How can I resolve MSI paths in C#?

Question

I need to resolve target paths from an MSI database, outside of the installation. I am currently doing this using the Wix SDK by querying the database\'s Directory and File

Answer 1

I did the same thing you did when DTF first came out. I wrote all the queries and loops to get the data I was working for. And the performance was kind of painful.

Then I noticed the InstallPackage class in the Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller.Package assembly. I felt kind of silly when I saw how fast and simple the following code is using that class:

using System;
using Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller;
using Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller.Package;

namespace ConsoleApplication1
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            using (var package = new InstallPackage("foo.msi", DatabaseOpenMode.ReadOnly))
            {
                foreach (var filePath in package.Files)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(filePath.Value);
                }
                Console.WriteLine("Finished");
                Console.Read();
            }
        }
    }
}