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 does indeed provide a mechanism for updating applications. Check out this overview from Microsoft. Here are the specific types:

Major upgrade:
For major new releases that involve wholesale changes in the feature tree of the app, and possibly the removal of outdated features or components (1.0 -> 2.0)

Minor upgrade:
For minor changes to the application such as updating existing files and maybe adding new ones (1.0 -> 1.1)

Small update (patch):
For very minor changes, typically with no change in the published version number.

Tools like Wix help to author the MSI database that tells the installer service how to handle an update.