Deploying browser extensions for HP Workforce Experience Platform

New
  • Updated on May 7, 2025
  • Published on Apr 1, 2025
  • 5 minute(s) read
  • s
 Prev Next

Introduction

As more organizations shift from installed software to web applications, the need for better insights into web application usage has increased. Workforce Experience Platform offers its browser extensions to get insights into the usage of web applications on browsers, offering IT administrators deeper visibility and control to make data driven decisions.

Currently, Workforce Experience Platform browser extensions are available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers.

This article provides a step-by-step guide for:

  1. Installing and deploying Workforce Experience Platform browser extensions in:

    1. Adding Workforce Experience Platform browser extensions manually to existing browser extension force-installation policy.

    2. Adding Workforce Experience Platform browser extensions by using Group Policy

  2. Verifying Installation

  3. Removing or Disabling the Extension

  4. Troubleshooting

Target Audience

  • Primary audience:

    • IT administrators and support personnel who set up and manage the platform (All roles).

    • HP Partners who use the platform to manage their customers.

    • Internal and external developers who integrate with the platform.

  • Secondary audience:

    • Decision-makers, such as Product Managers, Sales team, and C-suite executives.

Prerequisites

For Chrome-based browser extension, ensure the following version are used:

  • HP Insights Analytics package version must be 4.2.2435.0 and onwards.

  • HP Insights Analytics plugin version:

    • SaaSDataAggregator Catalog must be 1.0.318.1 and above.

    • SaaSHost Catalog must be 1.0.105.0 and above.

  • For devices in Ring, the minimum plugin package version must be 1.0.12.0 and above.

In the Workforce Experience Platform, enable the Web Application Configuration toggle available in Settings page> Preferences tab > Application Score section. To track usage, at least one URL must be whitelisted.

If the extension needs to be installed by IT Admins, it should be deployed via GPO.

Extension uninstall for remote happens via uninstall of client or explicitly turning off extension.

Deployment Methods

The browser extensions for Workforce Experience Platform are available at

  • Google Chrome browser: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/hp-workforce-experience-p/gnbbpfafoelcnpgeiljdeancnfjidghp

  • These are not listed for public search, as they require devices enrolled in Workforce Experience Platform. HP offers three different ways to deploy these extensions:

  • Adding Workforce Experience Platform browser extensions manually to existing browser extension force-installation policy: in case there is any existing browser extension force-installation, Workforce Experience Platform won’t create another browser extension policy since it could conflict with the existing policy. IT Administrator should add the following extension IDs to your fleet’s browser extension policy manually.

    • For Google Chrome browser: gnbbpfafoelcnpgeiljdeancnfjidghp

  • Adding Workforce Experience Platform browser extensions by using Group Policy: If force-installation of browser extension is disabled by other policies, IT Administrators can deploy the extension using a Group Policy Object (GPO).

For GPO deployment for Google Chrome browser, follow these steps:

  1. Download the policy files:

    1. Download the ADML file from HP Workforce Experience Software and place it in {FQDN}SYSVOL\{Domain_Name}\PolicyDefinitions\en-US\chrome.adml.

      1. Section: HP Insights -> HP insights Windows Application -> Download Browser Extention Policy File for Chrome

    2. Download the ADMX file from HP Workforce Experience Software and place it in {FQDN}SYSVOL\{Domain_Name}\PolicyDefinitions\chrome.admx.

      1. Section: HP Insights -> HP insights Windows Application -> Download Browser Extention Policy File for Chrome

  2. Create a new Group Policy Object (GPO):

    1. Open Group Policy Management.

    2. Go to Group Policy Management > Domains > {domain name} > Group Policy Objects.

    3. Right-click Group Policy Objects, select New. A New GPO dialog box is displayed.

    4. In the New GPO dialog box, enter the following details:

      1. Name: HP-Web-App-Google-Chrome-Extension (or any name of choice)

      2. Source Starter GPO: (none)

    5. Click Ok.

  3. Associating the group policy object (GPO) to device groups:

    1. On the server, launch Group Policy Management. A dialog box titled Group Policy Management is displayed.

    2. In the Group Policy Management dialog box, click Group Policy Management > {forest name} > Domains > {domain name} > Group Policy Objects.

