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InstallerCreator

en uk

A WPF application for generating new game installer projects from templates for the Ukrainify project.

🎯 Purpose

InstallerCreator streamlines the process of creating new game localization installers by:

  • Generating boilerplate project structure
  • Filling template files with game-specific information
  • Adding game themed image assets
  • Including only the game detection libraries needed for selected platforms

🖥️ Interface

The application provides a simple form with the following fields:

  • Hero image - Select hero banner image (800x250)
  • Logo image - Select logo image
  • GameTitle - Display name of the game
  • GameIdentifiers - Store-specific game codenames (semicolon separated)
  • AssemblyName - .NET assembly name for the installer
  • ProjectName - Folder name for the project (no spaces)
  • Supported Platforms - Checkboxes for Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store

🛠️ Building

cd Tools/InstallerCreator
dotnet publish -c Release
# or use the main build script from project root
../../build.ps1

Adding New Template Variables

  1. Add the variable to template files with {VariableName} syntax
  2. Update ProjectCreator.cs to include the replacement: 
    ReplaceInFile(path, "{VariableName}", replacementValue);

Modifying Templates

Edit files in the InstallerProjectTemplate/ directory to change the generated project structure.

🚀 Usage

Running the Application

cd Publish/Tools/InstallerCreator
InstallerCreator.exe

Creating a New Installer

  1. Fill in all required fields in the form

  2. Select hero and logo images

  3. Check the platforms the game is available on (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store)

  4. Click "Create Installer Project"

  5. The new project will be created in the selected target directory as Ukrainify.{ProjectName}

  6. Open the solution in Visual Studio and add the new project to the solution

  7. Fill Metadata.cs with game information:

    • The file structure is already generated with Common and PlatformSpecificLocalizations
    • Go through each field and fill or remove as needed:

    Important Note: If your localization works identically across all platforms, you can use only Common metadata and replace PlatformSpecificLocalizations with an empty dictionary:

    public IReadOnlyDictionary<string, MetadataEntry> PlatformSpecificLocalizations { get; }
  = new Dictionary<string, MetadataEntry>();

    Common MetadataEntry:

    • executable - Game executable name (e.g., "Game.exe")
      • Remove parameter if different per platform
    • markerFile - Platform detection file (e.g., "steam_api.dll")
      • Remove parameter if different per platform
    • changedFiles - Files to modify (e.g., ["Game.exe"])
      • Remove parameter if no files are changed
    • addedFiles - List of localization files to add (e.g., ["ukr/0", "ukr/1"])
      • Remove parameter if no files are added

    Platform-specific MetadataEntry (Steam, GOG, Epic): Only fill this section if your localization differs between platforms.

    • executable - Platform-specific executable name
      • Remove parameter if using common executable
    • markerFile - Platform detection file
      • Remove parameter if not needed for detection
    • changedFiles - Files to modify for this platform
      • Remove parameter if no files are changed
    • addedFiles - Platform-specific files to add
      • Remove parameter if no additional files

    Remove entire platform entries you don't support.

    Example (Common only):

    public MetadataEntry Common { get; } = new MetadataEntry(
  executable: "MyAwesomeGame.exe",
  changedFiles: new[] { "MyAwesomeGame.exe", "data/config.xml" },
  addedFiles: new[] { "localization/text.dat", "localization/audio/", "localization/fonts/" }
);

public IReadOnlyDictionary<string, MetadataEntry> PlatformSpecificLocalizations { get; }
  = new Dictionary<string, MetadataEntry>();

    Example (Platform-specific):

    public MetadataEntry Common { get; } = new MetadataEntry(
  addedFiles: new[] { "shared/assets/", "shared/ui/" }
);

public IReadOnlyDictionary<string, MetadataEntry> PlatformSpecificLocalizations { get; }
  = new Dictionary<string, MetadataEntry>
  {
    ["steam"] = new MetadataEntry(
      executable: "MyGameSteam.exe",
      markerFile: "steam_api64.dll",
      changedFiles: new[] { "MyGameSteam.exe" },
      addedFiles: new[] { "platform/steam/overlay.dll" }
    ),
    ["gog"] = new MetadataEntry(
      executable: "MyGameGOG.exe",
      markerFile: "goggame-1234567890.info",
      changedFiles: new[] { "MyGameGOG.exe", "gog/config.ini" }
    ),
    ["epic"] = new MetadataEntry(
      executable: "MyGameEpic.exe",
      markerFile: "EOSSDK-Win64-Shipping.dll",
      changedFiles: new[] { "MyGameEpic.exe" },
      addedFiles: new[] { "platform/epic/services.dat" }
    )
  };

  8. Implement localization logic in Installer.cs:

    • Override the OnInstall() method to define file operations
    • Add resource extraction logic for executables and archives
    • Example: Extract localized executable and unzip data folders

Generated Structure

Installers/Ukrainify.{ProjectName}/
├── Ukrainify.{ProjectName}.csproj    # Project file
├── App.cs                           # Application entry point
├── Installer.cs                     # Installer logic
├── Metadata.cs                      # Game metadata
├── Properties/
│   └── AssemblyInfo.cs              # Assembly information
├── Branding/
│   ├── hero.png                    # Hero banner
│   └── logo.png                    # Logo image
└── Resources/
    └── localization                # Embedded translation files

📝 Template Variables

The installer creator replaces these placeholders in template files:

Variable Description Example
{ProjectName} Project folder name A_Short_Hike
{AssemblyName} .NET assembly name Ukrainify.A_Short_Hike
{GameTitle} Display name A Short Hike
{GameIdentifiers} Store-specific game codenames "AShortHike", "ashorthike"
{Year} Current year 2026
{DetectorUsings} using statements for selected platform detectors (generated)
{DetectorInstances} Detector constructor calls for selected platforms (generated)
{DetectorProjectReferences} MSBuild ProjectReference entries for selected platforms (generated)

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  • "Template directory not found" - Ensure the application runs from its correct directory
  • "File already exists" - Delete existing project or use different project name
  • No platform selected - At least one platform must be checked before creating a project