Again what benefits and/or advantages would that have over using a Feature with Display="hidden" Level="1" Absent="disallow" set?
You're looking at a specific type of merge modules in your examples, those of redistributables which the application you're distributing depends on. This does not constitute the entire set of merge modules anyone will ever use. If you don't want to "add the complexity of an additional feature to the MSI database" then add the MergeRef's to your main Feature along with your ComponentRef's. P.S. Features are cheap. They are essentially not much more than an easy way to lump your components together. They even live in their own tables in your MSI. Try looking at one in Orca or InstEd if you're that worried about the complexity of your MSI. Palbinder Sandher Software Deployment & IT Administrator T: +44 (0) 141 945 8500 F: +44 (0) 141 945 8501 http://www.iesve.com **Design, Simulate + Innovate with the <Virtual Environment>** Integrated Environmental Solutions Limited. Registered in Scotland No. SC151456 Registered Office - Helix Building, West Of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow G20 0SP Email Disclaimer -----Original Message----- From: zett42 [mailto:sa...@gmx.de] Sent: 20 May 2009 16:33 To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [WiX-users] MergeGroup / MergeGroupRef Quoting from the Windows Installer documentation: "A feature is a part of the application's total functionality that a user recognizes and may decide to install independently." But the user should usually not be able to optionally install the runtimes, if the programs normal execution depends on them. So I don't see a reason to add the complexity of an additional feature to the MSI database. MergeGroup's would be a way to better express your intention in the WiX source code. Pally Sandher wrote: > > Why isn't it intuitive? I use it for the Visual Studio > Redistributables & it feels completely fine to me but then I've > created Merge modules for partner companies to distribute our software > in the past so I've seen it from both sides of the MSM so to speak. > A merge module is a collection of components & resources (putting it > simply). You're incorporating someone else's components into your > installer. If your wrote them instead of importing them via MSMs, how > would you add them to the Feature Table? > > What advantages or benefits would MergeGroup/MergeGroupRef give over > using Feature/FeatureRef? > > > Palbinder Sandher > Software Deployment & IT Administrator > T: +44 (0) 141 945 8500 > F: +44 (0) 141 945 8501 > > http://www.iesve.com > **Design, Simulate + Innovate with the <Virtual Environment>** > Integrated Environmental Solutions Limited. Registered in Scotland No. > SC151456 > Registered Office - Helix Building, West Of Scotland Science Park, > Glasgow G20 0SP Email Disclaimer > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: zett42 [mailto:sa...@gmx.de] > Sent: 20 May 2009 13:37 > To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] MergeGroup / MergeGroupRef > > > Yeah, I could live with it. But it doesn't feel right to create an > artificial feature just for grouping merge modules. It is not > intuitive for WiX beginners I think. > > > Rob Mensching-6 wrote: >> >> Doesn't FeatureGroup/FeatureGroupRef do what you want? It also allows >> Features, but that should be okay, right? >> >> Bob Arnson wrote: >>> zett42 wrote: >>> >>>> So would it make sense to add new elements "MergeGroup" and >>>> "MergeGroupRef" >>>> >>>> >>> >>> Sure, feel free to file a feature request. >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crystal Reports - New Free Runtime and 30 Day Trial Check out the new simplified licensing option that enables unlimited royalty-free distribution of the report engine for externally facing server and web deployment. http://p.sf.net/sfu/businessobjects _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
