Configuration files can be stored on a Web server and the Presentation Client configured to download new or updated versions to the local workstation when required. This is similar to the distribution of GUI forms in the Component Enabler environment.

To use this functionality, you need to manually add the remoteFile attribute to a local configuration file on each workstation. This attribute enables you to specify the location and name of the actual configuration file to be used. It directs the Presentation Client to find the specified configuration file on the Web server and perform a date/time comparison to determine if a newer version needs to be downloaded to the workstation. If the specified configuration file does not exist on the workstation, it is downloaded.

If the remoteFile attribute is specified, the <configuration> tag must not contain any other parameters or tags. All system information must be defined in the configuration file to which the remoteFile attribute points. For example, a configuration file using the remoteFile attribute could look like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<configuration version="3.3" remoteFile="http://Myserver/MyConfigFiles/ remoteconfig.xml">

</configuration>

This file can be saved as config.xml, and the Presentation Client shortcut configured to reference it (that is, -config=“config.xml“). At runtime, the Presentation Client parses the file and detects that the remoteFile attribute has been used and is referencing a configuration file on the Web server. The file remoteconfig.xml is downloaded, if required, and used by the Presentation Client to initiate the session to a host system. In this way, the administrator can maintain a central configuration file on the Web server and deploy updates to workstations when required.

If required, you can change the target configuration file by modifying the remoteFile attribute rather than editing the shortcut.