How to export content browser contents to new machine?

[rmitchellFGQ5Z]

Hello,

I'm using AutoCAD Architecture 2024 and have setup a reference machine customized to our architects' liking. As part of this process two corporate/enterprise tool catalogs are added to the content browser on that machine. I'm wondering is there a way to get this to carry over to other machines I deploy to? I am using corporate wide ARG and CUI files that cover most customization through the deployment process, but have not figured out a solution to get the manually added corporate tool catalogs to show up in the content browser on deployed machines by default. The tool catalog is on a network drive and we have no issue with that or accessing it, etc. 

I can manually click and add the network shared corporate tool catalogs, but I have to do this on every end point manually and was hoping to have this incorporated by default somehow to save time and ensure consistency. I don't know if there's a C drive location, registry location, CUI or ARG change or file I can copy/do to have these load by default. 

If anyone has ideas please let me know. I have attached a photo showing how it is supposed to look in the reference machine. When deployed to studio machines, those two catalogs are missing from that menu and require manual re-adding. 

Thanks!

[pendean]

@rmitchellFGQ5Z What have you tried or tested so far?

[rmitchellFGQ5Z]

I've had hit and miss success with the export tool not reimporting correctly. My question was more fundamental, I'm trying to understand where the content browser data is stored on a C drive, within registry etc, so that I can copy those setups/content at a lower level and incorporate them in my imaging process.

For example from the following forum post https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-architecture-forum/tool-palette-content-browser-issues/td-p/2...

the linked CM25-2 AU2006 Tool Palettes.pdf contains a presentation from Autodesk University 2007, where it describes a work around on page 21 of right clicking and saving the corporate tool catalogs to a registry file that you can then load on studio/target machines during imaging/deployment. I attached an image of those instructions which work and still hold true in ACA 2024, but it seems like quite the workaround. 

I was just curious if theres a known file location, etc that the contents of the content browser can be copied to other machines thats more official or proper. Something like CUIX, ARG, etc.

[pendean · Accepted solution]

---

@rmitchellFGQ5Z wrote:

..I'm trying to understand where the content browser data is stored on a C drive...

---

Mine is here

C:\Users\USERNAMEHERE\Documents\Autodesk\My Content Browser Library\ACA 2023

---

@rmitchellFGQ5Z wrote:

..., within registry etc,...

---

You can search the Windows Registry for entries, grab a freeware 3rd party tool to help if needed. Reaching out to the authors direct from that link of yours is likely the best approach for your exact needs.

[rmitchellFGQ5Z]

C:\Users\USERNAMEHERE\Documents\Autodesk\My Content Browser Library\ACA 2023

That file location and the .cbl file in it worked for me. I used the file path above and copied it's contents from my reference machine (setup per the architects liking) which contained the added corporate tool palettes and then copied it to the DEFAULT user folder for my reference VM before capturing the image (and later deploying). By creating the path on the DEFAULT user folder, then every new user that logs in gets that folder path and files contained added to their user profile in Windows. I found that this method worked for getting their autocad24 to load with the correct corporate tool palettes already loaded. So thank you for sharing the file path with me.

Alternatively, the method explained in the pdf of the AU2007 presentation that I linked also works if you want to shift  + right click the corporate tool palettes and then export to registry. It will create a registry file that accomplishes the same objective of loading the custom tool palettes on a new machine/user profile, just in a different way. Just beware that the exported registry edits only apply to HKCU (current user) and therefore I don't think this method applies to all machine users. Therefore this method does require making the registry edits on every user's profile on the endpoint/target machine. Some other method like a login script, etc. for new users would probably be more effective/automated if going this way.

Just posting this here for any other IT Admins, etc. that might deal with a similar problem/issue in the future and letting them know that these methods worked for me.

Thanks for the help.