PackPoint is a feature, which is available for professional and enterprise edition users, allowing them to reuse a central repository of common resources (templates, merge modules, exclusions, predefined properties, etc.). Once established, PackPoint is an essential companion for the maintenance of high level teamwork and standardization measures in packaging factories.
In order to use the PackPoint organization structure, the storage location for the PackPoint has to be defined during the RayPack setup. If a PackPoint is defined, the initial population with resources is executed when RayPack is launched for the first time. All core resources, which are appropriate for permanent maintenance beyond product upgrades and local instance endurance, are automatically put to the PackPoint location. The material preserved within the PackPoint location is the base for any synchronization with the local resources on the packaging machine.
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Note: PackPoint is not available for Standalone Repackager installations of RayPack. Please use either the custom or typical setup type to enable PackPoint initialization during the application installation. |
If the currently running application instance uses a PackPoint, the path to the storage location can be reviewed from the Troubleshooting view of the About area. However, it is not possible to change the PackPoint location for an existing RayPack instance by using the controls of the application interface. However, it is possible to influence the operational mode of PackPoint. Please refer to the settings section for further details.
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Warning Even though it is not recommended to do so, users may modify the PackPoint configuration by manually adjusting the content of the PackPoint.config file, which is stored within the RayPack installation directory (which is typically leading to a config file path like C:\Program Files (x86)\RayPack\PackPoint.config) Please take into account, that manual modifications may have severe impact on the automated synchronization features of the PackPoint repository. If modifications are needed, make sure to have a copy of the original configuration file at hand if the changes turn out to cause negative side effects or to be erroneous in general. |
Here is an overview of resources that are handed over to PackPoint control if a central repository has been setup for a RayPack packaging environment:
Resource location without |
Resource location in PackPoint |
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[InstDir]\Resources\ICE.xml |
[PPDir]\ICE.xml |
[InstDir]\Resources\MergeModules |
[PPDir]\MergeModules |
[InstDir]\Resources\PredefinedSearchs |
[PPDir]\PredefinedSearchs |
[InstDir]\Resources\Property |
[PPDir]\Property |
[InstDir]\Resources\Validation |
[PPDir]\Validation |
[InstDir]\ConfigurationTemplates\ |
[PPDir]\Default |
[InstDir]\ConfigurationTemplates\Filters |
[PPDir]\Default\Filters |
[InstDir]\ConfigurationTemplates\PackageTemplates |
[PPDir]\Default\PackageTemplates |
[InstDir]\ConfigurationTemplates\Profiles |
[PPDir]\Default\Profiles |
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Note: [InstDir] is the RayPack installation directory, which is typically something like C:\Program Files (x86)\RayPack\ [PPDir] is the PackPoint location directory, typically something like C:\RayPack\PackPoint\ for a local PackPoint instance as permitted by professional edition licenses. Both directory locations are freely configurable during the RayPack installation, therefore the actual locations on your packaging machine may vary. |
Types of PackPoint Resources
Essentially, two types of PackPoint resources can be distinguished:
•Resources for which a local copy is created
Examples of this type of resources are profiles, exclusions and templates. In order to ensure that a user has permissions to change them, the global PackPoint profiles and templates are copied to the local machine and will be used instead. If there is no access to PackPoint, defaults will be taken from [INSTALLDIR]Resources\Default. These resources are critical and required for RayPack to work.
•Resources accessed directly from PackPoint
Most of the customizable resources (Custom Actions, predefined folders, system search, conditions, Merge Modules etc.) are accessed directly from PackPoint. If PackPoint becomes unavailable, certain features may not work (for example, the Merge Modules browser may show no predefined modules etc.). These resources are not critical and RayPack will run even if they are not accessible.
PackPoint Update Mechanism
Whenever RayPack is launched, the version value of the local resources and the PackPoint version are compared. If they differ (which may occur when the PackPoint has been updated during maintenance or product update phases), one of the following procedures is executed:
•Strict mode (PackPoint overrides local settings)
Any change that has been executed on the PackPoint location will be taken over into the local settings. Any local changes will be lost. This is the default behavior.
During this process:
oExisting local RayPack configuration (“%appdata%\RayPack\*.*”) is being updated from the PackPoint configuration templates ([PPDir]\Default).
oLocal filters and profiles are overridden
oPackage Templates are replaced completely (from PackPoint to local).
•Loose mode (Local settings are preserved)
The local resources and PackPoint resources are merged to generate a synchronized overall state.
During this process:
oExisting local RayPack configuration (“%appdata%\RayPack\*.*”) is being updated from the PackPoint configuration templates ([PPDir]\Default).
oFilters and profiles are merged (only not existing entries are added, exiting entries are remaining the same).
oLocal package templates are preserved
This synchronization allows to take over local adjustments into the overall PackPoint, whilst at the same time being able to receive updated PackPoint resources into the settings for the local application instance. In order to reset the changes performed to local settings, users should remove them from the local machine, and relaunch RayPack. The synchronization mechanism will automatically create a new local copy of the resources preserved within the PackPoint.
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Be aware: If the defined PackPoint location is unavailable due to broken files, missing user rights, or missing connectivity, RayPack is still operational. It will use the local settings. If both, local settings and PackPoint resources are unavailable, RayPack will operate in a failsave mode, using default resources for vital settings information. Nonetheless, it is highly recommended to repair the PackPoint and the local settings, in order to avoid data loss and working result quality that is of less quality than possible with the settings defined for your individual packaging environment. |
Please use the settings area to define the PackPoint mode of the currently active RayPack product instance. If you encounter any issues with the setup or maintenance of PackPoint, please contact our support team - we will gladly assist.
PackPoint Versioning
The following files are used to determine whether the resources must be updated:
•%AppData%\RayPack\PackPointVersion.txt
Contains a single value being the local version number of PackPoint resources
•[PPDir]\Default\PackPointVersion.txt
Contains a single value being the global version number of PackPoint resources. [PPDir] denotes the location to which PackPoint has been installed.
Any time PackPoint is updated, the versions are updated respectively. To force an update of local resources from PackPoint, simply increase the value in global PackPointVersion.txt file.
Manual PackPoint Updates and Migration
In order to force update of PackPoint, use command line tool rpcmd.exe. The following sections contains parameter description and syntax: