INI settings will not save / installing on comp..

[MikeB]

Hey All,

I am building my application and installing it in several other computers to test if it works correctly. When I save my INI settings, they will not save the data or load the data. It works fine when I run it on my computer. Is this a path issue? I included the INI as an external file when building the application, should I have just left them out?

[Tiles]

This could be a security issue. Microsoft don't want apps to use their savefiles in its own folder. This restriction counts for the #Program files# folder. And no, i don't understand that neither. It's Microsoft ^^

Try to install at C:\ and have a look if it works then. When yes you have to either install your app at C or store the ini at the place Microsoft thinks that's the secure one.

[Yves]

That won't work on C:\ either.

Probably the other machines use Vista?

You should save the INI file to a sub-directory of the user's Application Data directory. To do that :

1. Insert a File object in your application

2. At start of frame create the directory AppDataDirectory$( "File" ) + "\YourSubDirectory" (with the Create Directory function of the File object) (note: do not forget the '\' before the sub-directory name)

3. Set the INI file (using the Set Current File action of the INI object) to AppDataDirectory$( "File" ) + "\YourSubDirectory\YourFile.ini"

[Tiles]

Ah, did they finally change that? Seems that i have to redo some of my apps then ^^

[IsaacBoy]

Agreed its good application devlopment practice to use application data. This works in vista and also allows different installs per user on a machine should there be multiple.

[Tiles]

One question to that. The install shield doesn't know about this folder. It is created by the software. Which means the folder in the appdatadirectory stays when you uninstall your app. Not ideal i would say. What's the best way to handle the uninstall then?

[Jax]

Ini++ can automatically put it in this folder, too. However, currently it is only the base folder. Future versions will allow you to specify a subdirectory to put it in.

[Paul_Boland]

You can always install in your own folder on the root directory, this gets over the issue with using the Program Files folder in Vista. If you have many programs on offer, do what I do and create one hub folder which contains all your programs. I install to,

c:\KnightTrek Productions\PROGRAM FOLDER

Where PROGRAM FOLDER is the name of the software being installed. That way, on the root directory of the computer, there is one KnightTrek Productions folder into which all my programs install.

[James]

Bad practice! Users don't want folders in the drive root cluttering up their PC.

[DavidN]

It does get around the Program Files problem, but forcing a directory on to the user is never a good idea...