WiX 3.8 website installer - nothing happens on executing MSI - asp.net-web-api

Question

I am using WiX 3.8 to build a website installer for a MVC web API project. I have successfully followed the steps of a tutorial and created the MSI file that should just copy all the web app files to my IIS folder. However on executing it, I don't see any files copied and the MSI exits without any error. I checked in the event log as well, where it says that the installer ran successfully. Below is the MS Build file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="3.5" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<WebSiteSource>..\API\</WebSiteSource>
<SetupF>..\Setup\</SetupF>
<PublishF>publish\</PublishF>
<Publish>$(SetupF)$(PublishF)</Publish>
<WebSiteContentCode>WebAPIContent.wxs</WebSiteContentCode>
<WebSiteContentObject>WebSiteContent.wixobj</WebSiteContentObject>
<MsiOut>bin\Release\Setup.msi</MsiOut>
</PropertyGroup>
<!-- Defining group of temporary files which is the content of the web site. -->
<ItemGroup>
<WebSiteContent Include="$(WebSiteContentCode)" />
</ItemGroup>
<!-- The list of WIX input files -->
<ItemGroup>
<WixCode Include="Product.wxs" />
<WixCode Include="$(WebSiteContentCode)" />
</ItemGroup>
<Target Name="Build">
<!-- Compile in release mode -->
<MSBuild Projects="..\API\API.csproj" Targets="ReBuild" Properties="Configuration=Release" />
</Target>
<Target Name="PublishWebsite">
<!-- Remove complete publish folder in order to be sure that evrything will be newly compiled -->
<Message Text="Removing publish directory: $(SetupF)"/>
<RemoveDir Directories="$(SetupF)" ContinueOnError="false" />
<Message Text="Start to publish website" Importance="high" />
<MSBuild Projects="..\API\API.csproj" Targets="ResolveReferences;_CopyWebApplication" Properties="OutDir=$(Publish)bin\;WebProjectOutputDir=$(Publish);Configuration=Release" />
</Target>
<Target Name="Harvest">
<!-- Harvest all content of published result -->
<Exec
Command='"$(Wix)bin\heat" dir $(Publish) -dr INSTALLFOLDER -ke -srd -cg apicomponents -var var.publishDir -gg -out $(WebSiteContentCode)'
ContinueOnError="false"
WorkingDirectory="." />
</Target>
<Target Name="WIX">
<Message Text="TEST: #(WixCode)"/>
<Exec
Command='"$(Wix)bin\candle" -dpublishDir=$(Publish) -dMyWebResourceDir=. #(WixCode, &apos; &apos;)'
ContinueOnError="false"
WorkingDirectory="." />
<Exec
Command='"$(Wix)bin\light" WebAPIContent.wixobj Product.wixobj -out $(MsiOut)'
ContinueOnError="false"
WorkingDirectory="." />
<Message Text="Install package has been created." />
</Target>
</Project>
Product.wxs
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">
<Product Id="*" Name="ApiSetup" Language="1033" Version="1.0.0.0" Manufacturer="Fingent" UpgradeCode="20e8d558-9fc4-4bd3-9842-76ae40edd994">
<Package InstallerVersion="200" Compressed="yes" InstallScope="perMachine" />
<MajorUpgrade DowngradeErrorMessage="A newer version of API is already installed." />
<Media Id="1" Cabinet="api.cab" EmbedCab="yes" />
<Feature Id="ProductFeature" Title="api.Setup" Level="1">
<ComponentGroupRef Id="apicomponents" />
</Feature>
</Product>
<Fragment>
<!-- Will default to C:\ if that is the main disk -->
<Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">
<!-- Will reference to C:\wwwroot-->
<Directory Id="INETPUB" Name="Inetpub">
<!-- Will reference to c:\wwwroot\api-->
<Directory Id="INSTALLFOLDER" Name="api" />
</Directory>
</Directory>
</Fragment>
</Wix>
As you can see I have used Heat to generate the files list. The WXS file for it is correctly generated and I also get the OBJ files and the MSI, but nothing is done after its execution. Please help.

Answer 1

The problem might be due to following reasons:
1) In HeatFile.wxs generation. The HeatFile.wxs might have been generated successfully but it may not contain the directory to which the software needs to be installed.
For this, add -dr yourinstallationdirectory tag to your command line while generating HeatFile.wxs.
Complete command looks like:
heat.exe dir "path to directory which needs to be harvested" -dr INSTALLDIR -cg Components -gg -g1 -srd -var var.MyDir -out HeatFile.wxs
2) However, you found that your TARGETDIR turns out to be D:\ drive. This happens because wix search for the Directory with most free disk space and install your msi in that directory by default.
But you can change your root directory using the following tag:
< SetDirectory Id="TARGETDIR" Value="C:\" / >
Hope this helps :)