Configuration Manager Console RootNodes Element

Article
05/03/2011

Applies To: System Center Configuration Manager 2007, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2

RootNodes elements are the topmost nodes for a feature. For example, software distribution.

The RootNodes element is responsible for rendering a node. It defines the queries and layout that are used to display the results pane and any dynamic nodes that are added to the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 console tree node. The NodeDescription node defines these user interface elements.

A root node has two types of child nodes, <ChildNodes> and <Relatives>.

Child Nodes

ChildNode elements are static nodes that appear under the root node for a feature. For example, Packages is a child node of the software distribution node. Child nodes appear under the ChildNodes node and each child node is described by a RootNodeDescription node. Each child node may have further child nodes described in a child RootNode element.

Relative Child Nodes

Relative nodes are a special type of child node. Their purpose is to provide duplicated child nodes. For example, Packages has a number of relative nodes such as access accounts and programs that are used elsewhere in the user interface. The relative nodes are declared in the Relatives section of the parent XML. Like child nodes, each relative child node is described by a RootNodeDescription element.

Describing the Tree View Pane and Results Pane

As a child of RootNodes, NodeDescription provides a description of the tree view pane and results pane used in the Configuration Manager 2007 console. NodeDescription includes the following three child elements:

ResultPaneItemDescription
ScopePaneItemDescription
QueryDescription

The ResultPaneItemDescription element and the ScopePaneDescription element follow the same basic format. The QueryDescription element is particularly important.

QueryDescription

The QueryDescription element can be used to query the SMS Provider for objects to be displayed in the node. The QueryDescription element includes the following attributes:

Attribute	Description
NamespaceGuid	The node that the query applies to.
Type	The type of the query. Typically this is a WQL query.
DisplayName Description	Displays text strings for the name and description in the Configuration Manager console. Typically, though you will use the results of the query. The code examples in the next section display the name property of the collection.

The following elements are some of the child elements of QueryDescription:

Element	Description
RestrictedClipboardFormats	The clipboard formats that are supported by the node.
Query	The WQL query that is used to populate the node.
ViewAssemblyDescriptions	Used by the ScopePaneItemDescription element. Specifies the assemblies that contain the view to be displayed at the node.
ReturnedClassType	The type of the Configuration Manager object returned.

ResultPaneItemDescription

The ResultPaneItemDescription element defines the query and actions that are used to populate the results pane. The following XML demonstrates the query and actions that are used to populate the results pane with the available collections.

Note

The display name and description get their values from the collection Name property in the query result.

       <ResultPaneItemDescription NamespaceGuid="f91c082d-bb83-44db-8ab9-907607b1dc44">
          <Queries>
            <QueryDescription NamespaceGuid="34446c89-5a0d-4287-88e5-9c87d832a946" Type="WQL" DisplayName="##SUB:Name##" Description="##SUB:Name##" SupportsCountQuery="true" HelpTopic="0e3a11cc-13b3-41d3-9adc-f731c36b785b">
              <RestrictedClipboardFormats>
                <string>sms_program_copy</string>
              </RestrictedClipboardFormats>
              <Query>SELECT coll.* FROM SMS_Collection AS coll JOIN SMS_CollectToSubCollect AS assoc ON coll.CollectionID=assoc.subCollectionID WHERE assoc.parentCollectionID='COLLROOT' ORDER BY Name</Query>
              <ReturnedClassType>SMS_Collection</ReturnedClassType>
            </QueryDescription>
          </Queries>
          <Actions>
            <!--Actions that can be executed for items returned by this query-->
          </Actions>
        </ResultPaneItemDescription>
      </ResultPaneItemDescriptions>

ScopePaneItemDescription

The ScopePaneItemDescription element contains the XML for describing the left pane hierarchy tree. It contains information about the query that is used to populate the tree and the assembly, icon, and other resources that are needed to display the query results. It also defines the assemblies that are used to display a custom view. The following XML demonstrates the ScopePaneItemDescription element that is used to populate the tree view with the available collections. The ScopePaneItemDescription node can have a <Relative> XML section to declare any relative nodes.

   <ScopePaneItemDescriptions>
        <ScopePaneItemDescription NamespaceGuid="a8859bde-df8c-4df7-93a8-4d55c5294cfd">
          <Queries>
            <QueryDescription NamespaceGuid="fa922e1a-6add-477f-b70e-9a164f3b11a2" Type="WQL" DisplayName="##SUB:Name##" Description="##SUB:Name##" SupportsCountQuery="true" HelpTopic="1bc8da58-4e16-4f38-ab9c-73b0c414cd9b">
              <ImagesDescription AliasProperty="OwnedByThisSite">
                <ResourceAssembly>
                  <Assembly>AdminUI.UIResources.dll</Assembly>
                  <Type>Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.AdminConsole.UIResources.Properties.Resources.resources</Type>
                </ResourceAssembly>
                <AliasResourceAssembly>
                  <Assembly>AdminUI.UIResources.dll</Assembly>
                  <Type>Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.AdminConsole.UIResources.SMS_Collection-OwnedByThisSite.resources</Type>
                </AliasResourceAssembly>
                <ImageResourceName>CollectionsIcon</ImageResourceName>
              </ImagesDescription>
              <RestrictedClipboardFormats>
                <string>sms_program_copy</string>
              </RestrictedClipboardFormats>
              <ViewAssemblyDescriptions>
                <ViewAssemblyDescription>
                  <Assembly>AdminUI.ConsoleView.dll</Assembly>
                  <Type>Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.AdminConsole.ConsoleView.ConsoleViewDescription</Type>
                  <CustomData>
                    <ConfigurationData xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" MultipleSelectionSupported="true">
                      <PropertyItemsData>
                        <PropertyItemsData>
                          <Properties>
                            <string>Name</string>
                            <string>ResourceType</string>
                            <string>Domain</string>
                            <string>SiteCode</string>
                            <string>IsClient</string>
                            <string>IsApproved</string>
                            <string>IsAssigned</string>
                            <string>IsBlocked</string>
                            <string>ClientType</string>
                            <string>IsObsolete</string>
                            <string>IsActive</string>
                          </Properties>
                          <ClassName>SMS_CM_RES_COLL_xxx</ClassName>
                        </PropertyItemsData>
                      </PropertyItemsData>
                    </ConfigurationData>
                  </CustomData>
                </ViewAssemblyDescription>
              </ViewAssemblyDescriptions>
              <Query>SELECT coll.* FROM SMS_Collection AS coll JOIN SMS_CollectToSubCollect AS assoc ON coll.CollectionID=assoc.subCollectionID WHERE assoc.parentCollectionID='COLLROOT' ORDER BY Name</Query>
              <ReturnedClassType>SMS_Collection</ReturnedClassType>
            </QueryDescription>
          </Queries>
          <Actions>
            <!--Actions that can be executed for items returned by this query-->
          </Actions>
        </ScopePaneItemDescription>

NodeDescription

The NodeDescription element is the next level in the hierarchy tree. Within it you will find further ScopePaneItemDescription, ResultPaneItemDescription, and NodeDescription elements.

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