User Guide

309
Patches
Note
This feature was developed and tested with the RC1 build of Windows Installer 3.0;
unexpected results may occur with the final version of the runtime. As of this release of Wise
for Windows Installer, Microsoft had not released the final version of Windows Installer 3.0,
therefore, it is not included in this product. To use this feature, obtain an RC or production
build of Windows Installer 3.0 from Microsoft and install it on your computer.
Also see:
About Patch Sequencing on page 303
Search for “Sequencing Patches” and “MsiPatchSequence Table” in the MSDN Library
(msdn.microsoft.com/library/).
Specifying Advanced Patch Settings
1. On the Compile Patch dialog of Patch Creation, click Advanced to display the
Advanced Patch Settings dialog. See Creating a Patch File on page 304.
2. Complete the dialog and click OK:
• Do not create file patches, use entire files in patch package
Mark this to have the patch file contain entire files instead of only the changed
bits of files. Example: Suppose that only 5 files have changed between version
1.0 and version 1.0.1 of your application. If this checkbox is cleared, the
resulting patch file contains only the changed bits between the 5 files; if this
checkbox is marked, the patch file contains the 5 files in their entirety.
• Allow Product Codes to differ between the upgrade and prior versions
Mark this to upgrade a previous version even if it has a different product code.
This global setting overrides the validation settings you specified on the Previous
Version Details dialog.
• Allow Version Number to differ between the upgrade and prior versions
Mark this to have the patch be able to upgrade a previous version if its version
number is different. This global setting overrides the validation settings you
specified on the Previous Version Details dialog. You should always leave this
checkbox marked.
•Create a log file
Mark this to create a log file containing details of the patch creation. If an error
occurs in the process, refer to this file for information about what caused the
error. The log file has the same name you gave to the output .MSP file with the
extension .LOG, and is in the same directory.
Specifying Patch Removal Settings
" Windows Installer 3.0 or later only.
You can make a patch removable through Add/Remove Programs. This lets end users
uninstall a patch without having to uninstall the entire application. For information on
which patches can be removed, search for “Uninstallable Patches” in the MSDN Library
(msdn.microsoft.com/library/).
1. On the Compile Patch dialog of Patch Creation, click Allow Removal to display the
Patch Removal Settings dialog. See Creating a Patch File on page 304.
2. Complete the dialog and click OK: