Understanding Personal "subtype" items.

When an account is created, the distribution of personal items like the Mailbox, Calendar, Contacts etc are distributed via the All Desktops group.

These are special "Subtyped" folders that, when you check the properties (Get Info) on the item on the model desktop, you will see that they are given a particular subtype and the model action is Default

The items on the All Desktops group are simply folders (not aliases) that have been given a particular name, icon and subtype.  The name and icon are irrelevant.  FirstClass only cares about the subtype.

If you remove any of these subtyped items from the All Desktops group, they will not be removed from the user.  Once they have been delivered, you cannot take them back.  You would have to manually delete, or use Batch admin or RAD to delete them from a user's desktop.  However, all new users created will only get the items that are on that desktop.

There are some interesting things that you may not be aware of however.

There is nothing particularly special about using the All Desktops group except that all users will get whatever is placed on this model.

You can use other groups to distribute these typed items as well.

For example, if you do not want to distribute the Web Publishing folder to all new users in general but restrict it to a a specific group, you can do that.

• Delete the item from the All Desktops group  and close the group
• On the desired group's model desktop, create a new folder.  
• Use the Properties/Get Info of the folder to assign the desired name and icon (remember the name and icon does not matter), and assign it the corresponding subtype.

Note: First the bad news.  If a member of the group where this "typed" item has now been assigned does not already have the item, it will NOT model it to their desktop.  This will only model to new users.  Adding folders to a model desktop does not force a group remodel.

Now the good news.  You can force a remodel of any model by adding a folder (just create a folder) and then deleting it.  When you close the model, the desktop will be remodeled.

Changing Names, Icons and Repositioning non subtype Items

The normal procedure to change the name and/or icon or to reposition non subtype items that are distributed through model desktops you would do the following:

• Open the group model desktop and remove the item from the group
• Do not close the group yet
• Place (and protect) an alias of the same  item in the desired position with desired name and icon
• Close the group to remodel the content back to members of the group.
  

Changing the Names, Icons and Repositioning subtyped items

Normally, once a user has received one of the typed objects, you loose the ability to change the item name and position via the assigning model desktop.  If you change the name, icon or position of one of the subtyped items on the model desktop, the new properties will only be assigned to new users.

Note:  I have indicated above, that you, as the administrator lose the ability to change things via the corresponding model desktop.  However, you can instruct your users to reset their desktops so that it will snap the icons in to the location that are assign on the All Desktops model and take on any new icon or name change.  To do this, the user must right-click on their desktop and choose Change View Properties. On the properties form, click on Default, then OK.  DO NOT CLICK ON APPLY

What this does is remove all of the desktop properties that the user has personally made and the desktop assumes those applied by the All Desktops group.

Note:  If you are assigning subtyped items via the model desktop of a use group (as our example with Web Publishing), the resetting of the model desktop will NOT move those subtyped items

Changing a subtyped item Icon and Position

If you want to change the position and icon of a subtype item on the model desktop of a user, you can do this via batch admin.  (I will cover changing the name next as it is special)

To change the icon and position, I recommend that you use a script like this where UserID, Item Name, H, V and IconID have real values.

IF OBJECT desktop "userid" "Item Name" EXISTS

     PUT PROPERTIES DESKTOP "userid" "Item Name" 1306 14 H 1307 14 V 1304 14 IconID

ENDIF

Changing the subtyped item's name

To change the name, you can use the following script.

IF OBJECT desktop "userid" "Original Item Name" EXISTS

     rename desktop "userid" "Original Item Name" "New Item Name"

ENDIF

This will work for all of the following subtyped items that are on the All Desktops model by default.

Calendar

Contacts

Profile

Documents

File Storage

Trash Can

Workspaces

Instant Messaging

Web Publishing

Bookmarks

It will NOT work for the Mailbox

The Mailbox is special

You will run into a problem with the Mailbox item in that the first script will change the name, but you will get an error 1033 for every other one you try to change

All is not lost however, because you can alter the name (and believe it or not, the position) of the Mailbox item via the All desktops model)

For some reason, the Mailbox subtype is special.  To change the name of the Mailbox subtype (and optionally, the position) for all users do the following:

• Open the All Desktops Model Desktop
• Change the name (and optionally the position) of the Mailbox item
• Create a new folder on the desktop and delete the folder (this will force the desktop to remodel
• Close the model desktop to remodel the changes.