4.0 Change Specific Session Settings

You can use the SettingsUpdate feature to change one or more settings in session document files without changing any other settings users may have configured independently. For example, you could create and deploy a SettingsUpdate file that specifies a security setting and port. When users open a session document file, the update is applied and the security setting and port are updated without affecting any other settings.

Deploying Specific Settings

Unlike session document files, update files do not contain all the information required for a session. When you open a session document file, Reflection loads all the settings that specify every detail for a session. By contrast, update files contain only information about specific settings. You can use them to change a number of settings for several types of session documents (see Which Types of Session Documents and Settings Can be Updated?).

There are two types of update files used to update session documents: local update files that reside in the user data directory, and referenced update files that typically reside on a server. Depending on your requirements, you may choose to use one of these files or an approach that uses a combination of both types of files.

Local update files

Local update files apply settings to all existing and new user session document files that have the same terminal type as the update file. These files are deployed to the user’s data directory and have a special naming convention; they must be named “update.xxxxu” (for example update.rd3xu). When a session with the same type of terminal as the update file is opened (for example, the session is a 3270 session and the update is a 3270 update file), the update file applies its settings to that session.

You could use local update files when you need to apply a setting to all existing user session documents as well as new session documents that the user creates and you don’t want to write over settings (such as screen colors) that the user has customized in these files. To set up local update files for sessions, see Apply an Update to all Session Document Files.

Referenced update files

Referenced update files apply settings only to session document files that reference them. These files have no special naming requirements and have an .xxxxu extension (for example regular-updates.rd3xu). They are typically placed on a server but can also be placed in a local folder, such as a public documents folder on a user machine.

You could use referenced update files to modify session settings when you know you will need to periodically update settings in session documents that you have deployed and you don’t want to write over settings (such as screen colors) that users have customized in these files. To set up referenced update files, see Apply Automatic Updates to Select Session Document Files.