Saving Everything's Environment settings

[ChrisGreaves]

As a beginner I am experimenting with a lot of stuff, including various settings.
I can see that there are two INI files in my folder "C:\Users\Chris077\AppData\Roaming\Everything\".
As I experiment with global settings in the Search menu ("MatchCase", "Match Diacritics"), or from the Tools menu, under the Debug submenu, click Config and no doubt other places, things get changed, and these changes carry over to the next time I load Everything.

I have identified these four files:-

Code: Select all

C:\Users\Chris077\AppData\Roaming\Everything\Everything-1.5a.ini
C:\Users\Chris077\AppData\Roaming\Everything\Plugins-1.5a.ini
C:\Users\Chris077\AppData\Roaming\Everything\Run History-1.5a.csv
C:\Users\Chris077\AppData\Roaming\Everything\Search History-1.5a.csv

and I have a start-of-day script that makes a backup copy of these so that, during the day, or sometime in the days ahead, i can roll back Everything's environment to an earlier state.

What other files might I backup at start of day to keep my platform relatively stable?

I run nightly backups, but here I am building a script that will cleanly restore the environment to a known state.

Thanks, Chris.

[harryray2]

I run Everything as a portable, with all files in one folder. I back up all the folder with all the files except the database and the Everything executable.

[froggie]

You should backup the folder "C:\Users\Chris077\AppData\Roaming\Everything", not just the individual files. I have several more files in mine and I am sure I do not have them all - and new ones may be created in the future.

[img]C:\Users\Public\Pictures\[/img]

[ChrisGreaves]

I run Everything as a portable, with all files in one folder. I back up all the folder with all the files except the database and the Everything executable.

Thanks harraray2,
I started off portable, but switched to a regular installation when I began writing the User Tutorial, so that my installation mirrored the installation a beginner would see if they accepted the default settings during installation.

I suspect that the set of files will be equivalent, excepting that the portable version will house them in a different place; as well different Instances will host the same files but either in a different place, or with unique names.

Indeed as you point out, if some of the files represent the entirety of a folder, I may as well copy the folder, but that phase can come only after we have identified all the files.

My objective here is to build a collection of files that represents a means of quickly rolling back to the start-of-day configuration on any day.
Cheers, Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

You should backup the folder "C:\Users\Chris077\AppData\Roaming\Everything", not just the individual files. I have several more files in mine and I am sure I do not have them all - and new ones may be created in the future.

Thanks froggie, and please see my response to harrayray2 above.
Given the size and speed of my SSD I may well backup the entire folder, and I doubt that any users of Everything are still running of a 20MB IDE such as the one I paid $400 for back in 1988, so space won't be a serious problem.

I still know so little about Everything that I wonder if there are other files squirreled away somewhere that I've not known about.

In my case I may post a question on, say, February 21st, then on March 21st come across a snippet of data. In that case I want, as much as possible, to restore Everything to the operating state it enjoyed a month ago, but I can't find anywhere in the Wiki or the forums a mention of how to preserve the environment. (And yes, it sounds like a cliche now, doesn't it? )

Cheers, Chris

[harryray2]

As far as I'm aware, the files in the portable folder, as long as the ini file has been set to appear in that folder, are all the ones that are necessary. I've restored many times without any problem.

I have several instances, and as you point out, the same files but with different names.

[NotNull]

Importing and exporting settings is on the todo-list (see menu:Tools > Import and Export Settings), but basically there are 3 locations where files are stored:

1. "%APPDATA%\Everything"
   which expands to c:\users\yourname\AppData\Roaming\Everything
2. "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Everything"
   which expands to c:\users\yourname\AppData\Local\Everything
3. The folder where the Everything executable is installed.

1. Contains user settings
2. Contains the database
3. Contains the executable and the "system Everything.ini"

Only 1. needs to be back-upped (is that a word?). In my case, it contains the following files:

Code: Select all

Bookmarks-1.5a.csv
Everything-1.5a.ini
Filters-1.5a.csv
Macros-1.5a.csv
Omit Results-1.5a.csv
Plugins-1.5a.ini
Run History-1.5a.csv
Search History-1.5a.csv
Temporary Excludes-1.5a.csv

[tuska]

Index Journal.csv
(Index > Index Journal... > Export...)

[ChrisGreaves]

Importing and exporting settings is on the todo-list

Good news, thanks NotNull
I will probably institute it on my machine with a Batch file that runs as part of AutoExec.bat, so that the backup occurs passively.

My premise is to start with an agreed set of files/folders and then add to it as other settings files emerge.

