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Dynamic GUI Editor

The Dynamic GUI Editor is a tool of the SCCM Manager. It is used to configure dynamically generated user interfaces for certain plugins. These include the Client Creator Plugin, Reset Computer Plugin and the Custom Inventory Plugin. This allows the content and function of other controls to be specifically designed and controlled.


Update

The Dynamic GUI Editor is supplied with the SCCM Manager installation. When installing a newer version, only the files need to be exchanged.

The Dynamic GUI Editor files are by default located under:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\smcTeam\SCCM Manager\Tools\DynamicGuiEditor".

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The existing files must be replaced with the new files.

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After the files have been exchanged, on the first start of the Dynamic GUI Editor a Microsoft Defender message may appear. Press the “Run Anyway” button to continue.

Plugin Requirements

The Dynamic GUI Editor is used to configure the user interface of these plugin, the Client Creator Plugin, Reset Computer Plugin and the Custom Inventory Plugin. The plugins have specific requirements of controls that need to be present in the GUI.

Plugin Requirements
Client Creator Plugin

OSDSelection - ComboBox
OSDomputerName - TextBox

MACAddress - TextBox

SMBIOSGUID - TextBox
Reset Computer Plugin OSDSelection - ComboBox
Custom Inventory Plugin inv_number - TextBox

Layout

Configuration

The configurations should ideally not be changed and are set correctly by default.

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Value Explanation Default Value
SqlConnectionString

This ConnectionString is used to establish the connection to the SCCM Manager database.

 Server=localhost;Database=SccmManager;Trusted_Connection=True;TrustServerCertificate=True;
InstanceQuery

This Query is used to determine the different Instances in the SCCM Manager database.

 SELECT DISTINCT Component, Name, InstanceName FROM ApplicationVariables WHERE Type = 'Dxml'
XmlDefinitionQuery

This Query is used to get the different Xml from the SCCM Manager database.

 SELECT Value FROM ApplicationVariables WHERE Component = '{COMPONENT}' AND Name = '{NAME}' AND InstanceName = '{INSTANCE}'
Create New GUI

After starting the Dynamic GUI Editor new controls can be added to the canvas to create a new GUI.

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Deleting controls

Via the "Delete" button the selected element can be deleted from the canvas.

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Testing GUI

The GUI can be tested, to see how it will look in the SCCM Manager.

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Clear All

With the "Clear All" button all controls can be removed from the canvas.

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Opening and Saving

The user interfaces created with the Dynamic GUI Editor can be loaded and saved as a file or in the SCCM Manager database in the "ApplicationVariables" table.
The GUIs must be saved in the database in order to be used by the SCCM Manager.

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Control Overview

In the overview all controls and there settings can be seen and selected.

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Name Explanation
Name The name used internally by the Dynamic GUI Editor

Friendly Name

 The name that will be shown to the user
Enabled Determines if the element will be shown in the user interface 
Mandatory Determines if the element needs to be filled out
Read Only Determines if the element can be edited
Internal Elements marked as Internal are essential for the functionality of a plug-in. If these are deleted or their name is changed, the function of the respective plug-in can no longer be guaranteed.

If the element is not marked as internal the value will be created as a computer variable in SCCM
Description The text will be shown as tool tip when hovered over the element
Properties

The controls can be configured in the settings menu. There are some small differences in the settings between ComboBoxes and TextBoxes.
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Setting Explanation
Type Indicates whether the control is a ComboBox or a TextBox. Can not be changed
Name The name used internaly by the Dynamic GUI Editor

FriendlyName

 The name that will be shown to the user

Mask (TextBoxes only)

 Masks can be defined under "Mask". This defines the formats of the input fields.

ValidationRegex (TextBoxes only)

 The validation regex can be used to limit the characters allowed in the input. 

Value (TextBoxes only)

 The value will be pre-assigned
Item (ComboBox only) More information on ComboBox Items down below

IsEnabled

 If True, the control can not be edited active/enabled
IsReadOnly

If True, the control can not be edited
IsVisble If True, the control will be shown in the user interface 
IsMandatory If True, the control the element needs to be filled out
IsInternal

Controls marked as "Internal" are essential for the functionality of a plug-in. If these are deleted or their name is changed, the function of the respective plug-in can no longer be guaranteed.

