This PR improves the MSI installer by removing the Lancer QET.bat wrapper and handling everything natively in QElectroTech.wxs.

**`build-aux/windows/QElectroTech.wxs`**
- Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts now point directly to `bin\qelectrotech.exe` with all required arguments (`--common-elements-dir`, `--common-tbt-dir`, `--lang-dir`, `-style windowsvista`) — no `.bat` wrapper needed
- Added a deferred `CustomAction` that runs after `InstallFiles` and recursively sets all files in `elements\` to read-only using an inline PowerShell command

**`.github/workflows/windows-msi.yml`**
- Replaced the step that created `Lancer QET.bat` with a step that removes it from the artifact before the WiX build, so it is not embedded in the MSI
- The `.bat` file remains untouched in the ZIP portable build (managed by `windows-build.yml`)

- No console window flashing when launching QElectroTech from the MSI shortcuts
- The `elements\` directory is properly set to read-only after installation, as required
- Cleaner MSI package — no `.bat` file shipped to end users installing via MSI

.github/workflows/windows-msi.yml

@@ -18,16 +18,19 @@ jobs:
   build-msi:
     name: Build MSI with WiX v7
     runs-on: windows-latest
+
     # Only runs if Windows Build succeeded (or triggered manually)
     if: >
       github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
       github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success'
+
     permissions:
       contents: write
       pages: write
       id-token: write
 
     steps:
+
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       # 1. Checkout (to retrieve QElectroTech.wxs and sources)
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -38,16 +41,12 @@ jobs:
 
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       # 2. Download the portable artifact from the main build
-      #    Requires windows-build.yml to upload an artifact named
-      #    "qelectrotech-windows-portable" (fixed name)
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       - name: Download portable artifact
         uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
         with:
           name: qelectrotech-windows-portable
           path: artifact\files
-          # workflow_run => use the triggering run's ID
-          # workflow_dispatch => use input run_id if provided, otherwise current run
           run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id || github.event.inputs.run_id || github.run_id }}
           github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           repository: ${{ github.repository }}
@@ -59,12 +58,10 @@ jobs:
         id: version
         shell: pwsh
         run: |
-          # Version from qetversion.cpp (same logic as windows-build.yml)
           $src = Get-Content "sources\qetversion.cpp" -Raw -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
           if ($src -match 'return QVersionNumber\{([^}]+)\}') {
             $ver = $Matches[1] -replace '\s','' -replace ',','.'
           } else {
-            # Fallback: CMakeLists.txt
             $cmake = Get-Content "CMakeLists.txt" -Raw
             if ($cmake -match 'project\s*\([^)]*VERSION\s+([\d]+\.[\d]+\.[\d]+)') {
               $ver = $Matches[1]
@@ -72,20 +69,12 @@ jobs:
               $ver = "0.0.0"
             }
           }
-
-          # Numeric MSI version: 4 digits required (e.g. 0.100.1.0)
           $verMsi = "$ver.0"
-
-          # Short SHA for the display version
           $sha = git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>$null
           if (-not $sha) { $sha = "unknown" }
-
-          # Cumulative revision number (same calculation as windows-build.yml)
           $count = git rev-list HEAD --count 2>$null
           $rev = [int]$count + 473
-
           $verDisplay = "${ver}-r${rev}-${sha}_x86_64-win64"
-
           echo "VERSION_MSI=$verMsi"         >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "VERSION_DISPLAY=$verDisplay" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
           Write-Host "Version MSI     : $verMsi"
@@ -93,21 +82,15 @@ jobs:
 
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       # 4. Install WiX v7, accept EULA and install WixUI extension
-      #    All done in one step: PATH is updated within the same step
-      #    so wix is immediately available for eula and extension commands
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       - name: Install WiX v7
         shell: pwsh
         run: |
           dotnet tool install --global wix --version 7.0.0
-          # Update PATH immediately for the rest of this step
           $toolsPath = [System.IO.Path]::Combine($env:USERPROFILE, '.dotnet', 'tools')
           $env:PATH = "$toolsPath;$env:PATH"
-          # Also export for subsequent steps
           echo $toolsPath >> $env:GITHUB_PATH
-          # Accept OSMF EULA (official CI/CD method: writes a sentinel file)
           wix eula accept wix7
-          # Install WixUI extension
           wix extension add WixToolset.UI.wixext/7.0.0
           Write-Host "WiX v7 installed, EULA accepted, UI extension added."
 
