Components

Sometimes it is very interesting to allow the end-user choose the files that will be installed. Make the end-user choose each file that will be installed would be very boring task. The standard way to allow the end-user customize the files that will be installed by the setup program is to group files into components and let him/her choose the components that will be installed.

Components are group of files, shortcuts, registry's entries and INI files' entries. If you think your end-user does not need to customize the files that will be installed, just does not use the components feature.

You will define a component for each dependent part of your application. For instance, you can create a component named Program Files that contains all files necessary to run your application, a component Help Files that contains the documentation and a component Samples that contains files that example how to use your application.

It is not good to separate parts that are dependent, for example a component named Program Files with all application files except for the runtime files and a component named Runtime Files with the runtime files. It is not a good idea because your application will not run without the runtime files, but there are some cases that you can separate files that are dependents.

To define a component, open the Components' editor (Project > Setup Components menu command), and then select Editor > Add Component menu command.

The available component's properties are:

Component

Bitmap	The bitmap displayed in the component's list control.
Dependencies	The components that this component depends on to be installed.
Description	The description of the component.
Name	The name that identifies the component.

Web Component

Force Web	Defines if you want to force this component to be stored in a web server, including when your are not generating a Web Setup.
URL	The HTTP location of the component in the web server. This location is the directory where the component file will be stored. If this property was not defined, VisualSetup will use the Default Data URL project property.

Some components that are not commonly installed can be defined as Web Components. Web components are components that are not stored in the setup program data files. If the end-user wants to install a component that was defined as a web component, the setup program will download the component file from the HTTP location you have defined in the URL property of this component, and then install the component.

VisualSetup will generate a compressed data file for each web component. If you are generating a Web Setup, all components will be considered a Web component. If the URL property was not defined, VisualSetup will use the value of the Default Data URL project property as the HTTP location of the component.