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+---- Thread: Always store UserData settings in "C:\Users\~\AppData\Local"? (/showthread.php?tid=34667)
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Always store UserData settings in "C:\Users\~\AppData\Local"? - raid517 - 2008-07-08
Hi, this seems like a small but fairly obvious change. It would be cool, especially for those of us who don't choose to Run Windows as an administrator, if the settings for XBMC could be stored in C:\Users\~\AppData\Local rather in the program files directory.
The reason for this is that if this isn't the case, one has to run XBMC as an administrator in order to change any settings and then shut it down and start it again as an ordinary user - otherwise the changed settings don't stick.
Storing settings this way is of course quite normal for a large number of applications. I'm certain Linux has a similar ability.
- Nickman - 2008-07-08
use xbmc.exe -p
- Nickman - 2008-07-08
To be more clear. From the wiki page:
Quote:What are platform directories ?
XBMC uses the UserDir in the installation directory to store profiles, settings and other stuff. You can start XBMC with -p to force it to use the directory Documents and Settings\[user]\AppData\XBMC on WinXp or Users/[user]/AppData/Roaming/XBMC on Vista.
On Linux and Mac other platform directories are used like the user HOME.
- kraqh3d - 2008-07-08
this a good idea. the linux version does this today. i think linux uses ~/.xbmc/userdata/
** edit **
there you go. It's already done
- raid517 - 2008-07-08
I still think that this should be the default behaviour rather than something you have to manually add to the executable. The idea is I assume to make XBMC easy to use - and although for an advanced user adding these kinds of switched to the .exe is pretty simple, the majority of people (particularly windows users) just won't get it (WIKI or not).
It just makes sense to have the settings stored in a location that the user is always likely to have read and write access to. Not doing this is likely to cause people like me (and I am probably an above average user) to scratch their heads and wonder why they can't save their settings - and to then come on the forum and print time wasting posts like these.
- Nickman - 2008-07-08
You could use the installer version if you are to lazy to RTM.
I think that gives you the option to use your "home" dir. It then makes a shortcut for you that reflects this.
And remember it is still in alfa. If putting a -p after the exe file is too hard maybe one should wait for atleast a beta. Just a friendly though.
I for one is glad its not on by default. I want all my stuff in ONE dir.. Comes from my Amiga days. Hate it when program spreads all over the place.
- raid517 - 2008-07-08
Yes I get your point, but although it is no trouble for me to add switches to the exe - your average Windows user is likely to find this slightly more challenging.
I don't think it's quite 'lazy' to suggest this. Developers often forget how uninformed most average users are.
And of course clearly this isn't Amega - and to store settings globally in Windows probably either requires running as an administrator (never a good idea), or that you store the settings in a shared writeable location, or indeed in the users own local application settings folder.
It seems clear (to me at least) that one should always do as little as possible to encourage the first of these options.
I am aware of the alpha state of XBMC - however I am also simply trying to be helpful and am attempting to contribute - even if in some sense it may seem as though I may be stating the obvious.
Ultimately I have no intention of running XBMC on Windows - although I may do so at a later date on Linux.
- Nickman - 2008-07-08
Yeah i know its not an Amiga. If it was it would be awsome
The problem with Windows is that it has never realy been a multiuser environment before Vista. Thats why lots of people have these issues. Most just turn of user rights management and then history repeats itself.
Linux/Unix has always work in multiuser so there is no problem there.
I DO think that an option in the installer to let you select if you want to use install dir or your "home" dir as settings holder is a nice idea.
- jmarshall - 2008-07-08
Install via the installer and it saves to the users' folder.
If you build it yourself and dump it in any folder where you have write access, then no matter how you run it it'll work.
The only case where things break is if you build it yourself and install it to somewhere you don't have write access?
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the situation?
Cheers,
Jonathan
- raid517 - 2008-07-09
Maybe that's how it should work, but it didn't work that way for me. I downloaded and ran the installer in Vista. I run vista as a standard user, so in order to install to my program files directory I had to right click and install as Administrator (which means I had to enter the admin password).
I suspect you are correct however and that by doing so the settings were saved to the administrators shared application directory - hence why when not running XBMC as administrator the local user (the one under which I installed XBMC) couldn't access it.
If that's the case, then it is possibly just vista being screwy again.
- jmarshall - 2008-07-09
Agreed that it should run first time after install, even if installed as an admin. Ideally it should be installable for a non-admin as well.
Cheers,
Jonathan
- WiSo - 2008-07-09
The platform depended stuff is not fully integrated yet in the windows version simply due to the reason we mostly run it as admin user and would like to have it in one dir
So a few files still might be written in the xbmc installation dir (log file for example) but the majority is written to documents and settings\user\app data (maybe roaming somewhere). This is the path windows returns for the user app data folder and nothing we have chosen.
Search the forum there're a few threads about running as unprivileged user.
- raid517 - 2008-07-09
Well there must be something wrong with the installer then. Note my previous post to this one.
Wherever the installer is installing the settings to (by default) it requires the user to have admin privileges to access them.
The reason UAC was created was to try to wean users (and developers) away from automatically making the assumption that Windows applications should always be ran (and installed) as an administrator.
MS knew this would require a big change in culture - hence why they deliberately made UAC so annoying.
- WiSo - 2008-07-09
... and therefore I run it as administrator. Though we will update it to maybe write only in the profile dir u never know when admin rights are needed. During my researches for network and other stuff I found a lot of references where it says to use this function you need admin rights.
Until this isn't sorted out the best way is to install it as administrator and configure it to run with admin rights when started as normal user.
- mace - 2008-07-09
On long term I must say a fully agrees that you should be able to run it as a user.
But that has to be a goal valid in or about feturefreeze time