Managing profiles with a third-party program
Hello! I am developing an application for an organization that uses Thunderbird in a Windows environment. Among other features, it is necessary to implement the transfer of mail client settings from one workstation to another. Built-in Mozilla Thunderbird tools are not suitable. I am still considering implementation options (autoconfig or direct work with files), and I have several questions. I will be very grateful for any help. 1. What is the minimum required files in the appdata folder that I need to create (transfer) so that the profile works without errors on the new workstation? No need to transfer messages, they are all on the server, and offline work is not used 2. How does the installs.ini file work? I need to avoid creating a new profile when starting Thunderbird for the first time, do I need to create an entry in installs.ini, and if so, where can I get the correct installation code? 3. Is it possible to transfer saved passwords to a new workstation? What are the requirements for this? I am very grateful for any answers
Izabrano rješenje
Figured out the installs.ini file. I found the installation code in the registry in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Thunderbird\TaskBarIDs branch. Using the installation code, I generated installs.ini, profile.ini. Created a profile folder and in it the prefs.js file (generated or downloaded from the settings storage server). Thunderbird started, loaded the profile, everything works. One of the downsides - I had to enter the password many times. I'm still looking for options to somehow set the password in advance. Or transfer the file with passwords through the database.
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I am not a developer, but I will share my experience:
- - the appdata\roaming\thunderbird folder contains the profile and also the pointer (profiles.ini) that identifies the profile.
- - the thunderbird windows setup will use the profile in appdata\roaming\thunderbird if already there
- - when copying appdata\roaming\thunderbird from one PC to another (when thunderbird is NOT RUNNING), the complete profile including passwords is copied and thunderbird on second pc starts normally
- - the message folders for IMAP accounts may be omitted as they will self-populate
- - if there are policies specific to the installation, - create a folder named ‘distribution’ and store it in the folder where thunderbird.exe resides. For Windows, that would be normally be C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Thunderbird\ place the file called policies.json in the distribution directory.
I suggest waiting until there are further responses, as I am not the ultimate guru, only sharing my experience.
david said
I am not a developer, but I will share my experience:
Thanks for sharing your experience! Maybe you have experience in moving extensions too? If you move the profile folder, what happens to the extensions and their settings?
Extensions are part of the profile and go along with profile transfers. All settings remain the same
Odabrano rješenje
Figured out the installs.ini file. I found the installation code in the registry in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Thunderbird\TaskBarIDs branch. Using the installation code, I generated installs.ini, profile.ini. Created a profile folder and in it the prefs.js file (generated or downloaded from the settings storage server). Thunderbird started, loaded the profile, everything works. One of the downsides - I had to enter the password many times. I'm still looking for options to somehow set the password in advance. Or transfer the file with passwords through the database.