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, x86)
• 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 four 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

InstallerComposerCommandLine

NativeAOT console package creation tool for CI, Linux, and AI automation:

• Reads .aticconfig files
• Creates .atp packages without launching the WinUI composer
• Resolves relative application and output paths from the config file directory

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 / 2026 with WinUI 3 workload

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository
2. Open AT Installer.sln in Visual Studio 2022 / 2026
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"

For CLI or Linux automation, use the NativeAOT console composer:

InstallerComposerCommandLine "path/to/config.aticconfig"

ApplicationRootDirectoryPath and PackageFilePath can be relative paths. The CLI resolves them from the .aticconfig file directory.

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.

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)
├── Archive-x86/              # x86 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
├── createArchive-x86.bat       # Create Archive-x86.7z from Archive-x86 folder
├── composeInstaller.bat        # Create Installer.exe (x64)
├── composeInstaller-arm64.bat  # Create Installer-arm64.exe
├── composeInstaller-x86.bat  # Create Installer-x86.exe
├── composeSilentInstaller.bat  # Create silent Installer.exe (x64)
├── composeSilentInstaller-arm64.bat  # Create silent Installer.exe (ARM64)
├── composeSilentInstaller-x86.bat  # Create silent Installer.exe (x86)
├── composeByName.bat           # Create custom-named installer (x64)
├── composeByName-arm64.bat     # Create custom-named installer (ARM64)
└── composeByName-x86.bat       # Create custom-named installer (x86)

Note: The Archive, Archive-arm64 and Archive-x86 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
• For x86: Copy to Release\Archive-x86\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

# For x86
createArchive-x86.bat

This creates Archive.7z, Archive-arm64.7z or Archive-x86.7z 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

# For x86
composeInstaller-x86.bat

Creates Installer.exe that shows the installation UI.

Option B: Silent Installer

# For x64
composeSilentInstaller.bat

# For ARM64
composeSilentInstaller-arm64.bat

# For x86
composeSilentInstaller-x86.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

# For x86
composeByName-x86.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

Author

Howon Lee (airtaxi)

• GitHub: @airtaxi

Contributing

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