Override selected user preferences

Starting with v4.6.1, it is now possible to set the default values for user preferences.

The list of properties exported by the User Preference dialog includes a wider variety of preferences supported by Arc, including toolbar visibility preferences and code formatter options.

When Arc Server is run or re-started, a new folder will be created called user-preferences. It contains two sample files, defaults.sample.json and overrides.sample.json, and a README.md to explain how to use the folder.

Setting defaults

As the README says, you can set default user preferences for new users by creating or updating defaults.json in the user-preferences folder.

The sample files can be used as a basis, but to configure a more comprehensive list of properties, export user preferences from the Arc User Preferences dialog and use the resulting file as a basis for either defaults.json or overrides.json.

After the defaults.json has been loaded for the first time, the user can change their preferences as normal.

Locking preferences with overrides

To lock user preferences and prevent users from changing values, create or update overrides.json in the user-preferences folder.

When a user changes a uiPref that is contained in the overrides.json, a toast notification displays informing the user the setting is managed by their administrator.

The notification will appear whether the uiPref is changed in the User Preferences dialog, toolbar visibility preferences in various screens, code formatting options, etc., and will show a list of uiPref paths that could not be modified.

If neither file exists, Arc's user preferences will function as they did previously.