Layout files

terrypin wrote on 3/31/2013, 6:17 AM

Does anyone have any detailed info on the way MEP (2013 and other recent versions) handles its layout please?

My preferred layout has MEP2013 occupying roughly the left ¾ of my 1920x1200 screen, with the preview set to PAL 16:9 Half and other panes set to my chosen sizes and positions. Quite often (usually but not always after a glitch or crash) I find a new session starts with these lost. And typically the title bar goes AWOL. Using F9 alone does not, of course, restore my customised layout, as it displays MEP in maximsed format, with the monitor in Full mode. A simple resizing after that, plus changing the preview resolution, can usually get me back to normal. However, if I then immediately close and restart MEP, the previous chaotic layout returns.

So clearly videodeluxe.ini does not control the layout. It seems that the 'layout' folder does. But how exactly? There appear to be 4 files with extension .UMLY, but beyond that I haven't got far far in discovering how they work.

My practical aim is to add the appropriate file(s) to my regular backups, in addition to videodeluxe.ini.

My layout is particularly critical because some of the macros I use rely on pixel colour recognition at precise locations.

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Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Comments

xerox wrote on 4/3/2013, 5:53 AM

Terry, those files are in Unicode. You can open them in Notepad because Notepad knows how to handle Unicode. If you save a file, make sure the Unicode option is set and not the ANSI option.

I deleted those four layout files after copying them to my desktop. Then I opened MEP. The layout went back to the the default layout. I quit MEP and copied the four files back to the Layout folder, overwriting regenerated Layout files. When I went back into MEP, my layout was restored.

So those four files you will need to include in your backup.

terrypin wrote on 4/3/2013, 11:27 AM

Hi Xerox,

Thanks, duly added those four to my backups.

I'm curious as to why it creates 4 separate .UMLY files? And why not name them 1.UMLY...4.UMLY instead of those odd names?

We've missed you!

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Terry, East Grinstead, UK

johnebaker wrote on 4/5/2013, 4:22 AM

Hi Terry

. . . . I'm curious as to why it creates 4 separate .UMLY files? And why not name them 1.UMLY...4.UMLY instead of those odd names? . . .

A totally wild guess - all Magix programs have a common interface structure therefore it would make sense to have the panels layout and style controlled by the umly files. Which umly files are used depend on the particular program and the numbering system is the window/pane options for that program

John

terrypin wrote on 4/5/2013, 6:41 AM

Thanks John, that makes sense.

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Terry, East Grinstead, UK