Can command line options of windows installer be used to extract the
meta-data (installation/patch name, version etc) of the .msi/.msp files ???

If it can not be extracted by command line options, what are the other
options (without using any GUI based tool)???

Aawardhan wrote:
> Can command line options of windows installer be used to extract the
> meta-data (installation/patch name, version etc) of the .msi/.msp files ???
>
> If it can not be extracted by command line options, what are the other
> options (without using any GUI based tool)???

msidb ?

ya.. the meta-data will be found in msidb... but how to extract it....
e.g., Suppose there is a patch repositiry (which contians, say, 100 new
patches).. but the user might want to use only, say, 10 patches of it.... so
the meta-data of these 100 patches needs to be extracted and displayed to the
user(in a custom GUI, not the windows installer GUI).. so that the user can
select the 10 patches that he wants...

it wud be nice, if we cud extract these meta-data and create something like
a header file.. (btw, linux has this functionality.. a command line option.,,
"YUM-ARCH")

Does the command line option of windows installer do this???
I believe the installer API (are they C++ API or u definitely need VC++ for
this.. plz clarify this as well) can also be used for this..?????
--
Aawardhan


"Graham" wrote:

> Aawardhan wrote:
> > Can command line options of windows installer be used to extract the
> > meta-data (installation/patch name, version etc) of the .msi/.msp files ???
> >
> > If it can not be extracted by command line options, what are the other
> > options (without using any GUI based tool)???
>
> msidb ?
>

got it...
--
Aawardhan


"Aawardhan" wrote:

> ya.. the meta-data will be found in msidb... but how to extract it....
> e.g., Suppose there is a patch repositiry (which contians, say, 100 new
> patches).. but the user might want to use only, say, 10 patches of it.... so
> the meta-data of these 100 patches needs to be extracted and displayed to the
> user(in a custom GUI, not the windows installer GUI).. so that the user can
> select the 10 patches that he wants...
>
> it wud be nice, if we cud extract these meta-data and create something like
> a header file.. (btw, linux has this functionality.. a command line option.,,
> "YUM-ARCH")
>
> Does the command line option of windows installer do this???
> I believe the installer API (are they C++ API or u definitely need VC++ for
> this.. plz clarify this as well) can also be used for this..?????
> --
> Aawardhan
>
>
> "Graham" wrote:
>
> > Aawardhan wrote:
> > > Can command line options of windows installer be used to extract the
> > > meta-data (installation/patch name, version etc) of the .msi/.msp files ???
> > >
> > > If it can not be extracted by command line options, what are the other
> > > options (without using any GUI based tool)???
> >
> > msidb ?
> >

Aawardhan wrote:
> got it...

So why not share the solution?

meta-data includes..
1) Product Name
' 2) Upgrade Code
' 3) Product Code
' 4) Package Code
' 5) Product Version
' For each product component
' 1) Component code
' 2) File Name
' 3) File Version
' 4) Component Condition

actually found a vbscript that extracts the data..
--
Aawardhan


"Graham" wrote:

> Aawardhan wrote:
> > got it...
>
> So why not share the solution?
>
>