GB-Lindsay
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:27 pm

How to make a different program 'version' install independently orf previous versions

Thu Oct 06, 2022 1:28 am

I have a project with a major change that I want to be able to install alongside previous versions.

Each major version has it's own install folder and an different folder name in the registry.

Let's call them version A and Version B.

Version A installed: installing version B will not overwrite version A.

If I install a newer version B, it will overwrite the earlier version B but not the currently installed Version A.
If I install a newer version A, it will overwrite the earlier version A but not the currently installed Version B.

'Allow side-by-side installs of different product version' is NOT the solution here.

Can I accomplish this by simply changing the upgrade code of version B to differ from Version A?

Any pitfalls I should look for?

Thanks!

Catalin
Posts: 6541
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: How to make a different program 'version' install independently orf previous versions

Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:15 am

Hello and welcome to our forums,
Can I accomplish this by simply changing the upgrade code of version B to differ from Version A?
Yes, that should do it. If the "UpgradeCode" is different, the OS will think the two products are totally different.
Unlike the ProductCode, the UpgradeCode is a GUID representing a related set of products. A set of different versions of your application will have the same UpgradeCode. This enables newer versions of your application to search and upgrade previous versions installed on the same computer.
Product Identification (ProductCode and UpgradeCode)
Any pitfalls I should look for?
Yes, I believe there should be one thing we should be aware here.

If you created version B having as a starting point version A (e.g. the same Advanced Installer project file) then we might end up having shared components on the machine.

You can read more about this in the following FAQ:

Why files are left behind after package uninstall?

To avoid this issue, we can use the "Save as Template" option:

Using the "Save as template" option


Hope this helps!

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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