The first area of Internet Explorer customization we’ll look at is the browser interface. You can add custom titles to the title bar, define custom logos that replace the Internet Explorer logo, and create custom toolbars that replace the existing toolbar.
Using the Browser Title policy, you can customize the text that appears in the title bar of Internet Explorer. By default, the title bar displays the title of the current page and the name of the browser, such as "Corporate Home Page—Microsoft Internet Explorer." When you add a custom title, you can add "provided by" details that list your organization, as in "Corporate Home Page—Microsoft Internet Explorer provided by City Power & Light."
Note
Using a custom title is a subtle way to remind employees that they are using a business resource and not a personal resource. The custom title also appears in Microsoft Outlook® Express if this application is installed and used in your organization.
You can add a custom title to Internet Explorer by completing the following steps:
Access User ConfigurationWindows SettingsInternet Explorer MaintenanceBrowser User Interface in Group Policy, and then double-click Browser Title. This displays the Browser Title dialog box, shown in Figure 8-1.
Select Customize Title Bars, and then type the custom title in the Title Bar Text box.
Click OK.
Using the Custom Logo policy, you can replace the standard Internet Explorer logos with ones specifically created for your organization. This can serve to brand the browser for your organization as well as subtly remind employees that they are using a business resource and not a personal resource. One of two standard logos is displayed in the upper-right corner in Internet Explorer:
Static logo. Displayed when the browser isn’t performing an action
Animated logo. Displayed when the browser is downloading pages or performing other actions
The logos must adhere to exact specifications, so you should ideally work with your organization’s art department to create the necessary image files. You need two versions of each logo: one that is 22 × 22 pixels and one that is 38 × 38 pixels. The logos must be saved as bitmap images and use either 256 or 16 colors. Images in 256 colors should be indexed to the Windows halftone palette; 16-color images should be indexed to the 16-color Windows palette. The animated bitmap should consist of numbered bitmaps that are vertically stacked into one bitmap. The first bitmap appears static when no action is taking place, and the remaining bitmaps appear in sequence when the browser is in use, producing the animation effect.
Note
In the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK), you’ll find two tools that can help you with the logos. The first is the Animated Bitmap Creator (Makebmp.exe), which you can use to create the animated logo. The second is the Animated Bitmap Previewer (Animbmp.exe), which you can use to test the animated logo to make sure it is displayed as expected. The IEAK is available for download from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ieak/downloads/default.mspx.
Tip
When you finish creating the image files, you should test the files on your local system before using Group Policy to update computers in a specific site, domain, or organizational unit (OU). Once you tell Group Policy about the logo files, the files become part of Group Policy and are stored within Group Policy. Because the files are imported before use, they don’t need to reside on the local computer initially. In fact, it might be best to put the logos on a network drive so that you can test them locally and then incorporate them into Group Policy using the same file paths.
You can add custom logos to Internet Explorer by completing the following steps:
Access User ConfigurationWindows SettingsInternet Explorer MaintenanceBrowser User Interface in Group Policy, and then double-click Custom Logo. This displays the Custom Logo dialog box, shown in Figure 8-2.
If you want to set a static logo, select Customize The Static Logo Bitmaps. In the Small (22 × 22) Bitmap box, type the path to the small logo that you want to use or click Browse to find the image you want to use. In the Large (38 × 38) Bitmap box, type the path to the large logo you want to use or click Browse to find the image you want to use.
Note
The images must be exactly sized or they won’t be imported into Group Policy. If you see a warning message that says the specified bitmap is too large, you must select a different logo file.
If you want to set an animated logo, select Customize The Animated Bitmaps. In the Small (22 × 22) Bitmap box, type the path to the small animated logo you want to use or click Browse to find the image you want to use. In the Large (38 × 38) Bitmap box, type the path to the large animated logo you want to use or click Browse to find the image you want to use.
Click OK. The logo files are imported and stored in Group Policy.
The Internet Explorer toolbar is completely customizable; you can add new buttons to the toolbar to launch applications, run scripts, and perform other tasks. Custom toolbar buttons have four required components:
Toolbar caption. The ToolTip text to display when the pointer is over the button.
Toolbar action. The script file or executable that you want to execute when the button is clicked. Script files can be batch files (.cmd or .bat) or Windows Script Host (WSH) files (.js, .vbs, and so on). With both executables and scripts, you need to know the complete path to the related file.
Toolbar color icon file. A color icon file saved with an .ico extension that contains images for when the toolbar button is active. The icon file should contain three separate bitmaps: one 20 × 20 256-color, one 20 × 20 16-color, and one 16 × 16 16-color. The bitmaps must be indexed to either the 256-color Windows halftone palette or the 16-color Windows palette as appropriate.
Toolbar grayscale icon file. A grayscale icon file saved with an .ico extension that contains images for when the toolbar button is in the default or inactive state. The icon file should contain three separate bitmaps: one 20 × 20 grayscale image using the 256-color Windows halftone palette, one 20 × 20 grayscale image using the 16-color Windows palette, and one 16 × 16 grayscale image using the 16-color Windows palette.
As part of your pre-rollout planning, you should consider how the button will be implemented and who will design the necessary icon files. Because your custom button will be available to many users within a site, domain, or OU, think carefully about placement of any needed scripts or executables. The file path you use should be accessible to all users who will be affected by the policy you are creating. If necessary, you can use environment variables, such as %SystemDrive%, to ensure that file paths are consistent for different users. You can also use network file paths, provided they are automatically mapped for users.
You must also work closely with your organization’s art department to create the necessary icon files. The different styles of icons are used when Internet Explorer and the button itself are in various states. The large (20 × 20) icons are used when Internet Explorer is in the default state. The small (16 × 16) icons are used when Internet Explorer is in full-screen mode (accessed by pressing F11 with the browser window active). Color icons are used when a button is active. Grayscale icons are used when a button is in the default state.
When you are ready to proceed, you can add a custom button to the Internet Explorer toolbar by completing the following steps:
Access User ConfigurationWindows SettingsInternet Explorer MaintenanceBrowser User Interface in Group Policy, and then double-click Browser Toolbar Customizations. This displays the Browser Toolbar Customizations dialog box.
On the Buttons panel, click Add to display the Browser Toolbar Button Information dialog box (Figure 8-3).
In the Toolbar Caption (Required) text box, type the button caption. Keep the caption short—no more than one or two words. The button caption appears as a ToolTip when the mouse pointer is over the button.
In the Toolbar Action, As Script File Or Executable (Required) text box, type the path to the script or executable file that you want to run when the button is clicked. If you don’t know the file path, click Browse to find the file.
In the Toolbar Color Icon (Required) text box, type the path to the color icon file that you created for the button or click Browse to find the file.
In the Toolbar Grayscale Icon (Required) text box, type the path to the grayscale icon file that you created for the button or click Browse to find the file.
If you want the custom button to be displayed on the toolbar by default, select This Button Should Be Shown On the Toolbar By Default.
Click OK. Repeat steps 2 through 7 to add other custom buttons.
If you later decide not to use the button, you can remove it by completing the following steps:
Access User ConfigurationWindows SettingsInternet Explorer MaintenanceBrowser User Interface in Group Policy, and then double-click Browser Toolbar Customizations. This displays the Browser Toolbar Customizations dialog box.
On the Buttons panel, click the entry for the button you want to delete, and then click Remove.
Click OK.