Urgent: 820-822 (even with default settings) - right-creep tree divider in split-screen lower panel

[dsperber]

Marek,

I am reporting this yet one more time, as it still remains unfixed in 822. It first appeared in 820, and does not appear in 819. As you have released 821 and 822 I've tried them without success (although the README advised me you still have not addressed and fixed the bug, so I'm not really surprised), which is unexpected since this is really a major major bug. I am forced to revert to 819, which works perfectly.

You asked if this defect occurs using "default settings", and the answer is YES... with hardly any tweaks from absolute initial default. Of course I do have to make just a few changes from absolute initial default:

(a) the default presentation for split screen mode is LEFT/RIGHT and I want OVER/UNDER, I use CTRL+H after installing FCXE.

(b) the default "Tree" is not active present, and I want to see both Tree and Details panes in each panel. So I activate the "tree" pane using ALT+T in both the top and bottom panels when in split-screen mode.

(c) the default Tree presentation is "one tree for both panels", which is not what I want. So I go into Tools -> Settings -> Tree and change the "File system tree" default value of "one tree for both panels" to instead be "one tree per panel".

That's all I have done from initial installation defaults, and I CAN 100% DEMONSTRATE THE FAILURE (see screenshot sequence below). Each time I use F10 twice (to toggle from split-screen over/under 2-panel mode back to 1-panel mode, and then to toggle back to split-screen over/under 2-panel mode) the vertical divider which separates the Tree pane from the Details pane in the lower panel shifts to the right by what seems to be a constant "single unit of right-shift". Repeat F10 twice and the divider shifts yet one more time to the right, again by another "single unit of right-shift".

Again, THIS DOES NOT OCCUR WITH 819 nor with any prior version of FCXE x64 Setup that I have been using for the past decade. It only started with 820.

NOTE: I have not changed the "Favorite items tree" setting from its default of "one tree for both panels". I have only changed the "File system tree" to "one tree per panel". I don't know if this is relevant, but I didn't change "Favorite items tree".

The program starting with 820 is unusable for me in this condition because I fairly commonly go back and forth between 1-panel and 2-panel mode using F10 to accomplish this. And each time I return to 2-panel over/under split-screen mode that lower panel divider between Tree and Details panes has shifted right another increment.

Here is the "proof".

(1) Initial window upon first launch immediately following install of FCXE x64 Setup (Win7 x64, for this demo).



(2) After CTRL+H to produce OVER/UNDER split-screen mode, and resizing of the program window to make it larger.



(3) After enabling TREE via ALT+T (note initial default is "one tree for both panels").



(4) After Tools -> Settings -> Tree -> change default of "File system tree" from "one tree for both panels" to "one tree per panel".





(5) Use F10 once, to toggle from split-screen OVER/UNDER 2-panel mode to 1-panel presentation.



(6) Use F10 again, to toggle back from 1-panel presentation to 2-panel OVER/UNDER split-screen.




NOTE in the last screenshot that the vertical divider in the lower panel between the Tree (on the left) and Details (on the right) has "shifted right one incremental unit". And each time I again press F10 twice (toggling to 1-panel mode and then back to 2-panel mode), that lower panel vertical divider will shift to the right yet another "one incremental unit".

Also, attempting to correct the right-shift by dragging that lower-panel vertical divider to the left (to where it originally was) is only remembered temporarily. If F10 is again used twice the vertical divider will return to its last right-shifted location, i.e. this first F10 time it will not right-shift one more incremental unit, but it will simply return to where it last was. But if I now use F10 twice again, sure enough the progressive right-shift will now happen once again. Etc., etc.

THIS IS THE BUG!!! Doesn't matter what is actually in the Details pane or what the view is in that Details pane, or if any specific folder or drive is selected in the Tree pane. That vertical divider will simply continue to right-shift every time F10 is pressed twice and the OVER/UNDER split-screen 2-panel mode is re-presented.

Just in case it might be relevant, I do have my Desktop properties text size set to 125%.

[dsperber]

Marek,

Have you been able to demonstrate this problem yourself? I will be glad to provide anything else that you need, or try any special "debug version" you might create that you want me to use, in order to help chase down the bug and get it resolved.