Only 1. needs to be back-upped (is that a word?). In my case, it contains the following files:

Duly noted, and thanks for this, too.
I promise not to lodge "back-upped " in Terminology.doc.
FWIW I think that since the verb is "back" is could be "backed up", but perhaps we could start a separate topic
Cheers, Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

Index Journal.csv
(Index > Index Journal... > Export...)

Tuska, thanks for this response.
Every little bit helps. I have 527 GB of the 854 GB partition still not being used ...
Cheers, Chris

[NotNull]

"backed up"

Ah yes, that makes much more sense! (not a native speaker). Thanks!

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

When I was running on installed versions of 1.4 and later on 1.5 I do not recall having issues with externally copying and restoring my settings. But now when I copy content of my

C:\Users\YOUR-USER-NAME\AppData\Roaming\Everything\

folder to

C:\Portables\Everything\

where the EXE file of version 1.5.0.1340a x64 Portable is waiting, after executing it I do not see e.g. colors I still see in my 1.5.0.1315a x64 Setup version


How do I make switch to using Portable with my old settings?

[horst.epp]

...
How do I make switch to using Portable with my old settings?

Uncheck "Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything"
under Tools / Options / General

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

I always have had this unchecked

So what must have happened was me running EXE of portable version and closing it - but it itself not closing entirely, but still running in the background [despite disappearing from Tray]. And thus opening that EXE once again, but this time after copying in to its folder my old settings - which were not loaded up because the old instance was still running


So now I have my old settings in portable - but with a slight glitch [as far as I have spotted] in form of the font on the status bar at the bottom and menu bar at the top having a bloated font. Maybe that is portable is reading my Windows'

Setting > Ease Of Access > Display > Make everything bigger > Change the size of apps and text on the main display > 150%

thus unnecessary multiplies those sizes by 1.5? But I tried changing it to 100% and alhough file list in Everything got smaller, the bar and menu stayed bloated exactly the same

[horst.epp]

I always have had this unchecked

So what must have happened was me running EXE of portable version and closing it - but it itself not closing entirely, but still running in the background [despite disappearing from Tray]. And thus opening that EXE once again, but this time after copying in to its folder my old settings - which were not loaded up because the old instance was still running


So now I have my old settings in portable - but with a slight glitch [as far as I have spotted] in form of the font on the status bar at the bottom and menu bar at the top having a bloated font. Maybe that is portable is reading my Windows'

Setting > Ease Of Access > Display > Make everything bigger > Change the size of apps and text on the main display > 150%

thus unnecessary multiplies those sizes by 1.5? But I tried changing it to 100% and alhough file list in Everything got smaller, the bar and menu stayed bloated exactly the same

Dont play with the Windows display settings.

Look to the following lines in your everything ini file
menu_font=
menu_font_size=
status_bar_font=
status_bar_font_size=

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

Overall 150% for whole OS is a must for me

As for Everything - I have ust finished adjusting the suddenly bloated sizes through Options

I just think that it is important to point out this glitch when going portable

[tuska]

Overall 150% for whole OS is a must for me
As for Everything - I have ust finished adjusting the suddenly bloated sizes through Options
I just think that it is important to point out this glitch when going portable

I cannot understand your statement.
I have moved various Everything versions and use various Everything instances portably.

My procedure:

• Completely exit Everything 1.5a (right click the Everything system tray icon and click Exit)
• Stop (=quit) Everything (1.5a) service via the Task Manager
• Copy all relevant files to C:\Portables\Everything\ e.g. Everything-1.5a.ini, Everything64.exe, etc.
• Start Everything (1.5a) Service (-> via Task Manager)
• Start portable version (example -> your path): C:\Portables\Everything\Everything64.exe
• ▢ Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything
• Indexes -> Database location: Tooltip: Specify the location of the database file.
  Leave empty to store the database file in the default location for local application data.

Then, in my opinion, the settings should be available again as usual.
My scaling of 125% in Windows 11 Pro never changed:
Monitor 24", Scaling size 125%, resolution 1920 x 1280 pixel (native screen resolution).

[therube]

(Depending on what versions you were running before (of alpha), not too long ago, there was an issue - between versions, where fonts, sizes... were negatively affected.


As far as 150% kind of thing, I've always been of the opinion, FWIW, to leave Windows itself at 100% & adjust the monitor screen resolution to a size that works for you [& assuming you can maintain correct aspect ratio & all that].)

[tuska]

(Depending on what versions you were running before (of alpha), not too long ago,
there was an issue - between versions, where fonts, sizes... were negatively affected. ...

Everything-1.5.0.1315a - 26.05.2022
Everything-1.5.0.1340a - 16.03.2023

If, in the meantime, 25 Everything versions have been announced before the transfer took place,
then in my opinion I don't think that one can point to the portable version in case of a discrepancy.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

OK, I just was not around - and made a big jump in versions