Views:

Apex One supports the use of Windows system variables in the definition of scan exclusions. For a full list of recognized system variables in Windows, please refer to the Microsoft article: Recognized Environment Variables.

The following limitations apply to the use of system variables in the definition of scan exclusions:

  • The use of system variables is only supported for excluding folders from being scanned, not for excluding particular files. In other words, it is possible to use %WINDIR%\test to exlude the C:\Windows\test folder from being scanned. However, using %WINDIR%\test\file.exe to exclude file.exe in this folder is not supported.
  • Excluding the users' Appdata folder from being scanned with the variables %APPDATA% or %ALLUSERSAPPDATA% is not supported.
  • Please note that this does not apply to exceptions for behavior monitoring.

Below are all the supported/unsupported variables in Apex One:

VariableSupported?Description
ALLUSERSAPPDATANoSame as CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA
ALLUSERSPROFILEYesRefers to %PROFILESFOLDER%\Public or %PROFILESFOLDER%\all users
COMMONPROGRAMFILESYesSame as CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES_COMMON.
COMMONPROGRAMFILES(X86)YesRefers to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files folder on 64-bit systems.
CSIDL_COMMON_ADMINTOOLSNoVersion 5.0. The file system directory containing administrative tools for all users of the computer.
CSIDL_COMMON_ALTSTARTUPNoThe file system directory that corresponds to the nonlocalized Startup program group for all users.
CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATANoVersion 5.0. The file system directory containing application data for all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data.
CSIDL_COMMON_DESKTOPDIRECTORYNoThe file system directory that contains files and folders that appear on the desktop for all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop.
CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTSNoThe file system directory that contains documents that are common to all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents.
CSIDL_COMMON_FAVORITESNoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for favorite items common to all users.
CSIDL_COMMON_MUSICNoVersion 6.0. The file system directory that serves as a repository for music files common to all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Music.
CSIDL_COMMON_PICTURESNoVersion 6.0. The file system directory that serves as a repository for image files common to all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Pictures.
CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMSNoThe file system directory that contains the directories for the common program groups that appear on the Start menu for all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs.
CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENUNoThe file system directory that contains the programs and folders that appear on the Start menu for all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu.
CSIDL_COMMON_STARTUPNoThe file system directory that contains the programs that appear in the Startup folder for all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.
CSIDL_COMMON_TEMPLATESNoThe file system directory that contains the templates that are available to all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Templates.
CSIDL_COMMON_VIDEONoVersion 6.0. The file system directory that serves as a repository for video files common to all users. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Videos.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_APPDATANoRefers to the Appdata folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_LOCAL_APPDATANoRefers to the local Appdata folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_COOKIESNoRefers to the Cookies folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_CONTACTSNoRefers to the Contacts folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_DESKTOPNoRefers to the Desktop folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_DOWNLOADSNoRefers to the Downloads folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_FAVORITESNoRefers to the Favorites folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_HISTORYNoRefers to the History folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_INTERNET_CACHENoRefers to the Internet Cache folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_PERSONALNoRefers to the Personal folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_MYDOCUMENTSNoRefers to the My Documents folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_MYPICTURESNoRefers to the My Pictures folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_MYMUSICNoRefers to the My Music folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_MYVIDEONoRefers to the My Videos folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_RECENTNoRefers to the Recent folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_SENDTONoRefers to the Send To folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_STARTMENUNoRefers to the Start Menu folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_PROGRAMSNoRefers to the Programs folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_STARTUPNoRefers to the Startup folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_TEMPLATESNoRefers to the Templates folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_DEFAULT_QUICKLAUNCHNoRefers to the Quick Launch folder inside %DEFAULTUSERPROFILE%.
CSIDL_FONTSNoA virtual folder containing fonts. A typical path is C:\Windows\Fonts.
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILESX86NoThe Program Files folder on 64-bit systems. A typical path is C:\Program Files(86).
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES_COMMONX86NoA folder for components that are shared across applications on 64-bit systems. A typical path is C:\Program Files(86)\Common.
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILESNoVersion 5.0. The Program Files folder. A typical path is C:\Program Files.
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES_COMMONNoVersion 5.0. A folder for components that are shared across applications. A typical path is C:\Program Files\Common. Valid only for computers running Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Not valid for Windows Millennium Edition.
CSIDL_RESOURCESNoFor computers running Windows Vista, the file system directory that contains resource data. A typical path is C:\Windows\Resources.
CSIDL_SYSTEMNoVersion 5.0. The Windows System folder. A typical path is C:\Windows\System32.
CSIDL_WINDOWSNoVersion 5.0. The Windows directory or SYSROOT. This corresponds to the %WINDIR% or %SYSTEMROOT% environment variables. A typical path is C:\Windows.
DEFAULTUSERPROFILENoRefers to the value in HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\ProfileList [DefaultUserProfile].
PROFILESFOLDERNoRefers to the value in HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\ProfileList [ProfilesDirectory].
PROGRAMFILESYesSame as CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES.
PROGRAMFILES(X86)YesRefers to the C:\Program Files (x86) folder on 64-bit systems.
