The Component Platform Interface (CPI) provides a programmatic interface to build and maintain Windows unattended answer files. CPI is the foundation on which Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM) is built. Both the API and the user interface enable the same scenarios.
You can use the CPI API to edit existing Windows unattended setup answer files and configurations to suit your needs. These changes can include adding security fixes, changing drivers, adding newly introduced productivity applications, and updating productivity applications.
The Main Objects
The following table lists the CPI main classes and members along with the definition and usage for each.
CPI Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
CreateAnswerFile() Instance OpenOfflineImage() OpenPackage() OpenAnswerFile() |
The root object. Used to create the top-level object in the system. |
OfflineImage Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
Name Path Packages ComponentSettings |
Represents an image. Contains packages installed in the image, as well as available settings and settings overrides for each component in the image (through the ComponentSettings collection). |
Answer File Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
Path Dirty DocumentState OfflineImage PackageActions ComponentSettings AddPackageAction() Publish() Save() SaveAs() Validate() |
Represents the answer file (Unattend.xml). Use Cpi.OpenAnswerFile to open an existing one and Cpi.CreateAnswerFile() to create a new one. The answer file contains a collection of PackageActions and SettingOverrides (through the ComponentSettings collection). Use AnswerFile.Save() or SaveAs() to save an answer file. Note that CPI maintains and optimizes any conflicting actions while loading an answer file. |
Package Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
Id PackageType DisplayName Description CompanyName ProductName IsRemovable KeyWord Path Load() |
Represents both the installed package in an image and the package file (.cab file) released by Microsoft. When you create an image object, the Packages collection is populated with packages installed in the image. To create a package object that represents a package file, use Cpi.OpenPackage(). PackageType property returns the type of the package (Hotfix, Windows Service Pack). |
Package Action Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
PackageActionType PermanenceType AnswerFile SourcePaths WindowsFeatureSelections AddSourcePath() AddWindowsFeatureSelection() |
Represents the package action (install, remove, or configure) in the answer file. If the action is to configure a package, use the WindowsFeatureSelection object to enable or disable a Windows feature. |
ComponentSetting Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
ComponentId OfflineImage SettingDefinitions SettingOverrides |
Represents available settings of a component (through SettingDefinitions) and setting override values. |
SettingDefinition Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
ApplicableConfigurationPasses Name Path DataType EnumerationValue SettingsDefinitions |
Describes a setting schema. Contains default values, enumeration, and pattern restrictions. |
SettingOverrides Class
| Commonly Used Members | Definition and Usage |
|---|---|
|
Value StringArrayValue Definition AppliedConfigurationPasses SettingOverrides |
If the settings are from an image, represents overridden values in the image. If the settings are from an answer file, represents values that users want to override when the answer file is applied to an image. |
The following diagram shows the organization of the main classes and members for the CPI API.
CPI Interfaces and Architecture
The following diagram shows the CPI interfaces and architecture.
