Release date: September 9th 2022
Welcome to my VMware Dynamic Environment Manager series. In certain cases it is necessary to create folders and/or files in the user’s profile folder, mostly inside AppData. Often applications needs license-files put in specific places, in order to work. VMware Dem has a neat solution to this under User Environment, called Files and Folders.
Below I will show how this is done by first clicking “Create“
I provide a name and click Create…
An explorer-window opens with a number of folders. In this example I will put a txt-file directly under the user’s profile folder.
The result is that the file is created in the correct location when I log in on my Horizon Desktop.
Although the above example isn’t very useful, it shows that it is quite possible to manipulate the user’s profile folder to solve issues with applications vs. for example licensing etc. But, knowing what these VMware DEM Profile Archive Setting folders refer to inside the file system in the Horizon desktop, isn’t quite obvious. Therefore, to help others that also wonder, I have created the table below that shows the connection between DEM and OS File System folders.
| VMware DEM Profile Archive settings folder | File System folder |
|---|---|
| AppData | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming |
| Cookies | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies |
| Desktop | C:\Users\%Username%\Desktop |
| Favorites | C:\Users\%Username%\Favorites |
| Home | C:\Users\%Username% |
| LocalAppData | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local |
| NetHood | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts |
| PrintHood | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts |
| ProgramsMenu | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs |
| RecentFiles | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent |
| SendTo | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo |
| StartMenu | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu |
| StartupMenu | C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup |
| UserProfile | C:\Users\%Username% |
However, sometimes it’s necessary to create files and/or folders in the file system, outside the user’s profile folder. I don’t know if this is the supported method or not, but I will show how it’s done below. I begin by creating a new Files and Folder setting, provide a name and click Create…
I create a folder named “C-Drive“, which is a token for the filesystem’s C:\. Inside this folder, I create a new folder, Test-Folder, and place a txt-file inside this. Once done, I close and save this new setting. This is a typical setting that should have a condition that moderates it, but I wont go into that in this example. Note, this wont work if the users don’t have the necessary NTFS permissions inside the file system of the Horizon Desktop.
Next, I log in on the Horizon desktop and open Windows Explorer. I can now verify that a folder has been created with a test-file inside it, in the correct location.
I hope the examples above was informative and that the functionality of Files and Folders in DEM is a little easier to comprehend after this.
Official VMware Dynamic Environment Manager Documentation
Disclaimer: Every tips/tricks/posting I have published here, is tried and tested in different it-solutions. It is not guaranteed to work everywhere, but is meant as a tip for other users out there. Remember, Google is your friend and don’t be afraid to steal with pride! Feel free to comment below as needed.
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