.. meta::
   :description: Overview of how ThinLinc client configuration settings
                 are stored and managed on Linux, macOS, and Windows
                 systems, including file formats, directory locations,
                 and registry usage.

.. _clientconf:

Configuration storage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Linux and macOS clients uses a plain text format with key/value
pairs to store the configuration while the Windows client stores the
values in the Windows registry. For descriptions of all configuration
parameters, see :ref:`clientconf_params`.

Configuration file format
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Each parameter is written on one line, followed by an equal sign (``=``)
and the value of the parameter, as in the following example::

   SOUND_ENABLED = 0
   SERVER_NAME = tl.example.com

Alternative files
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

By using the command-line option :option:`-C`, additional configuration
files can be specified. Any name is accepted, but the file extension
:file:`.tlclient` is recommended. The Windows, Linux, and macOS packages
configure the system to automatically recognize such files as
configuration files for the ThinLinc client. Additionally, the Internet
Media Type :mimetype:`application/vnd.cendio.thinlinc.clientconf` is
linked to such configuration files.

Linux client configuration files
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The Linux client first reads the file
:file:`/opt/thinlinc/etc/tlclient.conf`, if it exists. It then reads the
file :file:`.thinlinc/tlclient.conf` in the user's home directory, and
the values there override the values from
:file:`/opt/thinlinc/etc/tlclient.conf`. This way, a system
administrator can set global defaults for client operations, while each
user can still customize the client to wanted behavior.

macOS client configuration files
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The macOS client first reads the file
:file:`/Library/Application Support/ThinLinc Client/tlclient.conf` if it
exists. It then reads the :file:`.thinlinc/tlclient.conf` in the user's
home directory, and the values there override the values from
:file:`/Library/Application Support/ThinLinc Client/tlclient.conf`. This
way, a system administrator can set global defaults for client
operations, while each user can still customize the client to wanted
behavior.

Windows client configuration
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

On Windows, the ThinLinc client reads its configuration from the
registry. All ThinLinc client data is stored under
``Software\Cendio\ThinLinc\tlclient`` in the HKLM and HKCU hives. The
parameter names are the same as for the Linux client.

The behavior of global and user-specific settings are identical to that
of the Linux client, where settings in HKLM correspond to
:file:`/opt/thinlinc/etc/tlclient.conf` and those in HKCU correspond to
:file:`.thinlinc/tlclient.conf`.