TextPad 5.1.
XP SP3
I want TextPad to open identically on two user profiles (say, open user B as if it were user A).
I have copied the Helios and TextPad folders from user A Application Data folder to that for user B, and also, for good measure, to All Users.
I have created a workspace in user A and opened it in user B.
I have exported the registry settings in user A and imported again when logged on as user B.
Everything opens identically except for the preferences. The macros menu in user A does not show in user B. Default word wrap in user A is not set in user B. And a host of other default settings.
How can I get total uniformity between user profiles?
Different user profiles
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shaqmeister
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 12:50 pm
Different user profiles
Hi Ken
I don't know if you've got this sorted yet, but it something I've been looking into recently too. Some while ago I'd 'backed up' a TextPad setup for possible use on other machines, only to find that I had clearly not transferred everything.
What I was missing (TextPad 5) was some crucial configuration data in folder under my user profile. I'm using Vista, and the path will be different for you on XP, but on my machine the location is:
C:\Users\{Me}\AppData\Roaming\Helios\TextPad\5.0\
In here you'll find several files including any keybinding, modified clip library files, but most importantly a file called config.xml. This file is loaded when TextPad starts and is written back when it is closed, and stores a lot of the settings for your current configuration.
I have changed a lot of my folder settings to make things simpler, but when I opened Configure | Preferences | Folders, this is where most of the default paths pointed, so you should be able to locate where this goes on an XP machine quite easily.
This is actually quite an interesting file, and with caution (and having backed it up first) I have managed to make some pretty useful modifications to the environment by editing this file (not in TextPad itself, of course, because it gets overwritten when you close). It takes a little understanding, but here you can edit the tooltips for menus, set the text that appears in the status bar when you hover over tools, even add new menu's and stuff (some of which you can do in TextPad itself, of course, but I like to do things the hard way!). I'm currently using TextPad to program in C# and I've got a 'Build' menu and a 'Run' menu, mirroring what you might expect in other programming environments. I've also been able to create tool bars with drop-down items on them, allowing useful grouping and reducing the clutter of toolbars on my low-screen-res lappy. I've even got a menu drop down with links to websites that I use regularly as references for coding.
As far as the 'build', 'run', 'CVS' menus are concerned, it seems to be necessary to set these up by modifying config.xml (unless I'm missing something), because it doesn't seem possible to drop toolbars onto menus from with TextPad, although they can be added through a config hack.
Anyway, I've wandered a little, but have a look where this folder is on your machine, and I'm hoping this, together with what you've got already, should give you everything for a full profile transfer. (You will of course also need to think about the paths to any user-defined tools in the .reg export. These will need to be on the destination machine also to function properly.)
Happy hunting!
I don't know if you've got this sorted yet, but it something I've been looking into recently too. Some while ago I'd 'backed up' a TextPad setup for possible use on other machines, only to find that I had clearly not transferred everything.
What I was missing (TextPad 5) was some crucial configuration data in folder under my user profile. I'm using Vista, and the path will be different for you on XP, but on my machine the location is:
C:\Users\{Me}\AppData\Roaming\Helios\TextPad\5.0\
In here you'll find several files including any keybinding, modified clip library files, but most importantly a file called config.xml. This file is loaded when TextPad starts and is written back when it is closed, and stores a lot of the settings for your current configuration.
I have changed a lot of my folder settings to make things simpler, but when I opened Configure | Preferences | Folders, this is where most of the default paths pointed, so you should be able to locate where this goes on an XP machine quite easily.
This is actually quite an interesting file, and with caution (and having backed it up first) I have managed to make some pretty useful modifications to the environment by editing this file (not in TextPad itself, of course, because it gets overwritten when you close). It takes a little understanding, but here you can edit the tooltips for menus, set the text that appears in the status bar when you hover over tools, even add new menu's and stuff (some of which you can do in TextPad itself, of course, but I like to do things the hard way!). I'm currently using TextPad to program in C# and I've got a 'Build' menu and a 'Run' menu, mirroring what you might expect in other programming environments. I've also been able to create tool bars with drop-down items on them, allowing useful grouping and reducing the clutter of toolbars on my low-screen-res lappy. I've even got a menu drop down with links to websites that I use regularly as references for coding.
