MSI GUIDS

GUIDS

The GUID data type is a text string representing a Class identifier (ID).

All GUIDs must be authored in uppercase.
The valid format for a GUID is {XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX} where X is a hex digit (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F).

Package Code :

The package code is a GUID identifying a particular Windows Installer Package.
The package code associates an .msi file with an application or product and can also be used for the verification of sources.
The product and package codes are not interchangeable, No two nonidentical .msi files should ever have the same package code.
It is important to change the package code because it is the primary identifier used by the installer to search for and validate the correct package for a given installation.

If a package is changed without changing the package code, the installer may not use the newer package if both are still accessible to the installer.

Product Code :


The product code is a GUID that is the principal identification of an application or product.
Note that letters in product code GUIDs must be uppercase.
If significant changes are made to a product then the product code should also be changed to reflect this.
It is not however a requirement that the product code be changed if the changes to the product are relatively minor..

Upgrade Code :


This code is used to major upgrade previous versions of the products.
Good to have the same upgrade code for all the versions of the same product.
The UpgradeCode is used in the Upgrade Table to search for related versions of the product that are already installed.

Component Code :


A string GUID unique to this component, version, and language.
If this column is null the installer does not register the component and the component cannot be removed or repaired by the installer.
This might be intentionally done if the component is only needed during the installation, such as a custom action that cleans up temporary files or removes an old product.
It may also be useful when copying data files to a user's computer that do not need to be registered.



Posted by : Prasanna Kumar