By Tina de Benedictis, Technical Marketing Manager, Enterprise Desktop, End-User Computing, VMware
Do not let the three digits in the 4.7.2 release number fool you—the newly released ThinApp 4.7.2 has some exciting features that people have been asking for.
This new release of VMware ThinApp includes:
- A mechanism for updating ThinApp packages in Horizon Application Manager
- A new relink –h command to enable prior ThinApp packages for Horizon
- RemoveSandboxOnStart, a new Package.ini parameter
Updated ThinApp packages in Horizon
The update mechanism allows you to place new versions of ThinApp packages on the Horizon ThinApp Repository, and Horizon reads a new VersionID parameter built into the package to differentiate the updated package from the prior package. Application entitlements and desktop shortcuts are preserved!
The Manage with Horizon window in Setup Capture has been enhanced to include a check box to mark the new application as an update, and you point to the old package so that ThinApp can copy the AppID and increment the VersionID:
Enable packages for Horizon with relink –h
Relink –h is an easy method for enabling previously captured ThinApp packages for Horizon. Use relink –h on the executables of a ThinApp package, and ThinApp assigns values to the Horizon parameters for you. Add the ThinApp package to the Horizon ThinApp Repository, and you are ready to go!
RemoveSandboxOnStart parameter
The new RemoveSandboxOnStart Package.ini parameter allows you to clear the sandbox when the user launches the ThinApp package. This parameter provides an alternative to the functionality of the RemoveSandboxOnExit parameter.
More information
This Knowledge Base index article points you to KB articles with all the technical details you will ever need about the update and relink –h features for ThinApp packages in Horizon:
See the VMware ThinApp 4.7.2 Release Notes for details about bug fixes in the release, and watch the ThinApp blog for a deeper dive into the two new ThinApp features for Horizon.
And be sure to look at the ThinApp Factory Fling from VMware Labs! ThinApp Factory automates the virtualization of Windows applications and provides a dashboard to manage the entire workflow from application packaging through distribution. ThinApp Factory also integrates with Horizon Application Manager so that your ThinApp packages automatically populate the Horizon application catalog.
