Problem using system search

[solitaryReaper]

Hi all,
I am trying to use the system search wizard to do the following:
This is a basic msi project.
I create two new properties using property manager.
VERSION and PATH.
Now i use the system search wizard tool to create searches.
The first search gets the version from the registry for a product i want. This version value i store in VERSION.
Now for the second search i use the VERSION as part of the path : like
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\.......\[VERSION] for a particular key which depends upon the VERSION value.
Now i store this value in PATH variable.

I use this these variables to write to the registry while installing. The VERSION has value and is written correctly , but the value for PATH variable is 0.

Can anyone please tell me what i am doing wrong.

---- I tried the same thing with same variables in another InstallScript MSI project (did not add any script) and it is working fine.

Thanks in advance.

[SherylSikora]

You are probably seeing the 0 in your PATH variable because you have PATH defined in the Property table with a value of 0. But you will want to generate a verbose log of the install. It should give you some indication of what is going wrong during the AppSearch action.

[Lurean]

I could be wrong on this, but I don't think there is any way to control the sequence that the system searches are done in. You would run into a major issue should it try and evaluate the PATH before VERSION has been evaluated.

You may want to consider using custom actions to check for the values from the registry since you can completely control the order that each is evaluated in.

[solitaryReaper]

Thanks for your replies.
As Lauren mentioned the sequence is the problem. I ran the log in verbose
and found that out.

As Lurean mentioned PATH is being set before the VERSION.

Sheryl is there any order (alphabetical) or any that the searches follow and is there any way to sequence them. I would really like to make it work without custom actions. 😞

Thanks again guys for your help.

[SherylSikora]

I have not found any Windows Installer documentation that states that you can order any AppSearches. Most documentation I have found searching the web says that you cannot order them. I believe that Lurean is correct in saying that you will have to use custom actions if you want to have control over the ordering of when properties get set.