How to programmatically check for the presence of a Windows Installer-based product by using its product code

Call the API from Visual C++

The following is an example of how you can call the MsiGetProductInfoExW() method in Visual C++ to detect the presence of a specific product. The product is specified by its unique product code GUID.

TCHAR szVersion[20];
DWORD cchVersion = 20;
BOOL fInstalled = (ERROR_SUCCESS == MsiGetProductInfoEx (TEXT("{ProductCode}"), NULL, MSIINSTALLCONTEXT_MACHINE, INSTALLPROPERTY_VERSIONSTRING, szVersion, &cchVersion));

In this code example fragment, the fInstalled Boolean variable will contain a TRUE or FALSE value, depending on whether the product that is specified is installed or not installed.

Call the API from VBScript

The following is an example of how you can call the ProductInfo() method on the WindowsInstaller.Installer object in Microsoft Visual Basic Script to detect the presence of a specific product. The product is specified by its unique product code GUID.

                
Dim msi : Set msi = CreateObject("WindowsInstaller.Installer")
On Error Resume Next
Dim version : version = msi.ProductInfo("{ProductCode}", "VersionString")
Dim installed : installed = ( Err.Number = 0 )

In this code example fragment, the installed variable will contain a 0 or 1 value, depending on whether the product that is specified is installed or not installed.



Note The ProductCode property that is passed to the functions in both examples here include braces ({ }) inside the quotation marks. For more information about Windows Installer, visit the following Microsoft Windows Installer MSDN Web page:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa367449(VS.85).aspxFor more information about how to obtain the latest version of Windows Installer for your computer, visit the following Microsoft Web page:

http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=5A58B56F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web pages:

• Using Windows Installer to Inventory Products and Patches
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa369558(VS.85).aspx

• Determining Installation Context
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368279(VS.85).aspx

• List Products, Properties, Features, and Components
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa369767(VS.85).aspx

• Getting Application Information
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368761(VS.85).aspx

• MsiGetProductInfo Function
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370131(VS.85).aspx

• Installer.ProductInfo Property
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa369457(VS.85).aspx

• MsiQueryProductState Function
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370363(VS.85).aspx

• Installer.ProductState Property Method
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa369463(VS.85).aspx

• ProductCode Property
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370854(VS.85).aspx

Note about the "Applies to" sectionIn addition to the products that are listed in the "Applies to" section, the information in this article also applies to the following product:

• Windows Installer 4.0