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[Fixed] Inkscape Portable 0.47 leaves registry keys behind

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Bart.S
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[Fixed] Inkscape Portable 0.47 leaves registry keys behind

Tada, these things were left behind (Win XP Sp3 Admin): Sad

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\inkscape.exe
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\inkscape.exe\: "F:\PortableApps\InkscapePortable\App\Inkscape\inkscape.exe"
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\inkscape.exe\Path: "F:\PortableApps\InkscapePortable\App\Inkscape\python;F:\PortableApps\InkscapePortable\App\Inkscape\perl"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.svg
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.svg\OpenWithList
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.svg\OpenWithList\a: "inkscape.exe"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.svg\OpenWithList\MRUList: "a"
Simeon
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they

can only be removed if run as admin I think. There could be a check though.

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OliverK
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there should be a check.

there should be a check. Shouldn't they not be created if it wasn't run with admin rights?

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Mark Sikkema
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Isn't that just considered as normal behavior ?

I thought all apps are doing the currentversion & MRUList stuf.

It's a part of windows ! I think it happens after you open a file within the app it self ?

I will have a look at my MRUList and stuff !

[edit]
Just checked, probably shouldn't do that, does this mean they turnup in the openwithlist (explorer, right click).

I found some in my registry as well, but just of beta version (XYPlorer, HMNIS)

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OliverK
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you'll only find right click

you'll only find right click associations in windows with HMNIS if you enable them.

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gluxon
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Some of those are HKCU. They

Some of those are HKCU. They don't need admin privs :/

Chris Morgan
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Just found, partial issue

I just happened to find something which I thought was probably this same thing (the App Paths bit) before I saw this thread... and now I've tracked it down.

Before Inkscape 0.47 it never did any such registration, only the installer could. Since I tested thoroughly though, src/registrytool.cpp has crept in, and in it a method RegistryTool::setPathInfo()... which is then triggered in src/main.cpp. I'll fix the code so it doesn't happen in the next release (expected to be 0.48, they're trying to make it a "quick" release more solid than 0.47 and with the new features from GSOC etc. and not do a 0.47.1 release) but for the moment I don't think it's so terribly important to do a revision, it'd be slightly messy compared to the currently very simple launcher. Summary of this paragraph: I'm going to fix it in Inkscape. (Wow, I'm going to do some more C++ code, and this time it'll be more than one line's worth, it'll be four I think!)

As for HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.svg, I'm pretty sure Inkscape and I are innocent. That's managed by Windows itself - for an example, if you've used the PortableApps.com AppCompactor, you should (I think; I do anyway. You may need to have an Explorer window open to the directory at the same time) have a ._jarpaCompactordone key in FileExts; .jar files are renamed to ._jarpaCompactordone files temporarily by it.

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Tim Clark
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Speaking as a non dev here

Speaking as a non dev here,

It would seem to me that if you expect the release of 0.48 to take more than a couple of days we should should have a Rev 2.

Otherwise folks who are downloading it now will be getting these same remains, no ?

Tim

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John T. Haller
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Depends

As mentioned, this is an issue within Inkscape itself, and it is going to be fixed within the Inkscape code itself with 0.48 which is expected to be a faster release.

Remember, we don't do our own Inkscape Portable anymore. We work with the Inkscape developers so that portability is build in and accessed via a launcher which we created. As such, doing outside-the-standard-release updates is less of an option here.

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Tim Clark
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Okay, I had read "I'll fix

Okay,

I had read
"I'll fix the code so it doesn't happen in the next release"

as something he had control over.

Things have got to get better, they can't get worse, or can they?

Gizmokid2005
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I agree with what Tim said on

I agree with what Tim said on this. CM made it seem as if he had control. If this is an issue that most users are going to see, there should either be a revision to fix it, as it wouldn't be a hard fix, or at minimum a note on the app's page that it is not fully compliant.

I could also see this as an issue where we are listing non-compliant apps, whereas there are a lot of patient devs in the beta testing forums with apps that are ready, but have yet to be listed.

Just saying we should be maintaining our level of diligence on issues such as these.

-Gizmokid2005

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to nit-pick or poke at an app or a dev, but there is good reasoning behind the thread and Tim's comment.

John T. Haller
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Inkscape

As mentioned, this is an internal issue within Inkscape's code itself. Chris has been submitting patches to Inkscape and working on the actual Inkscape code to improve portability (we're not talking about the launcher, here, we're talking about Inkscape). Keep in mind this is released by and hosted by Inkscape, *NOT* by PortableApps.com, so it is not up to us to compile and post an updated release.

Chris, let's figure out what the timeframe on 0.48 is and if it's more than a couple weeks, put together an updated launcher that handles it for now that they can post as the PAF 0.47.0.1 version.

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MaienM
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While I can understand the

While I can understand the problem with fixing this, as it is now it's not portable. So it doesn't really belong on PA.c. It should, imho, be either fixed or be taken down till it is fixed, as non portable apps don't belong on this site.

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Bart.S
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Umm,

nothing is perfect. If you remove Inkscape Portable from the site, you'll have to remove some others too.

Chris Morgan
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My patch

I'm on the Inkscape development team and thus can commit to the project. I haven't done anything other than work on portability and their main Windows installer and compiling stuff, but I'm there. I belong to both Inkscape and PortableApps.com Smile

The scheduled release time for 0.48 is approximately 6 months after 0.47.

Really though, the issue is just the creation of the key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\inkscape.exe and two values in it. Is that really so much of an issue (I know it shouldn't do it, but just bear with me)? I think that the most important aspect of it is that it will then slightly confuse the current main Inkscape installer into installing to the portable location. This could be fixed in the Inkscape Portable launcher, but that would then mean that the launcher would have to wait until the conclusion of Inkscape, and the management of multiple instances of Inkscape in a way which detracts from the usefulness of Inkscape Portable (and just yesterday I was promoting it to one of the developers as a way of getting out of the single-profile-for-all-Inkscape-installations, and that you could even run multiple different versions on different profiles concurrently... then we remembered he was on Linux. export INKSCAPE_PORTABLE_PROFILE_DIR=... will still work though Smile and not be affected by this side-issue of multiple instances, portable or non-portable) as a problem I had earlier with gVim's TEMP handling pops up again. User starts Inkscape Portable, then Inkscape, then closes InkscapePortable... and they find that InkscapePortable.exe remains on until they close Inkscape.

I'd much prefer to just apply the following simple patch to 0.47 final and recompile it... I'll talk to the release warden of 0.47 about it, see what he reckons.

My patch which I'm just about to commit to fix it changes the following in src/main.cpp

RegistryTool rt;
rt.setPathInfo();

Into

gchar const *val = g_getenv("INKSCAPE_PORTABLE_PROFILE_DIR");
if (!val) {
    RegistryTool rt;
    rt.setPathInfo();
}

As you can no doubt see, it's pretty simple. I just want to test it before committing to make sure it works as expected.

Again, no personal data or settings are being left behind. It's just one minor location where the Inkscape Portable directory is being left behind - if the user is an administrator.

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John T. Haller
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New Release

I think it warrants a revision. Though in this context, we could call the portable version 0.47.0.1 and be done with it. A new posting within the 0.47 package on SF for Inkscape. That would keep 0.47.1 free as a version if they later decide to do a 0.47 update and still distinguish the updated 0.47 portable version.

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scriptdaemon
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I have a question on this.

Are you saying leaving behind file extensions is okay?

Chris Morgan
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It isn't

It isn't leaving file extensions behind. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts is not HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. No format registration is done there, it's a thing managed by Explorer itself and not the portable application. I'm not entirely certain about when it gets created/set, but one time is if you use "Open with..." through the context menu. The items in that submenu are saved in this key and are clearly nothing to do with the program. It may also be triggered by using the Windows file chooser but I'm not yet certain about it (I need to get some clean Windows VMs up and going... gotta read 32 pages of small type in the BizSpark agreement first though.)

