Group Policy ADMX Syntax Reference Guide

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

This reference guide provides information for creating and editing custom ADMX files. These XML-based files allow the administrator to create a user interface in the Group Policy Management Console or the Local Group Policy Editor to display Group Policy settings.

How to read this document

For those wishing to get an introduction to the ADMX format, the conceptual topics in this reference guide provide a starting point. It is recommended you read the following topics:

• ADMX Prerequisites

• ADMX Schema

• .admx and .adml File Structure

• Best Practices for Authoring ADMX Files

• Referencing the Windows Base ADMX File

• Creating a Custom Base ADMX File

• Associating .admx and .adml Parameter Information

• Comparing ADM and ADMX Syntax

• Sample Files

After you have become familiar with ADMX files and the ADMX format, you can then use the ADMX syntax section as technical reference. This section provides an alphabetical reference that lists all ADMX elements and attributes used when creating an .admx file and an .adml file.

Note

This document will use the following rules when referring to the different components of ADMX files. When referring to the general set of administrative template files for Windows Vista registry settings, we will refer to "ADMX files." This document will refer to ".admx files" when referring to the language-neutral administrative template files and ".adml files" when referring to the language-dependent administrative template files.