To edit a feature from the FEATURES view of PackDesigner's Advanced mode, users have to load the properties of the data object into the details pane. To do so, they have to select it from the tree structure on the left-hand side of the view. Once this is done, the properties listed below are ready for manipulation.
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Note: Since the FEATURE tree view displays features and components, selecting an object from that tree may either display the details pane for feature or component properties. This help section is about features. Please refer to the COMPONENT view help section for details regarding the functionality provided for component management. |
Feature Identifier
The feature identifier, also called feature name, is the unique identifier of a feature object within the Installer database. To edit it, users have to double-click on the existing value. The direct value editor interface is activated and the new value can be inserted immediately.
Please refer to the help section Rename a feature for details regarding naming conventions that have to be kept.
Display Name
The display name is the title end-users see during the installation process of a target package (if the feature is configured to be visible, see below). Therefore, whilst the feature identifier is used for technical organization, the display name is designed for end-user communication.
Description
The description is a localizable string displayed to end-users as additional feature information during the installation run time (if the feature is configured to be visible, see below).
Appearance Options
The options listed below control the general visibility and interoperability of a feature during run-time. The combination of all three options is evaluated by the installer to build the target packages Selection dialog.
If a feature is marked to be visible, end-users see the feature during the installation run-time as part of the feature listing displayed in the Select dialog. Simply displaying a feature does not take effect on the further control options for the feature. If it is marked to be not deselectable by the end-user, the feature is shown, but cannot be manipulated.
The visibility of a feature is handled as inheritable property. This means that hiding a parent feature from display will cause the installer to hide all child features as well - no matter how their individual visibility settings are defined. This is part of the MSI standard execution routine and cannot be overridden.
When a new root feature is created in RayPack, it is visible by default. Newly created sub-features inherit this property from their parents.
To switch between the visible and hidden state, users have to click on the tile for visibility settings. Each click inverts the current state from visible to hidden and vice-versa.
Expanded / collapsed
If a feature is marked as expanded, its direct child nodes will be shown without the requirement for user interaction. This default expansion of the feature sub-tree is handy when user interaction is expected for the child features, e. g. because these are optional items such as language packs and the like. The expanded by default option takes effect on the direct children of a feature. To expand deeper levels as well, the expanded by default option has to be set for each affected feature.
When a new root feature is created in RayPack, it is collapsed by default. Newly created sub-features inherit this property from their parents.
To switch between the collapsed and expanded state, users have to click on the tile for display settings. Each click inverts the current state from expanded to collapsed and vice-versa.
Actually, the display setting may be affected by the visibility for a feature: Hidden features are automatically defined to be collapsed. Clicking on the light-grey tile does not affect the display setting at all. The tile becomes available for clicking (and gets a slightly darker shade of grey again) as soon as the feature is visible again. This unavailability of display settings is also inherited: If a parent feature is invisible, child features may not be set to be visible, and therefore not be displayed expanded, as well.
Required / optional
If a feature is marked as required, end-users cannot choose manually whether it should be installed or not - it will always be installed as long as the internal package logic assigns it. The feature may be visible, in order to indicate that it is installed, and to give information about it, but it cannot be kicked-out from the end-user during a custom installation setup.
When a new root feature is created in RayPack, it is optional by default. Newly created sub-features inherit this property from their parents.
To switch between the required and optional state, users have to click on the tile for requirement settings. Each click inverts the current state from required to optional and vice-versa.
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Note: The possible combinations of the expanded by default and visible in the feature selection dialog are internally coded into the values of a Features Display column. Therefore, when this property has been manipulated directly via the TABLES view, it is recommended to check the status of the checkboxes in order to make sure the feature appearance is set as originally intended. |
Tab: INSTALLATION LEVEL
Install Level Options
In RayPack, there are four standard settings for the install level of a feature:
•Use default settings
Sets the value stored within the Level column of the feature to 3.
•Never install this feature
Sets the value stored within the Level column of the feature to 0.
•Always install this feature
Sets the value stored within the Level column of the feature to 1.
•Only if the INSTALLLEVEL property is greater or equal to x
Allows to manually define the value stored within the Level column of the feature to an arbitrary integer number.
The install level of any feature can be manipulated due to results of the evaluation of conditions. However, if the install level of a feature is higher than the level defined by the package-global install level property, this feature will not be installed.
Feature Conditions
In order to manipulate the conditions evaluated for a specific feature, users are directly directed to the table editor where the Conditions table is already loaded. Usually feature conditions are used to change the install level of features according to target system properties, such as architecture, operating system version or system language. Please refer to the MSI standard documentation for details regarding condition handling.
Tab: ADVANCED
Destination
This property defines which directory is used as default installation destination on the target machine. When a feature is set to be visible for end-users, and a public property is given as destination, the directory value may be manipulated during package run time.
Advertised Option
Internally, the advertisement options provided by RayPack are translated into bit wise evaluated values of the Attributes column within the Features table.
Since these options have to be handled with special care regarding cross dependencies and conditions, it is highly recommended to review the MSI standard documentation before manipulating the defaults set by RayPack.
Available options are:
•Default
Set this attribute and the state of the feature is the same as the state of the feature's parent.
•Disallow advertise
Set this attribute to prevent the feature from being advertised.
•Favor advertise
Set this attribute and the feature state is Advertise.
•Disable advertising if not supported by OS
Set this attribute and advertising is disabled for the feature if the operating system shell does not support Windows Installer descriptors.
Remote Installation Option
Internally, the remote installation options provided by RayPack are translated into bit wise evaluated values of the Attributes column within the Features table.
Since these options have to be handled with special care regarding cross dependencies and conditions, it is highly recommended to review the MSI standard documentation before manipulating the defaults set by RayPack.
Available options are:
•Favor local
Components of this feature that are not marked for installation from source are installed locally.
•Favor source
Components of this feature not marked for local installation are installed to run from the source CD-ROM or server.