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OCS Custom Status updates – another update

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Some time ago, I wrote on OCS custom status fields and how to implement them…

Well, security changes in the way Office Communicator works mean that, by default, the client needs to download its configuration file from a secure location. This has caused a problem for a good many people who used to rely on the status file being on their hard disk.

If you don’t have access to a web site that can publish a file via SSL, then I’ve posted a few other samples here… thanks to Matt McSpirit for the tip on how to do it :) I struggled for a while by using SkyDrive to do it, but the eventual URL kept changing – now I can host a bunch of these files on the blog server!

Applying the settings
Here is the Registry file which will configure Communicator to use the “Microsoft UK” custom status below. If you’re happy with that, just

  • Sign out of Communicator entirely, close the application (right click on the Communicator icon in the system tray, choose Exit).
  • Click on the Registry link above, choose “Run” from the dialog, then confirm that you want to allow the registry settings to be applied.
  • Restart Communicator again – if everything works, you’ll see custom status appear by clicking on the big coloured blob in the top left…

image

If you’d rather use a different set of statuses, try downloading the registry file and save it somewhere, drag/drop it it into a new, blank Notepad window, and replace the URL with one of the following ones… then save it, and apply the settings as above.

Serious

Generic

Amusing

Microsoft UK

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Andrea - you're right, 4 is the maximum number of states. The Communicator deployment guide (fromhttp://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=f1d1a947-6eff-4ac4-8878-f0a77894ac99&displaylang=en&tm) says: Configuration files have the following properties: • Custom states can be configured with: Available, Busy, and Do Not Disturb. • The availability attribute determines which Presence button is associated with the status text of the custom state. In the following example, the status text, Working from Home, is displayed to the right of the Presence button. • The maximum length of the status text is 64 characters. • A maximum of four custom presence states can be added.

  • Anonymous
    January 12, 2010
    How many custom states can be defined? It seems to me that when I try to define more than 4 states (exactly the number of your samples) Communicator fails in loading them, isn't it?