Search folders are very useful (especially) when you are new to an already established environment with thousands of packages and advertisements in different sub folders.
In most of the environments, you can see only 2 or 3 advertisements if you click on advertisements tab. So to check other advertisements, you’ve to go through each and every sub folders. Is that feasible? No.
Through this blog post, I’m trying to provide answers to below questions.
a. How can you get all the advertisements under one folder?
b. How can you get all the packages under one folder?
c. How to find out the Advertisement Flag details? and How to filter a “search folder” to list down the advertisements which meets different criteria?
d. How to find out the “Package Source Path” for the packages?
e. How to find out the Types of Packages available in the environment?
a. How can you get all the advertisements under one folder?
1. Create a search folder by right clicking on “advertisements” node.
2. To see all the advertisements in the environment, skip STEP 1 and 2.
Step 3, Select the check box “Search all folders under this feature”
Step 4, Enter the name of the search folder in my case I’ve named it as “All Advertisements”
Click ok.
3. Go back to advertisement node and click on the search folder “All Advertisements”. On the right hand side panel, you can see all the advertisements in the environment.
b. How can you get all the packages under one folder?
1. Perform the same steps mentioned above but this is done by right clicking on “Packages” node in the console.
c. How to find out the Advertisement Flags details? and How to filter a “search folder” to list down the advertisements which meets different criteria ?
More details on Advertisement Flag codes – MSDN Link
1. Right click on “All Advertisements” search folder –> View –> Add/Remove Columns
2. Add “Advertisement Flags” by right clicking on the “All Advertisements” search folder created earlier.
2. If you want to list down the advertisements with advertisement flag value “524,288”
Right click on the search folder and click on “modify search folder criteria”.
Step 1: Select “Advertisement Flags”
Step 2: Click on “<text to find>” value
Step 3: Enter the advertisement flag value “524288” (without “ symbol) and click “add” button. Click OK.
Step 2: Click on the search folder “Advertisement Flag – 524288”. This will list down the advertisements with flag value equal to 524288.
d. How to find out the “Package Source Path” for the packages?
1. Right click on the “All Packages” search folder –> View –>Add/Remove Columns
2. Select “Package Source Path” on Add/Remove Column windows and click on “Add->” button then click OK
3. That is it. We are done. Now you can see the package source path details on the right side panel of the console.
4. If you wanted to export these details then click on Export List and the save the file.
e. How to find out the Types of Packages available in the environment ?
More details about Package Types – MSDN Link
1. List down all the Virtual Application Packages (APP-V) in the environment.
Step 1: Right click on the search folder and click on “modify search folder criteria”.
Step 2: Package Type for “virtual application package” = “7”
Step 3: Select the Package Type –>Text to Find –> “7” –> Add –> OK
2. See, the list of virtual application packages on right side panel of the console.
Great information Anoop……well explained in detailed manner…can be very useful when it comes to saving time while going through tons of objects created especially in large and complex environment.
Hi, nice article. But what does the advertisement flag value mean? I have stumbled across it a few times, but have never got an explanation what it is….
I think, “Advertisement flag” value details are given in the MSDN article attached in the post.
It says “Flags indicating how the advertisement should be announced to the user”
For Example if you wanted to find out the adverts with a mandatory assignment “As Soon AS Possible”
Hex (Bit) Description
0x00000020 (5) IMMEDIATE. Announce the advertisement to the user immediately.
You need to convert HEX value to Decimal so that you can put the decimal value into search folder.
0x00000020 = 32 in Decimal.
Then modify the search criteria as mentioned in the post to get the advert with ASAP.