Session Manager [v7.90] — Bookmark your environments: locations and/or display (save/restore tabsets and layout)

[FluxTorpedoe]

Hi'

So here it comes... a quick little teaser of v2!

SessionManager.jpg (34.92 KiB) Viewed 8327 times

And yep, you're guessing right , I found a way to smoothly integrate layouts with sessions - only when needed, so the experience remains simple and efficient. (=> btw it is not a replacement for Layout Manager.)

It took me quite some time because with each increment over my original 'no-frills' Session Manager, this script had grown to become an ugly Frankenstein ('s creature).
So I decided v2 was a good opportunity to rewrite everything... and now it's more like a mini-Hulk!
Well, it was quite a heavy task indeed... and, hmmmm, only ...
... 199.000 more lines to go... and I'll be on par with Don!

Anyway, it's working really well here - I use it all the time! Really...
So I guess it's prime for beta status and I should upload it very soon...

Have a nice day!
Flux

PS: I'm waiting for confirmations (or lack of further problems) before updating the first post with v1.02.

[kunkel321]

Looks pretty cool man!
I haven't even delved into plain old vanilla layouts yet... Guess I'll need to study up!

[calude]

Congrats this is very useful


As a forum tradition I couldn't avoid the usual suggestion (I'll keep it single)

could it be possible that the tree presence or not be saved in the session ?

have a nice day

Calude

[FluxTorpedoe]

Hi'
Glad you found it useful.
And I guess you'll like v2... cause:

could it be possible that the tree presence or not be saved in the session ?

Indeed!... and so much more!!!

The beta is on hold a little longer because it will make use of a tweak (if activated) which isn't totally finished. Don's been kind enough to devote some time to fix most of it already, so there's no rush, I wouldn't like to release a half-baked cookie .

@all
Btw, don't hesitate to post your wishes/suggestions!

Stay tuned...
Flux

------
EDIT: Oops, I'd forgotten there once was a v1!
So since there weren't any complaints, I updated the front page with the v1.02 posted a few weeks ago.
If you already have v1.02, no need to download it again, it's the same.

[JimXYUser]

just discover this tool, a very good one! thanks.

maybe this should be part of XYplorer.

[FluxTorpedoe]

just discover this tool, a very good one! thanks.

Thanks a lot! Always glad to hear I could contribute in a useful way.

@all
While still holding v2.0 beta (to prevent unneeded potential changes to its INI file), I... went ahead a started v2.5 alpha!
It includes the (optional) addition of the toolbar to layout sessions - and the anticipated implementation of Catalogs, Tags (Database and List), and Portable File Associations (which could be really useful for all "Mobile" sessions !)...
The main problem being to find a unobtrusive way to implement this without hindering standard sessions and layout sessions. I wouldn't want Session Manager to become a bloatscript.

Stay tuned...

& Have a nice day!
Flux

[FluxTorpedoe]

Hello to you all!

drmmm drmmm drmmm... Now's the time to unleash upon you the power of...
_________ Session Manager 2 _________


---
For those who don't want to RTFM:
• Sessions can now remember their layout
• Sessions are exactly the same between v1 and v2 (= full compatibility with existing sessions),
• Depending on your needs you can choose to have only one session with a layout (or none!), and you can even deactivate "Layout Loading" to load all sessions without layout ('ala' v1).
- You should figure out the rest yourselves... So go ahead and try without waiting!
---


For the more sensible minds:

I'll probably create a new thread later cause I'll have to rewrite the presentation. But in the meantime here's a quick summary:
• A Session is the state of all your tabs (on both panes, visible or not),
• A Layout is the state of the interface of XYplorer (Visibility of: Single/Dual Pane; Navigation Panel; Tree; Catalog; Toolbar; Addressbar; Tabbar; Menu; Info Panel)
• [v2.5] A layout Extra is the state of the content of some of XYplorer's interface elements (Toolbar buttons, Catalog, Tags, PortableFileAssociations)

• Sessions can be saved to later recall different states of tabsets (e.g. "ProjectToto", "Backups", "Image Collections"...).
- To save a new session (e.g. "My Session"):
---> Session Manager | Save Session As... > "My Session" > OK
• Sessions can now have a layout.
- To save a new session (e.g. "My Session") with a layout, save like a regular session, but prefix the name with a question mark "?":
---> Session Manager | Save Session As... > "?My Session" > OK
- To add a layout to an existing session:
---> Session Manager | Layout Tools > Save Layout of Current Session

---

Important note on the way layout switching is handled:
• A "default layout" is automatically stored on first run, but can also be saved later on, via:
---> Session Manager | Layout Tools > Define Default Layout
- This default layout can be loaded anytime to "reset" XY's interface.
• A "last layout" is automatically stored whenever you leave a regular-session for a layout-session.
---> So later, whenever you leave a layout-session for a regular-session, XY's interface will automatically return to its previous state.
• [v2.5] The same principle of a "default" and "last" auto-save is also applied to "Extra" interface elements - currently Toolbar buttons, later (hopefully) Catalog, Tags and PortableFileAssociations.

