Saving Preferences

[Bob Hansen]

I have submitted this answer a number of times in response to various questions about settings not being saved. Thought I should add it here as a tip:
==============================
Try this:

Before setting preferences, close all documents, workspaces.

Set your preferences

Close TextPad

Reopen TextPad, you should be all set.

[MudGuard]

A small addition:

Close all other instances of Textpad before you do as Bob Hansen says...

[drunik]

That's allright. BUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER a format disk and re-installation of TextPad ? You have to do it all from the begining, no?
USEFULL would have been if Prefererences could be saved as ONE FILE to keep (.ini or whatever), and after a re-installation of the program, you just put that file in the app dir and your previous pref are back again.
Such a thing could also be as an add-on to TextPad too, or embodied to a future Update.
If what I'm saying is already possible through some way, please, somebody tell me. THANX
Regards, Nikiforos.

[helios]

Information on how to transfer your personal configurations is available from the Help menu, as follows:

From the Help menu choose:

1. Help Topics
2. Contents
3. Plus sign next to "How to"
4. Plus sign next to "Customize settings"
5. Transferring between Pc's

[Xennon]

This procedure does not work 100%. I have followed it several times and it has always failed. In particular the file associations do not seem to register even though the entries are placed back in the registry I still have to go into TextPad and re-enter them manuall EVERY time. I use v4.7.3.

I agree with an earlier poster - what's wrong with employing a simple .ini file to store personal settings and preferences. Having to gather registry keys manually and to further collect other file fragments from other folders is tedious and in my opinion inefficient programming practices.

I wish more applications used INI files instead of the registry at least for keeping user preferences.

Information on how to transfer your personal configurations is available from the Help menu, as follows:

From the Help menu choose:

1. Help Topics
2. Contents
3. Plus sign next to "How to"
4. Plus sign next to "Customize settings"
5. Transferring between Pc's

[webber123456]

What's needed here is a script or macro that will backup/restore all the settings and files to/from a specified folder.

If there are any vbscript/macro experts out there this would be a great contribution to the community.

[Zyphrus]

what's really needed here is a TextPad version that doesn't use the registry to store its settings. After a power shortage caused a headcrash I cannot launch Windows anymore. I can access the hd and almost all files still work, but I have no idea how to access the old registry now. And frankly, I don't want to.

I never understood why programs have to clutter the whole place. Dear program, let me introduce you to your installation folder. This is your home. Stay there Do NOT put any files anywhere else, do not make registry entries, UNLESS it's unavoidable (e.g. to protect evaluation versions) or you've been specifically asked to do it.

TextPad is a fine example of how a program can fling data all over the place for no good reason. Registry entries, a subfolder in the my documents folder, apparently for the sole purpose of storing a 12 byte file containing the license ID. Programs like this are the reason Windows slows down over time to the point where a reinstall becomes the best option

[OnlyTextPad]

::EXPORT TEXTPAD SETTINGS
@echo off
REM This tool makes a complete backup of all your TextPad settings
REM in the Windows Registry.
REM The area of useage is quite wide. You can make custom "workspaces"
REM trough launching different .reg-files. Also, you may set the "prompt for parameters"
REM checkbox in textpad. Also, "Capture output" & "supress until..." sould be checked.
REM
REM In the "Parameters" textfield you can type in the deafult name for a
REM backup. ex: "texpad.reg" or "c:\textpad.reg"
REM
REM As the "initial folder" you can type in a default value, leave it blank or use $FileDir
REM © 2002 Rasmus Andersson [flajm.com / rasmusandersson.com]
REM ADDED DOUBLE EXPORT FOR CURRENT SETTINGS ALSO
REM Yordan Georgiev


REM Dim vars
set KEYPATH=HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Helios\TextPad 4
set BUFILENAME=tps__%date%.reg
set CurrentSettings =CurrentSettings.reg

