HRPro.config Settings

HRPro.config stores site-specific system parameters for the HR workspace, such as SQL Server connection details, security options, and session controls . Maintained locally at the customer’s site, it provides IT personnel with a central place to configure system behaviour and manage settings to meet the organization’s operational and security requirements.

Minimal HRPro.config settings

These settings specify how HRPro connects to its application database.

data source 

Specifies the SQL Server name and instance, or the server’s IP address and TCP port. 

Example using a named instance:

 <add key="data source" value="NUTECH-OFFICE\HRPRO2021"/>

Example using an IP address and TCP port:

 <add key="data source" value="tcp:192.168.0.1,1433"/>

In the second example, tcp: specifies the connection protocol, 192.168.0.1 is the server’s IP address, and 1433 is the TCP port. Replace these values with those used by your SQL Server.

initial catalog

Specifies the name of the HRPro application database on the SQL Server

<add key="initial catalog" value="YOUR_HRPRO_DATABASE"/>

user id

Specifies the SQL Server login account that HRPro uses to connect to the database. This is a database login, not an HRPro user account.

<add key="user id" value="YOUR_SQL_LOGIN"/>

password

Specifies the plain-text password for the SQL Server login account defined in user id.

<add key="password" value="YOUR_SQL_PASSWORD"/>

password encrypted

Specifies the encrypted password for the SQL Server login account defined in user id, as an alternative to storing the password in plain text.

<add key="password encrypted" value="YOUR_ENCRYPTED_SQL_PASSWORD"/>

Refer to the “How to enable SQL Server Password Encryption” guide for instructions on generating the encrypted password.

Important notes

• Replace all example values with your actual database connection details.

• Back up HRPro.config before making changes.

• Restrict access to the file to authorized IT personnel because it contains sensitive database connection information.

• If you change the SQL Server login password, update the corresponding password setting in HRPro.config.

Completed HRPro.config settings

You only need to include the keys you require in HRPro.config. If a key is missing, the system will use its default setting.

• AllowSimultaneouslyLogin: If set to true, the same User ID can log in to multiple devices/browsers simultaneously. It is not recommended, as it may produce unpredictable results if both devices or browsers operate the same function simultaneously. (Effective only if the database is licensed as a Company license or a Server license.)

• CompanyLogoURL: This is a URL, not a physical path. (e.g., if the value is \Mylogo.png, it usually refers to C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Mylogo.png).

• dbCommandTimeout: Specifies the maximum duration (in seconds) a database command can run before timing out. By default, this is set to 600 seconds (10 minutes). If a query or operation exceeds this limit, HRPro will raise a timeout exception, indicating that the command took too long to execute.

• dbConnectionTimeOut: Defines how long (in seconds) the system should wait while trying to establish a connection to the SQL Server before giving up and throwing an error.

• DisableDatabaseBackup: Hides the Database Backup option from the menu.

• DisableDatabaseCleanup: Hides the Database Cleanup option from the menu.

• DisableDatabaseMaintenance: Hides the Database Maintenance option from the menu.

• DisableDatabaseRestore: Hides the Database Restore option from the menu.

• DisableDatabaseUpdate: Hides the Database Update option from the menu.

• IsSingleCompanyLogin: If set to true, the company selection combo box during login will be disabled. See How to Enable Single Company Login?

• Login Notification Settings: Includes LoginNotificationSubject, LoginNotificationHeading, LoginNotificationStyle, LoginNotificationContent1, LoginNotificationContent2, and LoginNotificationClosing. These are used when Enable Login Email Notification in Personal Options is turned on.

• PDFReportUseFontFile: If set to true, it supports exporting a PDF with Chinese characters without needing Arial Unicode MS installed on the server. See wCommon Issues with HRPro PDF Reports and Fixes

• ReportColumnMaximumWidth: This specifies the number of characters in the column heading before it wraps in an Excel report. It controls how wide the column heading can be before it breaks into multiple lines.

• SessionTimeOut: Number of minutes before a session times out due to inactivity. The default is 600 minutes (10 hours). If the user does not refresh or request a page within this period, the session will end and return to the login page. This setting should work with "Idle Time-out (minutes)" in IIS Application Pool, Advanced Settings.

• SimultaneousLoginIdleMinutes: Number of minutes required to wait before the same User ID can log in to another device/browser if another logged-in session is inactive.

• SMTP Timeout: Sets the timeout duration for network streaming operations in milliseconds. This means it determines how long HRPro will wait for a response from the SMTP server before giving up and throwing a timeout exception. By default, HRPro will wait up to 10 seconds for a response before timing out.

• SMTP Send Wait: Defines the delay (in seconds) between sending each email (e.g., Pay Slip) to overcome the throttling limitations of some SMTP servers.

• SqlConnectionEncrypt: This setting enables SSL encryption for the connection between HRPro and SQL Server. When set to True, the client negotiates a TLS/SSL session with SQL Server so that traffic (login, queries, results) is encrypted on the wire. Ensure the issuing CA is trusted on the web server.

• SqlConnectionTrustServerCertificate: TrustServerCertificate controls whether the client verifies the server’s TLS certificate or simply accepts it without validation.  When set to True, the client skips validation of the server’s TLS certificate (hostname match, chain to a trusted CA, expiration, etc.) and still encrypts the channel. 

• UseSecureCookies: This option ensures that cookies are only sent over secure HTTPS connections, which utilize SSL/TLS protocols to encrypt the data being transmitted. This option is specifically applicable to SSL/TLS connections.

For database specific settings, you can put the database name in front of the Key and separated with a space, e.g 

<add key="dbHRPro CompanyLogoURL" ...>

Permission issues when saving HRPro.config

If you cannot save changes to HRPro.config because of insufficient permissions, open Notepad using Run as administrator:

1. Search for “Notepad” in the Windows Start menu.

2. Right-click Notepad and select “Run as administrator”.

3. Approve the permission prompt or enter administrator credentials if requested.

4. In Notepad, select “File > Open” and browse to HRPro.config (Usually C:\inetpub\wwwroot\HRWorkspace\HRPro.config). Select “All files (.)” if the file is not displayed.

5. Open the file, make your changes, and save it.

If you do not have the required permissions, contact your IT administrator.

Applying changes to HRPro.config

After updating HRPro.config, recycle the IIS application pool associated with HR Workspace to ensure the updated settings take effect. Restarting IIS or the server is not required. Schedule the recycle during a suitable maintenance period, as it may interrupt active user sessions.

To recycle the application pool:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

2. In the Connections pane, expand the server name and select “Application Pools”.

3. Select the application pool associated with the HR Workspace.

4. In the Actions pane, click “Recycle”.

Select “Recycle” to recycle the application pool immediately, not “Recycling…”, which opens the automatic recycling settings.