Does Windows Installer provide a method to update applications?

Question

Does Windows installer provide a built-in method for updating applications, or do I have to write this myself in my application code?

For example, ClickOnce can auto

Answer 1

Windows Installer provides a mechanism for you to build patches and updates for applications you used it to install--either for minor bug-fix patches or for full version-to-version upgrades. (Some information can be found here.)

It does not, however, provide an auto-update mechanism like ClickOnce does. You'll need to write code that knows how to look for available updates and start the updating process.