Packages & Products > Set up dependencies for a package

Setting up dependencies for a package

If a package has one or more dependencies, the program(s) on which it is dependent must be installed on the selected computers before the package can be installed. If you try to assign a package without previously installing its dependencies, the Missing Dependencies window displays the required packages.

Package dependencies can be a simple list of prerequisites. However, if you are an advanced user, you can also construct more complicated dependencies using complex expressions. For example, if you have a package which requires either Microsoft .NET 1.1 or .Net 2.0, and cannot have a program named MyProgram on the same computer, you could construct the following dependency:

(Microsoft .NET 1.1 OR Microsoft .NET 2.0) NOT MyProgram

To open the Dependencies window for a package

From the left-hand pane, expand Software, then expand Packages & Products and choose All Packages.
From the right-hand pane, right-click the package and from the menu, choose Properties.
Choose the Dependencies tab.

To add a dependency to a package

Click the Add button.
Select the dependency from the Package list, and click OK.

To construct a complex expression

Tick the 'Use complex expression' box.
Click the Edit button. The Dependency Builder window is displayed
Select a package, and click 'Add to Expression'. The selected dependency is listed under Dependency Expression.
Add further dependent packages to the expression, using the AND, OR, NOT and bracket buttons to create the complex expression you require.
Click OK.

To edit a complex expression

Select the dependency you want to edit, and then click the Edit button.
Edit the dependency using the Dependency Expression options.
Click OK.

To remove a dependency from a package

On the Dependencies tab, select the dependency from the list.
Click the Remove button.

Notes

You can manage dependencies automatically when assigning packages to computers or locations. See Related Topics for more information.
You can change a single dependent package into part of a complex expression by selecting the package in the 'Dependent packages' list and then ticking the 'Use complex expression' box. Click Yes to confirm.