As far as the 'build', 'run', 'CVS' menus are concerned, it seems to be necessary to set these up by modifying config.xml (unless I'm missing something), because it doesn't seem possible to drop toolbars onto menus from with TextPad, although they can be added through a config hack.
Anyway, I've wandered a little, but have a look where this folder is on your machine, and I'm hoping this, together with what you've got already, should give you everything for a full profile transfer. (You will of course also need to think about the paths to any user-defined tools in the .reg export. These will need to be on the destination machine also to function properly.)
Happy hunting!
-
shaqmeister
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 12:50 pm
Hi Ken
Do any of the user preferences get transferred? Say, the tool bar setup, menu's, tools, that kind of thing? One thing to be aware of is that the config file is loaded by TextPad on startup and then written back when you close it down. If there is any problem at all - say the settings in config.xml don't match exactly what is imported into the registry settings - then the file is ignored and default settings loaded. Then, when you close TextPad, config.xml gets overwritten with these defaults.
Of course, be sure that TextPad is not open when you transfer the folder/files across, because it will simply overwrite it when you close.
You might want to look at where the folder paths are set in the original installation "Configure | Preferences | Folders ..." and see if these match what you have in the destination, because that is where things like your custom macros will be looked for.
It is a difficult problem migrating set-ups. If you do manage it successfully, it might be worth putting a sticky up here, if that's allowed.
Do any of the user preferences get transferred? Say, the tool bar setup, menu's, tools, that kind of thing? One thing to be aware of is that the config file is loaded by TextPad on startup and then written back when you close it down. If there is any problem at all - say the settings in config.xml don't match exactly what is imported into the registry settings - then the file is ignored and default settings loaded. Then, when you close TextPad, config.xml gets overwritten with these defaults.
Of course, be sure that TextPad is not open when you transfer the folder/files across, because it will simply overwrite it when you close.
You might want to look at where the folder paths are set in the original installation "Configure | Preferences | Folders ..." and see if these match what you have in the destination, because that is where things like your custom macros will be looked for.
It is a difficult problem migrating set-ups. If you do manage it successfully, it might be worth putting a sticky up here, if that's allowed.
Still no joy.
The interface opens identically in both profiles. What is not happening is that the preferences set when TextPad is open as user A - so that's macros, tools, document classes...anything that can be set in preferences - do not apply when it is opened as user B.
I have copied the entire Helios folder from C:\Documents and Settings\User A\Application Data to C:\Documents and Settings\User B\Application Data.
The folder settings in each profile point to their appropriate profile folders. So I have changed them in user B to point to the user A folders. So opening in the user B profile points TextPad to the Clip Library, Custom Shortcuts, Macros, Startup, Syntax and User dictionaries for user A.
But user B still opens without the customisation set for user A.
Let me add a further clarification here. When I say the macros are not available, I am meaning that they do not show in the keyboard macros list. The macros themselves are present - so TextPad is reading the macro list in either profile A or B (as they are now the same). But none are assigned to keyboard shortcuts, or appear in the macros drop down menu.
I have a customised syntax file for text files in profile A. But in profile B I am still seeing text.syn. And other changes to configuration settings are also not coming across, such as default word wrap.
The interface opens identically in both profiles. What is not happening is that the preferences set when TextPad is open as user A - so that's macros, tools, document classes...anything that can be set in preferences - do not apply when it is opened as user B.
I have copied the entire Helios folder from C:\Documents and Settings\User A\Application Data to C:\Documents and Settings\User B\Application Data.
The folder settings in each profile point to their appropriate profile folders. So I have changed them in user B to point to the user A folders. So opening in the user B profile points TextPad to the Clip Library, Custom Shortcuts, Macros, Startup, Syntax and User dictionaries for user A.
But user B still opens without the customisation set for user A.
Let me add a further clarification here. When I say the macros are not available, I am meaning that they do not show in the keyboard macros list. The macros themselves are present - so TextPad is reading the macro list in either profile A or B (as they are now the same). But none are assigned to keyboard shortcuts, or appear in the macros drop down menu.
I have a customised syntax file for text files in profile A. But in profile B I am still seeing text.syn. And other changes to configuration settings are also not coming across, such as default word wrap.