Customizing the Installation
The PDF-XChange .msi installers take a comprehensive set of arguments that are designed to allow a range of customization during installation. The options available include:
•Licensing options.
•Setting the default values for the products.
•Selecting specific product components.
Options include the standard msiexec.exe switches as defined by Microsoft, as well as product-specific choices. Product-specific choices are defined in the Standard Property ADDLOCAL and take the form of a list of features, as well as product-specific properties as defined by PDF-XChange. The product-specific .msi options are detailed in their respective product pages in the comprehensive online manuals available here. Installation options can be specified either at the command line or using an .msi transform file.
Command Line Vs Transform File
Command Line Options
Installation options can be specified directly at the command line.
Pros
•No tools are required - everything can be performed from the command prompt
•Simple to test - just run the command at the command prompt on any Windows machine.
Cons
•Can be used only in conjunction with simple sets of options.
•Specifying which features are installed can get complicated. Specifying one feature will change the default behavior in that only the features explicitly called will be installed. Note that if no features are specified then all features are installed.
•Command lines can get complex and very long.
Options in a Transform file
Using a transform file is a cleaner method for the specification of installer options. There are both both advantages and disadvantages to this method in comparison to using command line options:
Pros
•Uses a simplified installation string.
•It is simpler to specify which features are installed. Changing one feature from the default 'install' to 'do not install' does not change the behavior for other features, as is the case if command lines are used.
•The same transform file can be used for installations and updates.
•Easier to use with Group Policy-based installations.
Cons
•Requires special tools.
•A transform file needs to be opened in an appropriate tool and the correct changes identified amongst many choices (as opposed to a command line string, in which every option is visible). This can be challenging for less experienced system administrators.