(Dev build) Config file not interpreted

Found a bug or something that needs fixing?
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Nojevah
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2024 3:50 am

(Dev build) Config file not interpreted

Post by Nojevah »

Last working build: 2544 (12 Jan 2025)
Last tested build: 2604

After this build, config file is not correctly read at start. I mean window size is reset to a default one (Width="1152"), the same for toolbar personalisation.
Also if possible, it would be nice to have an entry in the config file to disable Frequent Locations.
alruma
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2024 5:14 am

Re: (Dev build) Config file not interpreted

Post by alruma »

I have the same problem with window size. After restart, the window size is reset to a small default value.
tarfed
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2024 1:41 am

Re: (Dev build) Config file not interpreted

Post by tarfed »

Same problem with E++ version 1.5.0.2656 dev
It seems related to the new config section 'On Startup'.
Steps to reproduce:
- start with a clean registry (no HKCU\...\Explorer++)
- start E++, set portable mode, close E++
- start E++, customize toolbars, close E++
- start E++ (it is still customized), change from 'Load previous tabs' to 'Load default folder', close E++
- start E++, customizations are reset
David Erceg
Site Admin
Posts: 949
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:46 am

Re: (Dev build) Config file not interpreted

Post by David Erceg »

This behavior is semi-intentional. Currently, there's a command line flag that allows multiple top-level windows to be shown (like multiple windows can be opened in a web browser). That flag will likely be enabled by default at some point in the future.

The issue is that if there are multiple windows open and the "Load default folder" option is selected, only a single window will be opened when Explorer++ is next started. The question then is which window details should that window use? As a concrete example, if there are 3 windows open in different sizes and positions and Explorer++ is restarted, which of the original 3 windows should be used to position/size the single window that's shown when Explorer++ restarts?

While I do think the behavior as it is now is a bit confusing, given that there's only a single window shown, the code to load/save/restore multiple windows is in place already. So, there isn't really a way of fixing this without deciding what happens when there are multiple windows. There are a few potential options:
  • When starting Explorer++, if there was only one window that was saved from the previous session, use the details of that window to create the new window. That fixes the current case, though it means that if there are multiple windows, the size/position/layout will be reset back to default when using the "Load default folder" option or "Open a set of folders" option.
  • If there were multiple window open in the last session, use the details of the last active window to create the new window.
  • Keep the current behavior as-is. I mentioned above that this is semi-intentional. The reason for that is that Explorer++ only restores the previous windows if you select the "Load previous tabs" option. If you select one of the other options, you're opting to not restore the previous windows, in which case, Explorer++ creates a new window in the default size and position, with the default layout.
Nojevah
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2024 3:50 am

Re: (Dev build) Config file not interpreted

Post by Nojevah »

I'm not sure to understand everything, FWIU it looks like there are several problems/subjects. Here is my opinion:

Window size (and position ?) should be fixed and defined in options, with ability to choose size (and position ?) in pixels.
User could change the size by dragging borders manually, but when opening new window, the size should be the one fixed size defined in options.
For now, the only way to have the desired window size is to use "Load previous tabs", but that's not what I want, I really want the default folder (only).

For other problems with multi windows, I don't really have recommendations. I let users using this mode answer this.
Last edited by Nojevah on Sun May 25, 2025 4:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
tarfed
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2024 1:41 am

Re: (Dev build) Config file not interpreted

Post by tarfed »

I see your point and really appreciate your developments.
I guess that if someone chooses 'Load default folder' instead of 'Load previous tabs', they probably want to start Explorer++ with only one tab (the default new tab folder) with the settings defined in 'Default settings', but toolbars and other settings like size and position should be preserved. I think the last active window would be the most sensible choice, like in Chrome or Firefox when you have multiple windows.
I admit that the case of 'Open a set of folders' could be more complex, but I think that even in this case keeping the settings of the last active window is better than resetting everything completely.
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