Windows Installer Editor Reference
337
Upgrading Applications
z
Family 200: B, D
See also:
Specifying the Patch Sequence
on page 343
Patch Creation
on page 335
Sequencing Patches and MsiPatchSequence Table in the Windows Installer SDK Help
Creating a Patch File
Before you create a patch file, review the guidelines for patch creation.
See
Patch Creation
on page 335.
To create a patch file
1. Select Tools menu > Patch Creation. (In Visual Studio: Project menu > Patch
Creation.)
The Welcome page appears, listing the basic steps for creating a patch file. The
wizard guides you through each step.
2. Click Next.
The Specify Patch Settings File page appears.
3. Choose one of these options:
Create a new patch file
Creates a new patch settings file (.PCP file).
Open an existing patch settings file
If you mark this, also specify the .PCP file.
4. Click Next.
The Specify Previous Versions page appears, where you select .MSI files of previous
versions that this patch updates, referred to as targets. When this patch is run on a
destination computer, it verifies that a valid target exists before installation. You
must add at least one previous version to this list.
5. To add a previous version, click Add, complete the Previous Version Details dialog
box, and click OK.
See
Specifying Previous Versions for Patches
on page 340.
6. If you are prompted to run an administrative installation because the installation
database is compressed, click Yes.
The patch creation process, which is executed by the Microsoft-provided file
PATCHWIZ.DLL, operates on uncompressed files only. Typically, the files in an .MSI
are compressed. The administrative installation places all the files of the installation
in a temporary directory. After the administrative installation finishes, the Specify
Previous Versions page appears again.