01-10-2003, 12:07 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Where Should Application Settings be Stored?
I'm putting on my Spb VP hat for a minute because I have a question for you about how you think Pocket PC software products should work. Pocket PCs are very different than desktop PCs, especially when it comes to starting over. I only WISH my desktop computer were as easy to "hard reset" as my Pocket PC is. So here's the question:
Let's say you have an application, and as you use that application more and more, it builds up your user preference settings. The question is, where would you want this data stored? In the registry, where it's invisible but hard to back up and restore? (most Pocket PC users don't know how to use a registry editor) Would you prefer to see it as a single file in you My Documents folder? Or would you prefer to have a folder inside My Documents that contained the data? (Maybe something like "My Preferences") Remember this is data that you probably don't want to lose because having to redo all your preferences would be a hassle. So where's the best place to store it?
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01-10-2003, 12:14 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 13
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Actually, none of the proposed options fit my preferences. I would rather have the application store my user settings in the application folder (/Program Files/AppX/...). I like to keep the "My Documents" folder clean of things I don't directly control and I agree that the registry is probably too obscure of a place for most users.
Antoine Cloutier
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01-10-2003, 12:15 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 17
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How about in the folder that the program files are in?
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01-10-2003, 12:17 AM
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Mystic
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,911
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I think it would be best to have all the prefrences in a folder like they do on MacOS 9. I think that this would be the best option because would be easy to back up prefrences for people that do not want to mess with their registry.
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01-10-2003, 12:22 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 68
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The problem I see with putting it in the application folder is that these files aren't automatically synchronised with ActiveSync, whereas files in the My Documents folder are. What this means is that, if you are like me and do a full back up only occasionally, there is likely to be a more recent copy of the preferences thru activesync if it happens that I need to do a Hard Reset (not that I ever have since I have had my HP 548 - yeah I know I probably should given that things can slow down a bit, but I don't want to go thru and reset all my preferences and restoring a full back up may introduce some of the issues I was trying to get rid of in the first place).
If it were possible that all sofware developers could put their preferences in a folder somewhere that automatically syncs then this would be the ultimate, in my opinion.
Dean
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01-10-2003, 12:22 AM
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,878
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I would vote for a folder beneath My Documents. Aside from most users here, I doubt too many back up their devices. At least this way, it's sync'd to the PC...
Steve
__________________
"My eyes are rolling back in my head so far I can see my grey matter bubbling and frothing from reading this thread....bleh." JD
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01-10-2003, 12:25 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by nz0eBoy
The problem I see with putting it in the application folder is that these files aren't automatically synchronised with ActiveSync, whereas files in the My Documents folder are.
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Exactly - which is why I don't consider it a legitimate option. Asking people to root through a different folder for every application is, well, a little crazy. :wink:
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01-10-2003, 12:28 AM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,133
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I like the idea of it syncing by being in My Documents. I also like the idea of taking my settings with me when I upgrade to a new PPC, which is more of a hassle if it's in registry settings. Plus, I figure less can go strangely wrong if you're not messing with writing to the registry every time you run the program (if in fact the preferences are getting updated as frequently as you implied). Sounds like trouble waiting to happen to me, but I can be paranoid. I figure the fewer writes to the registry the better.
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01-10-2003, 12:32 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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An ini file would be ideal for ease of use, but it is too problematic. Personally, I wouldn't care where these inis were, as long as all applications would use the same storage place. Since they don't/wouldn't use the same location though, I would prefer the registry. That was the whole idea behind the Windows Registry - a common place to store settings. Unfortunately, the registry has become a massive hodge podge of confusing data. But I see the registry as the lesser of two evils.
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01-10-2003, 12:34 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 204
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Hmmmmm why not play it both safe and efficient?
i asume registry is a good thing for settings since it is fast to retrive them via the os, a plain file would be slower to search when data gets big but it is easy to bak up.
why not have an aplication that uses both? the registry as means for getting the settings fast and the file as means of a backup, if the application finds nothing in the registry it will look for the file to restore the settings.
sounds good to me 
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