UltraEdit v27.00 re-opens files that were not open when the app was last closed on using registry for settings

Everyone · Aug 15, 2020#12020-08-15T17:15+00:00

I'm running UltraEdit 27.00.0.94 which is the latest available as I write this. My OS is Windows 10 Pro x64 2004.
Under Configuration > File handling > Session options, I have enabled Reload files previously open on startup.
The problem is that each time I launch UE, file tabs re-open which were not open when I last closed it. I close the file tabs, exit UE, re-launch it, and the files are opened again.
What's going on here?

Mofi · Aug 17, 2020#22020-08-17T05:19+00:00

I suggest the following steps to fix this issue which I can't reproduce:

Select ribbon tab/menu Project and look if the item Close project is disabled. Otherwise click on this item to close the opened project/workspace.
Close all files opened at the moment.
Open Advanced - Settings or Configuration - Toolbars / menus - Miscellaneous and click on button Clear history.
Open in Configuration next Application layout - Advanced. There can be seen the INI file location. Open Windows File Explorer and copy and paste into the address bar at top %APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit and press RETURN or ENTER to open that folder. It should be displayed in address bar of Windows File Explorer now the same path as in configuration dialog of UltraEdit.
Close the UltraEdit configuration with a click on X or with ESC and exit UltraEdit, for example with Alt+F4.
Back in Windows File Explorer look on subfolder Restore. This folder should be empty now. Delete all files in folder Restore if there are still files there.
Go up one folder level and open subfolder volatile.
Open with Windows Notepad or any other text editor than UltraEdit the file ue.vod which is a Unicode file encoded with UTF-16 LE.
Search for the section [Open Files]. There should be only the items Active File Display Mode and Remember Files. Delete all other items in this section and save the file if that is possible at all, i.e. the file is not write-protected somehow. Otherwise find out why this file is write-protected and change that. Then close the text editor used to view and if needed modify the file ue.vod.
Go up one folder level in Windows File Explorer and look for files of which name starts with uedit. Delete all those files from previous versions of UltraEdit because they are no longer used by UE v27.00. There is used now ue.ini together with the ue* files in subfolder volatile.
Start UltraEdit which should not open anymore any file after this clean up process.

Everyone · Aug 17, 2020#32020-08-17T12:48+00:00

I have no ue.vod file, and the remainder of the steps didn't resolve the issue for me. I had open file data stored in ue.ini for some reason, and removed it, to no avail.

The only thing that made a difference was manually clearing HKCU\SOFTWARE\IDM Computer Solutions\UltraEdit\Open Files. But the problem still occurs after files are opened and manually closed, so I will probably end up turning the Reload open files setting off, and will probably have to find some kludgey way to clear the registry values under that key.

It appears the core issue is that files are added to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\IDM Computer Solutions\UltraEdit\Open Files, but are not removed when the files are closed.

Thank you.

Mofi · Aug 17, 2020#42020-08-17T16:18+00:00

Is the option Use registry for settings (not INI file) checked at Advanced - Settings or Configuration - Application layout - Advanced?

This setting is by default not checked resulting in storing nearly all settings in ue.ini and ue.vod by UltraEdit for Windows v27.00.

It could be that the update of open files list in registry is not working correct with a checked Use registry for settings (not INI file) in which case the issue should be reported to IDM support by email to get it fixed in a future version. I have not verified that.

Everyone · Aug 18, 2020#52020-08-18T13:46+00:00

Yes, "Use registry..." is enabled. Thank you.

Peter · Aug 18, 2020#62020-08-18T14:09+00:00

(I am not totally sure if this has to do with the problem.)

Because I was (and still I am) confused about the lists of Currently opened files / Currently closed files - are you talking about the files which

where closed file-per-file or
where closed when you closed the software or
opened via dialog or
opened via drag & drop?

Everyone · Aug 18, 2020#72020-08-18T14:39+00:00

I'm just talking about the fact that each time I run UltraEdit, it re-opens files that it should not. I do have the option to re-open files enabled, but even if I close all files and then close UE, it re-opens files when I launch it, because "HKCU\SOFTWARE\IDM Computer Solutions\UltraEdit\Open Files" is retaining a list of opened files, even after those files had been closed.

I did just find a bit of new information: "HKCU\SOFTWARE\IDM Computer Solutions\UltraEdit\Open Files" is updated when UE is closed. So for me, here is how the issue is reproduced:

Run UltraEdit.
Open one or more files. It does not matter how they are opened (drag/drop, File>Open, etc.).
Close UltraEdit. "HKCU\SOFTWARE\IDM Computer Solutions\UltraEdit\Open Files" will be updated to reflect each open file.
Run UltraEdit. The files that were opened in Step 2 will re-open, which is correct behavior.
Close all of the open files.
Close UltraEdit. "HKCU\SOFTWARE\IDM Computer Solutions\UltraEdit\Open Files" will NOT be updated to reflect that the files were closed.
Run UltraEdit. It will re-open the files that were closed in Step 5, even though they were not open during Step 6.

I can't understand how this behavior could be by design.

Mofi · Aug 18, 2020#82020-08-18T15:13+00:00

The wrong behavior on using registry instead of INI file for settings is definitely not by design. Please report it by email to IDM support.

Everyone · Aug 18, 2020#92020-08-18T15:20+00:00

I just sent an email. Thank you.

Update: UltraEdit support has reproduced the issue and I'm hopeful it will get corrected.

Thank you for the replies.

bsmither · May 13, 2021#102021-05-13T05:33+00:00

Friendly note: I started a thread that is similar to this: Re-opens files that were not open when the app was last closed