How can I save the last settings used by my application?

[Tyler Wiebe]

I'm wonder how to save the last used settings that my application used. For example:

 
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public static int alphaValue;
        public static int redValue;
        public static int greenValue;
        public static int blueValue;
 
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            pictureBox1.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(alphaValue, redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
            trackBar1.Maximum = 255;
            trackBar1.Value = alphaValue;
            trackBar2.Maximum = 255;
            trackBar2.Value = redValue;
            trackBar3.Maximum = 255;
            trackBar3.Value = greenValue;
            trackBar4.Maximum = 255;
            trackBar4.Value = blueValue;
        }
 
        private void trackBar1_Scroll(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            alphaValue = trackBar1.Value;
            pictureBox1.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(alphaValue, redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
        }
 
        private void trackBar2_Scroll(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            redValue = trackBar2.Value;
            pictureBox1.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(alphaValue, redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
        }
 
        private void trackBar3_Scroll(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            greenValue = trackBar3.Value;
            pictureBox1.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(alphaValue, redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
        }
 
        private void trackBar4_Scroll(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            blueValue = trackBar4.Value;
            pictureBox1.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(alphaValue, redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
        }
    }
 
 

I'd like to know how to save the alphaValue, redValue, greenValue, and blueValue, so that one the next load, they would be set to the last used values.

[GaryTexmo]

The easiest way is to use the C# settings stuff. Here's a link to the MSDN page: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...8VS.80%29.aspx

If you're feeling creative, you can write one yourself, it's actually fairly easy. In the past, I've done it with an XML file that looked something along the lines of:

<AppName_Settings>
  <Item Name="Colour" Value="FFFFFFFF" />
  <Item Name="LastFile" Value="blahblah.txt" />
  ...
</AppName_Settings>

You can just read this file into whatever structure you like and look up the settings by name.

It's pretty much what the C# one does anyway so if you're in a hurry you might want to just use that. The only reason I recommend doing it yourself the first time is to gain an understanding of how it works, and to advance your programming knowledge :)

Good luck!

[Tyler Wiebe]

Thank you for your reply, I actually feel rather stupid not seeing that, but it's not like I knew it was there, and what it did. I haven't taken a class on C#, I've just been teaching myself, with the help of some beginner classes of C++, HTML/JavaScript.

[GaryTexmo]

We all start somewhere :)

I wouldn't worry about it, MSDN is great but sometimes if you're not sure what you're looking for, you can get bogged down. I've been doing .NET development for a good 4-5 years now and I'm still finding out about slick little things in the library. I'd imagine that's not going to change either ;)

[Tyler Wiebe]

I'm currently having problems with this. It doesn't seem to save the settings file.

I've already done a few practice runs with this, and they work, but they were small tests. The one I'm doing now is a bit more complex. It's pretty much saving the last Argb colors that were used that were set by 3 track bars, the alpha always being 255.

I had it working with only saving the red when I started to make sure it was working, but I did some more, and added the other colors, and now it doesn't seem to same the numbers.

Do you have any ideas?

[GaryTexmo]

Can you post some sample code? I've never actually used the built in settings one, I typically opt to do it myself. I made a class to take care of it a while back and I generally just use that so I'm not well versed in this one.

That said, there's a few thing we can look at. Have you figured out where it saves the settings file? I feel like I heard it was in the user directory somewhere, but I could be wrong. Anyway, it should be a normal XML file so you should be able to open it up and find out what it's writing.

Is it still saving the red, or is it not saving anything at all now? When this happens to be I try to go back and try the simple case again. Also check where you're reading/writing to the settings and make sure (by stepping through the code) that what you're expecting is going in and coming out.

[Tyler Wiebe]

Thank you for your help, but as it turns out, I just solved it. It was my fault, turns out it was the execution order of the code, my track bars were setting the value of the settings before my track bars value (trackBar1.Value) got set to the settings value, which, being track bars, are always set to zero at the beginning, which in turn, set the settings to zero, so it was like they never got saved.

Thanks again for your help, it was much appreciated.