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#11 Terminal server installation
Hi, I have just found your software and absolutely love it. Im wondering if (with donation of course) you could assist in installing the software on a terminal server environment. We run 4 terminal servers and would love to be able to have one .mal file (complete with settings ie. auto hide etc.) so that we could administer the menus from one point.
Great work on the app too by the way, I have been looking for something like this for ages.
Hi,
With the current version, setting up for your environment might take a bit of work. It seems possible but you might run into some permission problems, that is, if you need to prevent end-users to change the menu settings. I am currently making a massive update to allow for many other features that are either very difficult or messy to implement with the current structure/standard controls. This includes that 'sort of' portable version which will make the program more useful and manageable in a network environment setup. It will be "sort of" portable because the program will still be dependent on .Net 4 Framework which cannot be made portable. Anyway, below are some info:
Files used by MAL(MadAppLauncher):
A. .Net 4 Framework - this shouldn't be a problem if using a Terminal Server. I don't have much experience with many Terminal Servers but I imagine it adheres to the same basic principles.
B. MAL file (*.mal)
Content: contains information about all the buttons inside the Tab Control
Location: Anywhere
C. favorites.config
Content: contains information about all the buttons inside the Favorites Bar
Location: C:\Users\<user name="">\AppData\Local\MadAppLauncher</user>
D. user.config
Content: contains global application setting. All settings set using the menu, the location/size of the form, themes location (future release), last opened MAL file, last active tab, etc.
Location: C:\Users\<user name="">\AppData\Local\MadAppLauncher\MadAppLauncher.exe<some hash="" code="">\<version></version></some></user>
E. iconcache.idb
Content: contains icons used in buttons. This makes loading the hundreds of controls much faster.
Location: C:\Users\<user name="">\AppData\Local\MadAppLauncher\MadAppLauncher.exe<some hash="" code="">\<version></version></some></user>
If you are bored, you can try the following install procedure:
Before you proceed, make sure .Net Framework 4 is installed on the server.
1. Download the mal_exe_only.zip file and extract. The current version has only one file: MadAppLauncher.exe. All other files are auto-generated and the installer only creates the uninstall and file association.
2. Put the MadAppLauncher.exe file in a shared directory. Do not move the file around and run it. DotNet apps are a bit strange, the same file in a different directory will create a different directory and user.config in the user's local directory.
3. Add a batch file, script, or a shortcut link to MadAppLauncher.exe WITH the xxxx.mal file as a parameter (eg. MadAppLauncher.exe xxxx.mal). Put the file in the user's startup folder.
The procedure above is the simplest way to automate the installation on a network environment that I can think of right now. There are a few problems though:
I. The auto-update (Help menu > Check for new version) is on by default. This should be turned off for each user or turn it off for one user and copy the user.config file to other users. This requires quite a bit of work since the user local profile directory where MAL stores its config file is not specific. It contains a hash code. An intelligent script might do the job, but still requires work.
II. The default settings (eg. size and window location) may not be desirable for users. Change the settings first before copying the user.config file to other users or train your users on how to change the settings.
For program updates, you just need to perform Steps 1 and 2.
Additional Info:
Files C, D, E are going to be user writeable. These files, in my opinion, should be writeable by the end-user.
File B will be read-only.
Again, adding a portable option might be the way to go. With this option, files C, D and E can be in a user-specific folder(config files still need to be copied but easier to write a script) OR they can be in a shared folder where end-users have read-only access(config files do not need to be copied). File B can be anywhere.
I'll check to see if it's easy enough to add. Donations are welcome but not necessary. I just use them to buy a few little things and save the rest so I can upgrade my Pentium 4 someday. :-)
Good luck!
The above information is under GPL v3. Use it at your own risk!
Thanks for the Information. Can I ask a really silly question? If I had a list of preferences set is it possible that you can recompile an executable for me so that those settings are default to the application? I have it running in an environment that is nearly perfect, however having to use a script at logon to overwrite the user settings is tricky on a network. Without knowing the ins and outs of the application I cant know if this is possible.
What are the settings?
options: General : all options de-selected and default settings for bottom 2 settings.
Hotkey ctrl and ` = default standard
View - Autohide selected and always on top- probably always center on screen to fix any screen position issues. all other options in view deselected.
I think that would be perfect for my environment . If you can do that I will test it for a couple of days and ensure my company sends a donation.
Thanks,
cameron.
Try this file:
1.0.8.0 includes a minor bug fix for the View > Refresh Icons. I also made the default form size a bit bigger. I hope the buttons are big enough for the icons and the text of your MAL file.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/madapplauncher/files/madapplauncher/Test/1.0.8.1/mal_1.0.8.1_setup.exe/download
Mad Proton, that worked perfectly. I really appreciate your assistance with this. I would love to work with you moving forward in the software. If you ever need a terminal server environment to test anything let me know as I run quite a few. I will test this update and ensure we donate to your account asap.
Once again, thank you very much. Its not often you find that level of assistance even in organisations that are being paid by the hour.