Ever since this bug was created in 820 I have been forced to remain at 819 and will so indefinitely and forever, if this can't be fixed. The problem doesn't exist with 819 and all prior versions. Never ever happened in the past. Obviously something must have been changed beginning with 820 that is causing this brand new symptom, and it persists in 821 and 822.

I was not the only one to report this, as the original problem report was in another thread created by another user. So clearly I'm not making this up, and it's not something unique to my own systems.

If anybody else has also seen this anomaly, please "confirm". Again, I run OVER/UNDER split-screen, with TREE enabled, with tree for each panel. Screenshots earlier in this thread provide "proof" of the symptom, even when doing a fresh brand new install of FCXE and using all default initial settings aside from CTRL+H to present OVER/UNDER, and ALT+T to activate TREE, and then finally Tools -> Settings -> Tree -> change default of "File system tree" from "one tree for both panels" to "one tree per panel".

[Odamn-Ete]

I have followed your instructions explicitly and cannot confirm.

Best Regards

FreeCommander XE 2019 Build 822 64-bit donor
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Version 1909 Build 18363.900

[dsperber]

Well, I don't understand why others aren't seeing this too. Or, conversely, why I am seeing this. Also, just back at the end of May @thisguycecil was the original reporter of this problem, in this other thread named "Creeping size of Folder Tree Display in Dual Panel mode", to which I began to chime in that I was seeing the same symptom starting in 820. It had not been present in 819, and reverting back to 819 made the issue disappear.

So, after hearing @odamn-ett just say he "cannot confirm" I thought maybe it was because I was testing with Win7, which was the only one of my machines I'd tried updating to 820, 821 and 822. Having seen the problem on that Win7 machine I simply didn't waste time upgrading on other machines. Tonight I decided to at least experiment with a Win10 machine, just to see if that was relevant. Turns out not, and the right-creep symptom occurs here as well. So it's not Win7 vs. Win10 that has anything to do with it.

Furthermore, I decided to really address this debugging scientifically and methodically. I'm trying to provide as much detail and info and evidence to Marek as I can, so that he will fix this... no matter how uncommon or rare it seems to be. Obviously it occurs for me 100%, and it also occurred at least for @thisguycecil. So there must be some explanation, and code that needs fixing. Again, it was never present FOR ME in 819 and older, and only exists FOR ME in 820 and newer. All I have to do is over-reinstall 819 to revert back to it (right over the currently installed 820-822 which has the program defect) and bingo, the problem disappears! Same INI files, etc., except the program is now back to 819 and the symptom has vanished.

Obviously, it's a bug in the code. Rare may be the circumstances in the Windows environment that expose it, nevertheless it occurs 100% reliably using 820 or newer.

Ok. Tonight my experimenting using 822 revealed the following series of results. I completely uninstalled FCXE, wiped out everything, and installed 822 from absolute scratch on a Win10 laptop. Then I did the absolute minimum needed to create the setup situation: (a) CTRL+H to go into OVER/UNDER split mode, (b) ALT+T to activate TREE with default of one tree for both panels, and then (c) Settings -> Tree to change "File System Tree" to "one tree per panel". This produces the following initial completely default over/under split-screen presentation:



I then did a "backup settings" to capture all of the INI files at this effectively default initial starting state. My plan was to do a COMPARE of the INI file after each F10 (to its prior version before pressing F10), to hopefully detect the specfic INI values which were changing, in order to point Marek to the relevant code. Presumably and hopefully, some "giant clue" would pop out from this research and we could then make real progress in fixing the bug.

I then pressed F10 twice (backing up the INI settings after each F10, for later comparison), and of course the lower panel saw the right-creep symptom. It's really a growth of the TREE pane on the left side which is causing the divider with the details pane to seemingly slide over one incremental unit to the right. So after two F10 presses the screen now looks as follows:



I then pressed F10 twice more (again backing up INI settings after each F10), to induce another one incremental unit of right shift. So after four F10 presses the screen now looks as follows:



And then two more F10 presses, another right shift. So after six F10 presses the screen now looks as follows:



Two more F10 presses, another right shift. And after eight F10 presses the screen now looks as follows:



And finally, two more F10 presses, another right shift, and the screen now finally looks as follows (with FIVE UNITS OF RIGHT-SHIFT):

[dsperber]

I then went back and compared the preserved FreeCommander.ini file after each F10 use, to detect what appeared to be any differences which seemed relevant.

