firefox-cck2-gpo

Adds group policy (GPO) support (via registry) to Mike Kaply's Firefox CCK2 customization wizard [1] [2]. Includes group policy template ADMX/ADML files.

This enhancement to CCK2 works by reading group policy settings from all the the registry key values under 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox' and merging them into the CCK2 configuration environment. Included are group policy template ADMX/ADML files. Adding new settings is as simple as creating an equivalent 'cck.config.SETTINGNAME' registry value (or edit the ADMX/ADML files with those settings) that matches the same 'SETTINGNAME' inside of CCK2's "config" object variable. Any 'cck.config.SETTINGNAME' defined via the GPO (or manually added to the above registry key) should override any locally defined 'SETTINGNAME' within the CCK2's 'cck2.cfg' file.

Note: If you need to add any settings that are nested into their own object variable (has member/child values), you need to modify the GPO template files to support them. For example, say you need to be able to manage the "network" settings section via a GPO in the following example:

var config = {
  "root_setting1": "root_value_1",
  "root_setting2": "root_value_2",
  "network": {
      "proxyHTTP": "proxyHTTP_value1",
      "locked": true,
      "network_settingN": "network_valueN"
  }
  "root_settingN": "root_value_N"
}

To support the CCK2-equivalent of the "network" settings above, edit the GPO template files to add a new "cck.config.network" policy with the following value:

    JSON:{"proxyHTTP":"proxyHTTP_value1","locked":true,"network_settingN":"network_valueN"}

The existing policies for "cck.config.permissions" and "cck.config.preferences" behave this way. You can edit the GPO template files and clone one of these into your own new "cck.config.network" policy.

Installation instructions

Install CCK2 into Firefox

1. Install Mike Kaply's CCK2 extension (https://mike.kaply.com/cck2/) into Firefox. Configure a few test settings in the CCK2 extension GUI interface and "install it" by following its documentation. After this is done, you should end up with a 'cck2.cfg' file in your Mozilla Firefox program files folder. Relaunching Firefox should result in those few test settings being applied.

Add group policy support into CCK2

2. In your Firefox program files folder (ex: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox) create a 'cck-import-gpo' subfolder and copy 'cck-import-gpo.jsm' into it. This is the module that extends CCK2 by reading registry settings defined via group policy settings and applying them into the CCK2.

3. Included in this repository is a sample 'cck2.cfg' file. To make use of the GPO module from step 2, copy lines 115-140 (the indented lines) from this sample 'cck2.cfg' file into your own 'cck2.cfg' file generated from step 1. You'll need to add them right ABOVE your last line containing "CCK2.init(...".

Create group policy settings

4. Copy the GPO template files into your local system or AD. For example, to experiment with local group policy settings, add 'Firefox-CCK.admx' into your "%WINDIR%\PolicyDefinitions" folder and copy 'Firefox-CCK.adml' into this folder's 'en-us' subfolder.

5. Create a new AD group policy or edit your local group policy (run gpedit.msc) with custom Firefox settings. The settings are found under Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Mozilla | Firefox. Basic settings descriptions are provided. For more details on specific settings, you'll need to run the CCK2 wizard and read the notes provided within the GUI.

cheers,

Scott