Are there any instructions on upgrading existing installations? I ran the installer over my existing one and my categories are gone! (now, to hunt for may backup…)
BTW, I kludged up a workaround to the 'png' problem - place files in the **..\PortableApps\geekMenu\Data\Themes\default** directory.
yeah. that "menu converter" application that i posted to the geek utilites folder will convert over the categories and other settings. as of 1.3.5.2 (posted last night), there should be no png problem, but thanks.
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Now I have installed the latest version 1.3.5.2 the .png problem is solved, but the "menu converter" does not seem to solve the categories problem. I have been using 1.3.4.0 and hoped the category files might be compatible, but it seems they are not. I have tried running both the older (1.3.5.1) "menu converter" and the newer one (1.3.5.2) which is a little bit different, but neither of them seem to actually alter anything. I imagine the "menu converter" should rewrite GeekMenu.ini or ApplicationCategories, or applicationList ? But none of these files seems to have been touched by either of the "menu converter" programs.
The disappearance of all my categories and hidden files brings another shortcoming to the surface - and that is that quite a number of exes are displayed with the same name and I can't find out how to work out which of the list of identical named commands corresponds with which of the (different) file named exes in the folders - and often in which folder they are even located!. When installing programs one at a time I have a pretty good idea of which folder I have just installed them into and I have simply run ones with the same name to see what they do and from that guess at which one is which - but I would really not run some of these files that have now become unhidden!
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You'll need to exit and restart (or refresh apps if you have accelerated menu loading turned on)
Each application in your PortableApps Directory will have a "Data" folder, and inside of this there should be a .pafdata file with the same name as the applications directory (e.g. FirefoxPortable.pafdata) That file has the category information stored in it, and should be created by the menuConverter process.
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First off, Christopher, I want to say (again) thanks for this excellent PortableApps fork.
I do want to upgrade, but am still having problems. A little more documentation on upgrade procedures would help! :)
Like John, I am using version 1.3.4.0.
GeekMenu is installed in the root of its own drive, G: (it's a TrueCrypt volume, but I mount it first; haven't yet gotten around to doing it the GeekMenu way).
I downloaded menuConverter (filedate Oct 14, 8PM), and geek.menu.experimental.installer.1.3.5.2.exe.
I read your note regarding the "autorun plugin", and searched until I found a folder named "G:\PortableApps\geekMenu\App\plugins". It contained only a file named gmpi.wallpaper.dll.
I searched for any file named "autorun*", and found only three, in the root (G:\): Autorun_PortableApps.inf and autorun.inf, and a zero-byte file named autoRun.lst.
I run the menuConverter first (asks for confirmations for G:\portableApps\geekMenu\data\GeekMenu.ini and G:\portableApps) and the installer second.
I then run G:\StartGeekMenu.exe (still dated 1/16/2008?)
I note that it is indeed version1.3.5.2, but my menus/categories are gone.
I tried Options>Refresh Icons, but it had no effect.
When I right-click one of the apps, then select Categores, I note that two of my old categories are there, but none of the others. If I select one of them, that app disappears, but the Category remains invisible (tried this twice). And, yes, I scrolled way up and way down.
Last bug: when I attempt to terminate, by right-clicking the icon in the System Tray and selecting Exit, nothing happens, and the icon remains, though clicking it now does nothing. The process remains, in Task Manager, and I have to kill it.
That's it for now. Sorry so verbose, but hopefully I have provided pertinent info.
Salutations,
-Paul
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When the menu stabilizes, I'll work on documentation- for now it's changing too rapidly. I know the category switch over is a pain, but it simplifies the code base enormously, and also allows for hidden icons to remain assigned to a category.
If you don't have a previous version of the autorun plugin, then you don't have to worry about deleting it<g>. It would only be in the "G:\PortableApps\geekMenu\App\plugins" directory.
Can you look in the folder of one of your applications and see if there is a "Data" directory and let me know if there is a file with the .pafdata extension that matches the folder name? If you can find one for an application that should be in a category, open the file in notepad and post the contents here.
