Install features based on checkboxes
I found what it was that solves my issue. To do as I had intended, I needed to create a checkbox for each feature as so.
<Control Id="FeatureX" Type="CheckBox" X="191" Y="50" Width="140" Height="17"
Property="FEATUREX_CHECKED" CheckBoxValue="myValue" Text="Install feature X" />
<Control Id="FeatureY" Type="CheckBox" X="191" Y="67" Width="140" Height="17"
Property="FEATUREY_CHECKED" CheckBoxValue="myValue" Text="Install feature Y" />
<Control Id="FeatureZ" Type="CheckBox" X="191" Y="84" Width="140" Height="17"
Property="FEATUREZ_CHECKED" CheckBoxValue="myValue" Text="Install feature Z" />
Now once I did that I then added a corresponding publish to each, and made a condition that made it so that only if the check box is selected will that feature be installed. Like so:
<Control Id="Next" Type="PushButton" Text="Next" X="254" Y="243" Height="17" Width="56">
<Publish Event="Remove" Value="ALL" Order="1">1</Publish>
<Publish Event="AddLocal" Value="FeatureX" Order="2">
<![CDATA[FEATUREX_CHECKED]]>
</Publish>
</Control>
NOTE:
Remove is used to deselect everything from being installed (It was brought to my attention that once the UI is invoked, it is too late to change feature levels).
Then each feature is checked to see if the "corresponding checkbox" has been selected and if so adds it to the "AddLocal" Property. AddLocal would look like this if one were to look at it:
ADDLOCAL=FeatureX, FeatureY, FeatureZ...
The final thing I needed to do to get this to work was too check in my main.wxs to make sure that the FeatureID used in the checkboxes matched up with the ComponentGroupRefID used:
<ComponentGroupRef Id="FeatureX"/>
So there it is... I again, thank everyone for their help with this. If anyone reading this is confused by anything, please feel free to drop me a line, and I will do my best to explain things a little bit further.
This is my sample code for installing features
Product.wxs
<Product Id="{C9FD5DDE-2625-4E01-B415-8A734464F341}"
Name="!(wix.Product)" Language="1033" Version="1.0.0.0"
Manufacturer="!(wix.Manufacturer)" UpgradeCode="!(wix.UpgradeCode)">
<Package InstallerVersion="200" Compressed="yes" Languages="1033"
Manufacturer="!(wix.Manufacturer)" Description="!(wix.ProductDesc)"/>
<Media Id="1" Cabinet="media1.cab" EmbedCab="yes" />
<WixVariable Id="UpgradeCode" Value="{E5695E2A-EE5F-4EEE-A326-98A9F8B2EF0A}"/>
<WixVariable Id="Manufacturer" Value="BSDreams"/>
<WixVariable Id="Product" Value="WixSubFeatures"/>
<WixVariable Id="ProductDesc" Value="Minimal select one feature install"/>
<WixVariable Id="ProductIcon" Value="chk_on.ico"/>
<WixVariable Id="WixSubFiles" Value=".\Files"/>
<Property Id="ARPNOMODIFY" Value="0" />
<Property Id="ARPPRODUCTICON" Value="!(wix.ProductIcon)" />
<Property Id="INSTALLDIR">
<RegistrySearch Id="WixSubFeaturesSearch" Type="raw" Root="HKCU"
Key="!(wix.Manufacturer)\!(wix.Product)" Name="InstallDir" />
</Property>
<Icon Id="chk_on.ico" SourceFile="!(wix.WixSubFiles)\!(wix.ProductIcon)"/>
<Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">
<Directory Id="ManufacturerDir" Name="!(wix.Manufacturer)">
<Directory Id="INSTALLDIR" Name="!(wix.Product)">
<Component Id="ProductMain" Guid="{FF35C142-480A-4d67-A2ED-E5C9E508F809}">
<CreateFolder />
