InstallAware

I'm trying to build a patch for a web deployed install using InstallAware 7.

I've created my first web deployed install and copied it to a specific location. I've then referenced the setup in that location within the IDE.

With that saved I've kicked off a build of our product which should at a minimum change a couple of our executables and assemblies to include a new build number.

I'll then run the patch build from the IDE which completes successfully. I then install the patch over the top of the an existing install using the original setup but no files are changed.

Could someone please explain how installaware decides if a file needs adding to the patch build and also if it's possible to find out the contents of a patch build so that I can verify that the correct files have been included?

Did you read our whitepaper on patches? It contains a detailed description and answers not only your question but will also help you avoid additional pitfalls.

Thanks for the quick response Michael.

I began my patch development by reading the white paper I found here:
http://www.installaware.com/installaware_patching.pdf

However I could not find any information on how installaware checks the differences between files nor could I find anything on how I could check if the correct files were included in the patch.

If you could point me in the correct direction for this information that would be appreciated.

You can refer to MSDN documentation for the details, but in short, InstallAware uses the Windows Installer patch engine for binary file differential scans, and incorporates only the delta in between the changed versions.

First test whether your patch project works for a normal text file.The procedure is described in the white paper. To get the patching working to file with version number embedded in them like dlls and exes, increase the version number. Also enable debug files in patching by enabling the option in project settings.Hope this helps.