 

If the element is not marked as internal the value will be created as a computer variable in SCCM
Description The description text will be shown as tool tip when hovered over the element

ComboBox Items

ComboBoxes can have n-many ComboBox Items. The Items have their own properties and can be assigned rules.

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Name Explanation
Name The name used internally by the Dynamic GUI Editor
FriendlyName The name that will be shown to the user
Value The Value the ComboBoxItem holds interanlly
IsDefault If Ture, the ComboBoxItem will be selected by default
IsEmpty If Ture, the ComboBoxItem will be empty
Rules The Rules can be added to the ComboBoxItem

ComboBox Items Rules 

Rules can be provided to ComboBoxItems to further support user interaction. 

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Rule Explanation
ProcessType

Default - 

All - 
Action

With "Action" additional actions can be configured.

 

None - No additional action will be done

Enable - Enable the TargetInstance

Disable - Disable the TargetInstance

Show - Show the TargetInstance

Hide - Hide the TargetInstance

Set Read Only - Sets the TargetInstance to read only

Set Writeable - Sets the TargetInstance to writeable
TargetInstance The UI element that is target by the selection of the item, in tis case another ComboBox Named "Location". 
TargetItemFilter

Can only be used when the choosen "TargetInstance" is a ComboBox.

Used to limit the selection of the choosen ComboBox, in this Example the ComboBox "Location", will only display the Items "Italy" and "Germany".
TargetItemInstance Can only be used when the choosen "TargetInstance" is a ComboBox.
The ComboBoxItems than can be selected here.
TargetItemValue Can only be used when the choosen "TargetInstance" is a TextBox.
The value will be written in the TextBox.

TextBoxes Rules

TextBoxes can be assined Rules to provided further support user interaction. 

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Rule Explanation
ProcessType

Default - 

All - 
Action

With "Action" additional actions can be configured.

 

None - No additional action will be done

Enable - Enable the TargetInstance

Disable - Disable the TargetInstance

Show - Show the TargetInstance

Hide - Hide the TargetInstance

Set Read Only - Sets the TargetInstance to read only

Set Writeable - Sets the TargetInstance to writeable
TargetInstance The UI element that is target by the selection of the item, in this case is the TextBox "OSDComputerName". 
TargetItemValue The TargetInstance will be given the defined TargetItemValue. In this case the  TargetInstance "OSDComputerName", will be given the Value combined of the ComboBoxes "ForstOrganization", "LocationSite" "TypeFunction" and the TextBox "DigitAlphanumeric".
Seperated by { }.

Masks

Masks can be defined under "Mask". This defines the formats of the input fields.

Mask Property
A Alphanumeric or a special character, required.
a Alphanumeric or a special character, not required
L Letter, required. Restricts the input to the ASCII letters a-z and A-Z. This mask element is equivalent to [a-zA-Z] in regular expressions.
l Letter, not required
\ Breaks out a mask character and turns it into a literal. "\" is the escape sequence for a backslash.
All other characters (Literals) All non-mask elements are displayed in RadMaskedTextInput as themselves. Literals always take a static position in the mask at runtime and cannot be moved or deleted by the user.

More information at DevExpress Input Mask.

An example of a mask for entering a MAC address:
AA-AA-AA-AA-AA-AA

Validation regex

The validation regex can be used to limit the characters allowed in the input. 

An example of a regex that allows only letters from A to F, for entering a MAC address:
^[{]?[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-([0-9a-fA-F]{4}-){3}[0-9a-fA-F]{12}[}]?$

XML Definition

The underlying XML definition is a general format for describing configurable graphical interfaces within the SCCM Manager.
The following explains the structure of the GUI for the Client Creator Plugin.

  • You can define n-many controls. Two types can currently be defined: “TextBox” and “ComboBox”.
  • A name must be defined for each control. This must be unique, may not contain any spaces and has three functions (in the example Client Creator).

