Installshield Patching XML File Changes with User Input Values

Question

I'm using InstallShield 2010 to create a patch of my product. There are many changes so I am using the patch design view to create a MSP patch that differences my original product release MSI and the current MSI. My installer uses the XML file changes InstallShield feature to write XML file values during installation. Some of the values written are collected via custom dialogs during install. My issue is that when applying the patch these values are NULL because there are no user dialogs shown during the MSP patch installation. What happens is since the values are not populated from user input, the MSP will put blank values into the XML which essentially deletes the values that the user specified during the initial installation. Can I add dialogs to the patch so I can re-collect the necessary values from the user during patch install?

One thing I was thinking was to write a boot strapper batch script and pass the property values via an msiexec.exe call in the manor of PROPERTY="VALUE", but I was hoping identify some alternatives.

Answer 1

Generally you should have searches read the current values into the properties. You might be able to do this with the XML System Search support in InstallShield, or you may have to write a custom action. (The XML System Search support doesn't handle namespaces as well as the XML File Changes does).

Once you build this change into the Upgraded installer and patch, your patch should similarly run these searches before running the XML changes. In full UI maintenance scenarios this may have the benefit of showing up as default values already populated, but make sure of that too.