Not sure what could be causing geek.menu to hang on exit, and those tend to be a bit more difficult to troubleshoot, but I'll take a look into that after I've got the category issue nailed down for you.
And no worries on the verbosity- the more info the better, when troubleshooting an application over a forum <g>
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In terms of documentation, I was just talking about upgrading and the like… Was the procedure I followed ok?
K, so here's the contents of G:\PortableApps\7-ZipPortable\Data\7-ZipPortable.pafdata:
Category=Util
caption=7-Zip Portable
I see that it 'remembers' the Category I'd assigned it to, Util.
I'm going to reboot my computer now, as CPU and stalled interrupts seem to be running high - maybe memory leaks, maybe my loading and unloading TC volumes…
Anyway, thanks for hanging in there, and evolving GM to its next step!
Salutations,
-Paul
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Okay, there's definitely a bug in the menuConverter program- it should be adding a "categoryPath" value under 7-zipportable.exe details. I probably goofed it up during interim steps while I was finalizing the design, and I need to go back and correct it.
I'll take a closer look when I have a chance, but I'm pretty swamped with my real job today. I should have some time this weekend - should be a quick fix.
Thanks for the info.
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Kewl! <P>
So, you never answered my "procedure" question…. <P>
Do I run the menuConverter first, then the installer, or the reverse, or does it matter?
(I'd just like to avoid having to re-copy my whole installation again)<P>
Thanks!
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Doesn't really matter when you run it, it is modifies files that are unaffected by the installer. The only thing that could be an issue is that you might need to hit "Refresh" to re-read stuff if you've got accelerated loading enabled.
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Hi, x0pher, I ran both, and GM did come up, showing my categories! Good fix!
But, now there is another issue for me: Once the GM GUI disappears, it also disappears from my System Tray! I see it in my processes, but it does not have a window I can bring to the front. I then have to kill it via my Process Explorer.
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Update: I re-ran GM, moved the menu a bit, went into options and toyed with the min/max icons, and the icon appeared again!
Then, I exited, and re-ran, but no icon; had to terminate by killing it.
I repeated this a few times, starting/stopping/killing, and sometimes the icon would appear in my System Tray, sometimes not. Now it's been a half-dozen times with no icon, so I'm giving up for now…Maybe after another coffee… :)
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Not sure what's causing this, but you can probably get around it for now by checking the "Keep tray icon to the left" option in advanced options. Let me know if that works or not.
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Hmm, this is odd… I checked "Keep tray icon to the left" (I think I always had that checked before, but it perhaps became unchecked in the re-install).
Well, I exited, re-ran, and there it was! Hooray! Then, I exited again, re-ran, and no GM… Had to kill it manually…boo…
Ran it one more time, and there it is. Definitely odd… Anyway, it's Monday, so back to work for me - and you, too :) - So, I'll keep it running, and we can deal with this later.
Have a great day!
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Paul,
I actually saw this on my system for the first time today, but haven't reproduced it regularly yet. Can you do me a favor and rename the wintigration.dll file in the plugins directory under geek.menu to gmpi.wintigration.txt for a few days (you'll lose windows integration, of course) and see if it has any impact on the issue you're seeing?
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That seems to have done the trick - I've started, stopped, and re-started the menu four times now (leaving some time in between), and it always remains in my tray.
I'm not sure what "windows integration" is, so I may not use it (or, I'll find out!).
I'll try stopping/restarting throughout the day, and will keep you posted of any changes.
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The Windows integration plugin now handles all the stuff that modifies your Windows desktop, like PortableFonts, modifying the system path, adding "Send To" shortcuts and updating the "places bar" for windows XP - i have a strange question for you- do you have a file named (after renaming) gmpi.wintegration.txt or is it gpmi.wintegration.dll. I fixed a naming problem, but not my build script, so i think the problem is that all the nice fixes that I did after fixing the naming were not distributed. If so, that's a pretty easy fix for me.
Thanks again for being a willing tester.
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Hey
*Yay!!* Geek is alive again!
Are there any instructions on upgrading existing installations? I ran the installer over my existing one and my categories are gone! (now, to hunt for may backup…)
BTW, I kludged up a workaround to the 'png' problem - place files in the **..\PortableApps\geekMenu\Data\Themes\default** directory.
