Overriding feature on command line when installing over the top of previous install

I have an installer and I have a feature that I can turn on or off if I pass on the msiexec.exe commandline a property named FEATUREX to be 0 or 1. If the value is zero, the feature is not installed. If the value is 1, then the feature is installed. It's a COM component. Part of the install always installs the COM component so that it can be enabled later by changing some registry values in the system. The part of installing the COM component is not FEATUREX since the COM component is always installed. Enabling the COM component to the system is FEATUREX and it adds a CLSID to a subkey in Windows and the system starts using the COM component.

If the software is not installed or has been uninstalled, then my logic works. The problem occurs when I want to install over the top of a previous installation. I do not want to require that the previous installation be uninstalled. I just want to install over the top, and if a sysadmin installs over the top and enables or disables FEATUREX, then FEATUREX should be installed or not installed depending on the value of FEATUREX on the command line.

Usually customers might want to install with FEATUREX disabled, then enable FEATUREX (independent of the installer), but setting the registry key.

However, when installing over the top, the system ignores FEATUREX property on the command line and the real Feature X is enabled or disabled depending on whether it was originally enabled or disabled.

I tried changing the GUID of the Component, and that didn't work...IDK...I was just guessing.

If I change the Feature ID from ActivateFeatureX to ActivateFeatureX2 then the command line property FEATUREX works...but then, if the property is not passed on the command line, Feature X is not installed if it was previously installed.

I was wondering what the solution might be? I have thoughts of a simple checkbox tied to a registry DWORD value such that the COM component would fail to be created if the DWORD value is 0... but IDK.

<Feature Id='ActivateFeatureX' Title='Feature X' Description='If this dropdown is changed from the red "X" to the grey disk icon, then Feature X will be enabled'
         Level='2' AllowAdvertise='no' InstallDefault="local" Display="3">
    <Condition Level="1">FEATUREX=1</Condition>
    <Condition Level="0">FEATUREX=0</Condition>
    <ComponentRef Id='ActivateFeatureX' />
</Feature>

<Component Id="ActivateFeatureX" Location="local" Guid="4c0d547f-d9ae-4c5f-bd21-d8360c00dd46">
    <RegistryValue Root='HKLM' Key='SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SOMEWHERE\SOMEHOW\{$(var.FeatureXRegistryGUID)}' Type='string' Value='$(var.TheProject.TargetName)' KeyPath='yes' />
</Component>

Solution

Instead of trying to use a Condition to control the state of ActivateFeatureX (which has limitations during repair and upgrade), consider using the ADDLOCAL and REMOVE properties to change the state of the Feature directly.