      1. Double-click the HP-Web-App-Google-Chrome-Extension to open the GPO.

    3. Go to the Security Filtering section:

      1. Remove a User Group by selecting the User Groups and clicking Remove.

      2. Click Add. A dialog box is displayed titled Select User, Computer, or Group.

      3. In the Select User, Computer, or Group dialog box, click Object Types. A dialog box is displayed titled Object Types.

        1. In the Object Types dialog box, select only Computers.

        2. Click OK.

        3. In the Select User, Computer, or Group dialog box, click Advanced.

        4. Click Find Now to search for all Device Groups and click OK.

        5. Repeat this step for all Device Groups as needed

        6. Click OK in the Select User, Computer, or Group dialog box.

  4. In the Group Policy Management dialog box, go to Group Policy Management > {forest name} > Domains > {domain name}.

    1. Right-click on the {domain name} and select Link an Existing GPO from the dropdown.

    2. In the Select GPO dialog box, select the newly created Group Policy Object HP-Web-App-Google-Chrome-Extension and click OK.

  5. In the Group Policy Management dialog box, go to Group Policy Management > {forest name} > Domains -> {domain name} > Group Policy Objects, select and right-click the newly created GPO HP-Web-App-Google-Chrome-Extension and click Edit.

    1. In the Group Policy Management Editor dialog box, go to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the central store > Google Chrome (it is automatically retrieved from the ADML/ADMX files)

    2. Expand it and go to Extensions.

      1. In the right pane, right click Configure the list of force-installed apps and extensions.

      2. Click Edit.

      3. Click Enabled radio button.

      4. Click Show Contents button below.

      5. Fill the value - https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx

      6. Click OK.

      7. Click Apply and then click OK.

    3. Close the Group Policy Management Editor.

  6. In the Group Policy Management dialog box, go to Group Policy Management > {forest name} > Domains -> {domain name} > Group Policy Objects, select and right-click the newly created Group Policy Object HP-Web-App-Google-Chrome-Extension and click Enforced.

For additional information, refer topic Use a Microsoft Active Directory (AD) Group Policy (GPO) to deploy extension.

Note: If the ADML and ADMX files are not saved to the correct locations, then the policy will not appear in the Active Directory Group Policy Object (GPO).

Verify Installation

For Google Chrome browser:

  1. Open Google Chrome and go to chrome://extensions/.

  2. Confirm that the extension appears with the label Managed by your organization.

  3. Restart Chrome to complete the installation.

Removing or Disabling the Extension

  • Using HP Workforce Experience Platform: To uninstall the extension across all devices managed under WXP, remove all web application URLs from the settings page of the WXP portal. If installation type is Remote, the extension will be automatically uninstalled from all enrolled devices [

  • Using GPO: If the extension was deployed via GPO, it will remain installed even if no web application URLs are configured. To remove the extension, the GPO policy must be modified or deleted explicitly by the IT Administrator.

  • For Google Chrome: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist

Using Group Policy (GPO)

For Google Chrome

If the extension was deployed via GPO, disable it using these steps:

  • Click Group Policy Management > Domains > {domain name}.

  • Locate HP-Web-App-Google-Chrome-Extension, right-click it, and select Edit.

  • Clear the Link Enabled checkbox to prevent the policy from enforcing the extension installation.

  • Apply the changes and restart Chrome on affected devices to reflect the update.

Troubleshooting

  1. Extension does not install:

    1. Confirm that the extension ID and update URL are correctly configured.

    2. Run gpresult /r to check if the correct Group Policy settings are applied.

    3. Ensure that Chrome policies are updated by running chrome://policy/ in the browser.

    4. Restart Chrome and the device to apply any pending policies.

  2. Registry issues:

    1. Verify that the registry entry exists at the correct path.

    2. Ensure there are no typos or missing characters in the registry key.

    3. Restart the device after making registry changes to apply updates.

    4. If the issue persists, check Windows Event Logs for related errors.

Related Resources

For additional information, refer to the following articles:

Contact Us

For any assistance, create a support case or email [email protected].

Related articles