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Working with custom UE-V templates and the UE-V template generator (Windows 10)

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User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) uses XML files called settings location templates to monitor and synchronize application settings and Windows settings between user devices. By default, some settings location templates are included in UE-V. However, if you want to synchronize settings for desktop applications other than those settings included in the default templates, you can create your own custom settings location templates with the UE-V template generator. You can also edit or validate custom settings location templates with the UE-V template generator.

Use the UE-V template generator to monitor, discover, and capture the locations where Win32 applications store settings. The template generator doesn't create settings location templates for the following types of applications:

  • Virtualized applications
  • Applications that are offered through Terminal Services
  • Java applications
  • Windows applications

Standard and non-standard settings locations

The UE-V template generator helps you identify where applications search for settings files and registry settings that applications use to store settings information. The generator discovers settings only in locations that are accessible to a standard user. Settings that are stored in other locations are excluded.

Discovered settings are grouped into two categories: Standard and Non-standard. Standard settings are recommended for synchronization, and UE-V can readily capture and apply them. Non-standard settings can potentially synchronize settings but, because of the rules that UE-V uses, these settings might not consistently or dependably synchronize settings. These settings might depend on temporary files, result in unreliable synchronization, or might not be useful. These settings locations are presented in the UE-V template generator. You can choose to include or exclude them on a case-by-case basis.

The UE-V template generator opens the application as part of the discovery process. The generator can capture settings in the following locations:

  • Registry Settings - Registry locations under HKEY_CURRENT_USER
  • Application Settings Files - Files that are stored under \ Users \ [User name] \ AppData \ Roaming

The UE-V template generator excludes locations, which commonly store application software files, but don't synchronize well between user computers or environments. The UE-V template generator excludes these locations. Excluded locations are as follows:

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry keys and files to which the logged-on user can't write values
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry keys and files that are associated with the core functionality of the Windows operating system
  • All registry keys that are located in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive, which requires administrator rights and might require to set a User Account Control (UAC) agreement
  • Files that are located in Program Files directories, which requires administrator rights and might require to set a UAC agreement
  • Files that are located under Users \ [User name] \ AppData \ LocalLow
  • Windows operating system files that are located in %Systemroot%, which requires administrator rights and might require to set a UAC agreement

If registry keys and files that are stored in these locations are required to synchronize application settings, you can manually add the excluded locations to the settings location template during the template creation process.

Edit settings location templates with the UE-V template generator

Use the UE-V template generator to edit settings location templates. When the revised settings are added to the templates with the UE-V template generator, the version information within the template is automatically updated to ensure that any existing templates that are deployed in the enterprise are updated correctly.

To edit a UE-V settings location template with the UE-V template generator

  1. Open the Start menu and navigate to Windows Kits > Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) Template Generator to open the template generator.

  2. Click Edit a settings location template.

  3. In the list of recently used templates, select the template to be edited. Alternatively, click Browse to search for the settings template file. Click Next to continue.

  4. Review the Properties, Registry locations, and Files locations for the settings template. Edit as required.

    • On the Properties tab, you can view and edit the following properties:

      • Application name The application name that is written in the description of the program file properties.

      • Program name The name of the program that is taken from the program file properties. This name usually has the .exe file name extension.

      • Product version The product version number of the .exe file of the application. This property, together with the File version, helps determine which applications are targeted by the settings location template. This property accepts a major version number. If this property is empty, then the settings location template applies to all versions of the product.

      • File version The file version number of the .exe file of the application. This property, along with the Product version, helps determine which applications are targeted by the settings location template. This property accepts a major version number. If this property is empty, the settings location template applies to all versions of the program.

      • Template author name (optional) The name of the settings template author.

      • Template author email (optional) The email address of the settings location template author.

    • The Registry tab lists the Key and Scope of the registry locations that are included in the settings location template. You can edit the registry locations by using the Tasks drop-down menu. In the Tasks menu, you can add new keys, edit the name or scope of existing keys, delete keys, and browse the registry in which the keys are located. When you define the scope for the registry, you can use the All Settings scope to include all the registry settings under the specified key. Use All Settings and Subkeys to include all the registry settings under the specified key, subkeys, and subkey settings.

    • The Files tab lists the file path and file mask of the file locations that are included in the settings location template. You can edit the file locations by using the Tasks drop-down menu. In the Tasks menu for file locations, you can add new files or folder locations, edit the scope of existing files or folders, delete files or folders, and open the selected location in Windows Explorer. To include all files in the specified folder, leave the file mask empty.

  5. Click Save to save the changes to the settings location template.

  6. Click Close to close the Settings Template Wizard. Exit the UE-V template generator application.

    After you edit the settings location template for an application, you should test the template. Deploy the revised settings location template in a lab environment before you put it into production in the enterprise.

How to manually edit a settings location template

  1. Create a local copy of the settings location template .xml file. UE-V settings location templates are .xml files that identify the locations where application store settings values.

    Note

    A settings location template is unique because of the template ID. If you copy the template and rename the .xml file, template registration fails because UE-V reads the template ID tag in the .xml file to determine the name, not the file name of the .xml file. UE-V also reads the Version number to know if anything has changed. If the version number is higher, UE-V updates the template.

  2. Open the settings location template file with an XML editor.
  3. Edit the settings location template file. All changes must conform to the UE-V schema file that is defined in SettingsLocationTempate.xsd. By default, a copy of the .xsd file is located in \ProgramData\Microsoft\UEV\Templates.
  4. Increment the Version number for the settings location template.
  5. Save the settings location template file, and then close the XML editor.
  6. Validate the modified settings location template file by using the UE-V template generator.
  7. You must register the edited UE-V settings location template before it can synchronize settings between client computers. To register a template, open Windows PowerShell, and then run the following cmdlet: update-uevtemplate [templatefilename]. You can then copy the file to the settings storage catalog. The UE-V Agent on users' computers should then update as scheduled in the scheduled task.

Validate settings location templates with the UE-V template generator

It's possible to create or edit settings location templates in an XML editor without using the UE-V template generator. If you do, you can use the UE-V template generator to validate that the new or revised XML matches the schema that has been defined for the template.

To validate a UE-V settings location template with the UE-V template generator:

  1. Open the Start menu and navigate to Windows Kits > Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) Template Generator to open the template generator.

  2. Click Validate a settings location template.

  3. In the list of recently used templates, select the template to be edited. Alternatively, you can Browse to the settings template file. Click Next to continue.

  4. Click Validate to continue.

  5. Click Close to close the Settings Template Wizard. Exit the UE-V template generator application.

    After you validate the settings location template for an application, you should test the template. Deploy the template in a lab environment before you put it into a production environment in enterprise.

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