Easy way to handle multiple installations

[Lefteous]

Using the program on very different computers and environments is still really cumbersome:

- Some settings should be in sync
- Some settings belong to a certain computer/environment
- Same is true for plugins and addons

I would suggest a cloud-based solution (TC Premium ) where I can select which stuff to synchronize automatically based on good defaults.

[Horst.Epp]

I used a portable installation for years on several different computers.
With the help of section redirections and environment variables
set from batch before start I always had only set of settings and plugins.

[Lefteous]

2Horst.Epp

I used a portable installation for years on several different computers.
With the help of section redirections and environment variables
set from batch before start I always had only set of settings and plugins.

Well that's what I ment with cumbersome. Exactly what I don't want. Running around with an USB stick and start batch files is really 00s.

[milo1012]

Some settings should be in sync

Isn't that a problem with most programs?
Some solve it by using a network server, which provides global or profiled settings for all installations,
but I think this is too much to ask for a program like TC.

I'd vote for some "export and import base settings" function from inside TC,
where a settings file (preferably not some plain copy of the main ini files) can be exported and imported.
But for that the Achilles heel is the "RedirectSection" feature.

Some settings belong to a certain computer/environment

Which are?
The only ones I see are the drives list for the automatic refresh, and maybe the Thumbnail cache location.

Same is true for plugins and addons

Almost every plug-in uses a different config mechanism on it's own, so at the end of the day we still have to copy those things manually.
I experimented with VMware ThinApp some time ago, where you can create a sandbox for every user.
It worked quite well for the base use, but at the end some plug-in settings were interfering with it.
I think there is no way to make those settings portable in every case, until we get new plug-in interfaces which will enforce to use TC's suggested settings location/file.

I would suggest a cloud-based solution

Yeah sure, I let TC connect to the cloud every time I start it.
Sorry, but the last think I'd want is some arbitrary cloud connection.
I already have enough programs which use it, although there is absolutely no need for it.

[Lefteous]

2milo1012

Isn't that a problem with most programs?

For desktop programs yes, on mobile platforms it's quite embarrassing for an app to handle settings just locally.

I'd vote for some "export and import base settings" function from inside TC,
where a settings file (preferably not some plain copy of the main ini files) can be exported and imported.
But for that the Achilles heel is the "RedirectSection" feature.

In my experience just being able to export and import doesn't quite work. It leads to working with old settings when you forgot to update them - tedious.

Which are?
The only ones I see are the drives list for the automatic refresh, and maybe the Thumbnail cache location.

Think about the favorites folders menu. You might not use the same menu at home where you don't have that company network drive. Or you have a different folder structure, other projects and so on.

Almost every plug-in uses a different config mechanism on it's own, so at the end of the day we still have to copy those things manually.
I experimented with VMware ThinApp some time ago, where you can create a sandbox for every user.
It worked quite well for the base use, but at the end some plug-in settings were interfering with it.
I think there is no way to make those settings portable in every case, until we get new plug-in interfaces which will enforce to use TC's suggested settings location/file.

You are right. That's really a problem. I agree that something must be done about the location in the plugin APIs. The flexibility the plugins have isn't just because the default location suggested by TC is in most cases a bad choice but because the plugins and the users need the flexbility.
So I would suggest a new API where the plugin returns it's (setting) file names to TC. This would not break compatibility and also make other stuff easier - like plugin uninstallation.

Yeah sure, I let TC connect to the cloud every time I start it.
Sorry, but the last think I'd want is some arbitrary cloud connection.
I already have enough programs which use it, although there is absolutely no need for it.

I think the most prominent example on desktops is Mozilla Firefox. Cloud-syncing tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history, add-ons and settings is so straightforward there that I don't want to miss it. And this is for very different platforms and devices.

[milo1012]

In my experience just being able to export and import doesn't quite work. It leads to working with old settings when you forgot to update them - tedious.

Well, it still helps when it comes to porting the base settings.
And with base settings I mean TC behavior and interface settings, not counting personal settings like path/search/type/MRT history and the Ctrl+D or Starter menu.
What I find really annoying with TC is that Ini hacking, when creating a new installation or copying one, where I need to look through the Ini file manually every time.
Sure, I help myself with "RedirectSection" and bundling certain groups of settings, but it's still annoying.
Having a simple import/export settings function shouldn't be too complicated.

