In System Center Config Manager 2012r2 there isn't a built in way to send someone directly to a specific application (that I have ever seen reference to).
If you search the web, you'll find reference to deep linking, but only really in reference to the Windows 8.x Store (sideloaded apps).
Not the actual Application Catalog hosted internally.
This leads to:
Ever tell someone to go to the Application Catalog and install something?
Ever notice that some people find it hard to get to exactly what you want them to?
So let's just shoot them a direct link!
Go take a read right here:
Here's the code found on that Nickal Miron's Blog
001
002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024 025 026 027 028 029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046 047 048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060 061 062 063 064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 073 074 075 076 077 078 079 080 081 082 083 084 085 086 087 088 089 090 091 092 093 094 095 096 097 098 099 100 101 102 103 104 |
#Dictionary values for encoding/decoding
$codes = @{} $codes.Add('/', '2F00') $codes.Add('_', '5F00') $codes.Add('-', '2D00') $codes.Add('0', '3000') $codes.Add('1', '3100') $codes.Add('2', '3200') $codes.Add('3', '3300') $codes.Add('4', '3400') $codes.Add('5', '3500') $codes.Add('6', '3600') $codes.Add('7', '3700') $codes.Add('8', '3800') $codes.Add('9', '3900') $codes.Add('a', '6100') $codes.Add('b', '6200') $codes.Add('c', '6300') $codes.Add('d', '6400') $codes.Add('e', '6500') $codes.Add('f', '6600') $codes.Add('o', '6F00') $codes.Add('p', '7000') $codes.Add('i', '6900') $codes.Add('l', '6C00') $codes.Add('n', '6E00') $codes.Add('t', '7400') $upperCodes = @{} $upperCodes.Add('A', '4100') $upperCodes.Add('B', '4200') $upperCodes.Add('C', '4300') $upperCodes.Add('D', '4400') $upperCodes.Add('E', '4500') $upperCodes.Add('F', '4600') $upperCodes.Add('I', '4900') $upperCodes.Add('S', '5300') function encode([string]$AppID) { $encoded = $null #foreach char in string, get encoded value from dictionary foreach ($char in [Char[]]$AppID) { #if char is uppercase look in uppercase dictionary if ([char]::IsUpper($char)) { $encoded = $encoded + $upperCodes.Get_Item($char.ToString()) } else { $encoded = $encoded + $codes.Get_Item($char.ToString()) } } return $encoded } function lookUpKey($code) { $returnVal = $null #look in lowercase dictionary for code if ($codes.ContainsValue($code)) { foreach ($key in ($codes.GetEnumerator() | Where-Object {$_.Value -eq $code})) { $returnVal = $key.Name } } #if not there look in uppercase dictionary elseif ($upperCodes.ContainsValue($code)) { foreach ($key in ($upperCodes.GetEnumerator() | Where-Object {$_.Value -eq $code})) { $returnVal = $key.Name } } return $returnVal } function decode([string]$AppIDSig) { $i = 0 $Code = $null $decoded = $null foreach ($char in [Char[]]$AppIDSig) { #if less then 4 characters in code grab next character if ($i -le 3) { #build 4 char codes $code = $code + $char $i++ } #if 4 characters are in code lookup the decoded value else { $decoded = $decoded + (lookUpKey $code) #reset code and start building 4 char code again $code = $char $i = 1 } } #foreach statement does not iterate the last time to get last code, look up value for last code here $decoded = $decoded + (lookUpKey $code) return $decoded } |
That code is pretty darn awesome.
But the page lacks instructions on what a simple person like I should ACTUALLY do with it.
Step 1 - Go get an AppID!
- Open SCCM Console, then Software Library, Application Management, Applications. Right click the top header bar of your app's and check off "CI Unique ID".
- Select the Application you want, hit CTRL-C (don't right click and hit copy, then you're copying the application).
- Open Notepad, hit CTRL-V.
- Delete all the stuff before ScopeId_...
- Delete the trailing /## (This is the revision number of the Application. You cannot refer to a previous version of what you have currently deployed.)
Step 2 - Encode it!
- Paste that script into Powershell_ISE.
- I'm lazy, and I just throw at the end of the script "Encode ScopeID.../Application_..."
- Run the script.
- You get a massively long number.
Step 3 - I'm done right?
- Let's pretend this is your ApplicationCatalog link (that you'd click on in SoftwareCenter, or you wisely published to all desktops with a GPO).
- Cool! BingoBango throw that long number bit on the end and we're done right? Nope.
- That link shows your Library. We want an item from the Catalog.
- Adapt your link to look like the below:
That's it.
Now tell me how to do it better!
It would be pretty easy to just use PS to pull all the AppID's and spit you out ALL you links nice and neatly titled in a CSV.
Wonder if this ends up in the next iteration of Coretech's Application Approval Tool ( http://blog.coretech.dk/kea/coretech-application-e-mail-approval-tool/) ?
