Reset to defaults option, per settings page?

[jazza]

I have to say I love how T3/4's reuse the same buttons on each different menu or screen or configure page (context based). I think it's great.

Given how much config time and energy we can put into our configs and the option to backup helps but it could be great to be able to have a 'reset to defaults' option on each config page in the T3/4. This would mean if something wasn't working quite right at some point we could just reset the current config page rather than restore an old config backup or a more brutal factory reset.

For example resetting your GUI settings without wiping timers or button setting (menus under setup).

Is this something that others see as useful or is it do-able from a software dev angle?

Happy to hear thoughts on it.

[peteru]

Meh, too much work for little benefit.

The config is just a plain text file. Resetting a particular option to defaults is as simple as deleting that line from the config file.

[mrcell]

On a related note, something that would be very useful is an option to report on all custom settings i.e. every instance of where a setting has been changed from its default value. I've been putting off updating my T3 to the latest firmware because I know I have to run from defaults instead of backing up and restoring.

I'm not talking about things like timers and obvious configs like skip times and pre/post pads. It's more the other settings lurking in various menus that I've changed and forgotten about. It would be so helpful to have a list of changes to defaults that I could refer to after the update.

[MrQuade]

The file /etc/enigma2/settings does contain all of the settings that are set to non-default values.
However I suspect that you are after something more user-friendly.
I am not sure that such a thing is practical just due to the sheer number of settings and the diverse locations where those settings are located in the user interface.

My advice is to not stress too much over getting everything *exactly* as it was before. Often, you can find that setting things up from scratch again gives you the option to try out other options. Once you are using the unit, it is fairly easy to spot anything that is different, and it is quite straightforward to just go and change stuff as you encounter it.

Admittedly, I have done it so many times now, that the process is just automatic for me and takes less than 20 minutes, but I like to start with setting up my Favourites bouquet, then customise the look of the EPG(s), and Channel List, then I just step through all the Setup menu screens and change stuff to suit. The final step is to set up network mounts and install any plugins that I use, and configure those. Once all that is done, it is just a matter of using the Wiz normally until you notice something is not quite right.

[mrcell]

Thanks for your thoughts MrQuade. I do it far less frequently than you so it seems a more daunting task. In any case, I'm going to bite the bullet because I have a weird issue with disk space reporting that I want to see if the latest firmware has any effect on.

There have been a few times I can recall where there was a config change that I found by researching issues in these forums - I just wish I recall what those changes were. As you say, however, starting fresh has benefits too and if the issues were significant enough then I will address them again.

[prl]

The config system can readily detect whether a config setting is at its default or not (only non-default settings are written to /etc/enigma2/settings.

A lot of config setting screens are configured through /usr/share/enigma2/setup.xml. That would allow the screens, setting screen names and screen settings values to be displayed for all non-default settings made in screens described in setup.xml.

But:

• There are a fair number of config setting screens whose configuration is directly in code, and not through setup.xml.
• There are a fair number of settings that don't use the config system at all (network name, login password, all the network sharing screens, etc).
• There's nothing in the current code that would do even the part of this that's relatively easy to do

[prl]

... I have a weird issue with disk space reporting that I want to see if the latest firmware has any effect on. ...

From a quick review of your post history, I can't see anything that gives any details of the issue. My guess is that the new firmware would have no effect on the problem, but its hard to be sure without more information about what the "weird issue with disk space reporting" is (in a separate topic, please!).

[mrcell]

Thanks for that info, Peter. I will do a backup and pull the tar off the box before I update. That way I will have the files in case I want to refer to them but I think the best course is simply to run the defaults after changing the obvious stuff and trust that if I will find and change anything else in the course of normal use.

If the "weird issue" persists I will post about it.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Thanks for that info, Peter. I will do a backup and pull the tar off the box before I update. That way I will have the files in case I want to refer to them but I think the best course is simply to run the defaults after changing the obvious stuff and trust that if I will find and change anything else in the course of normal use.

I print the "settings" file and use that as a base. You don't need to get at it from a backup - see viewtopic.php?f=50&t=11393#p155720

[prl]

... I print the "settings" file and use that as a base. ...

That's what I do, too. Some of the settings can be a bit difficult to interpret from the settings file, though.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

... I print the "settings" file and use that as a base. ...

That's what I do, too. Some of the settings can be a bit difficult to interpret from the settings file, though.

Agreed. You'd likely know the names better than I too

[IanSav]

Hi,

... I print the "settings" file and use that as a base. ...

That's what I do, too. Some of the settings can be a bit difficult to interpret from the settings file, though.

I just diff the old and new settings files and copy over any old settings that don't conflict with new settings. I also omit any settings that have been noted as being changed. So far so good and there have been no issues and my settings are quickly recovered.

NOTE: This is not a task for novice users who don't know how to get themselves out of trouble. Mistakes can make the box fail to boot! You have been warned.

Regards,
Ian.

[prl]

... I print the "settings" file and use that as a base. ...

That's what I do, too. Some of the settings can be a bit difficult to interpret from the settings file, though.

Agreed. You'd likely know the names better than I too

The settings values encodings aren't the most obvious sometimes, too (like the values for the media selection screen sort order)

[mrcell]

All done, I had grabbed the settings file beforehand in case I needed it but I just worked through the menus manually and changed what I wanted. It wasn't anywhere near the hassle I thought it would be. While I didn't quite match MrQuade's 20 minutes it didn't take me too much longer all up. BTW - "weird issue" got sorted as an added bonus

Thanks all for your tips.