[texworks] [TexLive-Installation] Where does TW stores configuration and settings?

[Stefan Löffler]

Hi,

On 2011-03-28 11:05, Paul A Norman wrote:
> I've also tended to avoid putting anything in Windows Registry in most
> projects.
>
> Is it at all worth considering setting installation as "Portable" by
> default and auto-generating the needed texworks-setup.ini 
> (putting everything in a "config" folder under TeXworks.executable)?

As you already mentioned, this is highly system-dependent. On Ubuntu
Linux, for example, texworks (i.e., from the prebuilt packages) is
installed in a system-wide directory which usually requires admin
privileges to write to. In addition, the config files are installed in
subdirectories of the user's home directory, which allows several users
to have different configurations. I'd hate to break that multi-user
capabilities.

That said, the fact that the registry is used on Windows is the default
built into Qt (and it is, after all, the default location to store
settings on that OS).

> defaultbinpaths = <whereever>/MiTeX 2.8.3541 dah dah/miktex/bin
> inipath = ./config
> libpath = ./config
>
> And making it an alternative option during install instead for
> (under Windows) Registry (or other central /User OS dependant locations) 
> to be used as the alternative?

Well, it would be a possibility. Please note, though, that the existence
of an installer is actually an optional feature, and possibly based on
third-party contributions.
The natural way to distribute Tw is by using a source archive. Since
this is especially unhandy and unusual on Windows, there a binary
archive and an additional installer (for stable releases) are offered.
But it's important to emphasize that this is not Tw core functionality.
So if you build Tw yourself, you can easily contribute a custom
installer that does add new options.

All in all, however, if we'd go into the direction of
modifying/enhancing the way and places Tw stores configurations etc., I
think we should take a broader approach as suggested a while ago.
Namely, to have coexisting global and user configs, etc.

> Would this give a consistent place for people to find settings even on
> different Os-es?

Unfortunately, no. Even on Windows, places have changed (from XP to
Vista). See
http://code.google.com/p/texworks/wiki/TipsAndTricks#Locating_and_customizing_TeXworks_resources)
for more information (this is regarding the resources folder; for
settings similar problems would apply, though).

> In the alternative keep everything out of Registry, and as TeXworks
> always knows where everything is -- could TeXworks have a sub menu /
> or panel in Preferences like the Template previewer to retrieve and
> open for edit all the User configuration files? Then  no none has to
> work out where they all are? 

Hm, this has been suggested before (by you?) on a somewhat narrower
scope, i.e., as an alternative for the "Show Scripts Folder" menu item.
I could envision some dialog (probably accessible from the Help menu?)
that shows you where everything is, and in a later step also provide
information about versioning of the files (as added recently; whether
the user has changed the file, it is unknown, or up to date).

HTH
Stefan