Get product name from msi file in C#

Question

I have an msi file that installs an application. I need to know the product name of that application before the installation starts.

I tried the following:

{ 

...
Type type = Type.GetType("Windows.Installer");
WindowsInstaller.Installer installer = (WindowsInstaller.Installer)
Activator.CreateInstance(type);

installer.OpenDatabase(msiFile, 0); //this is my guess to pass in the msi file name...
...
}

but now? Type is null, which throws me an error. And where do I pass in the name of the MSI file?

Thanks for any hints & comments.

any final full source code about it ? – Kiquenet Jul 27 '12 at 06:39 — Kiquenet, Jul 27 '12 at 06:39

Chris Kaczor · Answer 1 · 2009-03-16T22:39:58.087

You need to use:

        Type installerType = Type.GetTypeFromProgID("WindowsInstaller.Installer");

Here is a sample from some of my code - in my case I get the installer version:

        // Get the type of the Windows Installer object
        Type installerType = Type.GetTypeFromProgID("WindowsInstaller.Installer");

        // Create the Windows Installer object
        Installer installer = (Installer)Activator.CreateInstance(installerType);

        // Open the MSI database in the input file
        Database database = installer.OpenDatabase(inputFile, MsiOpenDatabaseMode.msiOpenDatabaseModeReadOnly);

        // Open a view on the Property table for the version property
        View view = database.OpenView("SELECT * FROM Property WHERE Property = 'ProductVersion'");

        // Execute the view query
        view.Execute(null);

        // Get the record from the view
        Record record = view.Fetch();

        // Get the version from the data
        string version = record.get_StringData(2);

is there solution without use COM ? – Kiquenet Jul 27 '12 at 06:39 — Kiquenet, Jul 27 '12 at 06:39

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 16 '09 at 15:53

2

Wouldn't it be easier to use this code:

Type type = typeof(Windows.Installer);

If you prefer the Type.GetType(String) overload you must include correct assembly name after full path to class, eg.:

Type type = Type.GetType("Windows.Installer, <assembly for MsiInstaller>");

answered Mar 16 '09 at 15:53

Jozef Izso

1,740
15
22

Thank you for your answer. I have no preferences, I am just googling the web and hope to find some way to solve my problem. What do you mean with "assembly for MsiInstaller"? I just have the msi file. But the "typeof" method seems not to work, either (type Installer does not exist). – Mar 16 '09 at 17:36
1

If the "Windows.Installer" is not in mscorlib or in currently executing assembly then you must specificy the name of assembly in Type.GetType(string). There is a typo in typeof(). It should be typeof(WindowsInstaller) without the dot. – Jozef Izso Mar 16 '09 at 21:34

Roger Lipscombe · Answer 3 · 2009-03-17T11:05:09.263

1

Where did you get the "Windows.Installer" stuff from?

...because:

Type.GetType takes a .NET type name, not a COM ProgId.
Windows Installer (at least on Windows 2003) doesn't have a ProgId.

In summary: Use P/Invoke (DllImport, etc.) to talk to the MSI API.

edited Mar 17 '09 at 11:05

answered Mar 16 '09 at 15:43

Roger Lipscombe

89,048
55
235
380

Great, I do not know exactly what P/Invoke is; I did not manage to find a runable code on the web, it seems to be a well respected secret. So it could be a solution but currently I more or less end up with some DllImport. Please regard me as a newbie in this matter. – Mar 16 '09 at 17:30

Get product name from msi file in C#

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