@@ -120,8 +103,6 @@ jobs:
           $wxs = "build-aux\windows\QElectroTech.wxs"
           if (-not (Test-Path $wxs)) {
             Write-Error "WXS file not found: $wxs"
-            Write-Host "Contents of build-aux\windows\ :"
-            Get-ChildItem "build-aux\windows\" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
             exit 1
           }
           Write-Host "WXS found: $wxs"
@@ -136,10 +117,8 @@ jobs:
           Get-ChildItem -Path "artifact\files" -Depth 2 |
             Select-Object FullName | Format-Table -AutoSize
 
-          # Search for qelectrotech.exe in the artifact
           $exe = Get-ChildItem -Path "artifact\files" -Filter "qelectrotech.exe" -Recurse | Select-Object -First 1
           if (-not $exe) {
-            # Also try QElectroTech.exe (capital Q)
             $exe = Get-ChildItem -Path "artifact\files" -Filter "QElectroTech.exe" -Recurse | Select-Object -First 1
           }
           if (-not $exe) {
@@ -147,69 +126,58 @@ jobs:
             exit 1
           }
           Write-Host "Executable: $($exe.FullName) ($([math]::Round($exe.Length/1MB,1)) MB)"
-
-          # FilesDir = folder containing bin\
           $binDir   = $exe.Directory.FullName
           $filesDir = Split-Path $binDir -Parent
-
           echo "FILES_DIR=$filesDir" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
           Write-Host "FILES_DIR: $filesDir"
 
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       # 7. Convert LICENSE (GPL-2) to RTF for the WixUI licence screen
-      #    RTF is the only format accepted by Windows Installer.
-      #    The conversion wraps plain text lines in basic RTF markup.
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       - name: Convert LICENSE to RTF
         shell: pwsh
         run: |
           $licSrc = "LICENSE"
           $licRtf = "$env:TEMP\License.rtf"
-
           if (-not (Test-Path $licSrc)) {
             Write-Error "LICENSE file not found in repository root"
             exit 1
           }
-
           $lines = Get-Content $licSrc -Encoding UTF8
-
-          # RTF header — Courier New, 9pt, black
           $rtf = New-Object System.Text.StringBuilder
           [void]$rtf.AppendLine('{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0')
           [void]$rtf.AppendLine('{\fonttbl{\f0\fmodern\fprq1\fcharset0 Courier New;}}')
           [void]$rtf.AppendLine('{\colortbl;\red0\green0\blue0;}')
           [void]$rtf.AppendLine('\f0\fs18\cf1')
-
           foreach ($line in $lines) {
-            # Escape RTF special characters
             $escaped = $line `
               -replace '\\', '\\\\' `
               -replace '\{', '\{' `
               -replace '\}', '\}'
             [void]$rtf.AppendLine("$escaped\par")
           }
-
           [void]$rtf.AppendLine('}')
-
           [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($licRtf, $rtf.ToString(), [System.Text.Encoding]::ASCII)
           echo "LICENSE_RTF=$licRtf" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
           Write-Host "License.rtf generated: $licRtf ($([math]::Round((Get-Item $licRtf).Length/1KB,1)) KB)"
 
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
-      # 8. Replace Lancer QET.bat with the MSI-specific version
+      # 8. Remove Lancer QET.bat from the artifact
-      #    The portable version uses relative paths suited for the zip.
+      #    The MSI does not use the .bat: shortcuts point directly to
-      #    The MSI version uses %~dp0 to resolve paths relative to
+      #    qelectrotech.exe, and elements\ is set read-only via a
-      #    the installation directory in Program Files.
+      #    CustomAction in QElectroTech.wxs.
+      #    The .bat is kept as-is in the ZIP portable build.
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
-      - name: Replace Lancer QET.bat for MSI
+      - name: Remove Lancer QET.bat from artifact
         shell: pwsh
         run: |
           $bat = "$env:FILES_DIR\Lancer QET.bat"
-          $content = "@echo off`r`nstart `"`" `"%~dp0bin\qelectrotech.exe`" --common-elements-dir=`"%~dp0elements/`" --common-tbt-dir=`"%~dp0titleblocks/`" --lang-dir=`"%~dp0lang/`" -style windowsvista`r`n"
+          if (Test-Path $bat) {
-          [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($bat, $content, [System.Text.Encoding]::ASCII)
+            Remove-Item $bat -Force
-          Write-Host "Lancer QET.bat replaced for MSI installation."
+            Write-Host "Lancer QET.bat removed from artifact (MSI uses direct exe shortcut)."
-          Write-Host "=== Content of new Lancer QET.bat ==="
+          } else {
-          Get-Content $bat
+            Write-Host "Lancer QET.bat not found in artifact (already absent)."
+          }
 
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       # 9. Build the MSI
@@ -246,7 +214,6 @@ jobs:
             Write-Error "MSI not generated: dist\$outputName"
             exit 1
           }
-
           $size = [math]::Round((Get-Item "dist\$outputName").Length / 1MB, 1)
           Write-Host "MSI generated: dist\$outputName ($size MB) ✓"
           echo "MSI_NAME=$outputName" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
@@ -308,7 +275,6 @@ jobs:
 
