Create a definition file
Definition files define the folders, files, or registries to be synchronized. You can create your own application definition files.
Use the Microsoft UE-V template generator to create a UE-V template file.
- Download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 10 from Microsoft website.
- Install Windows ADK. Select Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) Template Generator. Click Install. Click Finish to close the wizard after the installation completes.
- Click Start, click Microsoft User Experience Virtualization, and then click Microsoft User Experience Virtualization Generator.
- Click Create a settings location template.
- Follow the wizard to specify application related parameters. Click Next to continue.
Take Notepad as an example. Specify the file path as C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe. - After the specified application starts, close it.
- After the process completes, click Next to continue.
- Choose Review Locations in the left pane. Select all the check boxes in the lists for standard and nonstandard registry/files.
- Click Create to save the template XML file.
Take Notepad as the example. Save the template XML file as Notepad.xml.
Note
You might have multiple applications defined in a single UE-V template file.
To convert the UE-V template file to a cross-platform definition file, do the following:
- Download the conversion tool here.
- From a command prompt, run the command convert show filename to display all application names in the definition file.
-
Run the following command to convert the UE-V template file to a definition file.
convert source destination [/Index] [/V][/Index]: Convert only the application specified by index number.
By default, this tool converts all applications in the UE-V template.
[/V]: Display verbose information for the conversion.
For cross-platform settings, you must repeat the preceding steps for other operating systems and merge the definition files into one. You can use the Platform element with the OSVersionNumber attribute to merge the files. On Windows 7, a setting folder is at AppData\Application\Win7\folder. On Windows 10, at AppData\Application\Win10\folder.
On Windows 7, the definition file you created looks as follows:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GroupDefinitions Version="4.0.0.0" GUID="93E41C6E-2091-1B9B-36BC-7CE94EDC677E">
<Group Name="Common Settings" GUID="32D83BB6-F3AD-985F-D4BC-655B3D9ACBE2">
<Object Name="!CTX_ROAMINGAPPDATA!\Application\Win7\folder" GUID="1B43DE3F-EC9C-463c-AC19-CD01D00219B6">
<Platform>
<Folder>
<Path>!CTX_ROAMINGAPPDATA!\Application\Win7\folder</Path>
<Recurse/>
</Folder>
</Platform>
</Object>
</Group>
</GroupDefinitions>
<!--NeedCopy-->
On Windows 10, the definition file you created looks as follows:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GroupDefinitions Version="4.0.0.0" GUID="93E41C6E-2091-1B9B-36BC-7CE94EDC677E">
<Group Name="Common Settings" GUID="32D83BB6-F3AD-985F-D4BC-655B3D9ACBE2">
<Object Name="!CTX_ROAMINGAPPDATA!\Application\Win10\folder" GUID="1B43DE3F-EC9C-463c-AC19-CD01D00219B6">
<Platform>
<Folder>
<Path>!CTX_ROAMINGAPPDATA!\Application\Win10\folder</Path>
<Recurse/>
</Folder>
</Platform>
</Object>
</Group>
</GroupDefinitions>
<!--NeedCopy-->
After merging, the contents of the definition file look as follows:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GroupDefinitions Version="4.0.0.0" GUID="93E41C6E-2091-1B9B-36BC-7CE94EDC677E">
<Group Name="Common Settings" GUID="32D83BB6-F3AD-985F-D4BC-655B3D9ACBE2">
<Object Name="!CTX_ROAMINGAPPDATA!\Application\%osname%\folder" GUID="1B43DE3F-EC9C-463c-AC19-CD01D00219B6">
<!-- Assuming that the folder locates differently when in different platforms -->
<Platform OSVersionNumber="6.1"> <!-- Win7 -->
<Folder>
<Path>!CTX_ROAMINGAPPDATA!\Application\Win7\folder</Path>
<Recurse/>
</Folder>
</Platform>
<Platform OSVersionNumber="10.0"> <!-- Win10 -->
<Folder>
<Path>!CTX_ROAMINGAPPDATA!\Application\Win10\folder</Path>
<Recurse/>
</Folder>
</Platform>
</Object>
</Group>
</GroupDefinitions>
<!--NeedCopy-->
For information about configuring cross-platform settings, see Configure cross-platform settings.
For information about the architecture of definition files, see Application definition file structure.
For information about enabling application profiler, see Enable application profiler.