Loosing prefs

[TulipVorlax]

My friend artist is chocked that today Wings decided to reset the prefs more or less randomly.
He was happilly using version 1.5.3 for a few weeks now without a problem.
Recently i proposed to him to try the last manifoldlab version so he could use boolean things, he always liked to do that sort of things.
In the last week, he used both version alternatively.
I warned him that it could cause bugs with the prefs getting messed.
He stopped using the manifold version because the boolean wasn't giving results as clean as he wanted.

But today, Wings 1.5.3 decided to "reset" the prefs, even complaining that the advanced menu was turned off.
I helped him to set his pref back using the UI, closing Wings at each few step to save the prefs.
We didn't touched to computer a while, he came back to it, closed Wings, and at next start, the prefs were all "resetted" again with the same warning about advanced menu being off.

My friend yelled at me and left his computer quite mad.
He tell me he wont touch it again until i get this fixed.
But, it can't do it. I dont understand how..

We tried to use the feature to save subset of prefs, but it doesn't work.
When saving, the default name of file end in .txt but when loading it want a .prefs file. If i rename the txt file, it still complain that it's not a pref file.

Thanks for any advice.

EDIT : I've tried reproducing thoses problems on my own compturer where i have several other version of Wings installed (but i dont use them), and even saving the pref subset seems to work as expected.

[micheus]

He was happilly using version 1.5.3 for a few weeks now without a problem.
Recently i proposed to him to try the last manifoldlab version so he could use boolean things, he always liked to do that sort of things.
...
I warned him that it could cause bugs with the prefs getting messed.

Next time it's a good idea make a backup of preferences before.

I don't know what to say, but the best way you reset the preferences to its default values and start changing to your desired settings is by removing it (deleting). Wings3d will create a new one as it supposed should be. Maybe this can "fix" the your friend's problem.
You shouldn't need to exit Wings3d for every new settings you change, but - yes - you need exit Wings3d in order to get these changes written to the preferences file.

[TulipVorlax]

It seems i've pin point the bug.
It is something wrong inside the .wings file of his last project.
Everytime we load that file, do nothing more, and close Wings 3D, at the next startup of Wings, all prefs have resetted.
Tested on two computers.

I will upload the .wings file on my web hosting and post a link.


EDIT : Here is the culprit :

http://synaptique.ca/temp/remorque_velo_2014.wings


What i've done so he could resume working with his 3D project is that i exported all object in a OBJ file, CTRL+N, imported back, saved with a new name.
The new .wings file dont cause any problem, but my prefs were still resetted when closing, but it wont happen again (and i had a good backup of prefs).

By the way, have to manually tick every boxes each time is a tad annoying.
Plus, even when every boxes are ticked on the save pref subset, it doesn't save all prefs.
Selected language is not saved.

---

Pfff....
I send him the new supposedly clean file.
After a few minutes of him working with it, saving and restarting, same problem !

[micheus]

TulipVorlax, thanks for the file.
Unfortunately I was able to load it; play with the preferences; save pref. subsets; exit wings3d and start it again still working fine.

I would like you could share the preference.txt and any preferences subset in use.

[TulipVorlax]

That's very weird.
I tested again by openning the file i've uploaded and there wasn't any problem.
Then i tested with the original file wich name contain spaces and one accentuated letter (one "é"), and the problem return.
Really weird because before comming here, i had tested this replacing the "é" with a simple "e", and the problem was still there.
I also tested another .wings file wich had many spaces in his name without any problem.

Maybe you could test this again renaming the file to the following : "remorque vélo 2014.wings"

By the way, i really dont think there's anything in the pref file causing this because it also happen if the only change in the pref UI is the UI language. It also happen if i dont go into the prefs UI, if all i do is set the window size larger.
Here what i do in more details : Erase all prefs. Start Wings. Close Wings. Start Wings, change a small thing, close Wings. Start Wings, see that it remember the small change to UI or prefs. Dont change anything, load the .wings file, close Wings. Start Wings; all prefs get ressetted and Wings windows is like this :



Or, to tell exactly the truth, this was what was happening yesterday. Today, the popup about advanced menu dont show up util i close and start Wings again.

Plus, i just noticed this on Wings title bar :


Oh and did i forgot to mention that this is happenning on Windows 7 ? I can't test any other system... Or, to tell the truth, i could use my Win XP mode because i have Win 7 Ultimate, and i could also use VirtualBox to test on Ubuntu, but it seems i'm a bit lazy.

[TulipVorlax]

I think i found a better way to test and understand the problem.

Rename the file Wings use to save the prefs in AppData so Wings will make a new file.
Start Wings, resize main Window and change size of 3D Window or any other pref (this is only to be able to tell that prefs get resetted), close Wings.
Go in AppData to find the file, edit it with NotePad (any notepad), find a line where there is a file path written (at this state, only the path to the backup of prefs should be there), edit this line to include a "é" in the filename (not in the folder name), save file.
Open Wings, dont do anything else, close it.
Next time we start it, Wings can't read the prefs file, they get resetted.

So, it's when special characters are saved in the (main) prefs file that this problem occur.

EDIT : In others words, Wings 1.5.3 can write/save when the prefs it is writing will contain a special character, but it can't read them back.

[micheus]

Then i tested with the original file wich name contain spaces and one accentuated letter (one "é"), and the problem return.

That was what I was suspecting and why I asked you about those files.

You took about the preferences subset at some point, so that would be the problem since the preferences.txt is always read and its values load. If there is a subset file assigned to the field pref_directory it's load and the preferences values set before are replaced (except the language, that I noticed there is something wrong with it). As the subset file is not load due to "invalid" character in its name the values set in the main preferences file are applied. That is why your prefs has been "reseted".

EDIT : In others words, Wings 1.5.3 can write/save when the prefs it is writing will contain a special character, but it can't read them back.

As I could check here by renaming one of my subset files is that it can be load "by hand" using the File->Load Preference Subset... without problem.

What I noticed here:
Starting from the "reseted" file, I checked the preferences.txt and pref_directory is pointing to backup_prefs.txt; Loading Wings3d starts with the default appearance (green/grey screen). Then, I load the subset file and exit. I checked again the preferences.txt again and I notice the
pref_directory pointing to "Preference Subset-yellow.pref" and recent_prefs pointing to "Preference Subset-yéllow.pref".
So, next time Wings3d is started and trying to load the file it doesn't exists (back to reseted prefs). Why the "é" was replaced for "e" I still don't know.

It's time to check what is wrong. Thanks for report it.

[TulipVorlax]

Are you telling that when we save a subset of prefs, Wings will load that file (or try to) at the next startup ?
If yes, i did not know that.

I only used the line where the path and name of the last saved subset is saved in Preferences.txt as a way to demonstrate that Wings can't load (anymore) the file when an accentuated letter is found in any name of folder or file present in it.
It has nothing to do with saving and loading subset of prefs, in reality, this also happen with any recently used .wings file or any type of file wich path and name is to be saved and retrieved from Preferences.txt.

By the way, i think you can also use any character in the following : é è à â ü ï ç
and many more.

I guess other wings users whom language isn't english and possess that kind of special characters simply have an habit of not using them in namming their files and folder, otherwise this would have been reported a lot sooner...

[micheus]

Are you telling that when we save a subset of prefs, Wings will load that file (or try to) at the next startup ?

Yes.

[TulipVorlax]

Thanks for the quick fix.

I tested thoses :



both in file name and folder name.

Big thanks to anyone of other languages that would care to test other special chars.
Ask Micheus for the file. ;-)