When I first install my program I set some default values for .net configuration file in "XML File Changes". Then config file can be largely customized by user. Very often I need to release minor updates and this is the problem, because these updates can add some new configuration tags in config file (in appConfiguration section) and in the same time they should not reset customized values to defaults as said in "XML File Changes". So I have a dilemma: on the one hand I cannot rewrite configuration file, because it is filled with user data, on the other hand I need to add (not to modify or delete) some additional tags. Is it possible to solve this in IS? The problem is that when I set "Never Overwrite" for configuration file to TRUE, IS don't perform XML changes to add new tags and when I set "Never Overwrite" to FALSE, IS overwrites all previously set data to defaults.
You can use the System Search feature to read the values from the config file that you don't want to change. The MSI properties you set with the System Search would then be used to set the values in the config file. You are still setting every value in the config file via the XML File Changes, but the ones you do not want to change you read from the existing config file prior to setting the values. We do this with one of our installations.
System Search is nice feature, but, actually, I will have to read almost all values from the config file, because all of them can be changed 😞 And every time I add new tag in regular version, I have to worry about system search. Anyway, thanks for help, this can solve my problem. IS developers, are there any other workarounds? I think this is common task and some simple solution should exist.
