Multiple user profiles on a device
August 13, 2015
Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld-powered devices can be provisioned with different sets of configuration settings for different user profiles, or roles. You can create any user role that your business requires in the provisioning XML (Prov.xml) file. You must have an application that inventories the user roles defined in Prov.xml and makes them available on the device, as shown in the following example.
.jpg)
In Prov.xml, each role is defined by a name and GUID, as shown in the following example. You can use any GUID generator to create the GUID for a role, such as Create GUID in Visual Studio .
<RoleList>
<Role guid="{88501844-3b51-4c9f-9da7-7ca745e7da6b}" name="Associate">
.gif "Important note") Important note |
|---|
Formatting for the user roles in Prov.xml uses escaped characters (such as < in place of <) as a result of XML embedded in XML. Do not replace the escaped characters. |
The following table describes the options that you can configure for each unique profile. For more information, see Locking down a device.
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
Application installation |
You can install applications on a device. You can also configure specified applications to run automatically when a user role is selected. |
Application lockdown |
You can restrict the applications available to a specific user role. For example, you can configure Skype to be available to a salesperson, but not to a stock clerk using the same device. Users will see notifications only for applications that are in their role's Allow list. |
Button lockdown |
Hardware buttons are always visible; however, you can disable specific buttons for any user role so that they are not functional. |
Menu items |
You can disable menu items to restrict users from uninstalling an application. If menu items are not disabled for a user role, a user can tap and hold an application to access the context menu, and then uninstall the application. |
Settings |
You can configure which settings you want users to be able to view and change. |
Start screen tile sizes and locations |
When you configure applications to be available on the Start screen, you can also determine the size of the application tile and where it should be located in relation to other tiles. .gif "Note") Note
The number of columns on the Start screen is configured for the device in the Default User profile.
By default, under assigned access, users cannot pin, unpin, move, or resize tiles on the Start screen. You can allow this functionality by enabling tile manipulation for each user profile. For more information, see EnterpriseAssignedAccess configuration service provider. |
When you configure a setting for a role, be aware of how the settings are defined for other roles. When a setting is not defined for a user role, any setting previously applied to another role will persist. For example, if role A has a Yellow theme color, role B has Blue, and role C is not defined, then the theme color for role C will depend on the previous role using the device. If role A previously used the device, role C will have the Yellow theme color, and if role B used the device, role C will have the Blue theme color. The result can be an undesirable user experience.
Each role definition in Prov.xml must include the sections shown in the following example.
| Important note |
|---|
Formatting in this example cannot be used in your actual provisioning file. The example is provided in this format for readability only. The provisioning file must use escaped characters for lockdown (such as < in place of <) as a result of XML embedded in XML. Do not replace the escaped characters in the provisioning file. For more information, see Provision the device on startup. |
<Role guid="{88501844-3B51-4C9F-9DA7-7CA745E7DA6B}" name="Associate">
<ActionCenter enabled="false" />
<Apps>
<!-- Settings -->
<Application productId="{5B04B775-356B-4AA0-AAF8-6491FFEA5601}">
<PinToStart>
<Size>Medium</Size>
<Location>
<LocationX>0</LocationX>
<LocationY>0</LocationY>
</Location>
</PinToStart>
</Application>
</Apps>
<Buttons />
<MenuItems />
<Settings />
</Role>
To change, delete, or add user roles to a device, you must replace the Prov.xml file on the device, and then reset the device. For more information, see Reset a device.