MsiOpenPackageExA function (msi.h)

Article
02/22/2024

The MsiOpenPackageEx function opens a package to use with functions that access the product database. The MsiCloseHandle function must be called with the handle when the handle is no longer needed.

Note Initialize COM on the same thread before calling the MsiOpenPackage, MsiOpenPackageEx, or MsiOpenProduct function.

Syntax

UINT MsiOpenPackageExA(
  [in]  LPCSTR    szPackagePath,
  [in]  DWORD     dwOptions,
  [out] MSIHANDLE *hProduct
);

Parameters

[in] szPackagePath

The path to the package.

[in] dwOptions

The bit flags to indicate whether or not to ignore the computer state. Pass in 0 (zero) to use MsiOpenPackage behavior.

Constant	Meaning
MSIOPENPACKAGEFLAGS_IGNOREMACHINESTATE 1	Ignore the computer state when creating the product handle.

[out] hProduct

A pointer to a variable that receives the product handle.

Return value

Value	Meaning
ERROR_BAD_CONFIGURATION	The configuration information is corrupt.
ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE	The product could not be opened.
ERROR_INSTALL_REMOTE_PROHIBITED	Windows Installer does not permit installation from a remote desktop connection.
ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER	An invalid parameter is passed to the function.
ERROR_SUCCESS	The function completes successfully.

If this function fails, it may return a system error code. For more information, see System Error Codes.

Remarks

To create a restricted product handle that is independent of the current machine state and incapable of changing the current machine state, use MsiOpenPackageEx with MSIOPENPACKAGEFLAGS_IGNOREMACHINESTATE set in dwOptions.

Note that if dwOptions is MSIOPENPACKAGEFLAGS_IGNOREMACHINESTATE or 1, MsiOpenPackageEx ignores the current machine state when creating the product handle. If the value of dwOptions is 0, MsiOpenPackageEx is the same as MsiOpenPackage and creates a product handle that is dependent upon whether the package specified by szPackagePath is already installed on the computer.

The restricted handle created by using MsiOpenPackageEx with MSIOPENPACKAGEFLAGS_IGNOREMACHINESTATE only permits execution of dialogs, a subset of the standard actions, and custom actions that set properties ( Custom Action Type 35, Custom Action Type 51, and Custom Action Type 19). The restricted handle prevents the use of custom actions that run Dynamic-Link Libraries, Executable Files or Scripts.

You can call MsiDoAction on the following standard actions using the restricted handle. All other actions return ERROR_FUNCTION_NOT_CALLED if called with the restricted handle.

The MsiCloseHandle function must be called when the handle is not needed.

Note

The msi.h header defines MsiOpenPackageEx as an alias that automatically selects the ANSI or Unicode version of this function based on the definition of the UNICODE preprocessor constant. Mixing usage of the encoding-neutral alias with code that is not encoding-neutral can lead to mismatches that result in compilation or runtime errors. For more information, see Conventions for Function Prototypes.

Requirements

Requirement	Value
Minimum supported client	Windows Installer 5.0 on Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7. Windows Installer 4.0 or Windows Installer 4.5 on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista. Windows Installer on Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP. See the Windows Installer Run-Time Requirements for information about the minimum Windows service pack that is required by a Windows Installer version.
Target Platform	Windows
Header	msi.h
Library	Msi.lib
DLL	Msi.dll

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