Extract meta-data from MSI file !!!

[Guest]

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)???

 

[Graham]

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 ?

 

[Guest]

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..?????

 

[Guest]

got it...
--
Aawardhan

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..?????

 

[Graham]

got it...

So why not share the solution?

 

[Guest]

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..