    • Internal name of the control to be able to control it by rule.

    • Name of the computer variable.

    • Label of the control, if no FriendlyName was defined.

  • In addition, a FriendlyName can be defined, this then serves as a label in the GUI.

  • Each control can optionally contain a description tag. A description can be stored there, which is then displayed as a tooltip above the respective control.

  • Each control can have n-many items.

    • An item again needs a mandatory name and optionally a FriendlyName to represent it (otherwise the name is used automatically).

    • In a ComboBox, the item should also have a value. In the Client Creator example, this is the value of the computer variable.

    • The default item of a ComboBox can be set via the IsDefault attribute. Otherwise, none is initially selected.

    • Each item can have n-many rules. As soon as this item is selected later in the GUI, all rules assigned to it are applied.

      • A target is always defined in a rule, i.e. the name of the control that is to be influenced.

      • In addition, a TargetItem is defined, e.g. the item that is to be automatically selected in another ComboBox.

      • Optionally, a so-called action can also be defined. There are currently four different ones: "Show", "Hide", "Enable", "Disable". This can be used to additionally influence other controls.

  • A TextBox can also have additional attributes and tags.

    • A mask can be defined, for this the attributes "Mask "and "MaskType "can be set (see example).

    • An additional tag "ValidationRegex" can be added. This gives the TextBox the possibility to validate itself on user input.

    • Furthermore, a TextBox recognizes only its first item. This is absolutely necessary so that there is a value at all and to be able to access it via a rule, for example.

  • For custom plugins this system can also be used

Example configuration and the GUI generated from it

<Controls>
 <Control Type="ComboBox" Name="OSDSelection" FriendlyName="Operating System" IsEnabled="True" IsMandatory="False" IsVisible="True" IsInternal="True">
  <Items />
  <Description></Description>
 </Control>
 <Control Type="TextBox" Name="OSDComputerName" FriendlyName="Computer Name" IsEnabled="True" IsMandatory="True" IsVisible="True" IsInternal="True" IsReadOnly="False" Mask="">
  <ValidationRegex>^[A-Za-z0-9\-_]{3,15}$</ValidationRegex>
  <Items>
   <Item Name="Text" Value="" IsDefault="True" />
  </Items>
  <Description>The computer name (max. 15 characters).</Description>
 </Control>
 <Control Type="TextBox" Name="SMBIOSGUID" FriendlyName="BIOS Guid" IsEnabled="True" IsMandatory="False" IsVisible="True" IsInternal="True" IsReadOnly="False" Mask="">
  <ValidationRegex>^[{]?[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-([0-9a-fA-F]{4}-){3}[0-9a-fA-F]{12}[}]?$</ValidationRegex>
  <Items>
   <Item Name="Text" Value="" IsDefault="True" />
  </Items>
  <Description>The bios guid like 936DA01F-9ABD-4D9D-80C7-02AF85C822A8</Description>
 </Control>
 <Control Type="TextBox" Name="MACAddress" FriendlyName="MAC Address" IsEnabled="True" IsMandatory="False" IsVisible="True" IsInternal="True" IsReadOnly="False" Mask="">
  <ValidationRegex>^([0-9A-Fa-f]{2}[:-]?){5}([0-9A-Fa-f]{2})$</ValidationRegex>
  <Items>
   <Item Name="Text" Value="" IsDefault="True" />
  </Items>
  <Description>The mac address.</Description>
 </Control>
</Controls>

  • The ComboBox "Operating System" belongs internally to the Client Creator. It does not have predefined values but gets them from the query configured in the ClientCreatorPlugin. The ComboBox is internal.

  • The computer name as TextBox, also internal has a regular expression (ValidationRegex) that expects at least 3 and at most 15 characters, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, - and _ are allowed.

  • The Textbox "BIOS Guid" is needed by the client creator plugin but can be left empty if a MAC Address is entered instead. 
    The regex checks that the entered text is in an valid GUID format.

  • MAC Address is required by the client creator plugin, but can be left empty if a SMBIOS GUID is entered instead.
    The regex only allows a format valid input. 

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