Windows Installer Editor Reference
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Upgrading Applications
Specifying Patch Removal Settings
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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, see Uninstallable Patches in the Windows Installer SDK
Help.
To specify patch removal settings
1. On the Compile Patch page of Patch Creation, click Allow Removal to display the
Patch Removal Settings dialog box.
See
Creating a Patch File
on page 337.
2. Complete the dialog box and click OK:
Make This Patch Removable
Mark this to make this patch removable through Add/Remove Programs.
When you make a patch removable, enter values for the following meta data,
which is used by Add/Remove programs. Only the Classification is required.
Description
Enter a brief description of the patch that will appear in Add/Remove programs.
DisplayName
Enter a name for the patch that will appear in Add/Remove Programs.
Classification
(Required.) Enter text to describe the category of updates that this patch
belongs to. The category descriptions are arbitrary. Examples: hot fix, security
rollup, update, critical update, service pack, update rollup, and so on.
ManufacturerName
Enter the manufacturer or publisher of the application.
TargetProductName
Enter the name of the application that this patch updates.
MoreInfoURL
Enter a URL where end users can get online support for the application.
Upgrades
Use the Upgrades page to create an installation that upgrades previous versions of an
application. During an upgrade, the installation searches the destination computer for
applications that can be upgraded, and upon detection, retrieves its version information
from the registry. The installation uses this information along with the criteria on the
Upgrades page to determine whether the installed application should be upgraded. Then
the installation silently uninstalls the previous version and installs the new version.
Note
Upgrading is only supported in Windows Installer runtime v1.1 or later.