SYSTEMNoRefers to %WINDIR%\system32.
SYSTEM16NoRefers to %WINDIR%\system.
SYSTEM32NoRefers to %WINDIR%\system32.
SYSTEMPROFILENoRefers to the value in HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\ProfileList\\S-1-5-18 [ProfileImagePath].
SYSTEMROOTYesRefers to the root of the system drive.
WINDIRYesRefers to the Windows folder located on the system drive.
VariableSupported?Description
APPDATANoSame as CSIDL_APPDATA.
CSIDL_ADMINTOOLSNoThe file system directory that is used to store administrative tools for an individual user. The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) will save customized consoles to this directory, and it will roam with the user.
CSIDL_ALTSTARTUPNoThe file system directory that corresponds to the user's nonlocalized Startup program group.
CSIDL_APPDATANoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for application-specific data. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data. This CSIDL is supported by the redistributable Shfolder.dll for systems that do not have the Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 integrated shell installed.
CSIDL_BITBUCKETNoThe virtual folder containing the objects in the user's Recycle Bin.
CSIDL_CDBURN_AREANoThe file system directory acting as a staging area for files waiting to be written to CD. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning.
CSIDL_CONNECTIONSNoThe virtual folder representing Network Connections, containing network and dial-up connections.
CSIDL_CONTACTSNoOn computers running Windows Vista, this refers to the Contacts folder in %CSIDL_PROFILE%.
CSIDL_CONTROLSNoThe virtual folder containing icons for the Control Panel applications.
CSIDL_COOKIESNoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for Internet cookies. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Cookies.
CSIDL_DESKTOPNoThe virtual folder representing the Windows desktop, the root of the namespace.
CSIDL_DESKTOPDIRECTORYNoThe file system directory used to physically store file objects on the desktop (which should not be confused with the desktop folder itself). A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop.
CSIDL_DRIVESNoThe virtual folder representing My Computer, containing everything on the local computer: storage devices, printers, and Control Panel. The folder may also contain mapped network drives.
CSIDL_FAVORITESNoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for the user's favorite items. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Favorites.
CSIDL_HISTORYNoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for Internet history items.
CSIDL_INTERNETNoA virtual folder for Internet Explorer (icon on desktop).
CSIDL_INTERNET_CACHENoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for temporary Internet files. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files.
CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATANoThe file system directory that serves as a data repository for local (nonroaming) applications. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data.
CSIDL_MYDOCUMENTSNoThe virtual folder representing the My Documents desktop item.
CSIDL_MYMUSICNoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for music files. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\My Music.
CSIDL_MYPICTURESNoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for image files. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Pictures.
CSIDL_MYVIDEONoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for video files. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Videos.
CSIDL_NETHOODNoA file system directory containing the link objects that may exist in the My Network Places virtual folder. It is not the same as CSIDL_NETWORK, which represents the network namespace root. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\NetHood.
CSIDL_NETWORKNoA virtual folder representing My Network Places, the root of the network namespace hierarchy.
CSIDL_PERSONALNoVersion 6.0. The virtual folder representing the My Documents desktop item. This is equivalent to CSIDL_MYDOCUMENTS. Previous to Version 6.0. The file system directory used to physically store a user's common repository of documents. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents. This should be distinguished from the virtual My Documents folder in the namespace. To access that virtual folder, use SHGetFolderLocation, which returns the ITEMIDLIST for the virtual location, or refer to the technique described in Managing the File System.
CSIDL_PLAYLISTSNoFor computers running Windows Vista, the virtual folder used to store play albums, typically username\My Music\Playlists.
CSIDL_PRINTERSNoThe virtual folder containing installed printers.
CSIDL_PRINTHOODNoThe file system directory that contains the link objects that can exist in the Printers virtual folder. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\PrintHood.
CSIDL_PROFILENoThe user's profile folder. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username. Applications should not create files or folders at this level; they should put their data under the locations referred to by CSIDL_APPDATA or CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA.
CSIDL_PROGRAMSNoThe file system directory that contains the user's program groups (which are themselves file system directories). A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs.
CSIDL_RECENTNoThe file system directory that contains shortcuts to the user's most recently used documents. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Recent Documents. To create a shortcut in this folder, use SHAddToRecentDocs. In addition to creating the shortcut, this function updates the shell's list of recent documents and adds the shortcut to the My Recent Documents submenu of the Start menu.
CSIDL_SENDTONoThe file system directory that contains Send To menu items. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\SendTo.
CSIDL_STARTMENUNoThe file system directory containing Start menu items. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu.
CSIDL_STARTUPNoThe file system directory that corresponds to the user's Startup program group. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.
CSIDL_TEMPLATESNoThe file system directory that serves as a common repository for document templates. A typical path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Templates.
HOMEPATHNoSame as %USERPROFILE%.
TEMPNoThe temporary folder on the computer. For Windows XP, a typical path is %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp. For Windows Vista, a typical path is %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp.
TMPNoThe temporary folder on the computer. For Windows XP, a typical path is %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp. For Windows Vista,, a typical path is %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp.
USERPROFILENoSame as CSIDL_PROFILE.
USERSIDNoRepresents the current user account security identifier (SID). For example, S-1-5-21-1714567821-1326601894-715345443-1026.

For more information about setting scan exclusions and the use of wildcards, please refer to the Online Help.