When RayPack creates an RCP file as a result of a system snapshot comparison, it uses pre-configured exclusion rules, bundled as exclusion lists. Each exclusion list may be activated or deactivated individually per capture procedure. Usually, the exclusion lists are maintained via the settings area. However, there are times when reviewing a capture result from within the RCP Editor interface, reveals that a certain rule should be added to an exclusion rule set to optimize the results of upcoming capture procedures.
In order to allow packagers to achieve that with minimal effort, there is an "Add to exclusion list" option available from the context menu of the editor views Project content > Files & Folders (for file and folder objects) and Project content > Registry (for registry key and value objects). The following sections describe how to use the Exclusion list modification wizard that is launched by these context menu options.
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Note: It is not possible to edit or remove already existing exclusion rules by the interface provided by this editor. Please use the exclusion list editor interface, which is available from the settings area to manage existing exclusion rules (and lists). |
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Be aware: If there are several rules that match a specific capture result object, the last one takes precedence over all others. This means that if there are two rules within an exclusion list, that have regular expressions which fit on a specific object, RayPack will apply them sequentially.
Since there are only two possible states of one property, it is always the exclude or include command of the last rule that is actually applied to the object. Therefore, adding a rule that demands an object to be included may very well void a prior rule that demanded its exclusion.
Therefore, it is required to double-check the full stack of rules within an exclusion list (or better said within all exclusion lists that have been applied during a capture process) to determine why an object has actually been excluded or not. It is not efficient to simply add new rules, since applying exclusion lists during capture procedures takes time, which increases with a growing number of rules.
Please keep this in mind whilst using the function to add to exclusion lists directly from the RCP Editor interface, and make sure to manage the whole set of exclusion lists from time to time in order to provide a tidy and efficient set of rules that achieves the desired exclusion results at the optimal speed. |
To Call the Exclusion List Modification Wizard
1.Within the editor interface for RCP projects, call the Files & Folders view or the Registry view.
2.Use the tree structure on the left to navigate to the object that has to be added to an exclusion list rule set.
Adjusting the exclusion list settings is available for object of the type folder, file, registry key and registry value.
3.Right-click the object and select Add to exclusion list from the context menu.
4.The Exclusion list modification wizard is displayed.
To Add a Rule to an Exclusion List
Work your way through the steps of the wizard to define all required properties for the new exclusion list rule.
By using the Next or Back buttons, which are displayed at the bottom of the wizard dialog, allows to navigate within the already processed steps at any time.
To exit the wizard without creating a new object, use the Cancel button, which is also located at the bottom of the wizard dialog.
Step 1: Regular Expression
Rule type
•Please select Exclude to add a new rule that leads to the exclusion of objects from capture results.
•Please select Include to add a new rule that leads to the inclusion of objects into capture results.
Regular expression(s)
The lower part of this wizard dialog contains a set of regular expression input validators. The amount of fields actually depends on the type of object that is about to be added to an exclusion list:
•Object type folder: Input field Location
•Object type file: Input fields Name and Location
•Object type registry key: Input field Location
•Object type registry value: Input fields Location, Name, and Value
The regular expression within each of the displayed validator input fields needs to be reviewed since they are an automatically generated regular expression term, which might very well require fine-tuning. For instance, allowing a more general rule that matches a wider set of objects than just the one that was used to trigger this wizard.
When a regular expression is modified, RayPack validates the new state on the fly. The expression validation result is displayed at the right hand side of the status bar displayed below the expression input field:
•If the expression is valid, the result is labeled VALID and visualized with a checkmark on green background.
•If the expression is invalid, the result is labeled INVALID, and visualized with an x on red background.
However, once a rule has been edited to be valid and to match the actual rule needs, users may click on the Test expression button at the lower left corner of the regular expression validator input field. An additional input field is displayed, allowing users to enter a test-string. The default value of that input field is the specification of the data object (file, folder, registry key or value) that was used to trigger the wizard.
The test result is displayed within the status indicator bar at the bottom of the test string input field:
•If the string matches the regular expression, MATCHING is displayed on a green background.
•If the string does not match the regular expression, NOT MATCHING is displayed on a red background.
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Be aware: Even though it is possible to add exclusion rules that test negative, it is not possible to add rules with invalid syntax. Please make sure to repair any expression that is reported to be invalid within a RayPack warning dialog once the Next button is clicked. |
Step 2: Exclusion List
Rule description
The description has to provide details about the reason for the rule existence and the affected object scope. Please keep in mind that exclusion lists are usually maintained over several years and may be used by different packagers during that time. It is recommended to enter a decent description to prevent any issues for exclusion list maintenance later on.
Exclusion list
Select one of the exclusion lists that are available from the predefined set. The new rule will be added to this list.
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Note: It is not possible to add a rule to more than one list at a time. If it is required to add it to several lists; the wizard has to be executed for each list in turn. |
Step 3: Summary
Use the summary page to check the correctness of the driver properties that were defined during the previous wizard steps.
•If all properties are set as required, click Process to finally create the new exclusion list rule.
•If changes are necessary, click Back until the wizard step with the incorrect property definition(s) is displayed and make modifications as required.
Please note that changes in an early step may lead to different defaults or options in any later step. Therefore, please verify that all steps contain the desired settings whilst NEXTing to the summary page again.
Step 4: Finished
Once the new exclusion list rule has been created, the wizard can be closed by using the Finish button at its lower right corner.
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Be aware: Adding a new rule to an exclusion list does not affect the current project content. Please use the context menu options Exclude / Include to adjust the exclusion settings for an object that resides within the current project. The exclusion lists are evaluated and applied as a one time measure during the capture process. They are not synchronized with the current packaging project content later on. |