How do I build a WixLib without hard-coding the directory reference?

Question

I have an assembly and its dependencies in a folder. I want to create a wixlib (with the binaries baked in) that will contain a ComponentGroup that has all of the files in it. In another wix project, I want to reference that wixlib and say where the files should go (they all should sit next to each other).

Currently, I can use heat.exe to generate a wxs file, which I can run through candle and lit to generate a wixlib. The problem is, heat.exe puts the components into a directory. I can use an XSLT to change the wxs file but I am unable to figure out any way to have the wixlib not have a hardcoded directory reference.

My goal is to make the wixlib not require tribal knowledge in order for someone to use it. They should be able to just reference the wixlib and do something like this in their wxs:

<ComponentGroupRef Id="MyWixLib" Directory="TheirDirectoryRefOfChoice" />

Answer 1

Possibly the best answer is to require tribal knowledge of the directory name but make sure it is unique so the user can alias it as mentioned here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/592177/879046