Project "Installer Build Product version" vs exe version

[QFang]

Hi, 

Can someone help me understand why the "Installer Build" in a project has a "product version", which later shows up in the Windows add/remove programs?  

I must be missing something because to me it seems very strange that what they call "product version" in the installer is not automatically linked to the compiled exe version that the installer is built for?

Now I have to try and remember to manually keep these two versions synchronized, and the build 'product version' doesn't even have the same number of fields as the exe version information?!

It's strange when my program splash screen shows "V1.2.0.8" (read by the app by inspecting its own exe) but in the windows add/remove programs, it could say something totally different, such as 1.0.6...  

Why is it like this??  How do other people use/handle these various version numbers?  -is there a way for my app exe to find what the installed "product version" is?

---Confused...

-QFang

[JÞB]

The exe your installer installed was only one of potentially hundreds of things.  I even often have a handfull of LabVIEW apps in one installer (A main test and some debug or enginerring tools)

The installer also records all of the installed components so you can cleanly un-install it.

Does that help it make more sense why this is the correct behavior?  Doesn't solve your pain but.....

You should be theoretically able to build a pre-build VI that will find the installer spec and return that data somewhere your exe can find it.

[QFang]

I suppose it helps explain.. Perhaps I just need to think differently about how to name our installers..  Divorce the installer name from the (main) application name, then the difference in version numbers wouldn't be confusing. 

Ideally the NI builder would be flexible enough that you could have a "Company Name" as the "installer name" and you could add/remove/maintain the whole company's product list with that same installer, similar to the NI installer.. sounds like a lot of work though.

Thanks for replying!

[JÞB]

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@QFang wrote:

I suppose it helps explain.. Perhaps I just need to think differently about how to name our installers..  Divorce the installer name from the (main) application name, then the difference in version numbers wouldn't be confusing. 

Ideally the NI builder would be flexible enough that you could have a "Company Name" as the "installer name" and you could add/remove/maintain the whole company's product list with that same installer, similar to the NI installer.. sounds like a lot of work though.

Thanks for replying!

---

It does sound like a ton of work!  I have to belive it is feasable with TKs like VIPM and Deploy on the market. (A few others I am less familliar with come to mind as well)  Niether is exactly what you seem to want but demo that the tech is there!