# Configure the UiPath Remote Plugin for custom remote applications

> Configure the UiPath Remote Plugin to generate native selectors over RDP connections handled by custom remote applications.

## Overview

With the Extension for Windows Remote Desktop you can natively generate selectors over RDP connections handled by custom remote applications that use the Microsoft RDP ActiveX control.

For example, when a custom application opens the Calculator application from the server, the selector is:

`<wnd app='customapp.exe' cls='RAIL_WINDOW' title='Calculator (Remote)' />`

After completing the steps described below, the selector becomes:

`<wnd app='win32calc.exe' cls='CalcFrame' isremoteapp='1' title='Calculator' />`

This allows you to automate the remote application.

## Install the UiPath Microsoft Remote Desktop and Apps extension

1. First, follow the steps described in [Extension for Microsoft Remote Desktop and Apps](https://docs.uipath.com/studio/standalone/2023.10/user-guide/extension-for-windows-remote-desktop#extension-for-microsoft-remote-desktop-and-apps) to install the extension.
2. The extension updates the `Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns` registry from either:

   * `LocalMachine` - if the extension was installed for the entire system
   * `CurrentUser` - if the extension was installed for a single user
3. Check the Registry Editor to make sure the extension changed the registry. This is how it should look like:

   ![docs image](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/studio/standalone-docs-image-169421-f82923ca.webp)

## Update the PluginsDLLs configuration in your custom application

1. Get a reference to the [PluginDLLs](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/termserv/imstscadvancedsettings-plugindlls) configuration.
2. Get the UiPath Extension for Windows Remote Desktop DLLs paths from the `Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns` registry key's **Name** subkey, from either:

   * `LocalMachine` - if the extension was installed for the entire system
   * `CurrentUser` - if the extension was installed for a single user
3. Build a comma-separated string with the DLL paths obtained in the above step.
4. Update the PluginDLLs configuration with the newly computed string.

See Microsoft’s Remote Desktop ActiveX control [documentation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/termserv/remote-desktop-activex-control) for more details.

In the code snippet below you can see an example of how to set the PluginDLLs configuration with values read from the registry:

```
…
// Setting the PluginDlls configuration
mstscActiveX.AdvancedSettings7.PluginDlls = GetInstalledPluginDlls();
…
// Getting the DLL paths from the Registry
private string GetInstalledPluginDlls()
{
    List<string> pluginDllsPerMachine = GetInstalledPluginDllsFromKey(Registry.LocalMachine);
    List<string> pluginDllsPerUser = GetInstalledPluginDllsFromKey(Registry.CurrentUser);
    
    var allPlugins = pluginDllsPerMachine.Concat(pluginDllsPerUser).ToList();
    return string.Join(",", allPlugins);
}
private List<string> GetInstalledPluginDllsFromKey(RegistryKey key)
{
    List<string> pluginDlls = new List<string>();
    try
    {
        using var regAddIns = key.OpenSubKey(@"Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns", false);
        if (regAddIns != null)
        {
            foreach (var regAddIn in regAddIns.GetSubKeyNames())
            {
                using var regAddin = regAddIns.OpenSubKey(regAddIn, false);
                var addInName = regAddin.GetValue("Name");
                if (addInName != null && addInName.ToString().ToLower().EndsWith(".dll"))
                {
                    pluginDlls.Add(addInName.ToString());
                }
            }
        }
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
    }
    return pluginDlls;
}
```

:::note
To generate native selectors over RDP connections, you also need to deploy the UiPath Remote Runtime component on the Remote Desktop machine, as explained in [About UiPath Remote Runtime](https://docs.uipath.com/studio/standalone/2023.10/user-guide/about-uipath-remote-runtime#uipath-remote-runtime). The `UiPathRemoteRuntime.msi` installer can be downloaded from: 
* **Product Downloads** in the [UiPath Customer Portal](https://customerportal.uipath.com/product-downloads?q=UiPath%20Remote%20Runtime) 
* **Resource Center** in the [UiPath Automation Cloud](https://cloud.uipath.com/). To access **Resource Center**, log in to your Automation Cloud Organization and click the **Help** button on the navigation bar.
:::