Configure extension for enterprises

How to configure the Applet Runner extension for enterprises

As an administrator, you can configure browser extensions for Chrome and Edge using the Group Policy Manager or the Windows Registry. This applies to the CheerpJ Applet Runner extension as well, allowing you to customize the extension to meet your users’ needs.

The following steps assume that you have a basic understanding of using Group Policy and editing the Windows Registry.

For more detailed guidance, please refer to the official Chrome and Edge documentation on configuring browser extensions for enterprise use.

The extension ID

The extension ID is a unique identifier used to differentiate one extension from another. It is required when configuring extensions using the Windows Group Policy Editor or setting them in the registry.

The extension ID of the official Edge Add-ons store version is:

ebfcpaoldmijengghefpohddmfpndmic

The extension ID of the official Chrome Webstore version is:

bbmolahhldcbngedljfadjlognfaaein

If you are self-hosting a custom build of the Applet Runner, the extension ID will differ. We either provided you with the extension ID, or you will need to retrieve it yourself. To obtain the extension ID for a custom build, drag the CRX file onto your browser’s Extensions page. You can navigate there by clicking the three dots in the top-right corner of the browser and selecting Extensions. Once the extension is loaded, you can note the ID.

Configure with the Group Policies

A common way to configure your extensions is by using the ExtensionSettings policy, which includes multiple options for admins to set up extensions for users. The ExtensionSettings policy enables you to configure multiple settings in one place using a JSON string in the Windows Group Policy Editor.

For more information on the ExtensionSettings policy, please refer to the official documentation for Chrome and Edge.

Configure ExtensionsSettings policy with JSON format

You can access the ExtensionSettings policy through the Group Policy Editor. The location of the policy varies depending on the browser you are using.

• Edge
  In the Group Policy Editor, go to Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > Extensions > Configure extension management setting policy

• Chrome
  In the Group Policy Editor, go to Administrative Templates > Google > Google Chrome > Extensions > Configure extension management setting policy

You will need to enable the policy and enter the policy string in JSON format as a single line. To validate and compress the policy into a single line, use a JSON compression tool.

The policy string should include the extension ID and the different policy settings you want to configure. Here is an example:

{ "ExtensionIDHere": { "Setting1": "Value1", "Setting2": "Value2" } }

Force install the CheerpJ Applet Runner extension

You can use the ExtensionInstallForcelist policy to force install an extension, or you can useExtensionSettings policy.

For the ExtensionSettings policy, you will need to use the installation_mode setting and set it to force_install. You will also need to add update_url setting, which specifies where the browser should download the extension from. For extensions hosted in the official browser’s app store, you should use the app store’s URLs. If you are self-hosting your extension, this setting should point to the manifest.xml of the extension.

Policy string for official Chrome extension:

{
  "bbmolahhldcbngedljfadjlognfaaein": {
    "installation_mode": "force_install",
    "update_url": "https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx"
  }
}

Policy string for official Edge extension

{
  "ebfcpaoldmijengghefpohddmfpndmic": {
    "installation_mode": "force_install",
    "update_url": "https://edge.microsoft.com/extensionwebstorebase/v1/crx"
  }
}

Make sure the policy string is in a single line

Pin the CheerpJ Applet Runner extension to the toolbar

To automatically pin the extension to the toolbar you can use the ExtensionSettings policy, the setting property has a differnt name for Chrome and Edge.

Policy string for official Chrome extension:

{ "bbmolahhldcbngedljfadjlognfaaein": { "toolbar_pin": "forced_pin" } }

Policy string for official Edge extension

{ "ebfcpaoldmijengghefpohddmfpndmic": { "toolbar_state": "force_shown" } }

Configuring Extension Settings via Windows Registry (Managed Storage)

The CheerpJ Applet Runner extension supports Chrome Managed Storage, allowing certain settings to be preconfigured via the Windows registry.

These values are read-only in the extension and must be set by an administrator.

Registry Path

Settings must be stored under the following registry path, replacing <extension-id> with the extension’s actual ID (see previous Extension ID section):

• Chrome
  32-bit Windows
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Google\Chrome\Extensions\<extension-id>\policy
  64-bit Windows
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Google\Chrome\Extensions\<extension-id>\policy

• Edge
  32-bit Windows
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Edge\Extensions\<extension-id>\policy
  64-bit Windows
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Edge\Extensions\<extension-id>\policy

Policy Formatting

Each custom setting corresponds to a property defined in the extension’s managed storage schema. The name, type, and structure of the registry entry must match the schema exactly.

To configure a custom setting, create a new string value under the extension’s policy registry key. Set the value name to the setting’s name, and set the value data to the appropriate value in the format required by the schema.

initOptions

The initOptions setting is used to configure startup options for CheerpJ. It currently supports the following properties: clipboardMode, enableinputmethods, tailscaleControlUrl, tailscaleAuthKey, and overrideAllShortcuts.

The overrideAllShortcuts is a custom option that, when set to true, overrides all browser-specific keyboard shortcuts.

The schema is as follows:

"initOptions": {
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "clipboardMode": { "type": "string" },
    "enableInputMethods": { "type": "boolean"},
    "overrideAllShortcuts": { "type": "boolean" },
    "tailscaleControlUrl": { "type": "string"},
    "tailscaleAuthKey": { "type": "string"}
  }
}

Example value for the registry key initOptions:

{"clipboardMode":"permission","enableInputMethods":false}

userAgent

This setting allows you to change the browser’s user agent for pages where the extension is enabled. Some applets modify their output depending on the user agent being used.

The schema is as follows:

"userAgent": {
  "title": "Custom user-agent string and platform",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "uaString": {"type": "string"},
    "platform": {"type": "string"}
  }
}

Example value for the registry key userAgent:

{"uaString":"Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/134.0.0.0 Safari/537.36","platform":"macOS"}

licenseToken

This setting is used to provide the enterprise license token to the extension.

The schema is as follows:

"licenseToken": {
  "type": "string"
}

Since this setting is a simple string, all you need to do is create a new string key named licenseToken and set its value to your provided token.