And it turns out the CRUCIAL VALUE IS "RightTreeSize". This is the INI file parameter that controls the size of the TREE pane in the lower panel of my OVER/UNDER split screen.

And what I found was that it ABSOLUTELY APPEARS TO BE THE FIRST F10 OF THE PAIR WHICH DOES THE DAMAGE!! In other words, when currently in split screen mode (and remember I'm OVER/UNDER) when I press F10 to revert back to single panel mode, that is actually when THE "RightTreeSize" value in the INCREMENTS BY an ever-increasing increment of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc.! Even though there is no TREE or DETAILS pane currently on screen in a lower panel (since I'm in single-panel mode at the moment, not split-screen), the mere use of F10 to go from split screen dual-panel mode to non-split single-panel mode has just effectively slid the "currently invisible" divider in the lower panel to the right by a progressively increasing increment (each time you use F10 another pair of times), of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc.. The ever-growing right-creep may be invisible temporarily in single-panel mode, but once F10 is used to go back to split-screen dual-panel mode the larger value of RightTreeSize will produce the visible right-creep symptom. And then each time you use F10 another pair of times, the magnitude of the right-creep gets progressively larger and larger, by an increasingly growing amount of shift each time.

When in split screen mode the "MainSplitterOrient=2" is present in the INI file. And when using F10 to toggle between dual-panel (split-screen) and single-panel (non-split-screen) modes, the value of "MainSplitterOrient" changes back and forth from 2 (split) to 1 (non-split). And this is clearly seen in the comparisons I did between consecutive INI files as I repeatedly pressed F10 to produce the above screenshots. So "MainSplitterOrient" is working fine with repeated F10 usage.

However... the value of RightTreeSize inexplicably BUMPS BY 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc. whenever F10 is used another pair of times to revert first to single-panel mode from dual-panel mode (e.g. going from RightTreeSize=38 to RightTreeSize=47), and then to revert back to dual-panel mode. When F10 is then used yo toggle back to dual-panel mode there is no change to RightTreeSize (e.g. it remains at whatever it was). But the damage has already previously been done by the prior use of F10. So now when the dual-panel split screen presentation appears, lo and behold the TREE pane in the lower lower panel has now apparently grown in size (right-shifted by 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc.), and that vertical divider has apparently shifted to the right by an ever-growing amount each toggle pair.

IMPORTANT NOTE: the initial default INI file shows MainSplitterOrient=0, even though the presentation is split-screen dual-panel. It's only after the first F10 to revert to single-panel mode that the value is now changed to MainSplitterOrient=1 (which is single-panel non-split). And then when F10 is used again, the value is changed to MainSplitterOrient=2 (which is dual-panel split-screen).

All of this manipulation of MainSplitterOrient and RightTreeSize is obviously what FCXE program logic is doing, not me. So problems implied by incorrect values cannot possibly be caused by something in my own setup or enivornment. Obviously it is the program code in FCXE that is doing all this, and the right-shift symptom it is clearly a bug in the program logic which needs finding and fixing. Nevertheless, there must be something unique or unusual about all of my own five different PC's (two Win7 and three Win10) which causes FCXE to behave this way on all of them, and yet not for most other people.

Nevertheless... our objective is to figure out what's happening, why, and fix it. Obviously the bug is not in 819, and must have been introduced in 820.


Using the above screenshot scenario, the following table of values is what I see as the relevant INI field values, by comparing consecutive INI files. Initial default values, getting in OVER/UNDER split-screen mode through CTRL+H, with TREE activated through ALT+T, and Tools -< Settings -> View ->Tree -> "one tree per panel".

--> NOTE that there is no initial value of RightTreeSize in the INI file. It only appears following the first use of F10 to toggle between the default dual-panel initial presentation into single-panel mode. In my opinion this is relevant to the bug, as its progressive growth throughout repeated pairs of F10 clearly indicates its initial absence and later appearance is somehow likely a "giant clue" to the logic bug we are chasing.

