I am trying to update my application and while doing so also enabling some new features. The features existed in the previous version as well, they were just turned off.
I create an MST file using Orca where I have set INSTALLEVEL to 4 and all the features that I want to install to 1, the ones I don't want to install I set to 5 or above. Everything works as it should.
After this I would like to do an upgrade of the application the same way as I did the install with the difference that I would like to turn on additional features using INSTALLEVEL. After the installation is finished my application is in fact the new version but the newly added features are missing.
What I can do to resolve this issue is using ADDLOCAL=feature1,feature2 in command line, but I would avoid doing so because on large scale this solution won't work.
I've tried adding ADDLOCAL in the property table of the msi and generated a mst file from it using Orca. Doing so will install the features,but the problem with this solution is that:
a) MSDN doesn't recommend it
b) After install if I go to Add/Remove programs and try and change the application, I can't any more, because it is in some sort of repair mode...
SO my question is, how do I update a product enabling new features in it using mst file?
EDIT
It is worth noting that if a feature was installed previously after the upgrade it will be there, this only fails if it wasn't installed previously.
You could try to set a false condition on the standard action MigrateFeatureStates, to never execute. I suspect this is the one that overwrites the install levels of your features. (You can check this by creating a verbose log and searching for the action name in it)
Related
I am creating a CustomBA which will replace the existing install shield Bootstrapper( I don't really know what it's called).
We are installing the same number of MSI as the install shield use to do, so no problem in that.
All the MSI entries in the ARP are removed, as we are making MSI's Visible="no".
Only the Custom BA entry is available in the ARP along with the Install shield Bootstrapper entry, both having the same name.
So after some research I got to know that Windows Installer XML (WiX) ships the Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller interop library as part of Deployment Tools Foundation (DTF), which can be used to uninstall the MSI.
I am using the below code to uninstall the MSI.
Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller.Installer.SetInternalUI(InstallUIOptions.Silent);
Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller.Installer.EnableLog(InstallLogModes.Info, #"C:\Uninstall.log");
Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller.Installer.ConfigureProduct(productCode, 0, InstallState.Absent, "");
Issue that I am facing are as mentioned below
Firstly I have to run the CustomBA as Administrator to uninstall the existing MSI else it throw as error "Error 1730.You must be an Administrator to remove this application.". Is there a way to run the CustomBA without Administrator and uninstall the MSI.
While uninstall( when I run the customBA as admin), the above mentioned code also remove's the chain packages with it, which I don't want it to do.
After the uninstallation code has been run it does not remove the MSI entry from the ARP.
I've found these links but I don't know if it's relevant:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17523974/how-to-uninstall-msi-using-its-product-code-in-c-sharp
Checking for successful uninstall
If you need to be admin then you need to be admin. Allowing a limited user to change areas of the system that are restricted would be a security breach.
You used the word "chain", so it looks like that InstallShield setup was a multiple-MSI install, perhaps with embedded UI that is suppressed. So it appears that the previous MSIs were installed as single-product view and it looks like they are all uninstalled, also as a single product view - they all uninstall. That was probably the intention in the first place - to make multiple MSIs appear as a single product, all installed and all uninstalled. Also, if that IS install was a chain of MSIs then surely you are going to replace them all (or upgrade them) anyway, yes? That's what Burn and BAs will do too.
Which MSI's ARP entry? It's not clear from your post which MSI, assuming you may be referring to one of the chained MSIs installed by IS. And are you sure it is an MSI entry that remains? It might be the chained product's entry that was put there by InstallShield, not an MSI entry. Certainly if your uninstall of the MSI worked its ARP entry would be removed, but may need a refresh to see that it's really gone (but that's a Windows issue). Keep in kind that chained MSI products (and often Burn too) will suppress the individual MSI ARP entries in favor of a single entry that encompasses the multiple MSIs.
I have created a setup project for Windows Application . I have set following property to replace the existing version with the new version.
RemovePreviousversion=True;
Productcode=change;
But when I run exe from new installed version. I cannot see my new updates. It gives me the output of previous version!
The whole Explanation is Here
I have RemovePreviousVersions set to TRUE and InstallAllUsers set to TRUE.
When I need to do a new release, I update the Version field with a new version number in the installer and VS prompts me to update the product code, to which I answer YES. I have verified that it does indeed change the product code, but the package code also gets changed with it (verified by diffing project files using sourcesafe).
The UpgradeCode never changes between versions.
My version number changes are of the form: "1.1.2" -> "1.1.3" for example (just in case that has anything to do with it).
So only 3 fields are different between builds: ProductCode, PackageCode, and ProductVersion.
When I've done all that, I build the installer.
When I install the new version (I always install for all users and always into the same directory), I have seen three different results at various times:
It will appear to in install the new version, but I really end up with the old files still there (and one instance in the add/remove programs).
I end up with 2 instances of the app in the add/remove programs, both with the same name, and both pointing to the same directory.
It will uninstall the old one first and then install the new one (what it is supposed to do).
