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Update produced by InstallShield 2012 reports installed version in bad format

During the upgrade, I see the following messages using the installer generated with InstallShield 2012 Spring:

  • The InstallShield Wizard will update the installed version (9.01.005) of <our product> to version 9.2.0.53.
  • The InstallShield Wizard updates (9.01.005) of <our product> to version 9.2.0.53.

These messages are based on string resources IDS_IFX_SDWELCOMMESSAGE_UPDATE_WELCOME

and IDS_IFX_STATUSEX_STATICTEXT_UPDATEUI

. I believe immutable string resources would look like this:

  • The InstallShield Wizard will update the installed version (% VI)% P to version% VS. Click Next to continue.
  • InstallShield Wizard updates (% VI)% P to version% VS.

although some resources indicate that the second line resource is: "InstallShield Wizard has updated% VI% P to version% VS."

The problem is that the old (installed) version number should be a displayable string like "9.1.5.2" instead of the formatted version of the internal version number like "9.01.005". As far as I understand, SdSubstituteProductInfo

uses IFX_INSTALLED_DISPLAY_VERSION

to fill in substitutions %VI

in OnUpdateUIBefore

standard InstallScript code. And IFX_INSTALLED_DISPLAY_VERSION

the default is from IFX_INSTALLED_VERSION

, which explains why the preferred display line doesn't appear where we would like it to. And my guess is that SdWelcome

(or any dialog or code similarly referencing IFX_INSTALLED_DISPLAY_VERSION

) also displays the poorly formatted version.

Despite all my internet searches about the functions, strings and string IDs mentioned above, I have not found a perfect solution for displaying a properly formatted old version number (DisplayVersion) in the correct format. Some articles suggest hardcoding a format string that skips the old version number instead of using a string resource that includes %VI

. Others suggest manually formatting the version number as desired and putting the result in IFX_INSTALLED_DISPLAY_VERSION

. I know there is a better answer and I want it to be easier to find next time I or someone else finds it.

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1 answer


In the OnBegin

InstallScript function, add the following line of InstallScript code as the first line after begin

:

RegDBGetItem(REGDB_UNINSTALL_DISPLAY_VERSION, IFX_INSTALLED_DISPLAY_VERSION);


Doing this in OnBegin also ensures that another message not mentioned in the question is using the correct format:

The tweak found that version% VI% P is already installed.

This installation installs an earlier version of% P (% VS).

Before installing this version, you will have to uninstall the previous version.

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