Windows Installer Editor Reference
52
Setting Up
All resources that you add to this installation from this time forward will be organized
into components according to the rule set and other conventions you specified.
See also:
Component Rules
on page 49
Using Component Rules to Align GUIDs in an Upgrade
Component rules can help you align component GUIDs in an upgrade with component
GUIDs in previous versions of the installation. If GUIDS or key paths for the same
component don’t match between the new and old .MSI, the component could
inadvertently get deleted because Windows Installer does not recognize the components
as being the same. Aligning component GUIDs for matching components prevents
upgrades from deleting necessary files in the newer version.
If you are working on an upgrade installation, you specify the previous versions of the
installation on the Previous Installation Versions dialog box. Then, make sure you use a
component rule set that contains a rule for aligning component GUIDs with previous
versions. Example: The two predefined rule sets contain a rule in which, if the keypath
resource matches a resource in the previous .MSI list, the component layout of the
previous .MSI is matched and the component key is set to match the previous version.
All new resources you add to the upgrade installation will be checked against the
previous installations.
To ensure that all resources you add to an upgrade installation are aligned with previous
versions, specify the previous installation versions before adding any resources to the
installation. If you have already added resources to the installation, as is the case when
you use a copy of a previous .WSI as a starting point for creating an upgrade
installation, you must run UpgradeSync to align GUIDs for existing components.
To use component rules to align GUIDs in an upgrade
1. Create or open the upgrade installation.
2. If you have already added resources to the upgrade installation, run UpgradeSync
to align GUIDs for existing components.
See Using UpgradeSync in the Wise Package Studio Help.
3. Select a rule set to use for this upgrade.
See
Selecting a Component Rule Set
on page 51.
Make sure the rule set you select contains a rule for aligning component GUIDs with
previous versions; this should be the first rule in the rule set.
For best results, use the same rule set, if any, that was used in the previous
versions. That way, component creation in the upgrade will be consistent with the
previous versions.
4. Select Component Rules menu > Previous Versions.
The Previous Installation Versions dialog box appears.
5. On the Previous Installation Versions dialog box, specify the previous versions of
this installation.
To add a previous version .MSI to the list, click Add, click
to browse to the
.MSI, and click Open. The .MSI is added to the list.