I have a data file that is installed with my application. When it is installed fresh, the data file gets installed properly. When it is upgrading, it was always overwriting the existing instance of the file, which was not wanted. I added the NeverOverwrite="yes" flag, and now for a new install is still the same, but for an existing install, it is deleting the existing file, and not installing the new file either. Have I used the flag incorrectly? This is the snippet in question:
<Component Id="cmp8553E6DDC92DBCDC568FB76CA13E7AF2" Guid="{C94263EB-56AF-4B19-942F-C92998252932}" NeverOverwrite="yes">
<File Id="fil7C9456E83E3FB4618684509DEEF67EBD" KeyPath="yes" Source="$(var.CDWrapper.ProjectDir)..\foo\bar" />
</Component>
Turns out I didn't have a full understanding of the NeverOverwrite flag and our usage of it. I will have to find a different method to preserve the existing file instead of always installing a new copy, but that's a whole different issue that should have reasonable answers elsewhere.
Related
When uninstalling my application, I'd like to configure the Wix setup to NOT to remove few files that were added as part of the installation. It seems like the uninstaller removes all the files that were originally installed from the MSI file. How do I do that?
Here are my files which I wish to keep it forever
<Binary Id="RootCABinary" SourceFile="Assets\Certificates\RootCA.cer" />
<Binary Id="SubCABinary" SourceFile="Assets\Certificates\SubCA.cer" />
I have used WixIIsExtension.dll to install these certificates to the windows store.
Overwrite: Is it important that the file never gets overwritten? If so, add
"Never Overwrite" to your component. WiX attribute: NeverOverwrite="yes". Remember to test upgrade scenarios!
Permanent Component: As stated by Pavel, you can set a component permanent:
<Component Permanent="yes">
<File Source="License.rtf" />
</Component>
Blank GUID: Another way to do it is to set a blank component GUID. It essentially means "install and then leave alone". No repair or uninstall should be done (remember to add NeverOverwrite="yes" if the file should never be overwritten):
<Component Guid="" Feature="MainApplication">
<File Source="SubCA.cer" KeyPath="yes" />
</Component>
Read-Only Copy: I sometimes install files to a per-machine path (for example somewhere under program files) and then copy them to a per-user location (somewhere in the user-profile) on application launch, and then do operations on them that entail that the files should not be deleted. This is good in cases where you want to do something that change the files in question (they need to be writable). Then it is good to "untangle" them from deployment concerns (files will not be meddled with by installer operations at all - the installer has no knowledge of them). The original read-only copy installed to program files can be uninstalled though (no longer needed?).
Other approaches: You can also create such files using custom actions during installation (usually text files only), you can download the file in question from your web site on application launch (makes the file easy to manage and update / replace? Vulnerable to connection problems - firewalls, etc...) and the application can create the file using "internal defaults" in the main executable on launch. And there are no doubt further approaches that I can't recall.
Put your binaries in a separate WiX component and make it permanent. Have a look at this thread as well
I have following problem : a new version disappears after upgrade, although I set NeverOverwrite='yes'. Could anyone help me about this issue?
<Feature Id="CompRef03" Title="CompRef" Level="1">
<Component Id="INIWindowsFolder" Directory="WindowsFolder" Guid="d09921c0-1192-458f-8a3e-88889f56a013" KeyPath="yes" NeverOverwrite="yes" Permanent="yes">
<File Id="test.INI" Source="test\intest.INI"/>
</Component>
</Feature>
Problem: Not sure exactly what has happened here. You don't set REINSTALLMODE=amus, do you? Maybe you have changed the component GUID from version 1 of your package? (component GUIDs must remain stable between versions for reference counting to work correctly). Or else the file could be uninstalled and reinstalled (should not happend when you set a file permanent, but maybe you forgot that in your first package).
IniFile Element: Ini files are actually not supposed to be installed as files, but as "change items" of INI value pairs. In other words you define what entries inside the file should be added, changed, removed, etc... In Wix you use the IniFile Element to achieve this. All merge capabilities, rollback support and advanced ini file handling come along for free. All you need to do is to define what needs to be added or modified in the ini file during your installation. It will also be created if it is not there in the first place. Please find more details in this answer. And here is one more link to IniFile Element usage.
After successful upgrade of the product, one file were not replaced for unknown reason (MSI log is missing). This is not a DLL file where the problem would probably be version. It is some custom binary file that (important note) during lifetime of older version was manually overwritten with newer file. Is there way to force file replacement?
This is how file node looks like:
<Component Win64="yes" Id="cmpSOMEFILE" Guid="*">
<File Id="filSOMEFILE" KeyPath="yes" Source="SOMEFILE.dll.sig" /></Component>
If you need the file to always be replaced, then how about using a <RemoveFile> in the same component to cleanup the file first.
The RemoveF0iles action should be scheduled before the InstallFiles and the file will be removed and replaced with the newer copy every time.
