getmusicbee.com

Support => Questions => Topic started by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 03:57:45 AM

Title: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 03:57:45 AM
I just installed MB portable so that I can take some new screenshots for the wiki.  MB 2.5 ran with default settings as I expected.  When I ran 3.0 for this first time from the portable folder, though, it imported all the settings from my regular installation instead of using the portable settings.  Is there some way I can keep it from doing this?
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: redwing on February 24, 2016, 04:59:13 AM
Try deleting all contents in the v3 settings file and relaunch v3.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 05:02:13 AM
I deleted the whole folder and reinstalled from scratch, and it still happened.  I don't want to delete my personal settings; the portable installation shouldn't be using them anyway.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: redwing on February 24, 2016, 05:14:35 AM
I meant the new portable v3 settings file after it's created.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 05:19:37 AM
That's the thing, it didn't create one.  It uses the existing one in my AppData folder, instead of creating a new one based on the 2.5 portable settings.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: redwing on February 24, 2016, 05:26:22 AM
You mean in the portable AppData folder there's only 2.5 settings file? If so, that doesn't make sense.
I also noticed portable v3 one time created appdata folder under users folder even though I have no regular installation.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 05:36:36 AM
You mean in the portable AppData folder there's only 2.5 settings file? If so, that doesn't make sense.

Yeah, that's exactly what I mean.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Steven on February 24, 2016, 07:31:56 AM
it looks for settings in this order:
- portable appdata folder: AppData\MusicBee3Settings.ini
- windows appdata folder: c:\users\<your id>\AppData\Roaming\MusicBee\MusicBee3Settings.ini
- portable appdata folder: AppData\MusicBee3Settings.bak
- windows appdata folder: c:\users\<your id>\AppData\Roaming\MusicBee\MusicBee3Settings.bak
then the 2.5 files
- portable appdata folder: AppData\MusicBeeSettings.ini
- windows appdata folder: c:\users\<your id>\AppData\Roaming\MusicBee\MusicBeeSettings.ini
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 02:23:59 PM
Maybe I can hide the app data folder from it temporarily.  But will that stick once I put it back?

Is there any way you can set it to use settings from the folder it's in first, and look outside as a last resort?  Or give the user the option, if there are multiple locations?

I realize this isn't a very common use-case, but mb has never had trouble handling multiple installations separately before.

Relative to your list, this would change:

- appdata subfolder of where the musicbee3.exe is located: AppData\MusicBee3Settings.ini
- appdata subfolder of where the musicbee3.exe is located: AppData\MusicBee3Settings.bak
- appdata subfolder of where the musicbee3.exe is located: AppData\MusicBeeSettings.ini
- windows appdata folder: c:\users\<your id>\AppData\Roaming\MusicBee\MusicBee3Settings.ini
- windows appdata folder: c:\users\<your id>\AppData\Roaming\MusicBee\MusicBee3Settings.bak
- windows appdata folder: c:\users\<your id>\AppData\Roaming\MusicBee\MusicBeeSettings.ini
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: redwing on February 24, 2016, 03:50:32 PM
For a portable installation, I think it should only look for
- appdata subfolder of where the musicbee3.exe is located: AppData\MusicBee3Settings.ini
- appdata subfolder of where the musicbee3.exe is located: AppData\MusicBee3Settings.bak
- appdata subfolder of where the musicbee3.exe is located: AppData\MusicBeeSettings.ini

and if none, it should create a default settings file: AppData\MusicBee3Settings.ini
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: boroda on February 24, 2016, 07:16:41 PM
i think there is no stored setting if mb is portable or not. simply speaking if mb finds AppData folder in mb folder then mb is considered to be portable. more detailed description is given by Steven.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Steven on February 24, 2016, 07:26:19 PM
Maybe I can hide the app data folder from it temporarily.  But will that stick once I put it back?

Is there any way you can set it to use settings from the folder it's in first, and look outside as a last resort?  Or give the user the option, if there are multiple locations?

I realize this isn't a very common use-case, but mb has never had trouble handling multiple installations separately before.
just so i am clear, which of those would MB be loading?
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 09:55:00 PM
I'm not sure I understand the question.  But what I think redwing and boroda74 are saying, which I agree with, is that if the MusicBee3.exe finds an AppData folder in the folder it is run from, then it should use those settings files exclusively, ignoring the User/AppData folder.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Steven on February 24, 2016, 10:24:21 PM
I'm not sure I understand the question.  But what I think redwing and boroda74 are saying, which I agree with, is that if the MusicBee3.exe finds an AppData folder in the folder it is run from, then it should use those settings files exclusively, ignoring the User/AppData folder.
i am asking that you check each of those folders in the order listed and see if it has the file. I am expecting you have something in the windows appdata folder which can be deleted or renamed without affecting other portable instances.
I may make the suggested change but not promising
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 24, 2016, 10:26:16 PM
I am expecting you have something in the windows appdata folder which can be deleted or renamed without affecting other portable instances.
I may make the suggested change but not promising

Yes, I have the files for my regular, not portable installation in my User\AppData folder.  I can move those temporarily while the portable version gets running.  Once I have done that, will replacing those files cause the portable version to revert to those settings instead of its own again?
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Steven on February 24, 2016, 10:28:22 PM
i see. You can rename them back again as the new portable instance will have created its own default ini file and MB will then use that
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Steven on February 25, 2016, 07:35:23 AM
for the record i am going to change it so the settings files searched for are restricted for portable installs
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Orion on February 25, 2016, 12:37:22 PM
I'm also interested, Steven. As, for now, there are no way to configure two completely different displays and browsing interfaces, I would like to use a "normal" version and a portable one to have access to two ways of browsing files (one for all my music, one just for classical music).

Could you alert us when the change is effective and explain how to set it up ?

Thank you very much for your commitment !
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 25, 2016, 02:25:32 PM
I think the goal of this change is that if you apply 3.0 to a portable installation, you don't have to do anything special.  So there shouldn't be any special instructions, just add the files to the folder as usual.
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Orion on February 25, 2016, 11:19:00 PM
It works, now ! Perfect ! (except that one can't open both 3.0 version and 3.0 portable at the same time, but it doesn't realy matter)
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: psychoadept on February 25, 2016, 11:23:38 PM
It works, now ! Perfect ! (except that one can't open both 3.0 version and 3.0 portable at the same time, but it doesn't realy matter)

If you really want to open both at the same time for whatever reason (I often want to take screenshots of the default while using my own library in the other), you can use Sandboxie.  http://www.sandboxie.com/
Title: Re: 3.0 portable
Post by: Orion on February 26, 2016, 08:25:05 AM
Thanks for the advice.