Think about the favorites folders menu. You might not use the same menu at home where you don't have that company network drive. Or you have a different folder structure, other projects and so on.

I'm not sure if I understand the demand.
Where would you draw the line?
Having all your Ctrl+D and drive settings synced to some cloud, but the new environment neither has the drives nor paths you saved there.
So what should TC do in case of a sync? Skip/dismiss those entries? Trying to find the targets anyway if user requests it? What about nested or sub-entries (move them or skip all together)?

I think the most prominent example on desktops is Mozilla Firefox. Cloud-syncing tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history, add-ons and settings is so straightforward there that I don't want to miss it. And this is for very different platforms and devices.

Of course it can work in a program like Firefox, because it doesn't need to handle all sorts of customizable paths and commands all over the place.
That's why I said "base settings" for TC.

Basically everything besides most entries in the "[Configuration]", "[Layout]" and maybe the "[Colors]" section can be highly customized,
making it almost impossible to port to a different environment (and we didn't even mention plugins, custom columns or the buttonbar).
Even the internal associations and resolution dependent settings ("Tabstops") might not be available or work in a different environment.
(now that I think about it: even the selected fonts might not be available on a new environment)
Sure, a few settings might be adjustable to the new machine, either by asking the user or by applying some logic.
But it still leaves a whole bunch of settings not synchronizable.

[Lefteous]

2milo1012

base settings

Yes synching basic settings would be great. Everything else would be advanced or even ambitious. Stuff like history is definitely not meaningful.

The advanced and the ambitious stuff might be integrated later or not. I guess it depends on how such a feature is used and perceived by users.
Most of the stuff you mentioned is solvable but requires more or less effort for the user and of course for Ghisler.

[EricB]

Hi all,

My 2c on the subject:

I've managed to work around most of the drawbacks mentioned in this thread, but it requires a few tricks:

- My TC is fully portable, no hard paths, %COMMANDER_PATH% or %COMMANDER_DRIVE% is used everywhere (also in the button bar), plugins (and TC specific tools) are all in a TC\Plugins folder
- My Tools are also fully portable, in a separate folder on the same level as TC
- Both are in my Dropbox, so everything is kept in sync over all machines
- I've defined a %COMMANDER_TOOLS% variable pointing to that tools folder (relative, so using %COMMANDER_DRIVE%), with the autorun.wdx plugin, also for use of tools on the button bar
- TC ini sections are redirected into a TC\Settings folder
- When sections are common for all installations, the redirect is like RedirectSection=%COMMANDER_PATH%\Settings\MultiRename.ini
- If a section is specific for a single installation then the redirect is like RedirectSection=%COMMANDER_PATH%\Settings\%COMPUTERNAME%-History.ini
- Same goes for the button bars, they are defined as Buttonbar=%COMMANDER_PATH%\Settings\%COMPUTERNAME%-DEFAULT.BAR


The advantage of this is that the installation is also fit for use on a flash drive without any modifications, just copy. No batch file needed for starting TC either.

Of course any other good cloud provider could be used, I just stick with Dropbox because I like it best.

I must add that I tend to keep the structure of all my machines the same (separate data partition, same folder structure).

I agree it would be nice to have this kind of setup out-of-the-box without some hours of tweaking, but hey, being a computer enthousiast, this is also a fun puzzle.

HTH & Regards, EricB

[milo1012]

I've managed to work around most of the drawbacks mentioned in this thread, but it requires a few tricks:
...

Yes, I use most of your "tricks" too since a long time, simply because there is not much else you can do if you want portable paths from your TC dir.
But the topic was using the same settings on multiple (remote) machines, and not making one big portable TC installation to carry around.
So the problem is that such approach still uses your personal settings at some place.
While you can use "RedirectSection" to split for common or uncommon settings, things like the buttonbar, fonts, or custom columns using plug-in fields might be personalized.
So, any approach to port such settings to a "clean" installation might fail, because it could point to paths or plug-ins not available in the new installation.
(not every tool is portable, and not every plug-in is, especially when it comes to multi-user awareness).

I agree it would be nice to have this kind of setup out-of-the-box without some hours of tweaking, but hey, being a computer enthousiast, this is also a fun puzzle.

I agree that the work pays off when it comes to adding things to your personal TC environment. But trying to port some of my settings to e.g. a friend's TC installation is still a painful work of manual ini tweaking.