TreePosition=0
LastPanelOrientation=0
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=0
LeftTreeSize - MISSING
RightTreeSize - MISSING


(1) After 1st F10 (now in single-panel mode): <<=== note the birth of RightTreeSize=19 and LeftTreeSize=19

TreePosition=1 (changed from 0)
LastPanelOrientation=0
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 (changed from 0)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=19

(2) After 2nd F10 (now in dual-panel mode): <<=== note the inexplicable change of MainSplitterPos=100 from 50

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1 (changed from 0)
MainSplitterPos=100 (changed from 50)
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=19

(3) After 3rd F10 (now in single-panel mode): <<=== note the INEXPLICABLE AND OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT change of RightTreeSize from 19 to 24, even though there is no visible second panel at this moment. There is certainly no obvious reason why RightTreeSize should have changed. Also note that MainSplitterPos has inexplicably returned back to 50 from 100.

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50 (changed from 100)
MainSplitterOrient=1 (changed from 2)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=24 (changed from 19)

(4) After 4th F10 (now in dual-panel mode): <<=== Note RightTreeSize is still 24, but now presents as a visible "right-shift" of the divider by 5 from its previous visible location, i.e. the widening of the TREE pane in the second panel

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=24

(5) After 5th F10 (now in single-panel mode): <<=== note the INEXPLICABLE AND OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT change of RightTreeSize from 24 to 30, even though there is no visible second panel at this moment

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 (changed from 2)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=30 (changed from 24)

(6) After 6th F10 (now in dual-panel mode): <<=== Note RightTreeSize is still 30, but now presents as a visible "right-shift" of the divider by 6 from its previous visible location, i.e. the further widening of the TREE pane in the second panel

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=100 (changed from 50)
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=30

(7) After 7th F10 (now in single-panel mode): <<=== note the INEXPLICABLE AND OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT change of RightTreeSize from 30 to 38, even though there is no visible second panel at this moment

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 (changed from 2)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=38 (changed from 30)

(8) After 8th F10 (now in dual-panel mode): <<=== Note RightTreeSize is still 38, but now presents as a visible "right-shift" of the divider by 8 from its previous visible location, i.e. the further widening of the TREE pane in the second panel

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=38

(9) After 9th F10 (now in single-panel mode): <<=== note the INEXPLICABLE AND OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT change of RightTreeSize from 38 to 47, even though there is no visible second panel at this moment

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 (changed from 2)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=47 (changed from 38)

(10) After 10th F10 (now in dual-panel mode): <<=== Note RightTreeSize is still 47, but now presents as a visible "right-shift" of the divider by 9 from its previous visible location, i.e. the further widening of the TREE pane in the second panel

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1)
LeftTreeSize=19
RightTreeSize=47


I'm sorry, but I have to conclude there is a bug in the FCXE logic starting with 820.

I am now going to repeat the above scenario, using reinstalled 819. Again, I will perform the experiment completely using defaults and the few tweaks needed to get to OVER/UNDER, TREE, and "one tree per panel", same as I did with 822. Although I haven't performed it yet my intuition tells me that there will be no changes to RightTreeSize no matter how many pairs of F10 I use.

I will be curious to see if MainSplitterPos changes from 50 to 100 on the second F10, and then goes back to 50 on the third F10. Although this really isn't seemingly related to the RightTreeSize creep, it certainly is odd and inexplicable. And once it goes back to 50 it stays there. So something odd happened on that second F10, that was "backed out" on the third F10. I will look closely at this in the 819 benchmark reference test.

[Marek]

I have tried your steps with the release 822 on Windows 10 and it works fine. No problem.
I have tested scaling 125%, 150%, 200% on 4K monitor.
Have you used portable version for testing? If no, please check it with the last 822 portable release.
Here you can find how to install the portable version: http://freecommander.com/en/faq-freecom ... l-portable

[dsperber]

I have now tried "FCXE 822 portable", running exactly the same test I ran above using "822 setup". Initial install from scratch, then CTRL+H, ALT+T, Settings -> Tree -> one tree per panel. Starting state for test is OVER/UNDER split screen, with TREE activated and showing on left side in each panel. This is how the initial starting window looks, in its split-screen presentation with just the enumerated tweaks from install defaults (same appearance as with "822 setup").



