[wix-users] Does parent of a companion file always need to be from the same feature?

[Rob Mensching]

I've never heard that companion file needed to be in the same Feature. However, given the key path limitations of companion files are hard to use them outside of the same Component anyway. So maybe that answers your second question.

Also, IMHO, the answer from MSFT support is quite poor. Patching is so squirrely (I generally recommend avoiding it) that more documentation will only help.

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-----Original Message-----
From: wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] On Behalf Of Kashif Md.
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2015 8:32 AM
To: wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org
Subject: [wix-users] Does parent of a companion file always need to be from the same feature?

Hi,

I’ve been facing issues while updating a few companion files in a windows installer patch for which size does not change but checksum does change.
I'm not going into details here because I know why bug happened and what was the core reason.

The problem is that I went to MS paid support and they say that for companion file logic to work companion and its parent must be in the same feature. If parent and companion are in two different features then it is not a supported scenario.

The documentation on MSDN does not say that both files must be from same feature. They also said that they won't document this on MSDN because anyone with basic installer knowledge will know it already. I don't consider myself a beginner and I didn't know it.

So I have come to the experts here (some of whom have probably earlier worked with MS on core installer engine):

"Is it really mandatory that companion and its parent should always be in same feature”? How do I take advantage of companion file logic if my feature does not have any versioned file?

Thanks and Regards,
-kashif

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