I just loaded and installed Audacity 2.3.1 using the ...paf.exe file (rather than the .zip file from the Audacity download site which was available for 2.3.0) and find that it does not use the .cfg file in a PortableSettings folder. There is another PortableSettings folder in the Data folder but that doesn't appear to be used either. Finally there is an App folder which contains Audacity\audacity.exe which is a different build of Audacity 2.3.1 (different file size and date) which does pick up an existing configuration file, but apparently the one that is used by my main installed version of Audacity.
Iam getting confused as to which version I should be running and how to get it to use a separate Portable .cfg file.
Can anyone provide some clarification please and explain why it doesn't all work as simply as the 2.30 version?
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Audacity 2.3.1 doesn't use Portable .cfg file
March 22, 2019 - 1:20pm
#1
Audacity 2.3.1 doesn't use Portable .cfg file
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I run AudacityPortable.exe within the AudacityPortable directory of the 2.3.1 release and it properly moves the Portable Settings folder from AudacityPortable\Data\Portable Settings to AudacityPortable\App\Audacity\Portable Settings on launch. Audacity uses it as expected. Then it moves back on exit. The audacity.exe file is an unmodified one from audacity-win-2.3.1.zip distributed by the publisher.
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But, if I replace the Data\Portable Settings\audacity.cfg with my existing, carefully constructed to my desired set of shortcuts and display modes, it gets overwritten by a default .cfg file . And I still don't understand why there are two .exe files one of 13000KB or thereabouts and one of 200KB or so.
I think I see more or less what is happening now. AudacityPortable.exe is just a launcher app which creates a PortableSettings folder in App\Audacity. Then app\audacity.exe is run using that default configuration file and when it closes the PortableSettings folder is deleted again.
If I just extract the App\Audacity folder on its own I get the same behaviour as I had with the original 2.3.0 portable Audacity and all the other folders provided are just faff that can be ignored. By running audacity.exe directly it will use the configuration file in a PortableSetings folder off the folder holding the executable as in the Audacity documentation.