7.9 Configuring Mandatory and Optional Feature Packages

Feature packages can be mandatory or optional, depending on the functionality you want to provide. If you need a particular feature, you can configure that feature package to be mandatory, while leaving other, less-essential feature packages as optional.

You specify the mandatory and optional feature packages for a base package in the Configuration Wizard Properties page of the base package, using the XML tags <mandatory></mandatory> and <optional></optional>. This XML document configures how the Configuration Wizard displays features for the base package when you install the package on a driver.

  1. In the Outline window, expand the Package Catalog and navigate to the version of the feature package you want to configure as mandatory or optional.

  2. Select the feature package.

  3. In the Properties view, find the Package Id field and copy-and-paste the package ID number into a text file.

  4. Repeat Step 1 through Step 3 for each feature package you want to configure, saving all package IDs.

  5. In the Designer Outline window, expand the Package Catalog and navigate to the version of the base package for which you want to configure sub-packages.

  6. Right-click the base package and select Properties.

  7. In the Properties window, click Configuration Wizard.

  8. In the Configuration Wizard Feature Definition window, modify the XML to include all mandatory and optional feature packages, using the following XML structure:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><features>
    <mandatory>
        <group display-name="Mandatory Package Group Name1" expanded="false">
            <package display-name="Mandatory Package Name1" id="PackageIDNumber1" selected="true"/>
        </group>
        <group display-name="Mandatory Package Group Name2" expanded="false">
            <package display-name="Mandatory Package Name2" id="PackageIDNumber2" selected="true"/>
        </group>
    </mandatory>
    <optional>
        <group display-name="Optional Package Group Name 1" expanded="false">
            <package display-name="Optional Package Name1" id="PackageIDNumber3" selected="true"/>
        </group>
        <group display-name="Optional Package Group Name2" expanded="false">
            <package display-name="Optional Package Name2" id="PackageIDNumber4" selected="true"/>
        </group>
    </optional>
</features>

    Paste the copied package IDs into the XML as the values of your id fields. Each feature package must have a unique package ID.

    You can have multiple groups within the <mandatory> and <optional> tags. If you want a package to be selected by default in the Configuration Wizard, ensure the value of the selected attribute is true.

    NOTE:If there are no mandatory feature packages, use the XML tag <mandatory/>.

  9. Click OK.