Customizing Messages in the Client Tool

Please Note: This article applies to PaperCut version 9.4 or higher.

This KB article explains how to customize the strings/text in the user client software. The main reason for changing the text in the client is the need to use organization specific terminology (e.g. shared account may be referred as a cost center /department/ project.)

The following procedure outlines how to change the text/strings in the client. All strings, including text on the client popup screen may be adjusted as long as the replacement is of approximately the same length as the original.

Before undertaking this procedure, ensure that PaperCut is set up and operational on your network. It is expected that the reader has experience with using ZIP files and a text editor (i.e. Notepad).

Download and edit client-custom-messages.zip file:

1) Download client-custom-messages.zip file located here.

2) Unzip the content of the file to a location outside the PaperCut directory. (E.g. C:\Users\tom\Desktop)

3) Open the messages.properties file located under the structure biz\papercut\pcng\client\uit. It is a plain text file that can be edited using a text editor such as Notepad.

4) Edit this file according to your requirements. Each message key in the file has a specific meaning. Make sure you edit the correct one. For example, editing the value:

SelectAccount.account-from-list=Charge to shared account

to

SelectAccount.account-from-list=Charge to a cost center

, will make the standard account selection popup to look like this:

5) After editing all strings as required, Zip up the biz directory and name the zip file to client-custom-messages.zip.

Procedure On Windows:

1) Create a directory called lib-ext under [app-path]\client\win on the server.

2) Place the client-custom-messages.zip file under [app-path]\client\win\lib-ext

3) Restart the client on the server.

4) Please check if the new message strings get loaded as expected.

5) Now, to ensure the new messages will be visible on all the workstations you will need to follow the steps listed below. The steps will be dependent on the method used for running the client software.

  • If you have done a local install of the client software reinstall the client software on all workstations.
  • If you are running the client using the pc-client-local-cache.exe file version, you will need to invalidate the existing cache, as the local cached (installed) version of the client will contain the old strings. For the new changes to be picked up the simplest option is as follows:
1) Create a new cache using the --cache user client option (e.g. set to C:\cache-v2 ). Information about all the user client options is given here. If starting the client using a login script, the line in the script may change from:
"cmd /c "start \\servername\PCClient\win\pc-client-local-cache.exe --silent"
 to 
"cmd /c "start \\servername\PCClient\win\pc-client-local-cache.exe --silent --cache C:\cache-v2"
2) When a new cache is created, it will copy the new files from the server which will include the new message strings.
3) Check if the new message strings get loaded as expected.

Procedure On Linux:

1) Follow the Download and edit client-custom-messages.zip file procedure as described above.

2) Create a directory called lib-ext under [app-path]\client\linux on the server.

3) Place the client-custom-messages.zip file under [app-path]\client\linux\lib-ext

4) Make sure lib-ext and client-custom-messages.zip are readable. e.g.

chmod 755 lib-ext
chmod 644 lib-ext/client-custom-messages.zip

5) Restart the client.

6) Please check if the new message strings get loaded as expected.

7) For the changes to be picked up on the workstations, you will need to reinstall the client if you have done a local install otherwise restarting the client should be able to pick up the new strings.

Procedure On Mac:

Please email support@papercut.com for assistance.


keywords: client tool, user client, modify, tailored, personalized


Page last modified on June 03, 2009, at 12:19 PM