<RegistryKey Id="WixSubDirReg" Root="HKCU" Key="!(wix.Manufacturer)\!(wix.Product)" Action="createAndRemoveOnUninstall">
<RegistryValue Type="string" Value="[INSTALLDIR]" Action="write"/>
</RegistryKey>
</Component>
</Directory>
</Directory>
</Directory>
<UIRef Id="UserInterface"/>
<Feature Id="PRODUCTFEATURE" Title="!(wix.Product)" Level="1" >
<ComponentRef Id="ProductMain"/>
<ComponentRef Id="IconFile"/>
<Feature Id="OPTIONA" Title="Option A" Level="1" >
<ComponentRef Id="TestFileA"/>
</Feature>
<Feature Id="OPTIONB" Title="Option B" Level="3" >
<ComponentRef Id="TestFileB"/>
</Feature>
<Feature Id="OPTIONC" Title="Option C" Level="3" >
<ComponentRef Id="TestFileC"/>
</Feature>
</Feature>
<DirectoryRef Id="INSTALLDIR">
<Component Id="IconFile" Guid="{967A5110-B0F8-47b0-967B-CC4624D06EA5}">
<File Id="IconFileA" Source="!(wix.WixSubFiles)\!(wix.ProductIcon)" Name="chk_on.ico" Vital="yes" />
</Component>
<Component Id="TestFileA" Guid="{F5ACE3D7-03DE-47a7-9CE8-50CEF5E9A7BF}">
<File Id="SomeFileA" Source="!(wix.WixSubFiles)\SomeFileA.txt" Name="BSDA.txt" Vital="yes"/>
</Component>
<Component Id="TestFileB" Guid="{CB5D53FB-8CED-42ef-89FF-08C7709CFCA5}">
<File Id="SomeFileB" Source="!(wix.WixSubFiles)\SomeFileB.txt" Name="BSDB.txt" Vital="yes" />
</Component>
<Component Id="TestFileC" Guid="{987EA193-A1E0-41d2-8E9D-87D30D8F03AD}">
<File Id="SomeFileC" Source="!(wix.WixSubFiles)\SomeFileC.txt" Name="BSDC.txt" Vital="yes" />
</Component>
</DirectoryRef>
<CustomAction Id="SetARPINSTALLLOCATION" Property="ARPINSTALLLOCATION" Value="[INSTALLDIR]" />
<InstallExecuteSequence>
<Custom Action="SetARPINSTALLLOCATION" After="InstallValidate"></Custom>
</InstallExecuteSequence>
</Product>
UserInterface.wxs
<Fragment Id="WixSubUI">
<UI Id="UserInterface">
<Property Id="WIXUI_INSTALLDIR" Value="INSTALLDIR" />
<Property Id="WixUI_Mode" Value="Custom" />
<TextStyle Id="WixUI_Font_Normal" FaceName="Tahoma" Size="8" />
<TextStyle Id="WixUI_Font_Bigger" FaceName="Tahoma" Size="9" Bold="yes" />
<TextStyle Id="WixUI_Font_Title" FaceName="Tahoma" Size="9" Bold="yes" />
<Property Id="DefaultUIFont" Value="WixUI_Font_Normal" />
<DialogRef Id="ProgressDlg" />
<DialogRef Id="ErrorDlg" />
<DialogRef Id="FilesInUse" />
<DialogRef Id="FatalError" />
<DialogRef Id="UserExit" />
<DialogRef Id="InstallDirDlg"/>
<DialogRef Id="FeaturesDlg" />
<Publish Dialog="WelcomeDlg" Control="Next" Event="NewDialog" Value="FeaturesDlg" Order="2"></Publish>
<Publish Dialog="FeaturesDlg" Control="Back" Event="NewDialog" Value="WelcomeDlg">1</Publish>
<Publish Dialog="InstallDirDlg" Control="Back" Event="NewDialog" Value="FeaturesDlg">1</Publish>
<Publish Dialog="InstallDirDlg" Control="ChangeFolder" Property="_BrowseProperty" Value="[WIXUI_INSTALLDIR]" Order="1">1</Publish>
<Publish Dialog="InstallDirDlg" Control="ChangeFolder" Event="SpawnDialog" Value="BrowseDlg" Order="2">1</Publish>
<Publish Dialog="InstallDirDlg" Control="Next" Event="SetTargetPath" Value="[WIXUI_INSTALLDIR]" Order="1">1</Publish>
<Publish Dialog="InstallDirDlg" Control="Next" Event="NewDialog" Value="ExitDialog" Order="2">1</Publish>
<Publish Dialog="ExitDialog" Control="Finish" Event="EndDialog" Value="Return" Order="999">1</Publish>
</UI>
<UIRef Id="WixUI_Common" />
This will give you a basic installer that installs base on the selected features checkbox UI