Save Session to disc file

[chrisjj]

I need a session that is a permanent part of a project to be saved in the folder of that project so e.g. it can go into source control and archive.

Though I see no direct support for this, is there a trick that will get me close?

Thanks.

[Ernie]

Can this session be scripted?

[chrisjj]

Can BC save a session as script?

If the user had to write the script it would be cumbersome - the session includes quite a few filters edited in the UI. And perhaps impossible since there are Excludes too.

[Aaron]

You can export your BC Settings, Sessions, File Formats, etc by using the Tools menu -> Export option. Later, you can import these settings. Include a copy of the setup executable to install from, or a Portable Install, if you would like to preserve a specific version of BC3.

[chrisjj]

> Later, you can import these settings. Include a copy of the setup executable to install from,
> or a Portable Install, if you would like to preserve a specific version of BC3.

Sounds like a Portable Install will be essential e.g. to avoid name clash on import sessions. In which case there seem no advantage to Export/Import, over leaving the session in the portable install.

Thanks.

[Aaron]

You would not run into a name clash if you import into a clean/new install of BC3. But that all depends on how you want to archive your work. If it were me, I'd use a combination of the Session Export and a BCSetup.exe or Portable install. I would not continue to use the Portable install, since the purpose is to archive; using it would create a lot of work maintaining several installs of BC3 (one for each project).

[chrisjj]

> You would not run into a name clash if you import into a clean/new
> install of BC3.

Agreed, but to avoid interfering with the programmer's 'home' BC install, that new install would have to be a Portable one, surely.

> But that all depends on how you want to archive your work. If it were me,
> I'd use a combination of the Session Export and a BCSetup.exe or Portable
> install. I would not continue to use the Portable install

OK... but can you explain how to use a BCsetup.exe for the project, without the above interference?

[Craig]

> OK... but can you explain how to use a BCsetup.exe for the project, without the above interference?

Move the sessions into a uniquely named/dated subfolder before exporting them.

How do you see something like this working, in the optimal case? The command line parameter you mentioned previously? Loading automatically if it finds a particular file? And if the latter, how do you see it finding the file?

[chrisjj]

> Move the sessions into a uniquely named/dated subfolder before exporting them.

And get the world to promise that name will stay unique :)

> How do you see something like this working, in the optimal case?

Thanks for asking!

Optimal: I save a session to a disc file in my project directory. When I want to reopen it, I double click that file and through an Explorer association, BC launches containing that session.

However I find my current requirement is a bit more demanding - the project has six sessions which I use in one window. My current manual workaround uses a workspace, which unfortunately closes any BC windows on other projects. So I guess teh ideal solution would be to save a window setup, but I accept this is outside BC's current user model.

> The command line parameter you mentioned previously?

That would be OK but ideally the BC command-line knows from the file extension.

> Loading automatically if it finds a particular file?

I don't understand that.