First off, this will probably end up being more of a "Portable Apps"
question, but the question is all within the domain of TB Portable...
so I ask the question here.
I'm using TBPortable 2.0.0.24 (okay, I think I originally installed
2.0.0.13, and it updated). Yes, I've been using Portable TB for
a long time. ;)
I just started a project where I needed a development profile.
So, I created 4 profiles --
o I went to cmd.exe,
o I cd'd to [...\ThunderbirdPortable\App\thunderbird\]
o I ran from command-line [thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager]
o I created three new profiles - dev, test, other
o I left default profile for personal email.
I created an XP shortcut on my desktop with --
o default directory [...\ThunderbirdPortable\App\thunderbird\]
o command
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\App\thunderbird\thunderbird.exe
-ProfileManager]
This shortcut is working... yet...
I want ThunderBirdPortable to startup at the Profile Manager,
so that I can choose from the different profiles. This request
seems like there might be a lot of people who might want to do
this... thus again, the question here.
I researched the and found out about the file
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\Other\Source\ThunderbirdPortable.ini]
I ran across a web note which mentioned copying the .ini file
to the [...\ThunderbirdPortable\] directory (where
ThunderbirdPortable.exe is located), and make changes in the
new location.
The process that I followed had an extra step (for _my_ sanity's
sake) --
o I copied
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\Other\Source\ThunderbirdPortable.ini]
to
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.ini]
o I renamed
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\Other\Source\ThunderbirdPortable.ini]
to
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\Other\Source\ThunderbirdPortable.ini.orig]
so that ThunderbirdPortable.exe would not find the ini file in the
[Other\Source] directory.
o Attempt 1)
In [...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.ini],
I changed the line
AdditionalParameters=
to
AdditionalParameters=-ProfileManager
, and saved the .ini file.
When I double-clicked the old shortcut that the TBP install created
long ago to
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.exe]
,
ThunderbirdPortable.exe started up the default profile...
so I wasn't sure if what I had done anything of importance.
o Attempt 2)
In [...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.ini],
I changed the line back to
AdditionalParameters=
.
I changed the line
ThunderbirdExecutable=thunderbird.exe
to
ThunderbirdExecutable=thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager
, and saved the .ini file.
When I double-clicked the old shortcut to
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.exe],
ThunderbirdPortable.exe gave me an error about not finding
program [thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager] ...
so I knew that what I was doing was working,
but I hadn't figured out the .ini file yet.
o Attempt 3)
In [...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.ini],
I changed the line
ThunderbirdExecutable=thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager
to
ThunderbirdExecutable=thunderbird.exe-ProfileManager
, and saved the .ini file.
When I double-clicked the old shortcut to
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.exe],
ThunderbirdPortable.exe gave me an error about not finding
program [thunderbird.exe-ProfileManager] ...
so I knew that what I was doing was working,
but I hadn't figured out the .ini file yet.
o Attempt 4)
In [...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.ini],
I changed the line back to
ThunderbirdExecutable=thunderbird.exe
.
I changed the line
AdditionalParameters=
to
AdditionalParameters=ProfileManager
, and saved the .ini file.
When I double-clicked the old shortcut to
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\ThunderbirdPortable.exe],
ThunderbirdPortable.exe started up the default profile...
so I knew that what I was doing was working,
but I hadn't figured out the .ini file yet.
Please, can someone tell how to get ThunderbirdPortable.exe
to execute
[...\ThunderbirdPortable\App\thunderbird\thunderbird.exe
-ProfileManager]
by touching up the ThunderbirdPortable.ini file?
Thank you for your help,
Barney
You are here
XP / TB 2.0.0.24 / ThunderbirdPortable.ini / -ProfileManger
May 20, 2010 - 12:30am
#1
XP / TB 2.0.0.24 / ThunderbirdPortable.ini / -ProfileManger
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Hi, and welcome to PortableApps.
Secondly, wow, that is difficult to read when you stick it in pre tags like that.
Thirdly, it won't work that way. The profile manager is fundamentally incompatible with the way portable apps does its portability, since what the launcher does is to run tbird with a specific profile, so the profile manager isn't the correct way to do what you are trying to do anyway. Attempt 4 would be the correct way to pass parameters to it, but, sadly, that particular parameter isn't going to help you.
Happily, help may well be at hand.
Take a look at https://portableapps.com/support/thunderbird_portable#second_profile where there is a link to the official PApps method for multiple profile support, and instructions on how to set it up. I don't know if this method will work with the 2.x stream, since it was built well after the migration to 3.x.
If it doesn't work with 2.x, there are still options.
