Deploying and licensing EndNote X8
As previously discussed, a number of folks in my shop use Clarivate Analytics’s EndNote bibliography software. Clarivate Analytics provides EndNote X8 with an installer application, but I need an installer package in order to easily deploy it to my customers. EndNote X8 was initially problematic in that regard, but I was able to write AutoPkg recipes for EndNote X8 to handle converting Clarivate Analytics’s installer application into a deployable installer package, including a recipe that would automate uploading the latest EndNote installers to my Casper server.
Once AutoPkg was able to provide an EndNote X8 installer package for deployment, the remaining hurdle was that the EndNote X8 installer from AutoPkg installs an unlicensed copy of EndNote and I needed to have installed copies of EndNote automatically use my shop’s EndNote site license.
Fortunately, EndNote X8’s volume license can be deployed just like EndNote X7’s volume license. The volume license is stored in as an invisible file named .license.dat in /Applications/EndNote X8 and it has a format that looks like this:
Company Name 1234567890 V2ZMQT6556P8WMH38MTQ6YSM8UXCCRYQ5MDS4WJGLKMP7RGSWECBCMT77556P8WCE8KMTQ6YSMNXJCCRYQ59MD9WJGLKMCSESSWECBCMB76556P8WCU3NMTQ6YSMLUYCCRYQ5MET8WJGLKMPSMJSWECBCM57F556P8WCU3CMTQ6YSM9DECCRYQ59XSCWJGLKMPNE9SWECBCMB79556P8WCH8KMTQ6YSMDXECCRYQ5MTSMWJGLKMPYRMSWECBCB7W7556P8W
Note: The Company Name part may show up twice in your .license.dat file.
With some additional testing, I found that I could remove an existing .license.dat file (if one was present) and replace it with my shop’s site license’s .license.dat file. That allowed me to use the EndNote X8 installer produced by AutoPkg by having Casper install it, then apply our site license file as a post-installation action. For more details, see below the jump.
For my post-installation licensing, I’ve developed a script that does the following:
- Checks for the presence of an existing .license.dat file in /Applications/EndNote X8.
- If an existing .license.dat file is found, it is removed from /Applications/EndNote X8.
- A new .license.dat file is created with the data from my shop’s .license.dat file and stored in /Applications/EndNote X8.
- The permissions on the new .license.dat file are changed so that it is read-write only by the license file’s owner. If this script is run with root privileges, the owner will be root.
The script is available below.
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#!/bin/bash | |
# The EndNote 8 site license is stored in /Applications/EndNote X8/.license.dat | |
# and has a format that looks like this: | |
# | |
# Company Name | |
# 1234567890 | |
# V2ZMQT6556P8WMH38MTQ6YSM8UXCCRYQ5MDS4WJGLKMP7RGSWECBCMT77556P8WCE8KMTQ6YSMNXJCCRYQ59MD9WJGLKMCSESSWECBCMB76556P8WCU3NMTQ6YSMLUYCCRYQ5MET8WJGLKMPSMJSWECBCM57F556P8WCU3CMTQ6YSM9DECCRYQ59XSCWJGLKMPNE9SWECBCMB79556P8WCH8KMTQ6YSMDXECCRYQ5MTSMWJGLKMPYRMSWECBCB7W7556P8W | |
# | |
# To use this script, copy what’s in your existing site license file to the "$endnote_license" value and add "\n" (no quotes) where you need line breaks. | |
# The current "$endnote_license" values correspond to the example above. | |
# | |
# Note: The "Company Name" value may show up twice in your .license.dat file. If it does, make sure to add it twice to the "$endnote_license" value | |
# or your license may not work properly with EndNote. | |
endnote_license="Company Name\n1234567890\nV2ZMQT6556P8WMH38MTQ6YSM8UXCCRYQ5MDS4WJGLKMP7RGSWECBCMT77556P8WCE8KMTQ6YSMNXJCCRYQ59MD9WJGLKMCSESSWECBCMB76556P8WCU3NMTQ6YSMLUYCCRYQ5MET8WJGLKMPSMJSWECBCM57F556P8WCU3CMTQ6YSM9DECCRYQ59XSCWJGLKMPNE9SWECBCMB79556P8WCH8KMTQ6YSMDXECCRYQ5MTSMWJGLKMPYRMSWECBCB7W7556P8W" | |
endnote_license_file="/Applications/EndNote X8/.license.dat" | |
if [[ -e "$endnote_license_file" ]]; then | |
rm -rf "$endnote_license_file" | |
fi | |
if [[ ! -e "$endnote_license_file" ]]; then | |
printf "$endnote_license" > "$endnote_license_file" | |
chmod 755 "$endnote_license_file" | |
fi | |
exit 0 |
The script is also available on Github at the following address:
Hi Rich,
Any thoughts about the “Cite While You Write” plugin? I installed Endnote X8, use Word 2106, installed the Plug-in by hand, but no luck. Run your script for Endnote X7.5 (https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/installing-endnote-x7-5s-cite-while-you-write-plug-ins-for-office-2008-2011-and-2016/) but still don’t have any Endnote toolbar in Word 2016.
