Register Contextual Conversation Packages in Lync 2010

Contextual software installation is designed to be flexible and support security for enterprises, independent software vendors, and system integrators.

Understanding Install and Run-Time Registration

There are two ways to register a contextual application:

• Install Registration

• Run-Time Registration

These two choices are compatible. In fact, the recommended practice is to perform Install Registration to install the contextual application, and then Run-Time Registration every time that the application starts.

Install Registration

Install Registration uses a setup application or group policy to position entries into the registry. In this case, package registration data persists after Microsoft Lync 2010 signs out or exits. Use Install Registration for better control of package setup. For more information, see Walkthrough: Perform Install Registration for an Extensibility Application (Lync 2010 SDK).

Install Registration is a good choice for scenarios such as the following:

Anytime a sales manager gets a call from an outside customer, she wants to see, by default, her Customer Relationship Management (CRM) record for that person. But, the particular view of that application that she sees is based on her role, and the administrator has set up pools of Group Policy object (GPO) settings to ensure different roles see different views of the CRM application.

Run-Time Registration

In contrast with Install Registration, Run-Time Registration uses an application to modify package registration data at run time. Use Run-Time Registration for flexible package setup and the security advantages. In this case, package registration data is added to the Lync 2010 registration pool, and resets after the Lync 2010 user signs out. Use the ApplicationRegistration class to perform Run-Time Registration. For more information, see Walkthrough: Perform Run-Time Registration for an Extensibility Application (Lync 2010 SDK).

Run-Time Registration is a good choice for scenarios such as the following:

An application only wants to provide a contextual experience when it is running. For example, Sam is a financial advisor who uses Lync 2010 to talk with his clients. When his market tracking software is open and he gets a call from a customer, it changes the application view to show the customer’s portfolio. This call is automatically noted in the finance software for auditing reasons. Because of auditing requirements a customized view is not available unless the finance software is running.

Interaction Between Run-Time and Install Registration

Run-Time Registration does not configure Microsoft Windows registry entries. Instead it creates a new application package that exists in the Lync 2010 registration pool until the current Lync 2010 user signs out. Run-Time Registration can exist without Install Registration, but if you use Run-Time Registration consider using Install Registration also. In a case where Run-Time Registration and Install Registration occur with the same application ID, Run-Time Registration overrides Install Registration during the life of the session. When the user signs out, Run-Time Registration resets and Install Registration starts.

Conversation Package Location Restrictions

Contextual conversation packages can be installed to a UNC, URL, or file path. To simplify management of the package, install it to a URL or UNC.

The following table summarizes the security status of contextual conversation packages installed on specified UNC paths.

Register the Contextual Conversation Package

• Specify a default application to provide a context when none is available. For example, when a sales manager gets a call, a CRM application automatically starts and displays key information about the caller. For more information, see Understand the Role of the Default Package in Lync 2010.

• Specify rich context handling and applications. For example, when two oil field engineers consult about a field, the company’s line-of-business application automatically starts to run and it provides various graphical displays that represent geological data. For more information, see Consume Data and Handle Events in a Lync 2010 Contextual Conversation.

To register a context package

1. Install the context application.

2. Add registry keys as appropriate.

3. Perform steps one and two on both the sending and receiving computers.

Registration Data Values

Add the context application GUID as a key under either of these two paths:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Communicator\ContextPackages

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Communicator\ContextPackages

For more information about application GUIDs, see Create GUID (guidgen.exe).

The following table lists the case-sensitive values to add to this key.

The following table describes the three optional parameters for the Parameters value, as mentioned in the previous table.

Sample Registry Entries

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Communicator\ContextPackages\{55058F71-6ACF-48D0-B20E-BC7668695371}]
"DefaultContextPackage"=dword:00000000
“Path” ="https://localhost/Test/sample2.html""Name"="Blue Yonder Airlines"
"ExtensibilityWindowSize"=dword:00000001
"Parameters"="%AppData%,%AppId%"

See Also

Other Resources

Lync Extensibility API Contextual Conversations (Lync 2010 SDK)

Lync Extensibility API Conversation Walkthroughs (Lync 2010 SDK)