-Paul
: http://desormeaux.org/geek/pings.zip
yeah. that "menu converter" application that i posted to the geek utilites folder will convert over the categories and other settings. as of 1.3.5.2 (posted last night), there should be no png problem, but thanks.
Now I have installed the latest version 1.3.5.2 the .png problem is solved, but the "menu converter" does not seem to solve the categories problem. I have been using 1.3.4.0 and hoped the category files might be compatible, but it seems they are not. I have tried running both the older (1.3.5.1) "menu converter" and the newer one (1.3.5.2) which is a little bit different, but neither of them seem to actually alter anything. I imagine the "menu converter" should rewrite GeekMenu.ini or ApplicationCategories, or applicationList ? But none of these files seems to have been touched by either of the "menu converter" programs.
The disappearance of all my categories and hidden files brings another shortcoming to the surface - and that is that quite a number of exes are displayed with the same name and I can't find out how to work out which of the list of identical named commands corresponds with which of the (different) file named exes in the folders - and often in which folder they are even located!. When installing programs one at a time I have a pretty good idea of which folder I have just installed them into and I have simply run ones with the same name to see what they do and from that guess at which one is which - but I would really not run some of these files that have now become unhidden!
You'll need to exit and restart (or refresh apps if you have accelerated menu loading turned on)
Each application in your PortableApps Directory will have a "Data" folder, and inside of this there should be a .pafdata file with the same name as the applications directory (e.g. FirefoxPortable.pafdata) That file has the category information stored in it, and should be created by the menuConverter process.
First off, Christopher, I want to say (again) thanks for this excellent PortableApps fork.
I do want to upgrade, but am still having problems. A little more documentation on upgrade procedures would help! :)
Like John, I am using version 1.3.4.0.
GeekMenu is installed in the root of its own drive, G: (it's a TrueCrypt volume, but I mount it first; haven't yet gotten around to doing it the GeekMenu way).
I downloaded menuConverter (filedate Oct 14, 8PM), and geek.menu.experimental.installer.1.3.5.2.exe.
I read your note regarding the "autorun plugin", and searched until I found a folder named "G:\PortableApps\geekMenu\App\plugins". It contained only a file named gmpi.wallpaper.dll.
I searched for any file named "autorun*", and found only three, in the root (G:\): Autorun_PortableApps.inf and autorun.inf, and a zero-byte file named autoRun.lst.
I run the menuConverter first (asks for confirmations for G:\portableApps\geekMenu\data\GeekMenu.ini and G:\portableApps) and the installer second.
I then run G:\StartGeekMenu.exe (still dated 1/16/2008?)
I note that it is indeed version1.3.5.2, but my menus/categories are gone.
I tried Options>Refresh Icons, but it had no effect.
When I right-click one of the apps, then select Categores, I note that two of my old categories are there, but none of the others. If I select one of them, that app disappears, but the Category remains invisible (tried this twice). And, yes, I scrolled way up and way down.
Last bug: when I attempt to terminate, by right-clicking the icon in the System Tray and selecting Exit, nothing happens, and the icon remains, though clicking it now does nothing. The process remains, in Task Manager, and I have to kill it.
That's it for now. Sorry so verbose, but hopefully I have provided pertinent info.
Salutations,
-Paul
When the menu stabilizes, I'll work on documentation- for now it's changing too rapidly. I know the category switch over is a pain, but it simplifies the code base enormously, and also allows for hidden icons to remain assigned to a category.
If you don't have a previous version of the autorun plugin, then you don't have to worry about deleting it<g>. It would only be in the "G:\PortableApps\geekMenu\App\plugins" directory.
Can you look in the folder of one of your applications and see if there is a "Data" directory and let me know if there is a file with the .pafdata extension that matches the folder name? If you can find one for an application that should be in a category, open the file in notepad and post the contents here.
Not sure what could be causing geek.menu to hang on exit, and those tend to be a bit more difficult to troubleshoot, but I'll take a look into that after I've got the category issue nailed down for you.
