Feature Manager
Feature Manager is the desktop's window on
features. Open it from the launcher (type
feature). It has no authority of its own: it runs feat as you, so what
you may change is exactly what you could with the command.
The cards #
Each feature on this machine is a card: its title and name, its state, and what it says it does. The state is one of:
| State | Means |
|---|---|
| Not Installed | Nothing it sets up is in place. |
| Installed, Off | What it sets up is in place, but not in use. |
| On | It is set up and in use. |
| Interrupted | One of its scripts didn't finish. The card says which, and what each way on does. |
| Definition Missing | Its package was removed while it was set up. What it set up is still in place; installing the package again lets it be turned off or removed. |
A feature comes in a package: one installed with Package Manager appears here.
The buttons #
| Button | Does | The command |
|---|---|---|
| Turn On | On a feature that isn't installed, installs it and turns it on. On one that is, turns it on. | feat add, feat enable |
| Install Only | Installs it without turning it on. | feat install |
| Turn Off | Turns it off, leaving it installed. | feat disable |
| Remove… | Asks first, then turns it off if it is on and removes it. The feature stays available to install again; its package isn't removed. | feat remove |
| Try Again | On an interrupted feature, runs the step that didn't finish again. | the same command again |
While a change is being made, its card shows which script is running and the last thing it said. Once it is done, the line along the bottom says so.
If a script fails, the card says which, shows everything the script said, and offers Try Again. The feature is left interrupted until it is tried again or taken the other way.
A change is made to the end even if you close the window: the window stays until then, saying so, and then closes.
What you may do #
Whether you may change a feature is asked of the system, by feat. As
shipped, only Administrators may. Anyone else sees every feature and its
state, with the reason said once at the top, and no buttons.
Being allowed to change a feature's state doesn't make every script able to do its work: a script that needs more than you have fails, and says so on the card.
Where to go next #
- Using feat, the same from a terminal, and for a program of your own.
- Writing a feature.