Product and revision codes
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:45 am
While investigating patch installers, I tried to get a better understanding of the installer settings mentioned below.
I have summarised the tooltips and manual entries (InstallAware12) below, with two questions.
Project Options, Project, Product Code (this has a 'New' button).
Tooltip: Each product must have a unique code. Different versions of the same product can have the same product code to be recognized as part of the same product family.
Manual: The product code uniquely identifies your installation to the Windows installer. It must be unique in each different product, as well as different versions of the same product.
Q. "Different versions of the same product can have the same product code to be recognized as part of the same product family." seems to contradict the second part of "It must be unique in each different product, as well as different versions of the same product."; which is correct?
Project Options, Project, Upgrades Product with Product Code: (AKA Upgrade Code)
Tooltip: The Upgrade code is used in patching. Every product you wish to patch, and the patch itself, must have the same upgrade code.
Manual: If your installation upgrades a previous version, enter the product code of that version here.
Q. In a non-patch situation, should this be blank? Or the same as the Product code?
A. I think it should be the same as the Product Code, but it should not matter unless we are patching.
Q. It seems odd that the manual entry shown above does not mention patching.
Project Options, Project, Summary, Revision Code
Tooltip: Every setup must have a different revision code, even different builds of the same version. The IDE automatically changes the revision code each time you do a new build.
Q. This field has a Generate button -- why, when would I want to press it?
I have summarised the tooltips and manual entries (InstallAware12) below, with two questions.
Project Options, Project, Product Code (this has a 'New' button).
Tooltip: Each product must have a unique code. Different versions of the same product can have the same product code to be recognized as part of the same product family.
Manual: The product code uniquely identifies your installation to the Windows installer. It must be unique in each different product, as well as different versions of the same product.
Q. "Different versions of the same product can have the same product code to be recognized as part of the same product family." seems to contradict the second part of "It must be unique in each different product, as well as different versions of the same product."; which is correct?
Project Options, Project, Upgrades Product with Product Code: (AKA Upgrade Code)
Tooltip: The Upgrade code is used in patching. Every product you wish to patch, and the patch itself, must have the same upgrade code.
Manual: If your installation upgrades a previous version, enter the product code of that version here.
Q. In a non-patch situation, should this be blank? Or the same as the Product code?
A. I think it should be the same as the Product Code, but it should not matter unless we are patching.
Q. It seems odd that the manual entry shown above does not mention patching.
Project Options, Project, Summary, Revision Code
Tooltip: Every setup must have a different revision code, even different builds of the same version. The IDE automatically changes the revision code each time you do a new build.
Q. This field has a Generate button -- why, when would I want to press it?