How to make a WIX MSI always remove a previous version

windows-installerwixwix3.5

I have CI build system builds an MSI whenever a developer checks in a change. We run automated acceptance tests on the installed MSI.

Basically every MSI is a complete install of the product, so we don't have any versioning (ala Windows installer) per se..

Each MSI has the same product GUID and upgrade GUID, and the same version number. but has a different package GUID (use '*' in wix).

What I want to achieve is that when the installer runs, it will 'uninstall' any previously installed version of the product, and install the new one.. all from a single MSI (We have a convoluted install process that is out of our control.. citrix and sccm, so we want to give them a simple install path)

I have tried:

<Property Id='PREVIOUSVERSIONSINSTALLED' Secure='yes' />
<Upgrade Id='$UPGRADE_GUID'>  
  <UpgradeVersion Minimum='1.0.0.0'
                  Maximum='99.0.0.0'
                  Property='PREVIOUSVERSIONSINSTALLED'
                  IncludeMinimum='yes'
                  IncludeMaximum='no' />
</Upgrade>

and have:

<InstallExecuteSequence>
  <RemoveExistingProducts After='InstallFinalize' />
</InstallExecuteSequence>

and have tried:

<InstallExecuteSequence>
  <RemoveExistingProducts After='InstallInitialize' />
</InstallExecuteSequence>

But when I try to install an msi from a subsequent build I get:

Another version of this product is already installed. Installation of this version cannot continue. 
To configure or remove the existing version of this product, use Add/Remove Programs on the Control Panel.

Which is not really what I was going for..

I understand that I can just update the Version attribute in the product tag, but that becomes difficult to manage. Firstly I can produce 20+ msi builds a day as I have a number of build pipelines that produce MSIs and am not sure how to handle the version numbering in a way that makes sense.

Maybe Windows Installer just does not allow this type of 'always overwrite installed version' install?

Best Answer

So I did find a way of doing it without changing the version number.

I change the Product GUID with every build, but keep the Upgrade GUID the same.

I also had to change the RemoveExistingProducts to Before='InstallInitialize'. Otherwise it left only the 'deltas' between builds in the install path.

As noted by Wim below, I can replace the generated Product GUID with '*'.

Related Solutions

Wix/MSI – How to avoid installing same MSI twice

First all, you shall fix your upgrade code:

<?define ProductVersion = "0.0.2.3"?>
<?define UpgradeCode = "PUT-GUID-HERE"?>

<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">

<Product Name="Asd" Language="1033" Version="$(var.ProductVersion)" Manufacturer="Me" Id="*" UpgradeCode="$(var.UpgradeCode)">

Note that the product code is recreated each time you build the installation (by not using the GUID but the asterisk).

The fundamental information is the product version and the upgrade code. The product code identify the specific deployed release, while the upgrade code identity the product releases "family". Softwares having the same upgrade code can be switched with each other. Softwares having the same product codes cannot be installed toghether.

Here is the trick to make upgrade you software:

<Upgrade Id="$(var.UpgradeCode)">
    <!-- Detect older product versions -->
    <UpgradeVersion OnlyDetect="no" IncludeMinimum="yes" IncludeMaximum="yes" Minimum="0.0.1" Maximum="$(var.ProductVersion)" Property="PREVIOUSVERSIONSINSTALLED"/>
    <!-- Detect newer product versions -->
    <UpgradeVersion OnlyDetect="yes" IncludeMinimum="no" Minimum="$(var.ProductVersion)" Property="NEWERVERSIONDETECTED"/>
</Upgrade>
    <!-- Exits successfully in the case newer version are already installed -->
<CustomActionRef Id="WixExitEarlyWithSuccess"/>

By using the above markup, you say to Wix abort installation when he find a product having the same UpgradeCode but the installed one has a Version greater than the current one, but begin the installation (upgrading the current one) if he find a product having the same UpgradeCode and the installed one has a Version less than the current one.

The IncludeMinimum and IncludeMaximum shall do the trick, allowing the upgrade to skip the current version.

Wix doesn't install the same product: you shall be sure that the product code is the same for installed software and MSI-packaged software: if they are different, they are different deployed softwares. Beyond this, if the product has the same product code of the MSI, the installation offers the repair/change options: to disable them you have to play with the Property table of the Wix package, by introducing the ARP_ variables (you can disable repair, change and uninstall, but also setup manufacturer contacts and other properties).

Here is the ARP variable list. I don't know what is their behavior when installing in silent mode, but if you are invoking msiexec from command line, there is a specific repair option to issue repair (/f), so how can it automatically repair your product if you are not requesting?

Product version displayed in WIX-made MSI file properties

Simply add the Comments attribute to the Package tag as below.

<Package InstallerVersion="200" Compressed="yes" InstallScope="perMachine" Comments="Version: 5.0.1.12345" />

There is no version property to be set. So as an alternative we are adding it to the comments attribute. So it can be seen in the properties of the msi.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Wix/MSI – How to avoid installing same MSI twice

Product version displayed in WIX-made MSI file properties

Related Topic