Deploy Outlook Signature Using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM).
This article will walk you through creating and deploying Outlook email signature templates to devices within your organization. Organizations can use this approach to deploy Outlook signatures as if they were deploying a standard application using SCCM.
We will use the WPSecure Personalization Packager to create silent installers containing the Outlook signature templates. To download and install the packager, click on the DOWNLOAD button at the top right corner of the page.
Although not within the scope of this article, WPSecure Personalization Packager can create silent installation packages for desktop backgrounds, Outlook signatures, video screensavers, and lockscreen images. Click on the link below if you would rather read an article that includes all the personalization above items.
Outlook Signatures are of 3 types.
- HTM Signature: Most popular. Hyper Text Markup Language files.
- RTF Signature: Rich Text File.
- TXT Signature: A standard text file.
HTM and RTF files can be created using ‘Microsoft Office Word‘. The TXT file can be made using a standard text editor like ‘Notepad‘.
There are two types of Microsoft Outlook signatures: a ‘New message’ signature and a ‘Reply message’ signature. The total file size of each Outlook signature and its assets cannot exceed 10 MB, and we recommend keeping the number of characters for each HTM file below 25,000.
New message signature: A new message signature is used when composing a new Microsoft Outlook message. It should include a ‘wpsecure_new.htm’ HTML file and optionally include a ‘wpsecure_new.txt’ file, a ‘wpsecure_new.rtf’ file, and an optional ‘wpsecure_new_files’ directory that contains resource files like images, CSS, etc.
Reply message signature: A reply message signature is used when replying to an email message. It should include a ‘wpsecure_reply.htm’ HTML file and optionally include a ‘wpsecure_reply.txt’ file, a ‘wpsecure_reply.rtf’ file, and an optional ‘wpsecure_reply_files’ directory that contains resource files like images, CSS, etc.
Place holders for user attributes
Use placeholders like {{az_displayname}}, {{az_mobilephone}}, or {{az_jobtitle}} in the ‘wpsecure_new.htm’,‘wpsecure_new.rtf’, ‘wpsecure_new.txt’, ‘wpsecure_reply.htm’, ‘wpsecure_reply.rtf’, and ‘wpsecure_reply.txt’ files to automatically load user-specific data at runtime. The WPSecure Outlook signature engine replaces the placeholders with the information in the registry corresponding to each placeholder.
Side note: Follow the instructions here to facilitate the draw-down of User attributes that will replace the placeholders. Click here.
!! We recommend creating a ‘Text’ file containing all required placeholders. Never type the placeholders directly into the tools that create the HTM or RTF files; always copy and paste them from the ‘Text’ file into those tools. !!
Outlook signature in HTM format
Multiple ways exist to create an HTM file (an HTML file with an HTM extension). The most basic but fairly effective tool for creating an HTM signature is Microsoft Word.
Design your content in Microsoft Word and save the file as an HTM file.
Replace the relevant user attributes with placeholders from the placeholder text file.
Important:
- Right-click and copy the placeholder from a text file
- Point-click on the place where we want to paste the content
- Paste the placeholders to the right spot.
- Please do not edit the placeholders after pasting them.
Finally, save the signature as an HTM file. Repeat for ‘New’ and ‘Reply’ message signatures.
Outlook signature in RTF format
Follow the instructions as written for creating an Outlook Signature in an HTM format. Save the file in an RTF format. Replace the relevant user attributes with placeholders from the placeholder text file. Do this for ‘New’ and ‘Reply’ message signatures.
Important:
- Right-click and copy the placeholder from a text file
- Point-click on the place where we want to paste the content
- Paste the placeholders to the right spot.
- Please do not edit the placeholders after pasting them.
Open the RTF file in Notepad and verify if the placeholders are intact. Check for spaces and new-line characters. Search for the placeholders (without the curly brackets). If you cannot find them, something has gone wrong.
You will find a ‘\’ before each curly bracket ‘\{‘ and the entire string, including the curly brackets, will be in the same line.
Example: \{\{az_companyname\}\}}
Outlook signature TXT format
Creating an Outlook Signature in a TXT format is straightforward. Use Microsoft Notepad to create your template. Do this for ‘New’ and ‘Reply’ message signatures.
Creating the Personalization Package.
Before you read this article, download and install the Windows Personalization Packager by clicking on the “Download” button in the top right corner of this screen.
Open the Personalization Packager from the start menu. After installing the Packager, you will see two items on the start menu.
- WPSecure personalization Packager.
- WPSecure Campaign Manager.
Open the Personalization Packager from the start menu. After installing the Packager, you will see two items on the start menu.
Click on the item called “WPSecure Personalization Packager.” Doing so will open the Packager in full-screen mode. Click the button at the bottom to agree to the terms and enter the application.
You will land on the following page. The buttons on the application’s top help the user add the following items.
- Add one or more Desktop background images (Not covered in this article)
- Add two Lock screen images, one for Landscape and optionally another for Portrait Screens. (Not covered in this article)
- Import a “New message” Signature and a “Reply message” Outlook signature.
- Add MP4 video file for Windows Screensaver. You can add a video for Landscape screens and a video for Portrait screens. (Not covered in this article)
After adding the new message and reply message signatures, the application window will look similar to the one below. You can preview the items by clicking on them.
After adding the necessary Personalization items, click the “Create Personalization Package” button to start the package creation process.
After adding the necessary Personalization items, click the “Create Personalization Package” button to start the package creation process.
Use this button to export the personalization package to a folder. A personalization package is a collection of all the settings and files you have imported or created for your desktop backgrounds, Outlook signatures, and screensavers. The selected destination folder has to be empty. The personalization package creation process creates two folders: general_install and intune_install.
The general_install folder contains installation files for deployment via enterprise software management tools like Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM). Run the ‘wpsecure-install.exe’ to install the personalization package. More details regarding the enterprise installation and uninstallation process are in the ‘documentation.html’ file.
The intune_install folder contains the ‘wpsecure-install.intunewin’ file to be uploaded to the Microsoft Endpoint Device Management portal (Intune). The command-line for this is identical to the general install.
The process also creates a ‘documentation.html’ file that provides all the information required to deploy the personalization package, like package version, install command line, uninstall command line, and detection methods.
This article will only discuss deployment via Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM). The source files are located inside the “general_install” folder.
The ‘documentation.html’ file provides all the information required to deploy the personalization package, like package version, install command line, uninstall command line, and detection methods.
Open the SCCM console and start a new Application creation process. Fill out the required information in the SCCM Application using the above information.
Create a new deployment type. Clicking the ‘Add’ button will open a new Window.
Click Next to close the ‘deployment type’ Window.
Click Next and complete the process. Distribute the Windows Personalization package to the required distribution points.
Remember that you can install up to 5 personalization packages on each device. Use the WPSecure campaign manager to schedule each deployed personalization package’s start, stop, and priority.
To summarize, you can add the following items to the package.
- Add one or more Desktop background images for landscape and portrait screens. While you are not required to add images for all possible screen resolutions, the more extensive the collection of image sizes is, the better the user experience will be.
- Add two Lock screen images, one for Landscape and optionally another for Portrait Screens.
- Import a “New message” Signature and a “Reply message” Outlook signature.
- Add MP4 video file for Windows Screensaver. You can add a video for Landscape screens and a video for Portrait screens.
Click here to read more about the Windows Personalization Packager.
