How to create an update notification?

Question

We are currently installing our Program using wix-generated msi located on a network share. When the new version is ready, I send an email to everyone who needs the program. This is inconvenient and creates a lot of problems - so I would like to do some checking for updates. Is there any way to look at msi and find the build number? Then could I compare this with my build version? Is there a good sample for this?

Answer 1

The WiX toolkit called ClickThrough has a built-in project that has built-in update notifications. Essentially, there is a small update.exe file that examines the “application syndication feed” (ATOM feed with a little markup to describe product version information) to determine the available versions, then looks at the local machine and calculates when a new version is available. You can see an example of “application syndication feeds” on the WiX Toolbox for WiX v3.8 (or any version of WiX) channel.

The WiX Bootstrapper application has an even smaller implementation in src\Setup\WixBA\UpdateViewModel.cs , but this version is based on the installed WiX package (and not on what is already installed). You may find this helpful.

If you would like more information on the “app syndication feeds”, feel free to contact me. I have a specification somewhere that I need to update and post on the Internet somewhere. :)

Answer 2

The recommended method is to use an updater specifically designed for Windows Installer packages. A good and free option is the one used by Google for Chrome: https://code.google.com/p/omaha/