Custom Patches

From Wiki

This functionality allows users to add their own products and patches to be scanned on Windows systems.

1. To open Custom Patch Management dialog, press menu item: Tools -> Custom Patches… or press F12.

Note: The difference of the Protected applications is that they can be added only by importing from distributed xml. These applications should contain whole information about application. User is not allowed to change them, can only delete them.

2. To add new custom application, select Custom applications node and press Add button.

3. Application properties dialog will appear. In this dialog user can set description of the exact version of the product.

• Name – full name of the product.
• Application version – part of the application name that defines version.
• Extended parameters – list of criteria that check that this version of product is installed. All files and registry keys check must be passed during scan.

4. To add new Files check select Files check item in Extended parameters list and then press Add button.

5. Custom Files Definition dialog will be opened.

• Path – full filename of file to be checked. User can use predefined macros (listed in “Macro” combobox”) to avoid using paths like “c:\windows”.
• Add Macro – adds currently selected macro to the beginning of the Path parameter.
• Calculate – calculates Version and Checksum parameters for the file of current path. This might be convenient if file with necessary version is installed on the host system.
• Browse… – browse for file to be scanned. Note, that in this case filename will have local path.
• Version – needed version of the file to mark that application version is installed.
• Checksum – checksum of the file. Might be skipped. In this case value will be changed to “N/A”.

6. To add new “Registry key” check select Registry key check item in Extended parameters list and then press Add button.

7. Registry Properties dialog will be opened. Press Browse… button to search for needed registry key on host system. After selecting needed key all parameters will be filled.

8. To finish filling properties of new version of application click OK. Custom applications node will have new subnode with the name of the new product. This subnode will also have subnode with full version of application (version and language).

9. To add new version to the product select needed product (i.e. “Notepad”) and press Add.

Note: Do not change Name parameter in Application Properties dialog. Also note that user cannot change Name, Language and Application Version parameters during editing saved application version.

10. To add new patch select node with appropriate application version and press the Add button.

11. Patch Properties dialog will appear.

Note: Difference between patch and Service Pack is that service pack changes version of application. So service pack does not need to be scanned. If this version of application is detected then this service pack is not installed. Extended parameters – “Files check” and “Registry Key check” – for service pack are excluded. “Files check” and “Registry Key check” are the same as ones for Application properties. They check that patch is installed. If one of criteria is wrong patch is missing. “Installer files” parameter lists files that are parts of patch to be installed. “Command lines” – parameter that lists commands that must executed to install the patch.

12. To add new Installer file select Installer files item in Extended parameters list and then press Add button.

13. Patch Installer File dialog will be opened.

• UNC – local path to the file. After saving properties this file will be copied to repository.
• URL – web-path to the file. In this case file can be downloaded to repository in the same way as it happens with usual patches.
• Use URL during… – if both UNC and URL are not blank file will be copied from UNC path to repository, but web-path will be also saved. During exporting only URL path will be exported.

14. To add new command line select Command Lines item in Extended parameters list and then press Add button.

15. Patch Installer File dialog will be opened.

• Filename – file to execute. User can select file from “Installer files” list or write own command.
• Switches – additional parameters for command, will be added to the end of command line.

16. Some patches has UI and during execution need interaction with user (i.e. press button). For these patches press Action Sequence button to describe scenario.

• Wait for this window – timeout period. If no windows with proper caption are appeared push will fail.
• Sleep after action – period to sleep before go to the next action (step).
• Window caption – caption of window in which program searches needed control.
• Control type – button or text edit.
• Control caption – caption of control to search.
• Action to perform – grayed “Click” for button control type or text to write for text edit.
• Macro – add special text to text edit with replacement.
• Window Search Tool – tool that helps to fill described parameters. Set “Hide Patch Manager”. After that press and hold wheel icon and point on proper control. After that Window caption, Control type and Control Caption parameters will be set.

17. To save properties of the patch press OK.

Note: To export created list of applications and patches press Export button. At the first page of the Export wizard user should set full filename of xml file to which patches will be exported. At the second page user can select which application and patches should be exported. At the last page user can review application and patches to be exported and can set this xml as protected.

Note:To import custom patches press Import button. At the first page of the Import wizard user should set full filename of xml file from which patches will be imported. At the second page user can select which application and patches should be imported (If package is protected user can select only whole products). At the last page user can review application and patches to be imported.

Example of the Custom Patch scan result.