is it possible to build a patch for my installer?

[BOWENWANG]

Hi,

I am using advanced installer to build our .exe files since version 1 of our software, we have 4 version released so far. Recently we found a bug need to be fix, so we are wondering if we can build a patch for it, i've tried to build a patch from the trial version since we've only got java licence for advanced installer, i first build a new exe file with fix in as updated image, then set the last release exe file as target image, i got few questions below:
1. since we didnt plan to build a patch so we choose to change the product code every time we change the version number of our software, will this be ok if two versions(updated and target) dont have same product code? if not how can we solve this?
2. i use extract command to get msi file from both exe file, but the msi file seems only few hundred KB, is this right?
3. the only difference between two versions are version numbers and a jar file has been modified, the jar file is only 8 MB but the patch i build from trial version is 50 MB, why it's so big, is this right?
4. if i install the patch, will only the modified jar be updated?

Thanks for your time, since we need to decide if we are going to update our licence to fix our bug, can you let me know the answer asap.

PS: i am tried to install the patch i build from trial , but it ask me for the .msi file which is not avaliable for our user(we ship a exe file out). why this happen? Here is the message i got: "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavaliable. Click OK to try again, or enter an alternate path to a folder containing the installation package xxxxxxx.msi in the box below"

Regards,
Bowen

[Cosmin]

Hi Bowen,

will this be ok if two versions(updated and target) dont have same product code? if not how can we solve this?

A patch supports different ProductCodes, but this is not recommended. Note that you can change the ProductCode of a project by using the Project -> Options menu.

i use extract command to get msi file from both exe file, but the msi file seems only few hundred KB, is this right?

This is because the files are stored outside the MSI (next to the package or in a CAB file). In this case the MSI contains only the install information. As long as the files (or CABs) are next to the MSI, there shouldn't be a problem.

the only difference between two versions are version numbers and a jar file has been modified, the jar file is only 8 MB but the patch i build from trial version is 50 MB, why it's so big, is this right?

The patch will include everything modified or added in the upgraded package. Perhaps you made other modifications or the packages don't meet the patch rules. Please note that the User Guide contains a patch tutorial which may help you. You can try using a diff tool to see the differences between the projects of the target and upgraded packages. Note that you shouldn't receive any warnings or errors during the patch build process.

if i install the patch, will only the modified jar be updated?

Only if the patch doesn't contain other elements. You can see what a patch contains by using Orca:
- open the target MSI with Orca
- use the "Transform" -> "View Patch" menu
- select the patch you created
- the highlighted entries are the changes performed by the patch

i am tried to install the patch i build from trial , but it ask me for the .msi file which is not avaliable for our user(we ship a exe file out). why this happen?

This happens when the original installation (the installed resources) was modified. In this case the patch will require the original MSI to perform a repair (it restores the installation to the original form). Since you are using an EXE package, you can use the "Do not delete extracted MSI and CAB files" option in the "Bootstrapper" tab of the "Media" page. This way the extracted package will remain on the target machine after install.

Regards,
Cosmin

[BOWENWANG]

Hi cosmin,

Thanks for your quick reply.
As you said in the reply:"This happens when the original installation (the installed resources) was modified. In this case the patch will require the original MSI to perform a repair (it restores the installation to the original form). Since you are using an EXE package, you can use the "Do not delete extracted MSI and CAB files" option in the "Bootstrapper" tab of the "Media" page. This way the extracted package will remain on the target machine after install."
The original installation was modified because we run a custom action after installation to extract some files into installation folder, and since we already released that build it's too late for us use the "Do not delete extracted MSI and CAB files" option. Not sure if you got solution for this situation, but thanks anyway.

Regards,
Bowen

[Cosmin]

Hi,

For an already released version the only solution is to provide the original installation package. You can use a major upgrade for your next version and use in it the option I mentioned. This way future patches will not show this behavior.

Regards,
Cosmin