Advertised Shortcuts - Features and Components

HappyGod

Members
7 posts

Posted 22 January 2004 - 04:10

OK, this issue has been brought up before, but never successfully answered.

I have four features, they look like this:

MAZE (contains bulk of application)
-> Password (optional EXE)
-> Help Files (Self Explanatory)
-> Standard Database (Self Explanatory)

Now, Password and Help Files have shortcuts, so they're OK when I distribute this over Active Directory, because when the user clicks the associated shortcut, the feature gets installed. No problem.

However Standard Database cannot have a shortcut. This means that this feature will never be installed via Active Directory.

I know that I could rearrange these features so that Standard Database is a parent of the others, but this is not a logical layout in the custom install screen. How can I get a full install when the user clicks these shortcuts???

Glytzhkof

Moderators
1,447 posts

Posted 22 January 2004 - 05:34

I tweaked this once I believe by inserting a component in several features. I think this did the trick to kick in the self-repair, but it is a long time ago...

Edward Tippelt writes ( http://www.etlengine...taller/hkcu.txt ):

QUOTE

When an advertised access point is triggered, say an advertised shortcut is launched, Windows Installer will then check the keypaths of all components within the feature which contains that particular shortcut and all parent features of that feature. If no broken components are found no repair occurs. If a broken component is found in any feature then Windows Installer will check the keypaths of all components within ALL features of the MSI and then perform the repair.

Maybe add a top level feature, put all other features under this feature, then add a component with a HKCU keypath to the top level feature and see if this does the trick?

Edited by Glytzhkof, 22 January 2004 - 05:34.

Regards
-Stein Åsmul

Glytzhkof

Moderators
1,447 posts

Posted 22 January 2004 - 20:15

One note about adding a component to several features: I think this may cause problems if you use minor upgrades...

Regards
-Stein Åsmul

Zweitze

Full Members
522 posts

Posted 23 January 2004 - 11:34

If only your software uses the database, change your software to do the following actions before accessing the database:
- Run MsiQueryFeatureState to find the INSTALLSTATE of the database.
- If the state is Advertised, call MsiConfigureFeature