Here are the crucial INI values corresponding to this initial presentation going into the test. NOTE that there are some very significant differences between this initial INI from 822 portable vs. 822 setup.

TreePosition=1 <<=== NOTE that this was 0 with 822 setup
LastPanelOrientation=0
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 <<=== NOTE that this was 0 with 822 setup; also, this seems incorrect since 1 is single-panel and 2 is dual-panel, and the screen is currently dual-panel
LeftTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was MISSING with 822 setup
RightTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was MISSING with 822 setup


Then I performed pairs of F10, with settings backup after each F10 so that I could compare to the previous INI to detect the critical parameter values and their changes. And, remarkably, IT WORKS PERFECTLY. No right-creep using 822 portable.

(a) You will notice from the following INI tracking that RightTreeSize (a) was present initially in INI with 822 portable, not MISSING initially in INI as it was with 822 setup.
(b) You will notice that RightTreeSize=15 is the initial starting value with 822 portable, and never changes. This contrasts with RightTreeSize getting progressively larger with 822 setup.
(c) You will notice that MainSplitterPos=50 is the initial starting value with 822 portable, and never changes. This contrasts with MainSplitterPos going from 50 to 100 and back to 50, and then never changing again, with 822 setup.
(d) You will notice that MainSplitterOrient=1 is the incorrect initial starting value with 822 portable, even though the initial state is dual-panel mode so this value should be 2, not 1. In contrast MainSplitterOrient had an incorrect initial starting value of 0 with 822 setup, even though the initial state is dual-panel mode so this value should be 2, not 0.

Here is the track of the same sequence of crucial values, for the first four F10 uses.

NOTE THAT THERE ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE INI FOR 822 PORTABLE vs. 822 SETUP.

(1) After 1st F10 (now in single-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=0
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 <<=== NOTE that this value of 1 is now truly correct for single-panel mode, although initial dual-panel mode value incorrectly also was 1
LeftTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup
RightTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup

(2) After 2nd F10 (now in dual-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1 (changed from 0)
MainSplitterPos=50 <<=== NOTE that this was changed to 100 with 822 setup
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1)
LeftTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup
RightTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup

(3) After 3rd F10 (now in single-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50 <<=== NOTE that this was also 50 with 822 setup, having been changed back from 100
MainSplitterOrient=2
LeftTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup
RightTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was right-creep 24 with 822 setup, but invisible because window was in single-panel mode

(4) After 4th F10 (now in dual-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1 (changed from 0)
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1)
LeftTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 882 setup
RightTreeSize=15 <<=== NOTE that this was right-creep 24 with 822 setup, now visible because window is back to dual-panel mode

[Odamn-Ete]

Hey dsperber,

I noticed that the options "RightTreeSize" and "LeftTreeSize" are also contained in the "FreeCommander.lay.ini". I of course don't know which ini has priority over the other, check it to see if Right- and LeftTreeSize are equal.

Also, what did you actually do to "wipe out everything"? Did you clean the registry? Did you search your hard drive for >*FreeCommander*<?

Sometimes third party programs can cause adverse effects, sometimes there are Registry entries that remain in place, even after uninstall.
I can understand that the symptoms you are describing can make you "go crazy". I'd like to help you get to the root of this.

Best Regards

[dsperber]

I noticed that the options "RightTreeSize" and "LeftTreeSize" are also contained in the "FreeCommander.lay.ini". I of course don't know which ini has priority over the other, check it to see if Right- and LeftTreeSize are equal.

I don't have any special layouts. I don't have a FreeCommander.lay.ini file. Apparently that is not a file which is part of default installation-from-scratch, which is what I did for both 822 portable as well as 822 setup.

Again, the detailed testing I've been doing has been essentially using pure defaults, right out of the carton, except for the three basic tweaks to go to OVER/UNDER (CTRL+H), activate TREE (ALT+T), and "one tree per panel" (Settings -> Tree). I'm not customizing ANYTHING ELSE, including anything to do with "layouts".

