Me Preferences

[cyberchief]

Is there a way to overwrite ME preferences to other machines running ME? I have set email preferences under options... and would like a quick, easy way to write these preferences to the other machines running ME.

[kevin]

There are several options. The preferences are stored in the registry so some of the options involve exporting and importing directly from the registry.

• You could create a macro to write the email settings into the registry. If you do, use the Set Variable %T1% to "Preferences Registry Key" to find out where the preferences are located in the registry and use the Reload Macro Express Preferences to load the settings into Macro Express after they have been written to the appropriate registry keys.
   
  
• You could use Windows Regedit to export the appropriate registry keys to a file and then copy the file to the other computers and double click to load it into the registry. In a moment I will explain where in the registry the preferences are stored.
   
  
• If you have network administration tools that allow you to 'push' registry settings to other computers on your network, they should work with Macro Express.
   
  
• The recommended way to export the settings is to click Tools, Export Program Configuration from within Macro Express. Save the preferences to a file, copy it to your other computers, and then, on those computers, click Tools, Import Program Configuration.
  

To make sure this works properly it is important to know where in the registry the Macro Express preferences are stored. They are stored in either:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Insight Software Solutions\Macro Express

or

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Insight Software Solutions\Macro Express

By default the preferences are stored in HKLM. However, if the logged on user is a non-administrator or if the 'All users use the same settings' option is disabled, then the preferences are stored in HKCU. Each user has their own copy of HKCU. The HKLM area of the registry is shared with all users of that computer. However, non-adminstrator users cannot write to HKLM.

 

The email settings are stored in:

HKEY_????_????\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Insight Software Solutions\Macro Express\EMail

There is one thing you need to do on the machine where you set the Macro Express preferences. Before exporting them, do the following:

• Make sure you are logged on as an Adminstrator.
  
• Click Options, Preferences.
  
• Click Miscellaneous.
  
• Toggle the 'All Users use the same settings' option.
  
• Click Apply.
  
• Toggle the 'All Users use the same settings' option again, returing it to its original value.
  
• Click OK.
  

This writes the same preference settings to both HKCU and HKLM so when you export the preferences and import them to another computer, they will be set for both administrator and non-administrator users.

[jason]

This information is stored in the Program Configuration. You can export it by clicking on Tools and then selecting Export Program Configuration. You can then save this file to be imported onto another machine. It is important to note that this will replace all of the program settings. This included all of the settings found under Options and Preferences.

[cyberchief]

Thanks guys!!! That's a ton of help!