Workspace load

[chrisjj]

How may I load a workspace without interference to existing sessions especially those holding unsaved text?

Thanks.

[Chris]

Hi Chris,

It isn't possible. When you load a workspace it replaces all of the existing windows and tabs.

If you want to open multiple sessions without replacing existing sessions, organize your sessions into a folder in the saved session list. To open the sessions, right click on the folder and select "Open Sessions".

[chrisjj]

> It isn't possible.

OK, thanks.

> If you want to open multiple sessions without replacing existing sessions,
> organize your sessions into a folder in the saved session list.

That too is apparently impossible with existing unsaved sessions. Why not make BC provide this automatically? I.e. make Saved Sessions show a pseudo-folder for each workspace?

While working on a project using BC an urgent interruption required me to view another project's workspace - to avoid losing the current project's unsaved work I had to launch another Windows user. Poor.

[Zoë]

It's not completely impossible. If you launch BC with the /solo switch, each instance is independant, so loading a workspace in one copy won't affect the other.

[chrisjj]

> each instance is independant, so loading a workspace in one copy won't affect the other.

Great - thanks.

Is there any way to find out firest whether two windows are separate instances?

And I'd be interested to know what is the point of the BC default not being /solo//

[Zoë]

> Is there any way to find out firest whether two windows are separate instances?

No.

> And I'd be interested to know what is the point of the BC default not being /solo//

1) We still support opening sessions in separate windows, and the child sessions have to communicate with the parent sessions. Having new instances use /solo automatically would mean you have a mix of standalone sessions and combined sessions.

2) Despite the fact you keep running into it as a limitation, our design goal for Workspaces was to save all open windows/tabs as a single workspace, not just the current window.

3) It allows launching several comparisons from a version control system and opening them as tabs in single window.

It's not that hard to make it always use /solo though. Just add it to the command lines for the Start Menu/Quick Launch icons and any version control systems you have. To affect the Explorer menu you'll need to edit the registry. Open the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Scooter Software\Beyond Compare 3\BCShellEx key and create a new string value named "CmdLineOption" with "/solo" as the value. That's normally available through the Tweaks dailog (Ctrl+Shift+T), but it got broke a while back, and the fix won't be out until the next release.

The use Ctrl+Shift+T to open the Tweaks dialog, and you can add it to the "Command Line Switches" edit to make it affect the Explorer menu too. That last setting is currently broken, but we're finishing up testing a new release that has it fixed.

[boxer]

Is there a reliable/recommended method for launching multiple/separate BC3 processes?

I'm blowing up BC3 for exhausting it's virtual address space w/large (more than 2m object) folder comparisons.

I've found I can somewhat haphazardly (either from a command line the gui/explorer) launch a second window in a separate process rather than as additional threads in the running process: (haphazard) method is to launch one, launch another as administrator (always starts a second process), launch a third (usually starts a second process); kill the second (the one running as administrator); step and repeat.

It's apparently possible; there's got to be a direct/obvious/recommended way?

[Zoë]

boxer, you can use the /solo switch to launch a separate instance of BC. Just add it to the shortcut you use to launch BC. If you use the Explorer menu a lot open BC and press Ctrl+Shift+T to open the Tweaks dialog, and put it in the "Command line switches" edit under "Explorer integration" too.