How Existing Tag Information is Incorporated Into the Software ID Tag File

AdminStudio 2023 | 25.0 | Application Manager

If a Windows Installer project that you are either repackaging or importing into the Application Catalog already has an associated vendor tag file, AdminStudio will incorporate the existing tag information into the new tag file.

AdminStudio makes a copy of the original tag file and modifies it to add the AdminStudio extended information fields. This ensures that custom fields introduced by the vendor are not lost. Also, AdminStudio will not modify any of the standard software tag fields in existing tags. This ensures that any digital signing of these fields will remain valid.

Assuming that you have a Windows Installer package that creates an ARP entry and with an existing vendor tag file, the following scenarios could occur:

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Repackaging—Repackager will examine the information in the vendor tag file and determine whether it corresponds to the ARP entry in the Windows Installer package by matching one of the properties, such as Product Name. If there is a match, Repackager will copy the vendor tag information into a new tag file and then add the AdminStudio extended information nodes to that tag file to include information such as original product code, original product name, original product version, original publisher, current product code, current product name, current product version, and current publisher. The final Windows Installer package will have a transform file created along with the updated tag file. The original vendor tag file will not be present in the Windows Installer package.

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Importing into Application Manager—Application Manager will detect the existing vendor tag information and add the AdminStudio extended information nodes related to current product code, current publisher, current product name, current product version, AdminStudio application ID, AdminStudio catalog name, AdminStudio catalog ID, and AdminStudio server name. This updated version of the tag file will be added to the Windows Installer package using a transform file and the original vendor tag file in the original Windows Installer package will be removed by the same transform. If the Windows Installer package is imported into Application Manager after being repackaged by Repackager, there is no need for the transform to remove the original vendor tag file since it is not present.