And no worries on the verbosity- the more info the better, when troubleshooting an application over a forum <g>
In terms of documentation, I was just talking about upgrading and the like… Was the procedure I followed ok?
K, so here's the contents of G:\PortableApps\7-ZipPortable\Data\7-ZipPortable.pafdata:
Category=Util
caption=7-Zip Portable
I see that it 'remembers' the Category I'd assigned it to, Util.
I'm going to reboot my computer now, as CPU and stalled interrupts seem to be running high - maybe memory leaks, maybe my loading and unloading TC volumes…
Anyway, thanks for hanging in there, and evolving GM to its next step!
Salutations,
-Paul
Okay, there's definitely a bug in the menuConverter program- it should be adding a "categoryPath" value under 7-zipportable.exe details. I probably goofed it up during interim steps while I was finalizing the design, and I need to go back and correct it.
I'll take a closer look when I have a chance, but I'm pretty swamped with my real job today. I should have some time this weekend - should be a quick fix.
Thanks for the info.
Paul-
There's a new version of menuConverter up now- can you give it a shot and let me know if it works for you?
Kewl! <P>
So, you never answered my "procedure" question…. <P>
Do I run the menuConverter first, then the installer, or the reverse, or does it matter?
(I'd just like to avoid having to re-copy my whole installation again)<P>
Thanks!
Doesn't really matter when you run it, it is modifies files that are unaffected by the installer. The only thing that could be an issue is that you might need to hit "Refresh" to re-read stuff if you've got accelerated loading enabled.
Hi, x0pher, I ran both, and GM did come up, showing my categories! Good fix!
But, now there is another issue for me: Once the GM GUI disappears, it also disappears from my System Tray! I see it in my processes, but it does not have a window I can bring to the front. I then have to kill it via my Process Explorer.
Update: I re-ran GM, moved the menu a bit, went into options and toyed with the min/max icons, and the icon appeared again!
Then, I exited, and re-ran, but no icon; had to terminate by killing it.
I repeated this a few times, starting/stopping/killing, and sometimes the icon would appear in my System Tray, sometimes not. Now it's been a half-dozen times with no icon, so I'm giving up for now…Maybe after another coffee… :)
Not sure what's causing this, but you can probably get around it for now by checking the "Keep tray icon to the left" option in advanced options. Let me know if that works or not.
Hmm, this is odd… I checked "Keep tray icon to the left" (I think I always had that checked before, but it perhaps became unchecked in the re-install).
Well, I exited, re-ran, and there it was! Hooray! Then, I exited again, re-ran, and no GM… Had to kill it manually…boo…
Ran it one more time, and there it is. Definitely odd… Anyway, it's Monday, so back to work for me - and you, too :) - So, I'll keep it running, and we can deal with this later.
Have a great day!
Paul,
I actually saw this on my system for the first time today, but haven't reproduced it regularly yet. Can you do me a favor and rename the wintigration.dll file in the plugins directory under geek.menu to gmpi.wintigration.txt for a few days (you'll lose windows integration, of course) and see if it has any impact on the issue you're seeing?
Hi, xopher,
That seems to have done the trick - I've started, stopped, and re-started the menu four times now (leaving some time in between), and it always remains in my tray.
I'm not sure what "windows integration" is, so I may not use it (or, I'll find out!).
I'll try stopping/restarting throughout the day, and will keep you posted of any changes.
Paul-
The Windows integration plugin now handles all the stuff that modifies your Windows desktop, like PortableFonts, modifying the system path, adding "Send To" shortcuts and updating the "places bar" for windows XP - i have a strange question for you- do you have a file named (after renaming) gmpi.wintegration.txt or is it gpmi.wintegration.dll. I fixed a naming problem, but not my build script, so i think the problem is that all the nice fixes that I did after fixing the naming were not distributed. If so, that's a pretty easy fix for me.
Thanks again for being a willing tester.
Hi, x0pher,
The name of the file, after I renamed it, is **gmpi.wintegration.dll.txt**.
And, you're welcome! I'm happy to do my small part in the advancement of your great app! =)