The really simple way is just to install several copies of Thunderbird Portable, so you could have
x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable
x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortableDev
x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortableTest
x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortableOther
and then just set each of them up as you desire.
The slightly more complex, but easier on the disk space, method would be that in the x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data fodler, there is a folder called profile.
You could arrange to have several different profile folders in there, such as profile.personal, profile.test, profile.dev, profile.other and simply rename one of them at a time to profile before running tbird. You could automate this with a batch script or other simple wrapper to choose one, rename it, run TBP, then rename it back, or you could just do it in explorer.
Hope that helps
> Secondly, wow, that is difficult to read when
> you stick it in pre tags like that.
I grew up in MS and PC and DR DOS. I have always
felt that Arial and most of the other fonts were
much harder to read than Courier New and FixedSys.
Being a REAL old-school programmer, where you
really didn't have to worry about variable-sized
fonts, -PRE- and -CODE- is so much simpler for me
to read.
I figured that if I wrapped -PRE- text to my
window (actually to a standard width of 72 or 40),
that it would be easier to read.
> The slightly more complex, but easier on the
> disk space, method would be that in the
> x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data
> folder, there is a folder called profile.
>
> You could arrange to have several different
> profile folders in there, such as
> profile.personal, profile.test, profile.dev,
> profile.other and simply rename one of them
> at a time to profile before running tbird.
>
> You could automate this with a batch script
> or other simple wrapper to choose one, rename
> it, run TBP, then rename it back, or you could
> just do it in explorer.
How about this variant?
A. To create the default profile that I will use for default
(current settings) --
1) Copy x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile.default
2) Copy x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini to
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.default.ini
3) Edit x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.default.ini
changing ProfileDirectory=Data\profile
to ProfileDirectory=Data\profile.default
B. To create the dev profile that I will use for development (Unit Testing)
1) create and empty directory named
x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile.dev
2) Copy x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini to
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.dev.ini
3) Edit x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.dev.ini
changing ProfileDirectory=Data\profile
to ProfileDirectory=Data\profile.dev
Repeat for more profiles - "test" and "other".
Next create a DOS BAT file that presents the four profile options.
Then create "if" option blocks where --
Option 1 --
Deletes x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Copies x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.default.ini
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Then, Start "x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.exe"
Option 2 --
Deletes x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Copies x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.dev.ini
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Then, Start "x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.exe"
Option 3 --
Deletes x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Copies x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.test.ini
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Then, Start "x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.exe"
Option 4 --
Deletes x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Copies x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.other.ini
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Then, Start "x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.exe"
Before exiting the batch,
Delete x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Copies x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.default.ini
to x:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\ThundeberbirdPortable.ini
Found a batch file to start from at
http://www.computing.net/answers/dos/menu-in-a-batch-file/11109.html,
See Response 3.
I read Response 6, which took me to
http://www.computing.net/answers/dos/choice-command-for-dos-5/11117.html
and I saw response 2 on this page which pointed me to a download for
choice.exe, which I copied to my x:\util\ directory, which I PATH for
tools like choice, and others like rar, md5sum, all of the SystemInternalSuite,
UnixUtils, etc.
I'll post more when I have finished setting it up.
Thanks for everyone's help.
At least with pre and code, I don't lose the indentation, like I needed for the batch file description and explanation.
pre RULZ.
First let me say hi and welcome here!
The profile manager isn't portable. Its just not supported by Thunderbird Portable because it will break things. Thunderbird Portable only supports one profile inside the ThunderbirdPortable/Data folder. If you want/need a secondary/third profile, please visit the Thunderbird support page and follow the instructions there. What it does is it basically creates a second folder with the profile in it but uses the executables from your first install.
If you run the thunderbird.exe directly (or via cmd.exe or a shortcut) inside the \ThunderbirdPortable\App\thunderbird\ folder, it wont be run portably and will create a profile on your local PC inside your %APPDATA% folder as the normal standard install would.
The ini file
You used it correctly. It is copied to the main folder (=ThunderbirdPortable) by you. The Launcher only checks for it in this location so there is no need to rename the on inside the /Others/Source folder. What you did in your first attempt is the right way, except for the general fact that the profile manager isn't supported. As outlined in the Readme inside the /Others/Source folder, whatever you type after the "AdditionalParameters="-section of the ini is appended to the main exe (i.e. thunderbird.exe).Thats why you got the error about the file not being fond.
So in short what you tried isnt working. The official way requires less manual work (no renaming of folders) and less disk space than 4 fully independent installs.
I hope that answers your questions!
EDIT: Looks like someone was faster.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate