Working with Update Settings Files in Reflection for IBM 14.x

This technical note describes how to work with update settings files in Reflection for IBM version 14.x.

Version Information

For information about changes made to the settings file format in Reflection version 12.0-14.x, and implications of these changes (particularly in mixed version environments), see KB 7021692.

Overview

Settings update files allow you to share one or more settings with other Reflection users without changing any other settings they may have configured independently. For example, you could create an update file that specifies a new printer destination. When other users open this file, the printer name is updated without affecting any other settings.

By default, Reflection creates complete settings files when you save your settings. These settings files contain information about every detail of Reflection's configuration. When you open a complete settings file, all Reflection settings are updated to match those in the settings file. By contrast, settings update files contain information about specific settings only. When you open a settings update file, only those settings are changed.

Note the following:

• Update files are saved to a distinct file type (*.rsu).
• Macros are not included in settings update files.
• The Settings Update Type parameter is used to determine which settings are saved when you create a settings update file. The default behavior saves those settings that are changed from profiled defaults.
• System administrators can use the Reflection Profiler to change the site defaults for Reflection settings. By default, settings update files include all settings that differ from currently profiled values. It is also possible to configure Reflection to include all settings that differ from the Reflection factory defaults. To do this, open the View Settings dialog box (Setup > View Settings) and set the value of Settings Update Type to "Settings changed from factory defaults."
• System administrators can configure Reflection settings files to get updates automatically from a file or web server. See the Automatically Updating Settings Files section below for details.

Creating a Settings Update File

To create a settings update file:

1. Launch a new, untitled Reflection session.
2. Configure the settings you want to share with other users.

3. Click File > Save As.
4. In the Save as type field, select Settings Update (*.rsu).
5. Enter a file name, and click Save.

The settings update file includes only those settings that are changed from the default value. When you import this file, only these settings change; other settings are not affected.

Opening a Settings Update File

To import the settings in a settings update file:

1. Start Reflection and make sure you are not connected to a host. To disconnect, click Connection > Disconnect.
2. Click File > Open.
3. In the Files of type field, select Settings Update (*.rsu).
4. Select the settings update file whose settings you want to import and click Open.
5. Click File > Save to save the imported updates.

You can also configure settings files to import updates automatically from a settings update file located on a shared server. See the next section, Automatically Updating Settings Files, for details.

Automatically Updating Settings Files

There are two ways to update settings files:

Using the Auto Update File Setting: This method requires that the Auto Update File setting was configured prior to Reflection deployment.
Using the Settings.rsu File: This method can be used even if Reflection was deployed with no special configurations, but does have some important associated caveats.

Using the Auto Update File Setting

System administrators can provide users with automatic updates to their Reflection settings by using auto update files. A system administrator can maintain a single settings update file on a shared network server, then use the Auto Update File setting to configure Reflection to automatically obtain updates from this centrally located settings file each time the user opens a settings file.

To configure the auto update file, the system administrator must follow these steps.

1. Create a settings update file and place it on a shared server. (If you want to create an initial file that will have no effect on user machines, use all default settings when you create the update file.)
2. Instruct users to perform these steps:
   1. On the Setup menu, click View Settings and search for Auto Update File.
   2. Under Setting details, specify the location of the *.rsu file created in step 1. (This can be a UNC path or a URL.)
   3. Click OK to close the View Settings dialog box.
   4. On the File menu, click Save to save this change.

3. The administrator can now modify the file created in step 1.

Note the following:

• You can distribute settings files that have an initial value specified for Auto Update File. It is not necessary to have an update file in place; if the Auto Update File setting specifies a non-existent file, the setting is ignored.
• You can provide users with ongoing updates by creating a chain of update files. As part of each update, change the Auto Update File setting to a new nonexistent file, and then create the new settings update file when you need to provide a new update. You can repeat this as many times as needed.

Using the Settings.rsu File

The settings.rsu file is designed to enable administrators who did not deploy Reflection with the Auto Update File setting configured to deploy updates to users setting files.

Before using this method, note the following important details:

• This method should only be used for the first settings file update. While configuring the settings.rsu file, you should enable the Auto Update File setting so that future updates can be made using that procedure.
• The settings.rsu file updates user settings files as they are opened, and automatically saves the file with the modified settings. If the user has customized a setting that you have modified in the settings.rsu file, their custom setting will be lost.
• The settings.rsu file updates all user settings files located on the users Workstation, as each file is opened.
• If these restrictions make it so that you can not use the settings.rsu file, and the Auto Update File setting was not configured during deployment, the only other option is to deploy a new settings file with the Auto Update File setting enabled.

Follow these steps to create and install the settings.rsu file.

1. Launch a new, untitled Reflection session.
2. Configure the settings you want to share with other users.

3. Click Setup > View Settings and search for Auto Update File.
4. Under Setting details, specify the location of the file created in step 1. (This can be a UNC path or a URL.)
5. Click OK to close the View Settings dialog box.
6. Click File > Save As.
7. In the Save as type field, select Settings Update (*.rsu).
8. Enter the file name settings.rsu, and click Save.
9. Deploy the settings.rsu file to each user's "Documents and Settings\<user name>\My Documents\Reflection or "Program Files\Reflection" folder.

The settings.rsu updates will be applied to each user settings files as each file is opened. For future updates, modify the settings file you created in step 1 and deploy it to your users.

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