Add-In Installation Requirements
Applies To: Windows Server 2012 Essentials, Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials
You can add in a number of different panes and elements onto the Dashboard. Collectively, these additions are called add-ins. However, each type of add-in requires a unique set of files installed in specific locations on the server. Once you have determined what types of files you will need, you can set up your development environment, as described in Set Up the Development Environment.
The following table summarizes the installation requirements for the different types of add-ins that you can create for the Dashboard.
| Scenario | Installation Requirements |
|---|---|
| Creating a top-Level tab | - .addin file – required - .addin file location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\Primary - basedir attribute in .addin file – required. Specifies the full path to binary files. - Add-in binary file placement – basedir |
| Adding a subtab to a built-in top-Level tab | - .addin file – required - .addin file location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\<TargetTab>. <TargetTab> is the name of the built-in tab. - basedir attribute in .addin file – required. Specifies the full path to binary files. - Add-in binary file placement – basedir |
| Adding a subtab to your top-level tab | - .addin file – not required. The CreatePages method is used to define the subtabs of the top-level tab. - .addin file location – not applicable - basedir attribute in .addin file – not applicable - Add-in binary file placement – same as top-level tab |
| Extending built-in tabs | - .addin file – required - .addin file location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\<TargetTab>. <TargetTab> is the name of the built-in tab and must be the name of a tab that can be extended, such as Users, Storage, and Computers. - basedir attribute in .addin file – required. Specifies the full path to binary files. - Add-in binary file placement – basedir |
| Adding Getting Started Tasks and Common Tasks to the home page | - XML File – *. home - DLL File – *.dll - XML File Location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\Home |
| Adding Community Links to the home page | - XML File – *.home - DLL File – *.dll - XML File Location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\Home |
| Adding Support Contact Information to the home page | - XML File – SupportContact.xml - XML File Location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\Home |
| Adding tasks to the Add User Wizard or User Property Page | - Xml File – *.proplink or *.wizlink - DLL File – *.dll - XML File Location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\Users |
| Adding tasks to the Add a Shared Folder Wizard | - Xml File – *.wizlink - DLL File – *.dll - XML File Location – %ProgramFiles%\Windows Server\Bin\Addins\Storage |