Packaging and Distributing Products › Type of Product to Create › Creating a Delta Version

Creating a Delta Version

If you are upgrading a previously packaged product you must create a delta version. Which steps you must follow depends on the following scenarios:

Scenario 1

You know exactly which files have to be updated or added in order for the newer version of the product to run.

Follow these steps:

1. Select Continue on the Install Previously Created Products dialog, and copy the new files to the Packaging Computer.
2. Finish executing the steps in Using the Automatic Method (Custom mode).
3. Edit the info.sxp file, and enter a nonzero predecessor version.

Scenario 2

You do not know which files have been modified since the last version, there are too many files to track, or you want to change only the registry (and not the file system).

Follow these steps:

1. From the Install Previously Created Products dialog, install the predecessor version of the product.
2. When prompted for the type of product to generate, select Delta product.
3. Install the updated version of the product you are packaging.
4. Finish executing the steps in Using the Automatic Method (Custom mode). As in scenario 1, you are packaging a delta version.

If you attempt to install a delta version on a target computer on which the predecessor is not installed, the Installer automatically installs the predecessor first, before installing the delta version.