[THIN] Re: Content Redirection problem

  • From: "Rick Mack" <ulrich.mack@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 08:37:19 +1000

Hi Michael,

The way content redirection works is quite simple.

When you publish an application that involves an executable, for example
c:\windows\*notepad.exe*, the CMC module scans HKCR for any file type
definitions using that executable, and then detects the file extension
associated with that file type. That's the process that populates the
content redirection page with file extensions.

After you've selected the file extensions to redirect, an application
refresh at the client end creates a file association for the redirected file
extension under HKCR on the client machine and associates the extension with
a file type of the format server_file_type.ctx that points to PnaAhent with
the appropriate parameter switches to invoke a published application and
pass it the file name.

But for all this to work, an explorer based file association isn't enough,
it has to be machine based (registered under HKCR). The easiest way to check
what's wrong if you publish an application and don't get any file extensions
appearing in the content redirection page is to use *ftype .ext* (where .ext
is the file extension of interest) and *assoc filetype * (file type
associated with the extension. For example with Adobe Acrobat reader:

C:\>*assoc .pdf*
.pdf=AcroExch.Document

C:\>*ftype Acroexch.Document*
Acroexch.Document="C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe"
"%1"

With something like SAPGUI it's usual that .sap file extensions are defined
properly at a system level until you run sapshcut, and when you publish
sapgui as a published application, it still won't work for content
redicrection until you add a switch, /SHORTYCUT="%*".

At the server end, if you fix/change the file associations, you have to
remember to refresh the file types from the registry or the changes won't be
propagated (or visible in the CMC). At the client end changes won't
propagate until you right click on the PNAgent icon in the system tray and
refresh applications.

At the client end, if the end user hasn't got write access to the machine
registry (HKCR) content redirection probably won't kick in to place. A
useful enhancement (may be there in client v10, haven't checked) would be to
do everything in the user's HKCU\Software\Classes. If the content
redirection has worked properly, you'll see the right icons for the files at
the client end.

regards,

Rick



On 4/6/07, Michael Boggan <mboggan@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

 We are testing our PS4.5 environment and having a slight problem. We
publish a desktop and run pnagent to deliver apps to that desktop from our
app servers.  We also use content redirection so that users can open, say, a
word 2003 doc from there my documents on the desktop and it call the
published app from the farm.  But in the access management console under the
configuration for the published application for Word, there is no file
extensions associated or even listed there.  SO we can't associate that app
with the file extensions.  The extensions were there for adobe reader.  But
not for any of the office 2003 applications.  any ideas?

Thanks,

Michael Boggan




--
Ulrich Mack
Commander Australia

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