Requested Save Settings check boxes

[Mij]

I requested a Save Settings check box for the Custom Crop selection dialog some while ago, but I now think I should make the request more general and ask for such a box to be added to all dialogs that use values stored in the Initialization settings. i think this would prove useful for many people but especially so for Vista users who now find they cannot edit initialization settings with a text editor.
For maximum flexibility and least impact on existing users I would propose that the box would be checked by default in most cases. Values would then be saved automatically on exit as at present. Where values are not automatically saved at present, then the default would be to open with the box unchecked.
To protect your stored settings you could uncheck the box immediately after opening. If you want to just alter some of the settings you could do that and then uncheck the box to save them at that point. With the box unchecked any further changes would not be saved on exit. (Useful when saving the occasional grayscale image).

[Sam_Zen]

Support ++
And nicely argumented.

There's a complication here though in implementation.
Afaik IrfanView only saves its INI-file when closing.
This would require a saving of new INI-contents during the session itself. So a new function.
But it can be done I think, because it already happens with the 8BF INI-files.

Vista users who now find they cannot edit initialization settings with a text editor

Really? How terrible.. Not even with a Notepad-alternative?

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

AFAIK, Vista doesn't allow editing of files in the Programs folder, and IrfanView is not designed for Vista, so it stores its settings in its Program folder. Programs should store settings in Documents and Settings, then the program can be used by multiple users on the same PC, each user having his/her own settings.

[Mij]

Support ++
And nicely argumented.

There's a complication here though in implementation.
Afaik IrfanView only saves its INI-file when closing.
This would require a saving of new INI-contents during the session itself. So a new function.
But it can be done I think, because it already happens with the 8BF INI-files.

Thanks Sam_Zen, but I think you must be wrong about saving the INI only when the Irfanview session closes. I quite often open two copies of IV together and the second copy uses new settings I make in copy 1 just as soon as the dialog box is closed.

Actually Vista users can edit their INI file if they can find it, but it took me about 6 months to do so. As Bhikku said you need special privileges to edit a file in Program Folders so Vista creates an INI file for each user in a Virtual Store folder whose contents seem to be hidden from any searches. You have to navigate to where the INI should be and select a button marked "Compatibility Files" to find it.
Hmmm - hope I have not undermined my feature request too much by revealing that little Vista secret.
Mij

[matera]

LOL Vista is a real patootie, isn't it? I just got slightly aquainted with it a few days ago, and I can see how it might take some time to find things. Thanx for the tip

[Sam_Zen]

2 Mij
You're right, I didn't consider 2 IV copies opened at the same time in my statement.
These Vista properties are really horrifying to me, virtual hidden things.
I hope I won't be forced to use this in the future.