Also, what did you actually do to "wipe out everything"? Did you clean the registry? Did you search your hard drive for >*FreeCommander*<?

I uninstalled the program using Control Panel, but didn't clean the registry. But I did delete the \Users\<me>\Appdata\Local folder for FreeCommanderXE before reinstalling.

Although it's not relevant to Win7, I just did a search of the Registry on the Win10 laptop I was using to test under Win10 and was reminded that I actually run FCXE "setup" with Properties -> Compatibility tab -> change high DPI settings -> high DPI scaling overwrite -> override high DPI scaling behavior -> scaling performed by application. This is how I also run many other apps in Win10 in order to deal with the blurry fonts of high DPI (since I run text at 125%). But this has nothing to do with program behavior in Win7, where I still get the right-creep symptom on 822 setup.

Sometimes third party programs can cause adverse effects, sometimes there are Registry entries that remain in place, even after uninstall.

True. But there is ONE VERY GIANT CLUE that cannot be ignored: my total environment is my total environment, and the right-creep symptom only began appearing with FCXE 820 setup. I don't have to do anything at all (including not even uninstalling first, before reinstalling) but go back to using FCXE 819 setup, and the symptom disappears!

Again, this symptom NEVER WAS SEEN UNTIL 820, and I've been using this program forever. All versions 819 and older run perfectly, exactly as things are, in both Win7 and Win10. It's only starting with 820 that this right-creep symptom appears, in both Win7 and Win10.

I didn't know what to expect as results when Marek asked me to try 822 portable (which should be unaffected by Registry), since I have never run that way. I always run setup. I was actually surprised to see that the symptom was not present when running portable. But then again, note that there are significant differences in the default INI files of portable vs. setup, as I've discovered. I'm sure this is part of the answer.

But again, with exactly the same system, I can simply reinstall 819 setup and it works perfectly. Install 820-822 setup and it fails, on all five of my machines both Win7 and Win10. Doesn't seem like it's due entirely to how I produce my own Win7/Win10 environments. Those environments are obviously identical when going from 819 to 820 or 820 back to 819. All else remaining the same, 819 works and 820 fails. Sure seems like it's coming from a change in FCXE born with 820, exposed by whatever I do "universally" in all of my Win7/Win10 machines.

I have two more test sequences I still want to run:

(1) tracking INI file changes step by step through repeated F10, using 819

(2) tracking INI file changes step by step through repeated F10, using a totally from-scratch brand newly installed Win7 VM and 822 setup, vs. identical test in new Win7 VM with 819 setup. Actually this counts as two tests.

[dsperber]

Here are the results of INI tracking for a fresh install of 819 setup. My notes contrast it to a fresh install of 822 setup.

Here are the crucial initial INI values after completing the install and applying the same three tweaks to get it into OVER/UNDER, TREE, and "one tree per panel". Everything else is pure default.

NOTES: there are several seemingly very important difference in this initial 819 INI compared to the 822 INI. These MUST BE GIANT CLUES, as to what makes 819 setup "good" and 822 setup "bad". In particular, there is a variable named "TreePanelWidth=0" in the starting 819 INI which is not present in the starting 822 INI. This is similar to the LeftTreeSize and RightTreeSize parameters which are also MISSING from the starting 822 INI. I hadn't noticed TreePanelWidth before now, but in fact all THREE of these originally missing parameters (not just LeftTreeSize and RightTreeSize) DO GET CREATED UPON THE FIRST USE OF F10 (to go from initial default presentation of split-screen dual-panel to single-panel).

==>> I SUSPECT THAT THE FACT THAT THESE THREE VARIABLES (TreePanelWidth, LeftTreeSize and RightTreeSize) ARE INITIALLY NOT PRESENT IN INITIAL 822 SETUP INI IS A GIANT CLUE. Note that ALL THREE ARE PRESENT IN THE INITIAL 819 SETUP INI, and ALL THREE ARE PRESENT IN THE INITIAL 822 PORTABLE INI... both of which work perfectly with repeated pairs of F10 uses, whereas the 822 Setup use of F10 pairs exhibits the right-creep.

