Configuration cache workings

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  • ruud.goossens
    Visitor
    • Jul 2016
    • 3

    Configuration cache workings

    For our users we offer Beyond Compare 4.1.5 on Linux using a shared networked installation directory. This means that every user uses the same installation. I understand that Beyond Compare stores a personal configuration cache in ~/$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bcompare or ~/.config/bcompare.

    I would like to know how configurations settings are transmitted from the installation to a user's cache. For example what would happen if we change a default configuration option (e.g. indentation) in the installation? Would that get applied for all users as well or do they have to clean their personal configuration cache first?

    Similarly, what would happen if we upgrade the version of the application? Can Beyond Compare handle configuration changes for both minor and major version upgrades? What would happen with a user's personal configuration cache?
  • Aaron
    Team Scooter
    • Oct 2007
    • 15941

    #2
    Hello,

    All settings are stored in the User's config directory, so each individual user has their own set of "default" settings, and saved sessions. To update a default, it would still be editing an individual's settings files.

    And yes, updating BC4 to the next minor update is intended to work with user settings. For a Major update, we have an Import process to bring in applicable settings to the next version (by copying the old settings into a new bcompare3 or bcompare4 config folder, then the next major version uses bcompare with what can be imported).
    Aaron P Scooter Software

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    • ruud.goossens
      Visitor
      • Jul 2016
      • 3

      #3
      Hi Aaron, thanks for the fast reply.

      So if I understand correctly the default settings are once copied from the installation directory to the user's config directory if the user does not have a config directory yet. Afterwards, any configuration changes made in the installation directory will not automatically get applied to the user's configuration? This needs to be a manual action?

      Similarly for minor updates, these will not modify any of the settings stored in the user's config directory but rather apply existing settings?

      Only for major upgrades you mention there is a an import mechanism. What's unclear for me is whether this is an automatic or manual process?



      Basically what I'm looking for is if there is a mechanism to apply configuration changes to all our users of Beyond Compare. E.g. if the coding style would change and default indentation changes from 3 to 2 spaces. Is this possible?

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      • Aaron
        Team Scooter
        • Oct 2007
        • 15941

        #4
        Hello,

        Not quite. At first launch, the default settings aren't copied from anywhere. BC4 looks for the settings files and if it finds them it will load them, but if they aren't found then fresh ones are generated. So the initial 'copy' comes from BC generating the files, they aren't copied from anywhere.

        When the main executable is updated (minor updates), when it runs it looks to the settings directory and uses those settings.

        There is no mechanism to deploy a setting to all users, but their settings are plain .xml. It would be possible to manually parse and update their settings, or use the Tools menu -> Export and instruct them to Import the necessary files, or copy entire files. However, Import and Copying full .XML files would remove other customizations they have made for those files.
        Aaron P Scooter Software

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        • ruud.goossens
          Visitor
          • Jul 2016
          • 3

          #5
          Thanks for clarifying Aaron.

          I'll look into the possibility and user friendliness of some sort of a comparison of the personal XML to a fresh generated one and prompt the user for possible differences. Looks like a perfect job for BC

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