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MSI Quick-Edit mode

This MSI editing tool allows you to directly edit your MSI packages using Advanced Installer GUI without relying on an intermediate project file.

Dedicated GUI

Using our high level interface you will be able to configure your package, custom actions, components and features organization, files, registry, environment variables, files associations, etc..

The supported edit operations (Free edition specific) can be performed from the Advanced Installer CLI as well. The command line syntax will be the same with the difference that the <project_file_path> will point to the .MSI.

Building

Choose between an MSI with resources inside or an MSI with resources outside. This option as well as the CAB archiving settings can be changed from the "Build Page" -> Configuration Settings Tab.

Warning!Besides the edited MSI, the files structure is also created after saving, so files or CABs related to the MSI may be overwritten.

Table Editor

Fine tuning of the resulted database can be performed from the Table Editor.

When to use MSI Quick-Edit mode?

The MSI Quick-Edit is useful when carrying on simple changes, adding Merge Modules or performing ICE Validations and Fixes directly to your MSI rather than relying on an intermediate project file (e.g. AIP).

NoteIf you want to have access to more complex features you must migrate to an Advanced Installer project using the MSI import.

Editing an MSI

Just open the .MSI using the Open ribbon option, configure it and Save the changes to generate the output result.

Warning!Packages that have digital signature will lose their signature after editing them, unless the same certificate is found in system store

Creating Transform files (MST)

In order not to change the original MSI database you may want to generate a transform file to contain the changes you performed. For that you need to:

  • use Save As command instead of Save to create the updated database into a new location
  • change the "Save as type" to "MSI Transforms" and type a name for your MST file

NoteWhen generating transform files, the source files packaging will be skipped thus any "Media" table changes will be ignored.