UltraEdit AppData: Proper Backup Procedures

gdgsdg123 · Jun 24, 2020#12020-06-24T02:13+00:00

Description

Direct replacement, after the first time run (fresh start: having everything under "%APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit\" deleted).

Without the first run some default templates, wordfiles whatsoever won't be loaded.
- They can also be manually loaded without the first run. (related files can be found in the installation directory)

Content explanation

Core

Optional

"ue.ini" (main config)
[+] Notes
1. "volatile\ue.vod" (part of the "ue.ini" containing the "volatile data")
  - Unneeded at all (for proper config loading), but recommended to have the part of interest merged into "ue.ini" first. (to avoid incomplete config)
2. With both "ue.ini" and "volatile\ue.vod" present: content in "ue.vod" takes precedence. (so either it shouldn't exist at all, or replace it with empty content)
3. All "*.vod" files are likely unneeded.
"ue.uek" (key mapping profile)
"volatile\ue.in0" (menu layout)
[+] Notes
1. "FSCRSET.INI", unknown. Seems to be sort of variant of "volatile\ue.in0". (its presence doesn't seem to influence the loading process, can be ignored?)

"themes\overrides\Slate.ue-theme" (a minor edit of "Slate" theme for improved visibility)
"wordfiles\*" (Google)
[+] Notes
1. See also: Adding a wordfile for syntax highlighting in UltraEdit.
2. May be worth checking for wordfile updates periodically.
"commandpalette\commandpalette.xml" (the command palette with selected favorites)
[+] Notes
1. Probably it's better to let the default load and re-add the favorites? (in case there was lacking some appropriate auto updating schema)
  - Likely true. (manual sync might be required)
2. Could a "partial" file work?
  - No. Its content would be nearly everything in the command palette.

Backup / Restore User Customizations

The function seems to simply pack whatever rests in "%APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit\" on request, even if the files are "just altered" right before the packing.
- Thus it should be a lot less messy to have those above packed altogether and backup using the function.
- Despite its missing support for the command palette favorites.
For quickly generating an empty "ue.vod" file to use:
Code: Select all
```
BREAK > "%APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit\volatile\ue.vod"
```
To backup:
Layout and menu/toolbar customizations
Current
Volatile data
ue.vod
User themes
Slate.ue-theme
Wordfiles
ALL
Others
Keyboard Shortcuts

TAGLISTU.uet

ue.ini

ue.shortcuts.txt

Related

[Bug Report] Caret Char
{f7dd7687-1e40-4cfb-a894-d0a1ea84ce85}

[Settings]: Caret Char ("Special character used in find/replace strings (normally ^):", CommandID: 1194).
Setting as "" (no escape) cannot be saved past application restart. (overridden to the default value each time)
- Which means: in order for it to function properly, the setting has to be somehow re-enabled each time on the application start-up.

[Bug Report] "taglist.uet"
{a798d9c9-7944-4411-a084-725115527682}

"taglist.uet" (under the installation directory), bad encoding.
- Encoded in CP 1252 (ANSI - Latin I), while the parser seems to expect UTF-16 LE. (as an encoding conversion fixes the problem)

Mofi · Jun 24, 2020#22020-06-24T05:24+00:00

There must be an escape character defined for non-regular expression and UltraEdit regular expression finds/replaces to search for the characters in table below Special character summary as listed, for example, on help page for Find command. Well, it is possible to select a line termination, a horizontal tab character, a page break, etc and use these selected/copied whitespace characters in find/replace string. But what about ^s (selected text) and ^c (clipboard contents) (non-regular expression and UltraEdit regular expression finds/replaces) or ^{A^}^{B^} or ^(...^) and ^1 in UltraEdit regular expressions without a defined escape character? How to escape a character with special meaning in an UltraEdit regular expression without having an escape character defined at all? It is of course possible to use always the most powerful Perl regular expression engine for any find/replace which uses like the legacy Unix regular expression always the backslash character, but then there is no need to change the setting for Special character used in find/replace strings (normally ^) at all.

So it is not really possible to use no escape character on using non-regular expression or UltraEdit regular expression finds/replaces without a partly loss of function.

Well, it is possible to delete the character specified for Special character used in find/replace strings (normally ^) and close the configuration which indeed results in no escape character specified for non-regular and UltraEdit regular expression finds/replaces. But that is never a good idea.

The fact that the configuration dialog can be closed without having a single character defined as escape character could be rated as an issue which could be reported by you to IDM support by email.

I think that nobody detected this issue before as there are surely not many people who have ever modified this setting at all and nobody has specified nothing for this setting before.

gdgsdg123 · Jun 24, 2020#32020-06-24T07:34+00:00

Mofi wrote: ↑
Jun 24, 2020
There must be an escape character defined for non-regular expression...

So it is not really possible to use no escape character on using non-regular expression or ... finds/replaces without a partly loss of function.

Well, it is possible to delete the character specified for Special character used in find/replace strings (normally ^) and close the configuration which indeed results in no escape character specified for non-regular and UltraEdit regular expression finds/replaces. But that is never a good idea.

The fact that the configuration dialog can be closed without having a single character defined as escape character could be rated as an issue...

What if one simply expects to match exactly what's been input, exactly, as it is?

That's definitely a valid case...

Mofi wrote: ↑
Jun 24, 2020
...could be reported by you to IDM support by email.

Forward them the forum link then, if really necessary.

And there's more to come.

Mofi wrote: ↑
Jun 24, 2020
I think that nobody detected this issue before as there are surely not many people who have ever modified this setting at all and nobody has specified nothing for this setting before.

Many might have believed that UltraEdit would match the input exactly as it is (no RegEx), and probably were always lucky enough to never fail this faulty assertion...

When they miraculously did somehow... they'd attribute it to some weird bug / ghost at work whatsoever. And soon forgot about this little accident, as they went on dealing with their usual businesses.

Mofi · Jun 24, 2020#42020-06-24T17:24+00:00

It is documented on all four help pages for Find, Replace, Find in Files and Replace in Files that character ^ has a special meaning also on running a non-regular expression find. So I don't see a problem with the fact that on a non-regular expression find/replace one character is not interpreted literally by default.

There are surely users often working with text files containing character caret who do not want that this character is the escape character. For such users the configuration setting exists to define any other character usually not present in often edited text files.

The character DELETE is an ASCII control character which is usually not used in text files and can be configured as Special character used in find/replace strings (normally ^) if there is never the need to reference the selected text or the clipboard contents in manual executed finds/replaces, in macros and in scripts and UltraEdit regular expression is also never used by the user working often with text files containing the character ^.

So in my opinion there must be no support by UltraEdit for no escape character for non-regular expression and UltraEdit regular expression search/replace strings. But it is of course possible to request an enhancement for that with an email to IDM support.

gdgsdg123 · Jun 24, 2020#52020-06-24T18:05+00:00

Mofi wrote: ↑
Jun 24, 2020
It is documented on all four help pages... that character ^ has a special meaning also on running a non-regular expression find. So I don't see a problem with the fact that on a non-regular expression find/replace one character is not interpreted literally by default.

Principle of least astonishment

And few would really read the documentation...

Mofi wrote: ↑
Jun 24, 2020
So in my opinion there must be no support by UltraEdit for no escape character for non-regular expression and UltraEdit regular expression search/replace strings.

We shall just leave our opinions there for the assessment.