Separating an Application into Features

[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

One of the most important aspects of making an application work effectively with the new installer is separating the application into features and components. For information on separating an application into components, see Separating an Application into Components. For more information on features, see Components and Features.

If you answer no to one or more of the following questions, you might want to reconsider identifying that aspect of your application a feature:

• Does the feature present a single functionality to the user?
• Does it make sense to install the feature by itself?
• Conversely, does it make sense to install the entire feature at once?
• Might an administrator want to make the feature available or unavailable depending on the needs of groups of users?