The Update Service will work with any project. In fact it will run any EXE or MSP - even those created by other installer tools. Why do you feel that it only works with standard projects?
One of the articles on the knowledge base says that the functions only work with a standard project.
Document ID: Q106257 InstallShield Developer 7.03 and greater supports these New dialogs and functions (Standard Project type only) for the Update Service:
I only use basic projects, but we are considering writing our own update service, if we don't have to, that would be better. If these functions are only available in a standard projects, how does it work with a basic project?
You are correct that those functions are only for standard projects. However, that does not imply that the Update Service only works for standard projects.
Those functions are used to check for updates at the end of the installation (on the finish dialog). Basic projects have built-in code to do that. You don't need to call any functions. With a standard project you can alter the default behavior by calling the functions directly. With basic projects, you don't have that flexibility.
In general, the check for updates at the end of the installation is a small part of the Update Service. Most Update Service customers will build some sort of check into their application or at least add a short-cut to check for updates. Please let me know if you want more information on how to do this.
Your project type really doesn't impact how you use the Update Service (unless you are into serious customization). To learn how to implement the Update Service using Developer, I would recommend that you look at a recorded webinar. It walks you through all the setups to use the Update Service in your project.
