Configuring users' server connections through a .mal file

A .mal file configures a server connection for a user who already has the M-Business Client software installed. On Windows workstations where M-Business Client is already installed, the .mal file extension is automatically associated with M-Business Connect. Thus you can make the .mal file available on an intranet Web page, or send it in an e-mail directly to users . When M-Business Connect executes the .mal file, the specified server is configured for the user and will synchronize the next time the user synchronizes.

A .mal file is a text file with a .mal extension. The file begins with an XML tag: 

<?xml version="1.0"?>

The rest of the .mal file consists of opening and closing MALServer tags: 

<MALServer 
... 
...> 
</MALServer>

The opening MALServer tag contains the parameters that configure the server. These parameters are detailed in the table below.

Table 1. .mal file parameters

Parameter

Description

 
hostname

Hostname for server.

 
port

Sync port number server is using.

 
username

M-Business Anywhere user name, as defined in the M-Business Server admin database.

 
password

Password for above user, as defined in the M-Business Server admin database.

 
passwordIsHashed

Is the user password hashed? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
passwordIsEncoded

Is the user password encoded? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
nonce

Is it a non-CE device? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
disabled

Is the user account to be disabled? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
friendlyName

User-friendly server name to display in M-Business Client.

 
userUrl

Server URL.

 
description

Status to display, such as, "The server is running."

 
confirmationcaption

Confirmation message to display on success, such as "Connected to <server_name>." 

serverUri

Server URI.

 
sendDeviceInfo

Send device info. to server in a synchronization? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
hashPassword

Hash user password in a synchronization? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
requestPassword

Require user password to synchronize? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
ConnectSecurely

Require user to connect securely in a synchronization? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
AllowSecureConnection

Allow user to connect securely in a synchronization? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
ConnectSecureOnly

Allow only secure connection? Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

 
DeviceSecureOverride

Let user override secure connection requirement? Valid values: TRUE - FALSE

 
confirmation

Confirmation message to display on successful completion.

The full source code for a .mal file is listed in Using a .mal file to subscribe users to a channel.

Copyright © 2008, iAnywhere Solutions, Inc.