Set Other Packages Arguments

Packages can fill other packages parameters with values, which allows us to create re-usable packages with multiple parameters, but in the meantime easily set up by the user with few or no parameters to fill.

1. Lets start by adding a parameter to our app-dependency by editing the CreatePackages.ps1 script:

   ...
   $AppDependency = @{
       'Id' = 'app-dependency'
       'Name' = 'App Dependency'
       'Version' = '1.0'
       'InputPath' = @(
           Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'app-dependency\*' # Add all files to package from directory.
       )
       'Parameters' = @(
           @{ Key = 'ParameterFromPackage'; Description = 'Parameter from Package Id'; DefaultValue = 'No value given'}
       )
       'OutputDir' = (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'Package')
       'Commands' = @{
           'Install' = 'Package.psm1:Install-Package'
           'Update' = 'Package.psm1:Update-Package'
       }
   }
   ...
   

2. Next, edit the AddContent function in app-dependency\Package.psm1 script to also log the value of the parameter when run:

   ...
   function AddContent($Context, $Keyword)
   {
       $LogFile = "c:\temp\$($Context.Package.Id).txt"
       "$(Get-Date) $Keyword package $($Context.Package.id) $($Context.Package.Version)" | Add-Content -Path $LogFile
       "Parameter: $($Context.Parameters.ParameterFromPackage)" | Add-Content -Path $LogFile
   
   }
   ...
   

3. Run, first the CreatePackages.ps1 script and then the installer to see how a new text box with label "Parameter from Package Id" appears on the installer - exit the installer on the users input page.

4. Next, we add a FillParameter section to the example-app manifest:

   $ExampleApp = @{
       'Id' = 'example-app'
       'Name' = 'Example App'
       'Version' = (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'example-app\*.exe') # Version is fetched from the exe file..
       'Commands' = @{
           'Install' = 'Package.psm1:Install-Package'
           'Update' = 'Package.psm1:Install-Package'
       }
       'Dependencies' = @{
   	    'app-dependency' = '1.0'					
       }
       'Parameters' = @(
           (New-UssParameter -Key 'AdditionalComponents' `
               -Description "Install Additional Components?" `
               -Widget CheckBox -DefaultValue "true")
       )
       'FillParameters' = @{
           'app-dependency' = @{
               'ParameterFromPackage' = 'example-app'
           }
       }
       'InputPath' = @(
           Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'example-app\*' # Add all files to package from directory.
       )
       'OutputDir' = (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'Package')
   }
   

5. Again, run the CreatePackages.ps1 and the installer to see that the text box has now disappeared - complete the install.

6. Check the log file c:\temp\app-dependency.txt and see the new log message.