I have an updated script for EndNote X8 available via the link below:
https://github.com/rtrouton/rtrouton_scripts/tree/master/rtrouton_scripts/endnote_plug-in_installation/endnote_x8_plug-in_installation
I did update your script manual a few days ago, but probably made a typo. Now by copying your script it works, thanks!
What if you can’t find an existing site license file?
This was great. Thanks Rich!
It didn’t work for me straight away though. I had to add \n before the company name and after the license for it to work in my case.
E.g. endnote_license=”\nCompany Name\n1234567890\nV2ZM….556P8W\n”
Versions used:
– EndNote X8.0.1
– macOS 10.12.6
See you at the next MacADUK! 🙂
Hello, i can confirm that the \n a the beginning is the solution.
Endnote 8.2
10.12.6
Deployed with munki
Versions used:
– EndNote X8.1 (bld 12930)
– macOS 10.13 Beta (17A363A)
Working with suggestion from Adam Hawkins you need to add \n behind the long number
FYI
greetings
Peter-Erik
Hi Rich, thanks for this. I have used this with previous versions of Endnote. I am currently packaging version 20.
In testing I had to input the Product key etc twice when installing manually.
If I run the script once Endnote 20 has installed. I still see the second window asking for Name, Origination & Product Key.
Any clues how to license the second window? Or is this where you referent to adding it again to the “$endnote_license” value? If so how would I separate the two entries?
Would it be a space or /n
Thanks in advance.
Hi, I had the same issue. I used a tool called Packages ( http://s.sudre.free.fr/Software/Packages/about.html) to create a PKG of my EndNote 20 installation and then I used Rich’s script pair in mind in my license file I had the company name written twice and I had to reflect it in the script
My script was like this,
#!/bin/bash
endnote_license=”Company Name\nCompany Name\n1234567890\nV2ZMQT6556P8WMH38MTQ6YSM8UXCCRYQ5MDS4WJGLKMP7RGSWECBCMT77556P8WCE8KMTQ6YSMNXJCCRYQ59MD9WJGLKMCSESSWECBCMB76556P8WCU3NMTQ6YSMLUYCCRYQ5MET8WJGLKMPSMJSWECBCM57F556P8WCU3CMTQ6YSM9DECCRYQ59XSCWJGLKMPNE9SWECBCMB79556P8WCH8KMTQ6YSMDXECCRYQ5MTSMWJGLKMPYRMSWECBCB7W7556P8W”
endnote_license_file=”/Applications/EndNote 20/.license.dat”
if [[ -e “$endnote_license_file” ]]; then
rm -rf “$endnote_license_file”
fi
if [[ ! -e “$endnote_license_file” ]]; then
printf “$endnote_license” > “$endnote_license_file”
chmod 755 “$endnote_license_file”
fi
exit 0
I ran the script as sudo and everything went just fine