ClickOnce on Roaming Profile
Let’s first talk about Roaming Profile:
Roaming Profile allows users with computers on a Windows Server domain to log on to any computer
on the same network and access its documents. While on Roaming Profile, the user profile information
is stored on a centralized file server accessible from any network-joined desktop computer instead of
local storage.
Here’s a link to a guide to managing Roaming Profile data:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766489%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
Why isn’t ClickOnce supported on Roaming Profile?
ClickOnce is a per user installation. When the application is deployed through ClickOnce, its files are
stored under the profile folder of the user ( <USER PROFILE>\AppData\Local\Apps) .
By default, the Appdata\Local folders and all their subfolder like History, Temp, and Temporary
Internet Files folders are excluded from the user's Roaming Profile. So when the user logs off the
machine on Roaming Profiles, these folders are not copied to the centralized server. Interestingly,
shortcuts created by the application will be copied to the centralized location and will roam with
the user profile (Shortcuts and desktop folders are allowed to roam). However when users launch
such a shortcut, it will try to search for the files under the current user profile (Appdata\Local), but
it fails to find it as this folder is not copied to the centralized location.
This in turn may ask users to reinstall the application.
Can folder redirection make Clickonce work with Roaming Profile?
The answer unfortunately is No. Folder redirection can only be done for only some of the shell known
folders. And “AppData\Local” is not a shell known folder. Also ClickOnce can install files at a very
deep level (upto N+10th folder)
eg.
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“C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Apps\2.0\Data\RNLVHZMG.D0C\Z3MKJ8WN.00D
\1 \2 \3 \4 \5 \6 \7
\ngim..tion_c3bce3770c238a49_000f.0001_16a9459e29f27733\Data\15.0.225.0”
\8 \9 \10
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This article contains the list of the folder’s that can be redirected :
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732275.aspx
Note: A few application models for roaming settings are available, however these variation have not
been tested for this requirement.
Content by-
Keshav Deo Jain, Soumitra Mondal