Save Worksapce silently saves some session changes

[chrisjj]

Save Workspace can silently save such session changes as filter selection, yet there's no mention of this in the Help AFAICS. I suggest the Help be amended.

[Aaron]

Hello Chris,

Are you referring to the Display Filters, File Name Filters, or another Filter? The Display Filters do silently save if you change them in a saved session. This is independent of Saving a Workspace. Changing the Display Filter and then closing the session will save the currently selected Display Filter as part of the session.

If the Workspace points to the session, then it will use the session settings, same as loading the session from the Home screen. If the workspace points to a cloned session, then it's settings will load the settings at the time the clone was taken. You can see what is loaded by looking at the toolbar; if it shows the session name then it is loading the session.

Are you seeing different behavior or running into a different issue?

[chrisjj]

> Are you referring to the Display Filters, File Name
> Filters, or another Filter?

Display Filters.

> The Display Filters do silently save if you change them in a saved
> session.

Ah. Thanks. I find no mention of that in 12204 Help. And that makes the following most misleading:

The current display filter choice will be saved whenever you leave a session, unless that session is locked.

since this save occurs even when I don't leave a sesson.

I would prefer display filters to behave consistently with other session settings i.e. save only when the session is saved.

[Erik]

I would prefer display filters to behave consistently with other session settings i.e. save only when the session is saved.

To prevent these automatic saves, Lock your sessions.

[chrisjj]

Thanks for the workaround, but still I'd prefer consistent behaviour.

[Lutz]

I support chrisjj' request to save Display Filters ONLY when saving a saved session. Changing Display Filters should mark the session as changed ("*").

Greetings Lutz

[chrisjj]

OOI, are any other session settings autosaved?

[Aaron]

Hello,

A few of the other display items, such as column widths or the Ignore Unimportance toggle. The concept behind it is we did not want to prompt the user on Close if they clicked or touched *anything* in the session, but also wanted to save those things.

If the user does not want any of these items to change, the session can be protected and locked (and the user can still save changes using the Save Session As command).

Thanks for the suggestion, but the alternative proposed (marking it with *) would prompt the user to save the session upon closing if they clicked anything, which we are not going to do. If you are looking for the "locked" behavior to be the default state, that is a different suggestion. Is that what you are looking for?

[Erik]

Only settings that are editable from the "Session Settings" dialog are not auto-saved. Here is a list of auto-saved session settings:

All Sessions

• Display Filter
• Ignore Unimportant Differences

Folder Sessions

• Column Visibility
• Column Widths
• Sort (Column, Direction, Side)
• Always Show Folders, Compare Files and Folder Structure, Only Compare Files, Ignore Folder Structure

Text Sessions

• Show Context

Text Merge

• Ignore Same Changes
• Favor Left Changes, Favor Right Changes

Picture Compare

• Stretch to Same Size

[chrisjj]

> A few of the other display items, such as column widths
> or the Ignore Unimportance toggle.

Thanks.

> The concept behind it is we did not want to prompt the user on
> Close if they clicked or touched *anything* in the session, but
> also wanted to save those things.

ITYF the latter condition can be determined only when BC gets telepathic

> If the user does not want any of these items to change, the session
> can be protected and locked

I looked on the session tab and menus and found no such command. I can find Lock only if I open a Home tab. Is this intentional?

> Thanks for the suggestion, but the alternative proposed (marking it
> with *) would prompt the user to save the session upon closing if they
> clicked anything

Not if you made it an option. And surely you have no objection to that - it would be far less obtrusive than Lock.

> which we are not going to do.

Meanwhile at least 'fess up in the Help.

http://www.scootersoftware.com/help/..._sessions.html
"A named session can be locked to guard against accidental modifications."

... and non-accidental ones too.


> If you are looking for the "locked" behavior to be the default state,

Thnks but no. I think Lock is misconceived and deserves no further investment.

[chrisjj]

> Here is a list of auto-saved session settings:

Excellent. Thanks Erik.

Can I ask: why is this not in the Help?

[chrisjj]

Here is a list of auto-saved session settings:
..
Folder Sessions

• Column Visibility
• Column Widths
• Sort (Column, Direction, Side)
• Always Show Folders, Compare Files and Folder Structure, Only Compare Files, Ignore Folder Structure

I find pane folderpaths too. Is this by design?

[Erik]

I find pane folerpaths too.

Sorry, I don't understand this statement.

[chrisjj]

I find pane folderpaths (the path residing in the unlabelled combo box above each pane) to be auto-saved session settings too.

[Erik]

I assume you are referring to the left and right base folders/files.

They are not auto-saved. Changing them will cause a saved session to be considered modified and will prompt to save on close.

Going back to your original issue, let me explain which session settings are stored in workspaces.

• New and auto-saved sessions have all their settings stored.
• Named sessions only have their name stored. Each time the workspace is loaded, the currently saved settings for that named session will be used.
• Named sessions that have been changed (ex. base folder/file) have all their settings stored, just like a new session.
• Child sessions (file compares spawned from folder compares) store their base folders/files and a reference to their parent.