LV2010 app builder: installer "upgrade code"

[blawson]

I'm building an installer in LV2010 and I wanted to see if anyone can give me more details on what the "upgrade code" GUID does on the Version Information page of an installer build specification. Is this code the only thing that causes an upgrade? What if the code is the same but other properties are different?

Specifically, I want to make an installer that replaces an existing deployed exe with a new version that has different startup VIs and a different name.  Is this possible (by using the same upgrade code), or do I need to do an uninstall of the old one when installing the new one?

[Beutlich]

If you make an installer with one code, and then a new installer runs with the same code, it will overwrite the first install. This is done so that you can install a project multiple times and each new one will act like an upgrade, otherwise each install adds an executable and the old executable floats around on the computer forgotten and lonely. Generate a new code if you want the project to install without squashing the previous installation.

You can find out more information about any of the installer properties here:

Installer Properties Dialog Box

https://www.ni.com/docs/en-US/bundle/labview-api-ref/page/resource/framework/providers/builds/appbui...

or particularly the info on the "upgrade code" is on this page:

Version Information Page (Installer Properties Dialog Box)

https://www.ni.com/docs/en-US/bundle/labview-api-ref/page/resource/framework/providers/builds/instal...

[blawson]

Eric,

I've already read what's in the help.  The MSDN documentation http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372375(v=VS.85).aspx doesn't have an answer either, though.

With the same upgrade code in different installer build specs is the original upgraded no matter what?  Would it be possible, for example, to upgrade LabVIEW to Teststand?

[Beutlich]

What exactly are you trying to do with Teststand? Are you trying to install a program that controls it or are you trying to create an installer for a program in Teststand?

[blawson]

You misunderstand my example.

Let me try to be clearer:

top-level "A.vi" is used to make executable "Alpha.exe" named "Program A" and has an installer build spec "Aardvark".

If I made an installer "Brontosaurus" that installs Beta.exe (built from top level B.vi) named Program B... different in every way but upgrade code, what happens?

[Beutlich · Accepted solution]

The installer will compare the version numbers between Program A and Program B. If Program B is a higher version, then Brontosaurus removes Alpha.exe and places Beta.exe.

So, the if you have the same upgrade code and a later version of installer, even if they were made by different projects, the old version project is uninstalled and the new version project is installed.

[blawson]

OK, thanks. For the benefit of future readers: I see from poking around in .lvproj files created in 2009 that the upgrade codes are there and act the same as they do now (if you duplicate an installer spec, the code is duplicated) except that they weren't transparent and you can't easily refresh them.  I also determined that the upgrade codes stay the same when migrating a project.

I do get some weird error messages when I copy the upgrade code between installers.  They appear to be harmless.