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Open new window even if "multiple instances" false

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2004 3:19 am
by brodie
I work with Textpad in single window mode ("Allow multiple instances to run" == false) because I don't want large numbers of Textpad windows all over the place and I find the document selector very useful.

However, when working with a workspace, I don't want newly opened files to open in that workspace. I would love for a mode which is basically single window mode with a few differences.
  • allow a new instance of Textpad to be manually created (e.g. File->New Window).
  • when opening a file (e.g. double click in explorer), ignore any Textpad instances that have a workspace loaded and use the first instance with no workspace.
  • If all running instances have a workspace loaded, then start a new instance of Textpad
Regards,
Brodie

Edit: Does no-one else find the current behaviour frustrating? It's all or nothing, and considering the number of people that like the way Mozilla/Firebird works with the tabs and multiple windows, I would've thought that using the same metaphor would be a natural way for TextPad to work too.

Good idea!

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2004 10:08 am
by Jason Shallcross
I was just about to suggest it myself, but thought I'd better see if anyone else had suggested already.
The ability to create a new instance manually "File > New Instance" would be very useful (especially if like me you have a dual monitor system), and I doubt it would be a huge amount of work for the developers? Certainly not a very obtrusive change to the program.

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2004 8:45 pm
by CyberSlug
Just so you know, you can use the -m command-line parameter to start another instance, regardless of the setting for "Allow multiple instances".

I use "allow multiple files on the command line" with single window mode. I have TextPad entires on both my "Context Menu" and "Send To" menu--but I changed the sendTo menu shortcut so that its target is "C:\Program Files\TextPad\TextPad.exe" -m

Context Menu opens the selected file(s) in an existing window--but I'm not exactly sure how it determines which window to reuse
(To open files in a particular instance of TextPad, I just drag-and-drop them from Explorer.)
SendTo Menu opens the selected file(s) in a new window

But I really wish TextPad used your idea