Sharing and reusing macros, keyboard and toolbar definitions

Host On-Demand sessions can now use macro, keyboard, and toolbar definitions that are external to the session configuration. Prior to Host On-Demand Version 8, the definitions for these components needed to be part of the session itself. Although you could store macros as files, you still had to import them into the session before you could use them. This new capability of the session to use external definitions greatly simplifies the task of sharing and reusing these important components.

Users

Users can define macro, keyboard, or toolbar definitions and save them into separate files. These separate files are then immediately available to other sessions. Users no longer need to configure the identical component again for the new session or import the macro file. If the user subsequently updates any of these macro, keyboard, or toolbar definition files, other sessions that use those external files will automatically get the updates.

The ability of the session to use external definitions is available for the HTML, Configuration server-based, and Combined models. You can disable this ability for macros, keyboard and/or toolbars.

By default, the macro, keyboard, and toolbar component files that users create are stored on their local machines in the HODObjs subdirectory. The complete path for the HODObjs subdirectory is a writable location unique to the user, and the exact path depends on the platform, browser, and JVM level. A typical path on a Windows machine using IE, for example, might be Documents and Settings\username\HODObjs\. If you have configured the Save HTML parameter, the HODObjs subdirectory will use the Save path that you specify.

Macros

All of the session dialogs that list available macros, such as the Play Macro window, allow you to select a macro location. Possible locations include the following:

• Current Session, which lists the macros embedded in the session
• Personal Library, which lists the macros in the HODObjs subdirectory
• Server Library, either a Web or shared drive server macro library, if one has been configured (HTML model only). Refer to Creating and deploying server macro libraries in the Planning, Installing, and Configuring Host On-Demand guide for more information.

When users record new macros or update existing ones, they have the option to save them to either the Current Session or to their new Personal Library. Also, on the Available Macros window, which is availble from the drop-down menu on the Macro Manager toolbar, users can copy and paste any number of macros from one macro location to another.

Keyboard

The Open button on the keyboard window allows users to change the current keyboard definition being used by the session. At any given time, there is only one keyboard definition associated with an active session, but users can open a different one whenever the need arises. The Open button launches a window that allows users to choose either the legacy keyboard defined internally in the session (the Current Session option) or an external file. Users can open a keyboard definition file from any location on their system, but the default location is the HODObjs subdirectory. Regardless of which keyboard definition the user opens, the selected definition becomes the current one used by the Host On-Demand session. Any updates that the user makes to the keyboard using the Save button are saved back to the location from which the keyboard was loaded (either the Current Session or the particular file). The next time the user launches the session, the same keyboard is automatically loaded from either the Current Session or the file.

The Save As button on the keyboard window allows users to save the current keyboard definition to a different location or file than is currently being used by the session. When the user selects Save As, the newly-saved keyboard becomes the current one for the session. This means that the saved keyboard will be the one loaded the next time the user launches the session.

Toolbar

Like the keyboard, the toolbar offers Open and Save As options. These options are available by clicking Edit < Preferences < Toolbar in a host session or by right-clicking the toolbar itself.

Administrators

The fact that macros, keyboard, and toolbar definitions can exist as separate files makes it easier for you to reuse components when you are configuring sessions for your users. However, you should understand that these sessions should not normally point to file components, since the files are not distributed to your users along with the session definitions. Generally, any macro, keyboard, or toolbar definition that you want to make available to your users should be saved in the Current Session.

You can configure sessions from either the Deployment Wizard (for the HTML model) or the Host On-Demand Administration Utility (for the Configuration server-based and Combined models) In either case, you can start the sessions you wish to configure, and from the launched sessions, you will have access to all the user functions relating to macro, keyboard, and toolbar definitions that are discussed above.

The following examples demonstrate the steps you need to follow to use the file components in a session that you are configuring for your users:

Macros: An Administrator is configuring an HTML file in the Deployment Wizard and starts one of the sessions. After configuring three macros, he realizes these macros might be useful for other sessions as well. He copies the macros from the Current Session to his Personal Library, using the copy/paste feature of the Available Macros panel. Later, when configuring a different HTML file in the Deployment Wizard, he decides to use those same three macros for one of the new sessions. He starts the new session and copies the three macros from his Personal Library to the Current Session, again using the copy/paste feature.
• Toolbar
: An Administrator is configuring a group session in the Host On-Demand Administration Utility. He wishes to incorporate a toolbar definition that one of his users sent to him in an e-mail. He saves the toolbar file onto his machine, and then starts the session that he wants to configure in the Host On-Demand Administration Utility. He right-clicks the toolbar, selects File, and browses to the toolbar file on his local machine. He clicks OK. At this point, the toolbar settings will change to the settings in the toolbar file. Next, he right-clicks the toolbar and selects Save As. He selects Current Session and then clicks OK. He must follow the Save As step to save the toolbar definition into the session and make it available to his users. If he does not follow the Save As step, then when the user starts the session, Host On-Demand will search for the file on the user's local machine, and it will not find it.
• Keyboard: Refer to the Toolbar example above. Follow the same steps, except with the keyboard file.

Additional enhancements for the administrator (HTML model only)

• Host On-Demand offers an import (and export) capability for both keyboard and toolbar definitions in the Deployment Wizard. These functions are available from the Configure menu on the Host Sessions window and give administrators an easier way to incorporate keyboard or toolbar component files into the session they are configuring for their users.
• When you import a keyboard or toolbar definition into the session definition (as described in the first enhancement above), Host On-Demand uses that definition any time users reset their current keyboard or toolbar to its default value. For example, if you import a keyboard definition into a session for your users, then any time that a user is editing keyboard settings, and selects Reset All, his current keyboard will be restored to the imported keyboard values. If you have not imported a keyboard or toolbar definition into the session, and users click Reset All, the values become the default ones provided with Host On-Demand.
• You can now create and deploy server macro libraries and make the macros in these libraries available on the server for specified sessions. The individual macros from the library are only downloaded to the user's machine when and if the user requests them. You can control which macros are available to which sessions. You can also update the macros in the library at any time, and the changes will be available for users the next time they access the macro.

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