Sliding door locks
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On aluminum patio door lock styles, the screws go right through the panel to the outside of the door. On the outside they screw into a matching outside handle. The whole lock assembly ends up like a sandwich with the patio door panel in the middle.
On wood doors, the locks often are held on with wood screws right into the sliding door panel. A seperate outside handle gets screwed to the outside of the panel.
Surface mount sliding door locks also have a lock hasp which gets screwed onto the door jamb. The trim moulding around the patio door often has to be notched around the hasp.
A lot of these sliding patio door locks are mounted with just 2 screws, spaced 4-15/16" apart. If you measure the dimension between the two mounting screws and get that number, you should have an easier time finding a replacement lock. The new lock might require shorter or longer screws but apart from that, it should bolt right on.
If you find a dimension other than 4-15/16", you still might be able to find a replacement lock but your search is going to be longer. If no one stocks the lock with the mounting dimensions you have, you might want to consider drilling new holes and going with a more easily available 4-15/16" lock.
This is easy enough with a wooden patio door but you may need to find ways to hide the old mounting holes if you have an aluminum or vinyl patio door.
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