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  #191  
Old 11-24-2021, 10:18 AM
MixerGuy MixerGuy is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LA CA USA
Posts: 1,000
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Gates View Post
Slowly working on a new x86/Apple Silicon version, no timeframe guarantee as this isn't my full-time job. Any thoughts/requests... now is the time to slip them in.

Cheers,
Pete
LOVE what you do. Thanks for your work. Much appreciated!! that is all.
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  #192  
Old 11-24-2021, 01:49 PM
walkdaplank walkdaplank is offline
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Lancaster, Pa
Posts: 64
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Pete, very grateful for this little app you've done made. Very nice, helpful tool.

Question: I'm logged in as an Admin to my machine (Mac mini M1 chip, 2021 build), with Protools 21.10 installed. I've downloaded your app due to constant seizure that occurs when I open a session, it hangs up when tracks are being pulled up, which seems to be a plug in problem, needing to trash prefs, etc.

So...

When I engage your app to delete prefs it responds with "you don't have permission" for several categories:
Protools prefs
Last used.pio
InstalledAAXPlugins
DSIPrefs

Any idea to what's the story here? Thanks for your help.
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  #193  
Old 11-24-2021, 02:19 PM
Pete Gates Pete Gates is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 1,352
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

In Finder:

press Shift+Apple+G
paste in ~/Library/Preferences/Avid
hit the enter key
right click on the Pro Tools folder and Get Info
then at the bottom in Sharing and Permissions (you might need to expand with the disclosure triangle) report back what's there (or do a screenshot).

It sounds like the folder has the wrong ownership or permissions.

Cheers,
Pete
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  #194  
Old 11-24-2021, 03:44 PM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 19,488
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Gates View Post
Slowly working on a new x86/Apple Silicon version, no timeframe guarantee as this isn't my full-time job. Any thoughts/requests... now is the time to slip them in.

Cheers,
Pete
Hi Pete

I'm a fan of your plugin version checking feature (thanks again for adding that back), but I wonder how many people even notice it's there.

One thing that might have been handy in the past would be reporting the binary content of a plugin, i.e. i386 and/or x86_64. I think we've talked about this before, simple/trivia for many plugins (system("/user/bin/file")), but more complicated for some others that use wrappers or dynamic libraries. But now with a transition to arm64 I expect this will become even more useful.

I also keep noticing folks getting themselves into problems with their plugins. I wonder if a "plugin
health report" might help some folks. Maybe starting with a find all .aaxplugin bundles not in the plugin or unused folders. And maybe reporting RTAS or TDM plugins in the AAX folder, or "unusable AAX plugins" e.g. i386 only .aaxplugins in the AAX plugin folder if it looks like Pro Tools >11 is installed, or x86_64 only plugins if it looks like only Pro Tools 10 is installed, etc.

The meaning of display "Active" Y/N in the current plugin report page may not be obvious to users... something in the UI should explain that Active=N just means the plugin is in the Unused folder.

And a few anal-retentive UI things: I like how for folder buttons listed on the right hand panel opens the folder in the finder. But clicking on the actual pref buttons has a more immediate/risky action of deleting prefs, without pressing the trash selected button, which OK you have to warn/ask about. And the big "Trash selected" button without the round corners may not look like a button to some users. Seems a little UI overloading there. Maybe making the trash selected look more like a button and coloring the trash item buttons differently than the open directory buttons might help. I'm also just looking for some way to show the full path to a file to help in troubleshooting. Maybe a roll over?? ALso wondering if "show last log file"... and open it in an editor would help. Another thing that might be nice is to dim/disable all the buttons for items to trash if those items or the folders are not there. That's going to take an explanation in the UI.

DM/email me if you want to get into the weeds on stuff. Thanks again for making PT Prefs available.
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  #195  
Old 11-24-2021, 04:03 PM
BScout BScout is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 4,122
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Gates View Post
Slowly working on a new x86/Apple Silicon version, no timeframe guarantee as this isn't my full-time job. Any thoughts/requests... now is the time to slip them in.

Cheers,
Pete
if the Plugin checker could output to a file (excel would be preferred but csv or tab delimited would be good enough to bring it into a spreadsheet) and if there was an option to restrict scanning only to the regular folder (so the unused plugins folder was not scanned.)

Probably also a little more info than "Error whilst scanning AAX plugins folder" message would be helpful too (I get that message but I can't tell why since it seems to be reporting all the plugins.)
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  #196  
Old 11-25-2021, 02:52 AM
Pete Gates Pete Gates is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 1,352
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Quote:
Originally Posted by BScout View Post
if the Plugin checker could output to a file (excel would be preferred but csv or tab delimited would be good enough to bring it into a spreadsheet) and if there was an option to restrict scanning only to the regular folder (so the unused plugins folder was not scanned.)

Probably also a little more info than "Error whilst scanning AAX plugins folder" message would be helpful too (I get that message but I can't tell why since it seems to be reporting all the plugins.)
I agree on both of those. Was going to do the first anyway but a good thought on the second.

