Setting AppLink Options

AdminStudio 2023 | 25.0 | ThinApp Assistant

Note:The AppLink Settings feature requires ThinApp 4.x. If you are using Thinstall 3.x, any AppLink settings that you define will be ignored.

The AppLink (Application Link) feature enables you to configure relationships between ThinApp applications that work together. You can set AppLink settings for the current ThinApp application on the AppLink Settings dialog box, which is opened by clicking the AppLink Settings option in the More Options menu of the ThinApp Assistant Build Options page.

You can use the AppLink feature to perform the following tasks:

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Linking runtime components to applications—You can link runtime components to the applications that use them. For example, you can link a package containing the Java runtime environment (JRE) or ODBC drivers to a package containing a browser application.

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Linking add-ons and plug-ins to applications—You can link add-ons and plug-ins to applications. For example, Microsoft Office add-ons can be linked to applications or Adobe Photoshop plug-ins can be linked to a package containing Photoshop.

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Linking packaged applications to service packs—You can link packaged applications to service packs. By using AppLink, you can upgrade or roll back your service packs by changing the service pack that you capture and link to its parent application.

To set AppLink options for a ThinApp application, perform the following steps.

To configure AppLink settings for your ThinApp application:

On the Build Settings page of the ThinApp Assistant, click the AppLink Settings option in the More Options menu. The AppLink Settings dialog box opens.

Click the Browse button to open the Add AppLink Reference dialog box.

In the ThinApp Reference box, enter the relative (runtime) path to the existing ThinApp application that you want to link to.

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If you want to add multiple applications, repeat the procedure as necessary.

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You can also use wild cards. See Security and Authorization

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The order in which packages are imported can be changed by selecting a package and clicking the up and down arrows. See Collisions and Order of Import for more information on order.

Note:Required and Optional links are listed on the AppLink Settings dialog box together and the order can be changed using the up and down arrows. However, at runtime, all of the applications in the Required category are read first, before those in the Optional category, even if applications in the Optional category were originally higher in the list. When the AppLink Settings dialog box is reopened, the AppLink References will be grouped by category rather than be in the order that was arranged prior to closing the dialog box. In other words, the category order (Required and Optional) overrides the order set by the user.

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To delete a package you have added, select the package and click the Delete (

) button.

Important:When linking to a ThinApp application that has only one shortcut, select its .EXE file. When linking to a ThinApp application that has more than one shortcut, select either its Package.DAT file (if the ThinApp application was built with AdminStudio) or its primary executable file (if the ThinApp application was built with ThinApp).

Important:On the Add AppLink Reference dialog box, if you click Browse and browse for a ThinApp application, the absolute path to that application is entered, such as C:\Program Files\AppName\filename.exe. In that case, the parent ThinApp application needs that linked application to be found at the specified absolute path location at runtime, which is unlikely. Therefore, it is recommended that you enter a relative path name.

If you want this package to be required, select the Required option. If a required package is missing from the virtual package, it will fail to run. Note the following about required packages:

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If any specified package fails to import, an error message will be displayed and the parent executable file will exit.

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If a wildcard pattern is used to specify a package, no error message is displayed if no files match the wildcard pattern. Therefore, if a wildcard pattern is used to specify a package, the reference is always optional.

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To continue even if load errors occur, make the package references optional instead.

Click OK to return to the AppLink References dialog box. The item you selected is now listed in the AppLink References list.

Click OK to return to the Build Options page.