Resetting MinimServer to default properties

[haggis999]

(17-09-2013 10:48)simoncn Wrote:  I will update the user guide with this information. The details vary by platform, so I will put this information into the platform-specific installation pages.

Hmmm. Does anyone ever look at installation instructions again after successfully installing a software product? I think this belongs in the user guide (or it should be referenced from the user guide).

David

[simoncn]

(17-09-2013 11:03)haggis999 Wrote:  

(17-09-2013 10:48)simoncn Wrote:  It would be difficult to implement a 'Reset to defaults' button because the minimserver.config file cannot safely be deleted while MinimServer is running. I think it would be better to make this an uninstallation option where possible.

Why would you need to delete the minimserver.config file? My conception was that a 'Reset to defaults' button would be placed in the Properties dialogue box where the user will have been experimenting with the settings. If you were to have the default settings stored in a separate place they could then be copied into the Properties window when the button is clicked. The user would then 'Apply' those settings in the normal manner.

David

This would require restructuring of the MinimServer code that applies property defaults on startup.

It is common for programs to offer an uninstallation option to remove the user configuration, and I think this is the best approach. MinimServer already does this on some platforms.

If this option is provided as part of uninstallation, it makes sense to describe it on the installation/uninstallation pages.

[winxi]

(17-09-2013 12:03)simoncn Wrote:  This would require restructuring of the MinimServer code that applies property defaults on startup.

It is common for programs to offer an uninstallation option to remove the user configuration, and I think this is the best approach. MinimServer already does this on some platforms.

If this option is provided as part of uninstallation, it makes sense to describe it on the installation/uninstallation pages.

I would also consider a reset-to-defaults button to be a step towards a more user-fiendly MinimServer. The installation/uninstallation clearly works, but one disadvantage is that then the cache files are usually deleted also and it will take long to startup after a fresh installation.

Maybe this is a misunderstanding, but I don't see why this should require a restructuring of the MinimServer code that applies property defaults at startup. I think that it should be sufficient to implement two such button in MinimWatch. One in the property window and one in the advanced property window. Pressing one of the buttons would do nothing other than setting the corresponding property text boxes to predefined default strings. The user could then cancel/apply these changes as usual.

[haggis999]

(17-09-2013 12:16)winxi Wrote:  I would also consider a reset-to-defaults button to be a step towards a more user-fiendly MinimServer.

Please don't encourage Simon to be nasty to his users!

David

[haggis999]

(17-09-2013 12:16)winxi Wrote:  Maybe this is a misunderstanding, but I don't see why this should require a restructuring of the MinimServer code that applies property defaults at startup. I think that it should be sufficient to implement two such button in MinimWatch. One in the property window and one in the advanced property window. Pressing one of the buttons would do nothing other than setting the corresponding property text boxes to predefined default strings. The user could then cancel/apply these changes as usual.

That is exactly what I was suggesting.

David

[simoncn]

(17-09-2013 12:16)winxi Wrote:  I would also consider a reset-to-defaults button to be a step towards a more user-fiendly MinimServer. The installation/uninstallation clearly works, but one disadvantage is that then the cache files are usually deleted also and it will take long to startup after a fresh installation.

Maybe this is a misunderstanding, but I don't see why this should require a restructuring of the MinimServer code that applies property defaults at startup. I think that it should be sufficient to implement two such button in MinimWatch. One in the property window and one in the advanced property window. Pressing one of the buttons would do nothing other than setting the corresponding property text boxes to predefined default strings. The user could then cancel/apply these changes as usual.

The property defaulting code isn't as simple as you think it is. There are over 1000 lines of code in the MinimServer startup processing sequence for handling property settings and applying defaults. For some properties, the defaults that are applied depend on the values of other property settings. It would be a significant effort to extract the relevant portions of this code and make them accessible from MinimWatch. Also, there would then be two different variants of the same code that would need to be maintained and kept in sync.

[haggis999]

(17-09-2013 16:59)simoncn Wrote:  The property defaulting code isn't as simple as you think it is. There are over 1000 lines of code in the MinimServer startup processing sequence for handling property settings and applying defaults. For some properties, the defaults that are applied depend on the values of other property settings. It would be a significant effort to extract the relevant portions of this code and make them accessible from MinimWatch. Also, there would then be two different variants of the same code that would need to be maintained and kept in sync.

Are you saying that the 24 settings a user can play with via the Properties and Advanced Properties dialogue boxes are not exactly the same in every default installation of MinimServer (with the obvious exception of contentDir)?

David

[simoncn]

(17-09-2013 17:09)haggis999 Wrote:  Are you saying that the 24 settings a user can play with via the Properties and Advanced Properties dialogue boxes are not exactly the same in every default installation of MinimServer (with the obvious exception of contentDir)?

David

I am saying that every property is defaulted individually and the process for choosing the default may depend on the values of other properties (which may have either default or non-default settings).

There are also some platform-specific settings for property defaults. These are added to the minimserver.config file by the platform installers. A 'Reset to defaults' button wouldn't know what these platform-specific defaults are.

[winxi]

(17-09-2013 16:59)simoncn Wrote:  The property defaulting code isn't as simple as you think it is. There are over 1000 lines of code in the MinimServer startup processing sequence for handling property settings and applying defaults. For some properties, the defaults that are applied depend on the values of other property settings. It would be a significant effort to extract the relevant portions of this code and make them accessible from MinimWatch. Also, there would then be two different variants of the same code that would need to be maintained and kept in sync.

Thanks for the explanation! From the users point of view, some feature requests seem to be easily attainable. But it is good to be remembered of all the hard work that is behind this great piece of software

[haggis999]

(17-09-2013 17:46)winxi Wrote:  Thanks for the explanation! From the users point of view, some feature requests seem to be easily attainable. But it is good to be remembered of all the hard work that is behind this great piece of software

You took the words out of my mouth. I was about to post something very similar, having now accepted that this one belongs on the not-so-easy pile!

David