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scriptdaemon
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Ah, I understand.

Ah, I understand.

Bart.S
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.

Chris MorganIt may also be triggered by using the Windows file chooser but I'm not yet certain about it

I think that could be the reason. Inkscape is using the Windows file chooser and not the nicer GTK file chooser like GIMP or Dia.

Chris Morgan
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Pros and cons in both

There are pros and cons of each. In my opinion the main con of the GTK+ one is that it means that you need to clean up a useless file afterwards... whereas I like to make apps that just launch and have no need to clean up afterwards Smile

Windows one is easier to work with from a navigational perspective and looks more native; however, when the new Vista and later one is used, the Enter key doesn't work to press Open/Save due to some apparent bad coding on Microsoft's part Sad

The GTK one can have extra bookmarks placed in to special locations like "Documents" or "Pictures". It's uglier though and non-native-looking on Windows.

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John T. Haller
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Windows File Chooser

Apps on Windows should always use the Windows file chooser, IMHO. Regardless of the pros of the GTK one, users expect things to follow the conventions of the OS it's on.

On that note, it would be nice if the GTK apps could use Windows dialogs and message boxes, too.

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Chris Morgan
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I agree with you completely.

I agree with you completely. What is really needed is a second layer to make it all use Operating System native things... but it all gets too messy. That's when you go for wxWidgets instead of GTK. wxWidgets uses GTK when on a GTK platform, Cocoa (think it's called that) on OS X, and the unnamed native windows on Windows. And that's how it should be, even if it means slightly less consistency across platforms and thus not so much in the way of changing the dialogues, e.g. to add a completely custom preview thing or whatever to file pickers. It's better though. (I reckon wxWidgets is probably the best thing to go ahead with for the future rewrite of the Platform for mainly this reason, over GTK).

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geoslake
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Fonts location for true portability

I guess I should request that on Inkscape page or something, but to be portable, such a software should also be able to carry it's own fonts with it, in its "fonts" folder located in its own folder.
Or maybe it's already possible ?

Thanks

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http://portableapps.com/node/

https://portableapps.com/node/16003
This app will let you do what you need.

It probably should be able to carry its own fonts, but as I'm not the developer of Inkscape or Inkscape portable I cannot say what it will and will not do.

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Chris Morgan
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Fixed

Bug reported, fix committed, new release coming soon (when I get round to merging the patch into 0.47... in theory I should create a new Bazaar branch for it, could be simpler in some ways).

In future, Inkscape Portable bugs should be reported in Launchpad with the tags "win32 portable" (Inkscape Portable is handled entirely by the Inkscape project; as a matter of fact I'll get them there more reliably there anyway due to monitoring it through page2rss monitor).

I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.

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Bart.S
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Any news?

Will there be a new release before 0.48?

OliverK
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doubtful

doubtful.

Though honestly, if inkscape is doing this, it NEEDS to be fixed. A custom compile with the bugfix should be released. Or the launcher code should be modified to handle this.

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Mark Sikkema
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I'm getting same kind of HKCU keys in Winamp Portable
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.avi\OpenWithList
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.mp4
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.mp4\OpenWithList
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.avi\OpenWithList\a: "winamp.exe"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.avi\OpenWithList\MRUList: "a"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.mp4\OpenWithList\a: "winamp.exe"
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.mp4\OpenWithList\MRUList: "a"

Should I worry about them ?

And how would I do that ? Should I backup all (media) extension keys, and restore them on exit ?
Doing that, doesn't sound very safe either !

Formerly Gringoloco
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Chris Morgan
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Doesn't affect portability

This is a feature of Windows itself and not the application, and doesn't in my opinion affect portability. I think it's to do with opening files with the executable or the use of the Windows file choosers. Also it doesn't always happen. I plan on looking more thoroughly into it some time though (probably 6-12 months time at the current rate of Launcher development).

I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1

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