==>> There must be something crucially different about the FCXE logic in 822 Setup that does or does not happen initially and which causes these three variables to go missing, and then is discovered at the first F10 such that all three are now created, which is responsible for the eventual right-creep in RightTreeSize in 822 Setup from repeated F10 pairs.

===>> Now I'm confused about MainSplitterOrient, which I thought was 1 for single-panel and 2 for dual-panel split-screen. The INI value in the 819 test is the reverse!!

TreePosition=1 <<=== NOTE that this was 0 with 822 setup
LastPanelOrientation=0
TreePanelWidth=0 <<=== NOTE that this was MISSING with 822 setup
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 <<=== NOTE that this was 0 with 822 setup and 1 with 822 portable
LeftTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was MISSING with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portable
RightTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was MISSING with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portble


(1) After 1st F10 (now in single-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1 (changed from 0)
TreePanelWidth=0
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=2 <<=== NOTE that this value was 1 for 822 setup and 822 portable, which I thought was correct and meant single-panel. So 2 here is mystifying.
LeftTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portable
RightTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portable

(2) After 2nd F10 (now in dual-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
TreePanelWidth=0
MainSplitterPos=50 <<=== NOTE that this was changed to 100 with 822 setup
MainSplitterOrient=1 (changed from 2) <<=== NOTE again, this seems the reverse of what I thought, since we are in dual-panel mode which I thought was 2
LeftTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portable
RightTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portable

(3) After 3rd F10 (now in single-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
LastPanelOrientation=1
MainSplitterPos=50 <<=== NOTE that this was also 50 with 822 setup, having been changed back from 100
MainSplitterOrient=2 (changed from 1) <<=== NOTE again, backwards from what I thought was true
LeftTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portable
RightTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was right-creep 24 with 822 setup but invisible because window was in single-panel mode, and 15 with 822 portable

(4) After 4th F10 (now in dual-panel mode):

TreePosition=1
TreePanelWidth=0
LastPanelOrientation=1 (changed from 0)
MainSplitterPos=50
MainSplitterOrient=1 (changed from 2)
LeftTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was 19 with 822 setup and 15 with 822 portable
RightTreeSize=19 <<=== NOTE that this was right-creep 24 with 822 setup now visible because window is back to dual-panel mode, and 15 with 822 portable

[dsperber]

Since I'm now concerned about the accuracy of what I've tested, I'm re-posting the results of all three tests but in a tabular way that will make it easier to recognize the differences and spot "giant clues".

NOTE: please disregard confusion resulting from any typo errors in the earlier test results (I will try to find and edit them later). I have now re-run all three sets of tests, and the results below are definitely accurate. In particular it does now appear that MainSplitterOrient=1 actually does mean dual-panel mode, and MainSplitterOrient=2 does mean single-panel mode. I had this backwards previously.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) Initial INI file, directly out of install. This is a LEFT-RIGHT split screen, but with NO TREE in either panel.

TreePosition
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 0
(c) 822 setup - 0

LastPanelOrientation
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 0
(c) 822 setup - 0

TreePanelWidth
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - NOT PRESENT
(c) 822 setup - NOT PRESENT

MainSplitterPos
(a) 819 setup - 50
(b) 822 portable - 50
(c) 822 setup - 50

MainSplitterOrient
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 0
(c) 822 setup - 0

LeftShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 0
(c) 822 setup - 0

RightShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 0
(c) 822 setup - 0

LeftTreeSize -
(a) 819 setup - NOT PRESENT
(b) 822 portable - NOT PRESENT
(c) 822 setup - NOT PRESENT

RightTreeSize
a) 819 setup - NOT PRESENT
(b) 822 portable - NOT PRESENT
(c) 822 setup - NOT PRESENT

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(2) After initial tweaks, CTRL+H (over/under split screen), ALT+T (TREE active), Settings -> Tree -> one tree per panel

TreePosition
(a) 819 setup - 1 (changed from 0)
(b) 822 portable - 1 (changed from 0)
(c) 822 setup - 1 (changed from 0)

LastPanelOrientation
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 0
(c) 822 setup - 0

