JSON import strategies and file format
When importing JSON files into Remote Desktop Manager, there are some specifications to follow regarding the content format.
File content
Some validations on entry settings are not in the business layer but rather in the property dialogs. This means that using the import process can result in invalid entries that trigger errors. Validate the resulting entries carefully.
There is no list of all supported fields for all entry types because Remote Desktop Manager uses an open architecture and therefore is not even aware of all the entry type fields that are provided by Devolutions' add-on system. Also, default values for fields are not serialized, meaning that they are simply left out of the serialized structure.
A good method of finding out the field structure is creating an entry of the desired type, right-clicking it and selecting Clipboard – Copy, then pasting the content in a suitable editor. Alternatively, exporting an existing entry in JSON format gives a good idea of the format to adopt.
Implementing support for all fields comes at a cost. The import process is time consuming because of all the dynamic field access that takes place. A massive initial import of entries should be separated in batches of manageable sizes. Perform trials and tune the number of entries to achieve acceptable performance.
All of Devolutions' entries share a basic set of fields; the rest is tied to the specific technology being interfaced with (RDP, SSH, etc.). Some fields are grouped in structures, like the Information Tab. Those fields are accessible only when providing the structure name as a parent object, for example, "MetaInformation\OS" or "MetaInformation\PurchaseDate".
The JSON file can contain Devolutions variables, which are resolved upon saving. For instance, the $HOST$ variable can be used in fields such as Description, URL, and Name. It will be replaced by the corresponding value.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some relevant fields.
Host
Host name of the device.
Name
Name of the entry.
ConnectionType
Token representing the connection type. It is best to use the Clipboard – Copy method to obtain the acceptable values. If no connection type is specified, RDP will be used by default.
Group
Destination folder. Note that if the import process itself defined a destination folder, the folder listed here would be created below the one from the process.
Description
Description of the entry.
Open (Embedded)
Boolean value (true or false) that indicates to open the session embedded. The default value is false, meaning that the native client will be used depending on the technology (MSTSC.EXE, for instance).
Username
Username used to open a session to the device.
Domain
Domain used to open a session to the device.
Password
Password used to open a session to the device. Please note that this field is encrypted and stored into another field upon being imported.
SerialNumber
Serial number of the device.
ServiceTag
Service tag of the device.
PurchaseDate
Purchase date in a ISO8601 format (i.e., yyyy-mm-dd).
JSON file examples
For a username and password credentials entry
For an RDP entry with linked username and password credentials
See also
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