How to? Is it possible for the IDE to start without plugins?

[Steve Fabian]

I have recently start using the IDE for batch program development. Two issues bother me:

1/ When in the IDE, plugins are useless. AFAIK none are designed to interface with the IDE. However, any other "subshell" - BDEBUGGER or pipe - does need them. Is there a way to start IDE without loading plugins?

2/ How do I set the default directory where a new files is saved to?

3/ What are "caret commands"? AFAIK "caret" is the name of a punctuation character as well as of a diacritical mark, but the commands listed seem to refer to pointer actions; all are referred to only by the default keystroke initiating them, with no hint how else to trigger them (to match my own custom keystrokes in my old program editor).

4/ Is there a way to build a "macro" for the IDE?

 

[rconn]

1/ When in the IDE, plugins are useless. AFAIK none are designed to interface with the IDE. However, any other "subshell" - BDEBUGGER or pipe - does need them. Is there a way to start IDE without loading plugins?

IDE and BDEBUGGER are the same program, they just use different arguments. The only time that plugins would be useless in IDE is if you were planning to edit something other than a BTM / BAT / CMD file.

But if you are using IDE for non-batch files, and you're anxious to save the 10 milliseconds it takes to load your plugins, you can invoke IDE with the same /Ixxx options you use to invoke TCC when you don't want plugins (or by specifying a different TCMD.INI).

2/ How do I set the default directory where a new files is saved to?

That's determined by Windows, not IDE.

3/ What are "caret commands"?

Caret commands move the Windows caret (the current insertion point). Microsoft's definition (for the past 20 years), not mine.

4/ Is there a way to build a "macro" for the IDE?

Not sure what you're after here -- there is no macro recorder built into IDE. (But there are hundreds of third-party ones you could use.)

 

[Steve Fabian]

Thanks for the quick response (though we have grown to expect it, it is still almost unique among software vendors). Some plugins are reporting that they are loaded, which I can prevent only by use of a registry-based environment variable, which is not always feasible. However, what benefit do I get from plugins being loaded in the IDE session? Even .BTM files being edited may be intended for users without plugins...

In re "default directory" being controlled by Windows - other products allow setting it, e.g. Firefox' download directory, could IDE do it?

In re macros: Can you point me to any outside macro recorders that are integratable into the integrated development environment?

 

[rconn]

Thanks for the quick response (though we have grown to expect it, it is still almost unique among software vendors). Some plugins are reporting that they are loaded, which I can prevent only by use of a registry-based environment variable, which is not always feasible. However, what benefit do I get from plugins being loaded in the IDE session? Even .BTM files being edited may be intended for users without plugins...

If you're editing a batch file, then presumably (if you're not crazy) you're also going to want to test the batch file. Did you want your batch file to behave differently when you run it in the IDE versus running it in TCC? If so (and that would be crazy!), use /Ixxx to disable the plugin loading. But then please don't post bug reports here that your batch files behave differently ...

In re "default directory" being controlled by Windows - other products allow setting it, e.g. Firefox' download directory, could IDE do it?

It could, but (1) nobody's ever asked for it, and (2) Windows will do it automatically after the first time or two you save a new file.

In re macros: Can you point me to any outside macro recorders that are integratable into the integrated development environment?

Search Google; you'll find hundreds of them. They're all integratable into Windows apps.