REM check for errors
:DOCHECK
if "%BUFILENAME%"=="" goto :REPORTERROR


:DOBACKUP
REG EXPORT "%KEYPATH%" "%BUFILENAME%"
::BACKUP THE LATEST SETTINGS INTO SEPARATE FILE
REG EXPORT "%KEYPATH%" "%CurrentSettings%"
::CREATE A FOLDER FOR THE SYNTAX FILE
mkdir textpad_system
::NOW COPY ALL THE SYN FILES INTO
copy /y "C:\Program Files\TextPad 4\system\*.syn" "%cd%\textpad_system"

REM Report success
:SUCCESS
echo Registry backup of "%KEYPATH%"
echo successfully saved to "%BUFILENAME%"
goto :ENDBAT


REM reports an error
:REPORTERROR
echo You must specify an output filename for the
echo backup.
echo Example: c:\appbackup.reg, textpad.reg, \\computer\folder\backup.reg


REM Exits and quits
:ENDBAT
EXIT


::IMPORT_TEXTPAD_SETTINGS.cmd
:: SHOULD BE THE SAME NAME AS THE ONE IN BACK UP TEXTPAD BATCH
REM FILE IMPORT_TEXTPAD_SETTINGS.cmd
REM This tool makes a imports the backup of all your TextPad settings
REM in the Windows Registry.
REM COURTESY TO EXPORT VERSION OF
REM © 2002 Rasmus Andersson [flajm.com / rasmusandersson.com]
REM ADDED SIMPLE IMPORT
REM Yordan Georgiev

set CurrentSettings =CurrentSettings.reg
REG IMPORT "%CurrentSettings%"
copy /y "%cd%\textpad_system\*.syn" "C:\Program Files\TextPad 4\system"

[micotine]

Following worked for me:

1) Install textpad on C drive and change the settings to you want.
2) Once you are done copy following program in notepad and call it texxy.bat and save it on C:\ drive


REM These are minor changes to Andersson's program. Rasmus if you REM want to enforce copyright please let me know
REM © 2002 Rasmus Andersson [flajm.com / rasmusandersson.com]
REM Dim vars
set KEYPATH=HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Helios\TextPad 5
set BUFILENAME=tps__K.reg

REM check for errors
:DOCHECK
if "%BUFILENAME%"=="" goto :REPORTERROR

:DOBACKUP
REG EXPORT "%KEYPATH%" "%BUFILENAME%"

REM Report success
:SUCCESS
echo Registry backup of "%KEYPATH%"
echo successfully saved to "%BUFILENAME%"
goto :ENDBAT


REM reports an error
:REPORTERROR
echo You must specify an output filename for the
echo backup.
echo Example: c:\appbackup.reg, textpad.reg, \\computer\folder\backup.reg


REM Exits and quits
:ENDBAT




3) Run this program from cmdline. Click Start>Run. Type CMD in RUN box. On the next screen type Texxy.

This will create one file (tps__k.reg) and one directory.
4) Copy the file called tps__k.reg on your USB drive.
5) Now to make your textpad look the same on computer you need to run tps__mk.reg by either clicking on it or by cmd line.
6) Click yes on the two dialog boxes that appear.

Now your textpad would run just the same on that computer. You could automate the process by making of running tps__mk.reg and then textpad by making a.bat file as follows.

Save the following file on USB drive and click on it when you want to run textpad from USB.

@echo off

start /min E:\TextPadUtils\textpadd.cmd
start /min E:\textpad


In all these programs, I have hardcoded drives etc because that works best for me. It might not work best for you. Also note that you need access to registry to run tps__K.reg. I also do not backup the syntax files etc which you could copy to USB straightway. This program is hack of Andersson's solution.

[drefty]

Thanks for the contribution. This is probably a recurring question, so this should probably be in the FAQ.

[fundom]

With an accomplished software like TextPad, I just wonder there is no coder among developers who could embed this very simple, yet very crucial function of saving customized preferences in file form.

[CrisCia]

this also for TextPad 6 ??