[wix-users] WG: Windows Installer database schema: Compatible to standards?

[Christopher Painter]

That's pretty much true for the entire build stack.  You'd have to have to bootstrap a new .NET framework, C++ runtime or other third party interop libraries et al   because the build enviornment changed.    A patch is just that... a patch.


________________________________
From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> on behalf of Edwin Castro via wix-users <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2018 8:53 AM
To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List
Cc: Edwin Castro
Subject: Re: [wix-users] WG: Windows Installer database schema: Compatible to standards?

See "Authoring a Large Package" in the description of the sequence column.
Here is the link for convenience:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa367767(v=vs.85).aspx
Authoring a Large Package (Windows) - msdn.microsoft.com<https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa367767(v=vs.85).aspx>
msdn.microsoft.com
Use this guideline to author a Windows Installer package that contains more than 32767 files.




Sounds like Bob is saying that only large packages are supported in WiX.
Perhaps you should try delivering a major ugrade first to get customers
updated to the new schema and then deliver patches. I really don't know
whether that will really work but perhaps it will.

Previously I have read advice on this mailing list that says you should
always use the same version of WiX to produce patches as your base install.
I don't remember the exact rationale given then but I have to imagine that
you've encountered an example if why that advice was given. Even WiX could
change something between releases that affects us in a similar fashion.

--
Edwin G. Castro




On Thu, May 17, 2018, 06:28 Reuss, Matthias via wix-users <
wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org> wrote:

> Hi Bob,
>
> Where is this MSI SDK schema documented? In the MSDN, I have only found
> the reference given below, . which states that file sequences are i2.
>
> Best regards
>
> Matthias
>
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Bob Arnson [mailto:bob at firegiant.com]
> Gesendet: Donnerstag, 17. Mai 2018 15:06
> An: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
> Cc: Reuss, Matthias <matthias.mr.reuss at sivantos.com>
> Betreff: RE: Windows Installer database schema: Compatible to standards?
>
> WiX matches the MSI SDK schema, with i4 file sequences. WiX no longer
> supports using i2 file sequences.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> On Behalf Of
> Reuss, Matthias via wix-users
> Sent: Thursday, 17 May, 2018 07:41
> To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
> Cc: Reuss, Matthias <matthias.mr.reuss at sivantos.com>
> Subject: [wix-users] Windows Installer database schema: Compatible to
> standards?
>
> Hi,
>
> we are migrating an MSI installer that was not authored with WiX to WiX.
>
> We observed the following:
>
> When building the MSI from WiX, the database columns File.Sequence and
> Media.LastSequence are defined as "i4", i.e. 4-byte (long) integers.
> However, in our legacy MSI, these columns are defined as "i2", i.e. 2-byte
> (short) integers.
>
> As a consequence, it is not possible to create a transform (or a patch)
> from these two MSI databases.
>
> "Official" MSI documentation (e.g.
> https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa368596(v=vs.85).aspx)
> says that these columns shall be of "Integer" data type, which means here
> two-byte integer as opposed to 4-byte "DoubleInteger".
>
> In addition, there were 3 more mismatches between the two database schemas:
>
>                                              Legacy
>     WiX
> Shortcut.Target                    s255                             s72
> Shortcut.Arguments            S72                               S255
> CustomAction.Source          S64                               S72
>
> For the sizes of these 3 string columns, I have not found an official
> statement.
>
> I understand that defining the sequence numbers as i4 allows to author
> packages with a larger number of files.
> But is there a switch (e.g. in light) to make WiX build an MSI database
> which is fully compatible to the standard schema?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Matthias Reuss
>
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