Auto UnCheck Extensions

[User35489]

Hi,

We have limited licenses for Spatial Analyst. Users who forget to Un Check after using, consumes and engages this license un knowingly.

Is there anyway to un check extensions on Arc Map startup?

Regards

Abdullah Saleh

[JayantaPoddar]

A very much needed functionality. I can see a thread in ArcGIS Ideas

https://community.esri.com/ideas/4395​

I suggest you give it a "Vote Up" to promote it.

[OrenGabay]

You can try OpenLM, an ESRI partner that provides this functionality: OpenLM LTD - Esri Partner Directory

Oren

[User35489]

Did anyone get a chance to try Open iT for Software Asset Management & IT Chargeback  with ArcGIS?

[PhilipNelson]

Hi,

  We have been using OpenLM license management software for many years with great success.

It allows one click access to see all available licenses for ArcMap and Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst.

It also enables disconnection of unused licenses and more importantly for us it has a customizable reporting function to audit licence use.

It is not expensive and the technical support is excellent.

Philip C Nelson GIS Manager Bord na Móna Ireland

[BrendanFord]

Abdullah:  The solution you want is OpenLM.  What their software will do is actually uncheck the extension licenses at the time a user closes Arcmap.  I have used this product for about 4 years in Fairfax County.  Here is a link to a presentation I gave at the Esri Mid Atlantic Users Group conference on managing licenses. http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/muc15/papers/muc_13.pdf

I also use this product exclusively for tracking metrics and have produced much better reports lately than the ones that are referenced in the presentation.

As to your issue.  OpenLM has about 4 major components to it.  One of them is a client you can install on every users machine.  We have a hybrid stand-along/Citrix implementation and once I installed the client on Citrix my issue of Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst licenses always being taken up pretty much resolved itself.  I am progressing to install the client on stand alone boxes.

I'm happy to share with you more about how we use this product if you wish.  My email is Brendan.ford@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Brendan

[FreddieGibson]

Abdullah,

If you have any developers available or are familiar with ArcObjects you could implement an application extension to enable or disable the extension when users open or close the Map Document. I wrote up a quick proof of concept below. You could use this to start your extension.

protected override void OnStartup()
{
    ArcMap.Events.NewDocument += Events_Document;
    ArcMap.Events.OpenDocument += Events_Document;
}


void Events_Document()
{
    var extMgr = ArcMap.Application as IExtensionManager;
    var extensions = new[] { "Spatial Analyst", "3D Analyst", "Tracking Analyst" };


    foreach (var name in extensions)
    {
        var ext = extMgr.FindExtension(name);
        var extcfg = ext as IExtensionConfig;
        System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(string.Format("{0} Extension is {1}", name, extcfg.State == esriExtensionState.esriESEnabled == true ? "ENABLED" : "DISABLED"));


        extcfg.State = esriExtensionState.esriESDisabled;
    }
}

[XanderBakker]

Just remember that when you implement a solution that shuts down extensions on startup or shutdown, in some cases this will create problems. An example is having a map document with several layers based on mosaic dataset and processing templates that use raster chain functions that require Spatial Analyst. Those layer will appear as invalid layers (no matter if you switch SA on after the document is loaded) and you will have remove the layers and add them again.

In an ideal world users would switch off the extensions when they don't need them anymore, but I know that this is not realistic (and I speak from experience).