InstallAware features with common files < Maintenance

[jessican]

Hi!
So, I have 3 features that the user can select on installation. and I'm a little confused how component change/maintenance works here.

For example. Lets say:
All Features
>Feature1 has files A and B
>Feature2 has files A , B , C and D.
>Feature3 has file E

So Feature2 essentially has all of Feature1 + Some other files.

1. So, lets say the user had installed feature2. and now wants to install feature 1 only.
Would this delete alll of the files and then reinstall, A and B even though they were there initially?

2. Same question for the counter, if the user had feature1 installed already and on maintenance wanted to install the additional feature2.. would A and B be uninstalled or would the system detect that only C and D be copied over?

Since the option of Feature3 exists.. I can't make files A and B feature independent.
Is there a more optimal way to handle the insertion/deletion of the component with C and D when the user chooses to include feature 2 or not ?

[FrancescoT]

Dear Jessican,

if your setup is based on Windows Installer Engine, by default feature's files will be not overwritten if already present.

Generally a new created project is by default based on Widow Installer Engine. Unless the Native setup template has been used to generate the project or the Native Engine has been explicitly activated from the script.

The Windows Installer engine behavior is to overwrite files on the target system only if the ones you are copying are newer or have an higher version. This behavior cannot be changed with the Windows Installer engine.

For what concerns your question at point #3, I am very sorry but I am not quite sure to follow your exact question.
Can you try to elaborate it a little more?

By the way, you may have a look at the "Features" sample available from the following link.
http://www.installaware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6772

Regards

[jessican]

Thanks so much for your explanation!! The sample was quite helpful.. I'm sorry but one last thing.
I have Installaware developer edition - so no custom dialogs. Is there any way I could implement a system such that I could make features mutually exclusive? Like only possible for the user to only select to install one feature?

Thanks!

[FrancescoT]

Dear Jessican,

can you post an explicative example about the features selection you would like to implement?

Thanks!

Regards

[jessican]

Hi, so basically when the user does a custom installation. I want there to be 3 feature options and I have 2 ways that I am considering implementing them.

Custom installation
l_________>Feature1
l_________>Feature2
l_________>Feature3

1.
I want all three features to be mutually exclusive. So that if you select Feature 3 for example, you can not also select feature 2 and/or feature1. Only one feature can be selected.

2.
I'd also like to know if its possible to implement so that perhaps only feature2 is mutually exclusive. that is, if you install feature2, you can not select to install feature 1 or 3 in the custom installation page. But feature 1 and 3 can be both selected and installed together if the user chose to. Just that feature 2 cant be paired with any other feature.

I want the user to be unable to proceed to the next screen until they have made an appropriate allowed features selection choice.

(Note, I have the developer edition)

[FrancescoT]

Dear Jessican,

you can override selection states using "Set Component State" command (via script).
However the dialog control used to display the features (TreeView) doesn't return to the script when an Item gets selected/unselected.

Due of this, you should replace the default "Feature Selection" with a custom dialog ... and where a different control is used to handle each feature selection (probably a check-box control may be used at such purpose).

Unfortunately, this cannot be done using the Developer edition.

Sorry!

Regards