Refer this:
http://windows-installer-xml-wix-toolset.687559.n2.nabble.com/Using-wix-how-to-always-overwrite-a-file-td6904118.html
Good time,
I'm trying to create the uninstallable patch (msp file) which should contain the newly added files. The file is added in following maner:
<Directory Id="Some Dir">
<Directory Id="MYDIR" Name="Some Name">
<Component Id="Some Component" Guid="{GUID}" KeyPath="yes">
<File Id="README.txt" Name="README.txt" Source="to_install\README.txt" KeyPath="no"/>
<File Id="default.cfg" Name="default.cfg" Source="to_install\default.cfg" KeyPath="no"/>
... // some more files
</Component>
...
...
I've also tried using the DirectoryRef but got the same results.
The "MYDIR" directory is used in other places also and several other files are already installed there, but the patch is adding new files, and the installation log shows that the CreateDirectory table becomes modified and the uninstallation for patch becomes disabled.
What is a correct way to do it using WiX?
KeyPath :
This value points to a file or folder belonging to the component that the installer uses to detect the component.
It is creating entry in CreateFolder of MSI because of KeyPath is provide at component level that is taking installation folder as its key so your patch become not uninstallable.
Provide KeyPath at one of the file of component that is the most important for that component. So it does not make entry into CreatFolder table of MSI and your patch become uninstallable.
Whether a patch is uninstallable isn't really related to a piece of WiX source like that. One thing you definitely need for an uninstallable patch is a PatchMetadata table that says that the patch is uninstallable, as here:
http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/patching/patch_building.html
or here, see PatchMetadata table if you use a PCP file, AllowRemoval:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370344(v=vs.85).aspx
So there are some things you need to do during patch creation to make the patch uninstallable that are nothing to do with your WiX source. It's not clear from your question how you are creating the patch correctly.
Even if you get the patch generation working, there are some rules that must be followed, described here:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa367850(v=vs.85).aspx
where it says (for example) that you can't change the component ids of any existing installed items. Create a verbose log when installing the patch and look for messages like SELMGR and entries saying removl of components is not supported, and if that has happened it means the patch will not apply correctly.
MyApp version 1.0 contained the file foo.dll. The version of this file was version 10.5.567. Now MyApp is version 2.0 and the version of foo.dll is 2.0.123. The version is LOWER than the old version. The vendor who wrote this dll decided to go backwards with the file version number. This is not a decision I can change.
How do I get WiX to always install this file?
The RemoveExistingProducts action is scheduled after the InstallFinalize action and also cannot be changed.
InstallShield had an 'always overwrite' flag but I don't think I can mimic this without changing the behavior of all files via a compiler switch. I do not want this. I just want to update THIS ONE file.
I have also tried
<RemoveFile Id="foo.dll" On="install" Name="foo.dll" />
But this did not work either. I end up getting 'Error 2753 The file foo.dll is not marked for installation' later.
It is really crazy this post is 10 years old and we also have this problem. The other approaches did not work for us.
How to solve it:
All files which should be copied regardless of their version, must be in their own component
Component element must have a unique Guid, not a *
Set KeyPath to no in the inner File element
Example:
<Component Id="cmpExample" Guid="{5ABE7229-C247-4CBA-B8DE-2C4968CD103E}" >
<File Id="fileExample" KeyPath="no" Source="$(var.TargetDir)\SomeExample.dll" />
</Component>
I would recommend to aggregate all those component elements in a component group. And furthermore you can use XML Transformation to get rid of those files if you use heat.exe to harvest all your files.
With this solution you can copy the file, even if the installed file version is higher. And it still works as expected when a higher file version will be installed with your upgrade.
This isn't easy because it is against the standard behaviour of MSI-packages. When compiling, you have to set supress-file-options with -sf in light.exe. Then there are no file-informations from your files read. You can set DefaultVersion this version will be used.
I have also used RemoveFile in a solution, but i can say that it works. I have add it in same componente where i add the file.
<Component>
<File DiskId="1" Id="fooDLL" Name="foo.dll" Vital="yes"
DefaultVersion="$(var.MAJORVERSION).$(var.MINORVERSION).$(var.BUILDVERSION)"
DefaultLanguage="0"></File>
<RemoveFile Id='RemoveOldDLL' On='install' Name='foo.dll'/>
</Componente>
This is not a clean way, but to remove an old version it works for me.
I answered a similar question a while back:
Forcing an upgrade of a file that is modified during its initial installation
I think I would use a companion file to solve this problem, but you might get validation errors since the file in question is a dll and hence considered an executable. I believe it would still work, and reliably so.
Annotation
Force always overwrite in Light.exe output with the "InstallShield trick":
XPath="/wixOutput/table[#name='File']/row/field[5]" InnerText=„65535.0.0.0“
One thing that could be worth trying is to set RemoveExistingProducts real early in the sequence. The MSI should then remove the old program first, then install the upgrade. This will solve your issue. e.g.
<InstallExecuteSequence>
<RemoveExistingProducts After="CostFinalize" />
</InstallExecuteSequence>