Add system-wide policies to disable update checks with UI indicators

[Copilot]

Changes proposed in this pull request

• Adds PolicyManager and PolicyInfo classes to load system-wide policies from config.json in the application directory
• System-wide policies override user settings when present
• Implements Update_DisableUpdateCheck option to disable update checks for all users on a machine
• Integrates into existing SettingsManager.Load() flow
• Includes config.json.example file as part of installation/default files with usage instructions
• Named PolicyManager/PolicyInfo to avoid naming conflicts with existing ConfigurationManager class
• UI automatically disables "Check for updates at startup" toggle when managed by system-wide policy
• Displays localized administrator message with shield icon when setting is policy-managed
• Fully supports internationalization via resource strings

Related issue(s)

Related to enterprise deployment requirements for centralized update control.

Copilot generated summary

Copilot summary

Implements a system-wide policy mechanism similar to Firefox's logprefs pattern. When config.json exists in the application directory with "Update_DisableUpdateCheck": true, all users on that machine will have update checks disabled regardless of their personal settings.

Architecture:

• PolicyManager.Load() runs before user settings load
• SettingsManager.ShouldCheckForUpdatesAtStartup property checks system-wide policies first, then falls back to user preference
• Classes named PolicyManager/PolicyInfo to avoid confusion with existing ConfigurationManager

User Experience:

• The config.json.example file is included in the installation directory with usage instructions
• When a policy is active, the update check toggle in Settings > Update is automatically disabled
• A localized warning message "This setting is managed by your administrator" appears with an orange shield icon
• Icon improves accessibility for users with color vision deficiencies

Usage:
Administrators can place a config.json file in the application installation directory:

{
  "Update_DisableUpdateCheck": true
}

Files Modified:

• New: PolicyInfo.cs, PolicyManager.cs - Policy model and loader
• Modified: SettingsManager.cs - Integrated policy loading, added precedence logic
• Modified: MainWindow.xaml.cs - Updated to respect system-wide policies
• Modified: SettingsUpdateViewModel.cs - Added policy detection property
• Modified: SettingsUpdateView.xaml - UI updates for policy-managed settings
• Modified: NETworkManager.csproj - Include config.json.example in build output
• Modified: Strings.resx, Strings.Designer.cs - Added localization string
• New: Documentation and example configuration file

To-Do

• Update documentation to reflect this changes
• Update changelog to reflect this changes

Contributing

By submitting this pull request, I confirm the following:

• I have read and understood the contributing guidelines and the code of conduct.
• I have have added my name, username or email to the contributors list or don't want to.
• The code or resource is compatible with the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Disable Update check for all users</issue_title>
<issue_description>Hi Team,

We are in testing process to deploy NETworkManager on multiple machines and need to disable auto update without user intervention.
Test environment is windows 11 virtual machines.

There is option to disable update during startup when we launch the application but that is user specific. Is there any way to disable autoupdate for all users like HKLM registry key,any file at program files or MSI parameter like AUTOUPDATE=0 which we can change, and this setting will be applicable for everyone who can login to that machine.</issue_description>

<agent_instructions>I want to implement something similar to the logpref feature from firefox. I config.json file in the app folder, that will disable the update check. It should be similar to the SettingsManager/SettingsInfo i already have implemented. The file should be loaded when loading the settingsmanager.</agent_instructions>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@BornToBeRoot Hi, is this currently not supported. There is currently no implementation to control settings via Registry, File, etc.

There is a feature request that my need a similar implementation via registry. #3208 #2787

For now this is just an update check and not an auto update. If you click on the update button... you will be redirected to the download page.</comment_new>

• Fixes Disable Update check for all users #3213

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[BornToBeRoot]

@copilot could the naming conflict with the existing ConfigurationManager?

[Copilot]

@copilot could the naming conflict with the existing ConfigurationManager?

Good catch! I've renamed ConfigManager to PolicyManager and ConfigInfo to PolicyInfo to avoid confusion with the existing ConfigurationManager. The new names better reflect that these are system-wide policies that override user settings. Fixed in commit 36e595c.

[BornToBeRoot]

@copilot

1. Make the example config part of the installation/default files
2. Can we disable the setting in the settingsmanager/view and show a note that it's managed by the administrator?

[Copilot]

@copilot

1. Make the example config part of the installation/default files
   ...

Both requests implemented:

1. config.json.example in installation (commit 506e6bf): The example file is now included in the NETworkManager.csproj and will be copied to the output directory during build. Added usage instructions directly in the file.

2. UI updates for policy-managed settings (commits 506e6bf, 1b12a86, 9ed5c23):

   • Toggle switch is automatically disabled when the setting is managed by policy
   • Added localized message "This setting is managed by your administrator" with shield icon (orange) that appears below the toggle
   • Icon improves accessibility for users with color vision deficiencies
   • Property IsUpdateCheckManagedByPolicy in ViewModel detects when policy is active

The UI clearly indicates to users when their update check setting is controlled by system policy.