InstallShield 2012 Express Edition User Guide - Knowledge Base ...

Chapter 17: Updating Applications
Working with Upgrades and QuickPatch Projects
For any type of upgrade, you must change various combinations of the package code, product version,
and product code in the General Information view to identify the product being installed. The upgrade
code must be the same for all versions of the product. The following table identifies when each code
should be changed for different types of upgrades.
Table 17-3: Codes that Need to Be Changed for the Different Types of Upgrades
Small Update X
Package Code Product Version Product Code Upgrade Code
Minor Upgrade X X
Major Upgrade X X X
Creating Full-Installation Upgrades
Project: This information applies to Express projects.
Once you have determined that a full-installation upgrade is the best upgrade solution for you, you can
begin to create your upgrade in the Upgrade Paths view. You can start by creating a new Express project,
or you can open the installation for the latest version of your product and modify it as needed.
Note that a major upgrade signifies significant change in functionality and warrants a change in the
product code and the product version; you can update these values in the General Information view.
Note: When you change the product code, Windows Installer treats your latest and previous product versions as unrelated,
even though the ProductName values are likely the same. If you want both versions of your product to be installable on
the same system, you can simply change the product code and the main installation directory (often INSTALLDIR).
Upgrade paths are for major upgrades only. The Upgrade Paths view is only for upgrading an entire
installation, and not for upgrading a few files (patching). If you need patching capabilities, you can
create a QuickPatch project.
If you do not use the Upgrade Paths view to create an upgrade for an earlier version of the product, your
end users may need to manually uninstall the earlier version of your product before installing the new
version. The Upgrade Paths view can handle both the uninstallation of one or more products, as well as
the installation of the new version. For example, if your users have both 1.0 and 2.0 of your product
installed on their system, and you release 3.0, you can use the Upgrade Paths view to remove any or both
of the earlier versions by adding two entries in the Upgrade Paths explorer. Each upgrade path must
have a separate entry in the Upgrade Paths explorer.
328 ISE-1800-UG01 InstallShield 2012 Express Edition User Guide