Offline Client - Setup and configuration
- Mattias Löfstrand
- Kenneth Jonsson
- Corentin Humbert
Server configuration (settings.config)
For instruction on how to configure the server (Synchronization API), please refer to: Server configuration (settings.config)
Client configuration (anytime.setup.config)
For instructions on how to configure inside anytime.setup.config, please refer to: Client configuration (anytime.setup.config)
Publish
When setting up Offline publication, the publication will create a database based on the settings in server.config. The publisher will create a database with the same version as the instance in the settings file.
<SqlServerDatabaseSettings>
<PublishToSqlServerLogin>
<UseSqlServerUser>false</UseSqlServerUser>
<SqlServerUser>Assert#User</SqlServerUser>
<SqlServerPassword>Login#123!@$</SqlServerPassword>
</PublishToSqlServerLogin>
<PublishToInstanceName>MATTIAS-LAPTOP\SQLEXPRESS01</PublishToInstanceName>
</SqlServerDatabaseSettings>Profiling
When the Manger (in standalone mode) or the server (in SE mode) is installed, Offline Viewer is stored in a folder in a profile: C:\ProgramData\Signifikant\Assert\AnyTime.
Among other thing, it contains a profile information in folder: C:\ProgramData\Signifikant\Assert\AnyTime\Components\Profile.
Review the content of this folder, since it will be copied to Offline Viewer application data folder after the end user has installed the application. Target folder is: C:\ProgramData\Signifikant\Assert AnyTime\WWWRoot\App_Data.
Normally, WebViewer has several profiles available, for the server and for each connected site. With Offline Viewer, a simplification is made, providing one profile for the server (application) level. Regardless of the number of sites connected, the one and same profile is used for all sites. Normally this is not an issue since the installation will contain and refer a single site; the DVD publication created in the manager database. But technically, more than one site may be present in an offline installation package and all are potentially installed with the Offline Viewer installation application.
Common profile settings
The App_Data folder contains files read by the application to provide details of the customer profile; functions in JavaScript, images and style sheets. The profile.config file is the definition file where the profile is declared, referencing other profile files as well. Examples of profile files:
profile.config file: entry point for application profile definitions
customer CSS file: style sheet for the web application
customer JavaScript file: event handlers etc. contributing to web application functions
site logotype file: it will present on all web pages
custom-text.config file: custom translations and text definitions
settings.config: declare, i.e., default site
Note!
Note that browser built in PDF viewer is not functioning very well in Offline client. To avoid these problems, make sure to use pdf.js as PDF viewer and disable browser built in reader. This is done by setting the following properties:
<DefaultPdfJsReader>true</DefaultPdfJsReader>
<BrowserPdfReaderEnabled>true</BrowserPdfReaderEnabled>Synchronization settings with credentials
If it is needed for end clients to enter username and password to start synchronization, this will have to be configured for the function to work properly. Two settings need to be applied: a resource permission and an authentication provider.
A resource permission “Synchronize” is needed to define which user groups shall have access to the sync function. A sample permission setting is:
<ResourcePermission>
<Id>12</Id>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<Name>Synchronize</Name>
<Note>Allow to sync off-line data</Note>
<Groups>
<string>EndUsers</string>
</Groups>
</ResourcePermission>Anytime will need to know how users trying to sync shall be authenticated. If Assert's authentication is used, an authentication provider needs to be defined. Note that this authentication provider is valid for the server and not for a site. This setting need to be placed in the profile.config.
Synchronization settings without credentials
If end clients shall not have to enter username and password to start synchronization, this will have to be configured for the function to work properly. In this case, profile.config of the sync site will have to include a NullAuthenticationProvider which allows users to sync without credentials.
Customization
When an offline publication is created, Manager will look in this folder to fetch the customizations to use in the offline installation package that is created by the offline publication process.
C:\ProgramData\Signifikant\Assert\AnyTime\Components\Customize
Currently, Assert Anytime customizations will have to be configured by Signifikant.
Profile
For versions 5.2 and earlier, Offline profile is read from the C:\ProgramData\Signifikant\Assert AnyTime\WWWRoot\App_Datafolder.
In version 5.3 and later, Offline web viewer will read profile information from site subfolders: C:\ProgramData\Signifikant\Assert AnyTime\WWWRoot\App_Data\<<site>>. The site folder is created at Offline installation time, when folders in the Data-folder is copied from installation media to the target computer. Each subfolder creates an Offline site, and each site gets a profile from the profile master folder: C:\ProgramData\Signifikant\Assert AnyTime\Profile. The profile is copied anew each time Offline is started, a site is seleced in Offline toolbar, or when a new site name is introduced by renaming synchronize target site name in active synchronize publication.
The Profile master folder is created in Offline deploy package, a part of AssertServer deploy package, and is kept on the editor server until the Offline application publication is run.