TreePanelWidth
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 15 (born)
(c) 822 setup - 15 (born)

MainSplitterPos
(a) 819 setup - 50
(b) 822 portable - 50
(c) 822 setup - 50

MainSplitterOrient
(a) 819 setup - 1 (changed from 0)
(b) 822 portable - 1 (changed from 0)
(c) 822 setup - 1 (changed from 0)

LeftShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1 (changed from 0)
(b) 822 portable - 1 (changed from 0)
(c) 822 setup - 1 (changed from 0)

RightShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1 (changed from 0)
(b) 822 portable - 1 (changed from 0)
(c) 822 setup - 1 (changed from 0)

LeftTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19 (born)
(b) 822 portable - 15 (born)
(c) 822 setup - 19 (born)

RightTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19 (born)
(b) 822 portable - 15 (born)
(c) 822 setup - 19 (born)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(3) After first F10 (window now in single-panel non-split-screen mode)

TreePosition
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LastPanelOrientation
(a) 819 setup - 1 (changed from 0)
(b) 822 portable - 1 (changed from 0)
(c) 822 setup - 1 (changed from 0)

TreePanelWidth
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 15

MainSplitterPos
(a) 819 setup - 100 (changed from 50)
(b) 822 portable - 100 (changed from 50)
(c) 822 setup - 100 (changed from 50)

MainSplitterOrient
(a) 819 setup - 2 (changed from 1)
(b) 822 portable - 2 (changed from 1)
(c) 822 setup - 2 (changed from 1)

LeftShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

RightShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LeftTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 19

RightTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 19

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(4) After second F10 (window now back in dual-panel split-screen mode)

TreePosition
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LastPanelOrientation
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

TreePanelWidth
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 15

MainSplitterPos
(a) 819 setup - 50 (changed from 100)
(b) 822 portable - 50 (changed from 100)
(c) 822 setup - 50 (changed from 100)

MainSplitterOrient
(a) 819 setup - 1 (changed from 2)
(b) 822 portable - 1 (changed from 2)
(c) 822 setup - 1 (changed from 2)

LeftShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

RightShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LeftTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 19

RightTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 24 <<=== changed from 19, this is the start of "right-creep" (by increment of 5, but it will get progressively larger each toggle back into dual-panel mode)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(5) After third F10 (window now back in single-panel non-split-screen mode)

TreePosition
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LastPanelOrientation
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

TreePanelWidth
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 15

MainSplitterPos
(a) 819 setup - 100 (changed from 50)
(b) 822 portable - 100 (changed from 50)
(c) 822 setup - 100 (changed from 50)

MainSplitterOrient
(a) 819 setup - 2 (changed from 1)
(b) 822 portable - 2 (changed from 1)
(c) 822 setup - 2 (changed from 1)

LeftShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

RightShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LeftTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 19

RightTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 24

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(6) After fourth F10 (window now back in dual-panel split-screen mode)

TreePosition
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LastPanelOrientation
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

TreePanelWidth
(a) 819 setup - 0
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 15

MainSplitterPos
(a) 819 setup - 50 (changed from 100)
(b) 822 portable - 50 (changed from 100)
(c) 822 setup - 50 (changed from 100)

MainSplitterOrient
(a) 819 setup - 1 (changed from 2)
(b) 822 portable - 1 (changed from 2)
(c) 822 setup - 1 (changed from 2)

LeftShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

RightShowTree
(a) 819 setup - 1
(b) 822 portable - 1
(c) 822 setup - 1

LeftTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 19

RightTreeSize
(a) 819 setup - 19
(b) 822 portable - 15
(c) 822 setup - 30 <<=== changed from 24, this is the next increment (magnitude now 6 instead of original 5) of "right-creep"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[dsperber]

===> Appears that 824 fixes everything.

I uninstalled FCXE completely and deleted \Appdata totally. Started install of 824 from absolute zero, to install completely new from default.

Then I re-customized my setup, presentation, options, and my Standard Toolbar, starting from the 824 default.

And everything works perfectly now. I don't need to create a Custom Column Profile. Standard fc_default_view works fine.

Looks like you have emerged victorious!