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       # 13. Generate and deploy the GitHub Pages download page
-      #     Toutes les URLs sont connues ici (exe, zip, msi).
       # ----------------------------------------------------------------
       - name: Checkout (for generate-page.py)
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -325,29 +291,22 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           REPO="${{ github.repository }}"
-
-          # Fetch asset names from the nightly release (source of truth)
           ASSETS=$(gh release view nightly --repo "$REPO" --json assets --jq '.assets[].name')
-
           EXE_NAME=$(echo "$ASSETS" | grep '\.exe$'  | head -1)
           ZIP_NAME=$(echo "$ASSETS" | grep '\.zip$'  | head -1)
           MSI_NAME=$(echo "$ASSETS" | grep '\.msi$'  | head -1 || echo "")
-
           BASE="https://github.com/$REPO/releases/download/nightly"
           INSTALLER_URL="$BASE/$EXE_NAME"
           PORTABLE_URL="$BASE/$ZIP_NAME"
           MSI_URL=""
           [ -n "$MSI_NAME" ] && MSI_URL="$BASE/$MSI_NAME"
-
           SHA="${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha || github.sha }}"
           SHORT="${SHA:0:7}"
           DATE=$(date -u '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M UTC')
           RUN_URL="https://github.com/$REPO/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}"
           RUN_NUMBER="${{ github.run_number }}"
-
           export DATE SHORT REPO SHA RUN_URL RUN_NUMBER
           export INSTALLER_URL PORTABLE_URL MSI_URL
-
           python3 source/build-aux/generate-page.py
 
       - name: Add .nojekyll

build-aux/windows/QElectroTech.wxs

@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@
 
     <!-- ============================================================
          All application files harvested in one pass from files\**
+         (Lancer QET.bat has been removed from the artifact before
+          this build — see windows-msi.yml step "Remove Lancer QET.bat")
          ============================================================ -->
     <ComponentGroup Id="CG_AllFiles" Directory="INSTALLDIR">
       <Files Include="$(var.FilesDir)\**" />
@@ -44,13 +46,17 @@
 
     <!-- ============================================================
          Desktop + Start Menu shortcuts
+         Point directly to qelectrotech.exe with all required arguments.
+         No .bat wrapper needed.
          ============================================================ -->
     <ComponentGroup Id="CG_Shortcuts" Directory="INSTALLDIR">
+
       <Component Id="C_ShortcutDesktop" Guid="F1A2B3C4-D5E6-7890-5678-012345678901">
         <Shortcut Id="DesktopShortcut"
                   Directory="DesktopFolder"
                   Name="QElectroTech"
-                  Target="[INSTALLDIR]Lancer QET.bat"
+                  Target="[INSTALLDIR]bin\qelectrotech.exe"
+                  Arguments="--common-elements-dir=&quot;[INSTALLDIR]elements/&quot; --common-tbt-dir=&quot;[INSTALLDIR]titleblocks/&quot; --lang-dir=&quot;[INSTALLDIR]lang/&quot; -style windowsvista"
                   Icon="qet.ico"
                   WorkingDirectory="INSTALLDIR" />
         <RegistryValue Root="HKCU"
@@ -59,11 +65,13 @@
                        Type="integer" Value="1"
                        KeyPath="yes" />
       </Component>
+
       <Component Id="C_ShortcutStartMenu" Guid="A2B3C4D5-E6F7-8901-6789-123456789012">
         <Shortcut Id="StartMenuShortcut"
                   Directory="ProgramMenuFolder"
                   Name="QElectroTech"
-                  Target="[INSTALLDIR]Lancer QET.bat"
+                  Target="[INSTALLDIR]bin\qelectrotech.exe"
+                  Arguments="--common-elements-dir=&quot;[INSTALLDIR]elements/&quot; --common-tbt-dir=&quot;[INSTALLDIR]titleblocks/&quot; --lang-dir=&quot;[INSTALLDIR]lang/&quot; -style windowsvista"
                   Icon="qet.ico"
                   WorkingDirectory="INSTALLDIR" />
         <RegistryValue Root="HKCU"
@@ -72,6 +80,7 @@
                        Type="integer" Value="1"
                        KeyPath="yes" />
       </Component>
+
     </ComponentGroup>
 
     <!-- ============================================================
@@ -93,6 +102,27 @@
          ============================================================ -->
     <Icon Id="qet.ico" SourceFile="$(var.FilesDir)\ico\qelectrotech.ico" />
 
+    <!-- ============================================================
+         CustomAction: set elements\ subtree read-only after install
+         Runs an inline PowerShell script via WiX's QtExec pattern.
+         Executes after all files are committed to disk (afterInstallFinalize).
+         ============================================================ -->
+    <Property Id="SetElementsReadOnly"
+              Value="powershell.exe -NonInteractive -NoProfile -WindowStyle Hidden -Command &quot;Get-ChildItem -Path '[INSTALLDIR]elements' -Recurse -File | ForEach-Object { $_.IsReadOnly = $true }&quot;" />
+
+    <CustomAction Id="CA_SetElementsReadOnly"
+                  Property="SetElementsReadOnly"
+                  ExeCommand=""
+                  Execute="deferred"
+                  Impersonate="no"
+                  Return="ignore" />
+
+    <InstallExecuteSequence>
+      <Custom Action="CA_SetElementsReadOnly" After="InstallFiles">
+        NOT Installed AND NOT REMOVE
+      </Custom>
+    </InstallExecuteSequence>
+
     <!-- ============================================================
          Main feature (everything included)
          ============================================================ -->