Cheers,
Pete
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  #197  
Old 11-25-2021, 02:56 AM
Pete Gates Pete Gates is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 1,352
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm View Post
Hi Pete

I'm a fan of your plugin version checking feature (thanks again for adding that back), but I wonder how many people even notice it's there.

One thing that might have been handy in the past would be reporting the binary content of a plugin, i.e. i386 and/or x86_64. I think we've talked about this before, simple/trivia for many plugins (system("/user/bin/file")), but more complicated for some others that use wrappers or dynamic libraries. But now with a transition to arm64 I expect this will become even more useful.

I also keep noticing folks getting themselves into problems with their plugins. I wonder if a "plugin
health report" might help some folks. Maybe starting with a find all .aaxplugin bundles not in the plugin or unused folders. And maybe reporting RTAS or TDM plugins in the AAX folder, or "unusable AAX plugins" e.g. i386 only .aaxplugins in the AAX plugin folder if it looks like Pro Tools >11 is installed, or x86_64 only plugins if it looks like only Pro Tools 10 is installed, etc.

The meaning of display "Active" Y/N in the current plugin report page may not be obvious to users... something in the UI should explain that Active=N just means the plugin is in the Unused folder.

And a few anal-retentive UI things: I like how for folder buttons listed on the right hand panel opens the folder in the finder. But clicking on the actual pref buttons has a more immediate/risky action of deleting prefs, without pressing the trash selected button, which OK you have to warn/ask about. And the big "Trash selected" button without the round corners may not look like a button to some users. Seems a little UI overloading there. Maybe making the trash selected look more like a button and coloring the trash item buttons differently than the open directory buttons might help. I'm also just looking for some way to show the full path to a file to help in troubleshooting. Maybe a roll over?? ALso wondering if "show last log file"... and open it in an editor would help. Another thing that might be nice is to dim/disable all the buttons for items to trash if those items or the folders are not there. That's going to take an explanation in the UI.

DM/email me if you want to get into the weeds on stuff. Thanks again for making PT Prefs available.
Yes, I basically agree on the UI, it "grew" rather than was "designed". It's scary at first for people and not intuitive. I'm thinking how to best simplify it, I'm not sure the buttons are needed at all tbh, just the checkboxes then the trash button. It also doesn't really need the scrolling log file at the bottom, that's off-putting to people that aren't used to a command line. I think the best thing is to save log files and have a button to take you to the log files for more technically minded people like you.

Plugin version checking... yup, agree with this. Some of it is going to be harder than other bits though. I'll investigate.

Cheers,
Pete
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  #198  
Old 11-25-2021, 02:58 AM
Pete Gates Pete Gates is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 1,352
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

I need to make it that people feel safe clicking around in it - that nothing irreversible or dangerous will happen without Lots of warning, and backing up.

Pete
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  #199  
Old 11-25-2021, 07:30 AM
MixerGuy MixerGuy is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LA CA USA
Posts: 1,000
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Gates View Post
I need to make it that people feel safe clicking around in it - that nothing irreversible or dangerous will happen without Lots of warning, and backing up.

Pete
great idea.

but seriously - your app really helps ProTools get stable, quickly, if it gets cranky. Love it.
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  #200  
Old 11-25-2021, 12:57 PM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 19,488
Default Re: New PT Prefs helper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Gates View Post
Yes, I basically agree on the UI, it "grew" rather than was "designed". It's scary at first for people and not intuitive. I'm thinking how to best simplify it, I'm not sure the buttons are needed at all tbh, just the checkboxes then the trash button. It also doesn't really need the scrolling log file at the bottom, that's off-putting to people that aren't used to a command line. I think the best thing is to save log files and have a button to take you to the log files for more technically minded people like you.

Plugin version checking... yup, agree with this. Some of it is going to be harder than other bits though. I'll investigate.

Cheers,
Pete
I get the pain with UIs that evolve. Been there with commercial products, getting early versions of VMware products easy to use was interesting. Maybe it's good to go hard to the simple to use way as you say. Just have one button to trash prefs/databases. *always* backup all the files you can and put them in a running list of backups/snapshots/save points (just timestamped folders in a directory). And for clarity maybe that should be a "Save Prefs and Trash" or "Backup Prefs and Trash" button.

Then everything else to do with prefs could be begin an "advanced" or "expert" tab. Ability there to trash individual files, make backups without trashing etc. Maybe there is a "recover prefs" gives the user a list of dates/timestamps to recover from (and maybe give an option to delete backups permanently). I don't know how important backup/recovery is to folks, I hardly ever use it. And this could get messy quick say if it allows restoration of individual files. But I like the idea of creating rolling backups of pref files without a choice and as you say maybe hard stuff is punted to the (expert) user. Since I love VMware Fusion/Workstation snapshots that type of simplicity in the UI for a pretty complex thing would be a neat goal.
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