Notes:
• Layout-sessions are "marked" by a different icon than regular-sessions, and have a visual dot "•" after their name.
• Session Manager now uses an INI file to store all settings and layouts. This file is automatically created in the same folder and with the same name as Session Manager's script itself (bonus: any icon with the same name and in the same folder will be used to mark "layout-sessions"!).
• [v2.5] "Toolbar buttons" state must be added manually to a layout via the "Layout Tools" menu. Other "Extra" interface elements will follow the same principle.

To feel the heat, just try to create then switch between two layout sessions: e.g. a full-featured (everything visible) "Polyvalent", and an ultra-stripped (everything hidden except toolbar and Preview) "Video Previews"...

Well, that's it for now...
I hope you'll enjoy it, and find it as useful as I do
Flux


#########
Installation
#########

Replace your previous Session Manager script, or follow the indications on the first post
The latest beta of XYplorer (>= v11.80.0109) is STRONGLY recommended (though not mandatory) for the smoothest experience. The difference is very noticeable! Session Manager will suggest to activate the related tweak upon first launch (it's also in the options).
Session Manager v2.5a2 fixed:

SessionManager.xys

(68.35 KiB) Downloaded 350 times

EDIT:Sorry for those who'd already downloaded it, I'd left a "debug" message popping when resetting a session under a 'non optimized' XY (with flickering tweak OFF).

[aurumdigitus]

With metrics of approximately 1400 lines containing 3800 words calling this effort a script seems an understatement of biblical proportion.

[FluxTorpedoe]

Hello again World!

Glad to see the pace of XY's releases keeps getting us closer to the reality of FTL travels...
Anyway...

With metrics of approximately 1400 lines containing 3800 words calling this effort a script seems an understatement of biblical proportion.

Thanks GoldFinger. And it shall grow even more when we have access to the "live" configuration settings. But no rush, there are other priorities...

@all - working under Win7
Could someone please confirm this bug before I file it?
I tried Session Manager under Win7, and the current active session - which should be in bold - wasn't listed at all. And when running this code (straight from the help file), the first line wasn't displayed either, whereas it's working as it should under WinXP.

Code: Select all

"Go C:|C:|1" goto "C:\";  //shown bold
"Go D:|D:|2" goto "D:\";  //shown checked
"Go E:|E:|3" goto "E:\";  //shown bold and checked

Thanks and CU soon with some fresh scripts...

[klownboy]

Hey Flux,

I'm using version 2.5 alpha2 - 2012-11-24 of Session Manager and running Windows 7 x64. The current session is both bolded and starred and it changed when I changed sessions back and forth.

Same situation when I run the little script, but remember you can only have one bolded menu item. The "E" is not showing because it's a second bolded item (1 plus 2 = 3) and you can not have two bolded items. Keep in mind, "1" is a defualt as well as bold and you can only have one default.

Ken

[PeterH]

As much as I remember once I had problems like this...

The reason was that it isn't (always) possible to mark multiple entries with either bold or checked.
May be dependent from windows version...

[binocular222]

Seems I cannot add label to call it later. i.e: this modification
"_Reset : reset"
will kill the script outright and I cannot use ::load SessionmManager, reset

[FluxTorpedoe]

Thanks klownboy and PeterH for your quick answers!
I had forgotten/missed this "one bold(default) only". And indeed, SM2 and the Help script are working perfectly (i.e. showing everything) here under XP... Weird.
What is weirder is that you can have SM2 working, but not the script, whereas neither were under the Win7 I tried them on...
Is the current session still displayed if you have "Layout Loading: ON" (hence bold...)? That may be the culprit. Hmmm, and now that I think of it, you must be missing several options, since they're checked and in bold when activated!

@binocular222
Unfortunately, you can't call a SM2 subscript from somewhere else, because it uses global (not permanent) variables assigned when you click on SM2's main icon (i.e. when script is launched). Maybe there could be a way with the brand new "_Initialize", though since it's for calling a sub, I'm not sure... What were you trying to do? Maybe there's another way around.

[klownboy]

When layout loadind is "ON", the current session is not displayed. I have only 2 sessions defined so when I turned "ON" layout loading, the other session displayed "Photos and Wallpaper", but not the current.
For info, my options look like this before I turned on Layout loading. I'm not sure why 3 options are grayed is that due to the use of the bold attribute twice as well?
Ken

[binocular222]

Yes, "_Initialize" is very convenient. You may have this:

Code: Select all

"_Initialize : Initialize"
 perm $a, $b;
 $a = Itema;
 $b = Itemb;

"_Terminate"
 unset $a, $b

"Menu1 : Menu1"
 sub "Initialize";
 msg $a with $b

P.S: Don said that calling from external such as [::load scriptname, label] would ignore "_Initialize", but with this little trick: [sub "Initialize"] it would be possible to call "_Initialize" externally