Transfer user-specific settings between users

[meyersoft]

This feature request is related to this https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=2214.0 discussion.

I have to workstations with different user accounts / user names and would like to work on both on the same imatch database.
I would like to use the pack and go utility and would also like to sync / transfer the workspace and file window layout.
This is actually not possible - layouts are only transferred for the same user.
Transferring user-specific settings between users should be an additional option.

Alternatively or in addition, import/export of workspaces would be great to manually sync these.

This has no high prio for me, but would be quite nice - especially at the beginning, when we all are learning all the new imatch features and playing with the layouts...

[hro]

I support this request.

[KimAbel]

Me too :-)

[hluxem]

I support this too.

[bonsai]

Yep, me too!

[Mario]

That's more complicated that you think:

1. Privacy and security issues need to be considered (passwords stored per user, log-in credentials for web services, etc,.)

2. I will need to write a completely new external application because settings cannot be copied when IMatch is still running (many settings are saved when IMatch closes).

And I bet as soon as I implement it I will get requests like "I don't want to copy all settings, only some). And since these are all IMatch-internal settings, they don't have understandable "names", so I will need to come up with names for each setting.

Since nobody state why you all need that I assume that you have used different user names on your different machines. In this case an Alias concept would be much better suited. The IMatch user name is independent from the Windows user name...

[meyersoft]

Okay....
Would "import/export of workspaces to manually sync these" be easier to implement?

[KimAbel]

Since nobody state why you all need that I assume that you have used different user names on your different machines. In this case an Alias concept would be much better suited. The IMatch user name is independent from the Windows user name...

What do you mean with Alias concept? Do you mean theres an alternative way to move my settings between pc's with different usernames? That would be nice :-)

For me the situation is that I have different user names on my laptop and my stationary pc. Im am frequently moving my database between work and home and need to be sure that my important settings on my main workstation (stationary pc) is the same as on my laptop. That would be settings in the preference dialog box, metadata templates, custom panel layouts and probably some I dont know about. I know I can export metadata templates and panel layouts, but the less I have to think about when I am switching pc's the better. I know that certain settings is difficult to transfer because of screen resolutions and so on, but I hope more of the settings can be transferred without trouble (at least metadata templates and panel layouts). I would think that the situation for quite a lot of the users are the same as for me. My database is for only my use, and the settings should not depend upon the user name so that the switch from main workstation to a laptop for travel would go as easy as possible.

Kim Abel

[P.Jones]

Can't you change the user name, or set up a new user on the laptop or other PC.

Or am i missing something?

[hro]

.....I would think that the situation for quite a lot of the users are the same as for me. My database is for only my use, and the settings should not depend upon the user name so that the switch from main workstation to a laptop for travel would go as easy as possible.

Kim Abel

Kim, I agree and I have a similar situation. My username on the laptop has a corporate account (via Active Directory) and isn't really suitable for my home PC. On my home PC I have different usernames, depending on who in the family logs on. Short of changing the setup and usernames, I just like to explore if there are easier options.

[meyersoft]

Since nobody state why you all need that I assume that you have used different user names on your different machines. In this case an Alias concept would be much better suited. The IMatch user name is independent from the Windows user name...

What do you mean with Alias concept? Do you mean theres an alternative way to move my settings between pc's with different usernames? That would be nice :-)

For me the situation is that I have different user names on my laptop and my stationary pc. Im am frequently moving my database between work and home and need to be sure that my important settings on my main workstation (stationary pc) is the same as on my laptop. That would be settings in the preference dialog box, metadata templates, custom panel layouts and probably some I dont know about. I know I can export metadata templates and panel layouts, but the less I have to think about when I am switching pc's the better. I know that certain settings is difficult to transfer because of screen resolutions and so on, but I hope more of the settings can be transferred without trouble (at least metadata templates and panel layouts). I would think that the situation for quite a lot of the users are the same as for me. My database is for only my use, and the settings should not depend upon the user name so that the switch from main workstation to a laptop for travel would go as easy as possible.

Kim Abel

The same for me here.
Mario, please clarify on the alias concept and the imatch username being different from the windows username. Do we have that already?

[KimAbel]

Can't you change the user name, or set up a new user on the laptop or other PC.

Changing the user name is not a good option as Mario has stated earlier. Theres much customization done on each user name account. Often it's also not possible to change it because one of the users are a corporate account.

Setting up another user will work, but it's not a good solution because you have to switch user each time you need to look at your photos!

Since IM5 is a program that often is needed on travel, a better solution when it comes to transferring the settings would be highly welcome.

Kim Abel

[jch2103]

Since IM5 is a program that often is needed on travel, a better solution when it comes to transferring the settings would be highly welcome.

+1

[ulim]

If multi-client capability is too hard to implement, then my suggestion would be to create an import/export feature for a few specific settings that we care about. Screen layout and user-defined panels could be exported into a file without any referral to a user name and imported on the other computer, where the setting would simply overwrite the ones of the current user, whoever that may be.

Ulrich

[ubacher]

++1

[Mario]

++1

Adding ++1 in a post doesn't do anything.
Please use the Like feature - the big Like button you see for each feature requests.
I don't open every FR and read all posts to count the +1 or -1 manually. I look at the overview which shows me the most liked FR's and then decide into what to look next. FR's without Likes will be archived shortly.

[Mario]

The next release (or the one thereafter) introduces a user name alias feature. This feature allows you to configure that you want the settings of 'Tom' in IMatch, even when you log in as 'Jerry'.

This only affects the IMatch settings and the per-user settings in your databases. Per-user resources managed by Windows, such as the document & settings folder, are used as before.