Vanishing Keyboard Shortcuts

[outskirter]

Using FreeCommander version 2009.02b on a Windows 7 (x86) netbook.

After editing my keyboard shortcuts, I found that after using the Quick Filter and then deactivating it again, all FC's keyboard shortcuts had been cleared, including not only the ones I had redefined, but even the key mappings that I had left at their default settings -- i.e. I now had no keyboard shortcuts at all. Not only did they not work, but their names had disappeared from the main menu, as well as from the Define Shortcuts dialog. This was still the case after restarting FC.

The error was easy to reproduce, because I thought I had accidentally cleared the shortcuts myself, so I restored the default shortcuts in the Define Shortcuts dialog, made sure they had been correctly saved and were working, then tried the Quick Filter operation once more. The default shortcuts vanished again!

I guess I should have backed up my settings, but I certainly didn't expect this kind of behavior from an otherwise excellent program.

[ralfso]

Did you close FC after you restored the default shortcuts, so that FC can write the settings to file?

[outskirter]

Yes. In fact, I first saved my settings manually from the Extras menu, then exited and restarted FC.

Anyway, I think I've now discovered something else: Before deactivating the Quick Filter, I had backspaced the contents of the Quick Filter box so as to view all the files once more. I went back later after my last post and tried again, this time deactivating QF first, then clearing the box. The keyboard shortcuts were untouched that time. I've decided, however, not to display QF at all, since it interferes with the conventional method of typing the first few characters of a file name to navigate down the list. The next time I need to filter the list, I'll use the regular filter feature.

Still, I don't understand why QF interacted with the shortcut settings.

[murmura]

Using FreeCommander version 2009.02b on a Windows 7 (x86) netbook.

After editing my keyboard shortcuts, I found that after using the Quick Filter and then deactivating it again, all FC's keyboard shortcuts had been cleared, including not only the ones I had redefined, but even the key mappings that I had left at their default settings -- i.e. I now had no keyboard shortcuts at all. Not only did they not work, but their names had disappeared from the main menu, as well as from the Define Shortcuts dialog. This was still the case after restarting FC.

The error was easy to reproduce, because I thought I had accidentally cleared the shortcuts myself, so I restored the default shortcuts in the Define Shortcuts an exce dialog, made sure they had been correctly saved and were working, then tried the Quick Filter operation once more. The default shortcuts vanished again!

I guess I should have backed up my settings, but I certainly didn't expect this kind of behavior from an otherwise excellent program.

Same thing happened with me also, and like you, I did not have any backup. Have you found out any solution? I need urgent help!

[outskirter]

Same thing happened with me also, and like you, I did not have any backup. Have you found out any solution? I need urgent help!

No actual solution here, but I've stopped using the Quick Filter, and if I need to filter the list, I use the full filter dialog (Folder/Filter/Set Filter) instead.

As for the lost shortcut keys, there's no way of restoring your customizations without a backup, but you can restore the defaults by hitting the defaults button in the keyboard shortcuts dialog.

Also, you can see the changes made to the shortcuts if you copy the file FreeCommander.shc from the application's folder to a separate folder and open it with a plain-text editor.

Anyway, it's a lesson learned. Since then I've been making regular backups of FreeCommander.ini, FreeCommander.ftp, FreeCommander.shc and fcStart.ini.

[ralfso]

Anyway, it's a lesson learned. Since then I've been making regular backups of FreeCommander.ini, FreeCommander.ftp, FreeCommander.shc and fcStart.ini.

I think it doesn't help you but there is a translated citation of the c't-magazine:

Files without a backup, by definition, are unimportant.

[outskirter]

I think it doesn't help you but there is a translated citation of the c't-magazine:

Files without a backup, by definition, are unimportant.