It is very frustrating to explain to users that to be safe, they have to uninstall the old manually before installing a new release because I have to tell them "it doesn't always uninstall the old one like it is supposed to".
Any suggestions? Why isn't this working? What am I missing here?
I Found answer.
Also need to change AssemblyVersion and AssemblyFileVersion in AssemblyInfo.cs
I making a program and wanted to make an update function... So lets say I make one update and put it on my dropbox.. When someone click on update, the program will check if there any file with different name (no same version) on the server and if there is, then start to download it.. Is it possible?
And my second problem I installed my program on my computer but when start the installer again it says:
Another version of this product is already installed. Installation cof this version cannot continue. To configure or remove the existing version of this product use add/remove programs on the control panel.
I want when I run second time installer a confirmation message appear if he want to delete previous version to install this one (I need this for the update)
You could create a web service that provides an index / manifest of a directory that you want to synchronize. The web service could also provide methods for uploading and downloading the synchronized files and folders.
If you are using a Visual Studio Setup Project (.msi) you can simply change the installer version. Visual Studio sees the change and asks you if you want to change the product code. You would say 'yes'. The installer should then remove previous versions before installing the latest. You would also want DetectNewerInstalledVersion = true and RemovePreviousVersions = true.
Not sure if it works for this scenario but you may want to look at a ClickOnce deployment. It may solve both of your problems. ClickOnce Deployment
I need my application to uninstall itself.
Reason: It's come to my attention that my app is destroying its own files (my bad), but the user of my app doesn't understand why he needs to uninstall it and refuses to uninstall it. However, he still complains about the constant problems. And in the Terms Of Use, there is a line that says "...we reserve the right to remove the application from your computer and temporarily or permanently discontinue your use of the software."
So, I did some searching on how to uninstall a program, (which will be replaced by a new version), and came across Uninstall C# windows application from self and the accepted answer says you need a 'product code'. What exactly is that, and where can I find/get it from? I have searched for this but can't find anything.
Thank you
The productcode can be obtained from your MSI by opening with orca, the msi db editor and lookup the productcode in the Property table. Orca is part of the Windows SDK.
You can also run your msi
msi /i [your msi] -lvx* log.log
and harvest the productcode from the log.
The easiest way is by getting it from the author files of your setup as Ken White already pointed out.
You created the product code (if it exists) when you created your MSI to install your application. You need the same product code you used in the installation in order to uninstall it via Windows Installer.
I am not sure about VS 2010, but in VS2008 setup projects have a ".vdproj" project file, which can be opened with a simple text editor (like notepad). If you search for the word "ProductCode", you will find a line like
"ProductCode" = "8:{GUID}"
(the GUID is what you are looking for).
I have made an application, which keeps getting updated frequently. So every time a change occurs, i've to include it's fresh builds to the setup and deployment program again and again. Is there any way to simplify the procedure? The files to be added are static in number and exist in a folder. I've heard we can write installer classes in c#, does my requirement has any thing to do with it?
I think ClickOnce doesn't suit my requirement because, for the first time i want it to run like a setup package, since it has some packages and some settings needed to be implemented on the user's machine at the time of install. Can click once help me with that? Also i want to run my application as an administrator and it references to many external dll files. So will it help my purpose?
I finally did it using clickonce deployment. I used content files to mark all the files i wanted to copy to the target computer and used clickonce deployment. Then i modified the way my program starts, so that i can lauch the installer script i wanted to run only when the app runs for the first time. Further i hosted it on IIS and had to change lot of MIME types and add new ones for the download to work over internet
Look into something called "ClickOnce" deployment. It automates a lot of what you're talking about.
EDIT: You can add custom installer actions to a ClickOnce project just like any other, to set up additional components and whatnot. As for permissions, ClickOnce will let you run as administrator if you so choose, but that sort of thing isn't recommended, and it might whine about it.
You can use ClickOnce (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/t71a733d(VS.80).aspx) which simplify the deployment process.
Maybe you can also automate the build process using NANT (http://nant.sourceforge.net/).
HTH
Yes, you can do that.
I assume you want the client to update itself when ever there is a new version.
This needs a few changes in the client code. Essentially how it works is check for availablilty of new version at a predefined location. Update you new versions to this location. On the client side, show a message to the user if he/she wants to upgrade to the new version.
You can find a link to sample project out here and here.
You can add a Setup project in your solution inside Visual Studio and then add your other project(s) outputs, or static files to the Setup project as references. The Setup project will then detect your dependencies automatically and each time you do a Rebuild All (or you rebuild/build your Setup project) it will automatically include all the necessary files.
What type of project is it? In many cases, ClickOnce can do the job for you, at nominal effort.
Beyond that - you can usually hook your installer build into your build process; some tools will do this for you.
Installer classes run at the client - so I don't think they relate to your build process...
I would flag the files as Content in their respective properties and then in the deployment project right click the project, go to File System and then right click the folder, click Add and select Content Files from the dialog box. This should copy the newest files over every time you build the deployment project.