, headless compilation where all options are controlled programmatically. Only use `gui: true` if manual intervention and visual feedback from the Inno Setup compiler GUI are explicitly desired.
• gotcha When defining `signtoolcommand` or other paths in JavaScript strings, especially for Windows paths, backslashes must be escaped with an additional backslash (e.g., `C:\\path\\to\\file.pfx`).
  Fix: Double escape backslashes in JavaScript string literals: `"C:\\absolute\\path\\to\\mycertificate.pfx"`. Alternatively, use forward slashes if the underlying tool supports them or leverage Node.js `path` module for cross-platform path construction, though `signtoolcommand` typically expects Windows-style paths.
• deprecated The package's `engines.node` specifies `>=0.8.0`. While it may still function on modern Node.js versions, this outdated engine declaration might indicate a lack of testing or specific optimizations for newer Node.js features (e.g., native ESM).
  Fix: None required for functionality, but be aware that behavior with very recent Node.js features might be untested. Consider contributing to update the `engines` field if compatibility is verified for newer Node.js LTS versions.

Install

• npm install innosetup npm
• yarn add innosetup yarn
• pnpm add innosetup pnpm

Imports

• compileInnoSetup
  wrong:

  import compileInnoSetup from 'innosetup-compiler';

  correct:

  const compileInnoSetup = require('innosetup-compiler');

  The package exports a function directly, primarily used with CommonJS `require()`. Direct ESM imports (e.g., `import`) will not work without a transpilation layer or explicit module resolution configuration. The common pattern is `require('innosetup-compiler')('path/to/script.iss', options, callback);`
• CLI

  innosetup-compiler myscript.iss --gui

  Install globally via `npm install -g innosetup-compiler` to use the CLI directly. All Inno Setup compiler options can be passed via command line flags (e.g., `--O=output.exe`).
• GruntTask
  wrong:

  import { innosetup_compiler } from 'innosetup-compiler';

  correct:

  grunt.loadNpmTasks('innosetup-compiler');

  When used with Grunt, the package registers a task named `innosetup_compiler`. It is consumed by calling `loadNpmTasks`, not via direct import statements.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to compile an Inno Setup script (`my-installer.iss`) using the Node.js API, including options for verbose output, specifying an output directory, and configuring code signing with a placeholder command. It includes error handling for the compilation process.

const compileInno = require('innosetup-compiler');
const path = require('path');

const scriptPath = path.join(__dirname, 'my-installer.iss');

// Example .iss content for my-installer.iss (save this file next to your script)
// [Setup]
// AppName=My Awesome App
// AppVersion=1.0
// DefaultDirName={autopf}\My Awesome App
// FileName=MyAppSetup.exe
// OutputBaseFilename=MyAppInstaller
// compression=lzma2
// SolidCompression=yes
// PrivilegesRequired=admin
// SourceDir=.\
// [Files]
// Source: "MyApp.exe"; DestDir: "{app}"

compileInno(scriptPath, {
    gui: false,
    verbose: true,
    O: path.join(__dirname, 'output'), // Specifies output directory
    signtoolname: 'signtool',
    signtoolcommand: '"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Windows Kits\\10\\bin\\10.0.19041.0\\x64\\signtool.exe" sign /f "C:\\absolute\\path\\to\\mycertificate.pfx" /t http://timestamp.digicert.com /p "MY_PASSWORD" $f'
}, function(error) {
    if (error) {
        console.error('Inno Setup compilation failed:', error);
        process.exit(1);
    } else {
        console.log('Inno Setup compilation successful!');
        console.log(`Installer saved to: ${path.join(__dirname, 'output', 'MyAppInstaller.exe')}`);
    }
});