Augustus Caesar Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 An ini file is a way to get variables into the software at the initial startup of said software before it itself loads. If the programmers placed these variables within the software then they would load later on. Sometimes developers make programs that require the former and the use of an ini file.Web site designers for example who use Apache as their local server to test pages will require the ini file as the program is run in the background and not normally accessed by the user as RM is with a totally usable interface. That's one reason why they are aorund and not normally built directly into the software.As HRMS support say they may move the ini file away altogether and load variables such as those already existing and those future ones into the main software package. Changing any variable for whatever reason may have serious repurcussions for the software or, even websites, that use variables as the parameters set by default are set for a very good reason and shouldn't be changed, as I stated earlier, unless you know what you are doing and that the changes will do no harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 For those who have UAC's turned off in Windows 7 or later you are leaving your PC/laptop at risk of infection by spyware/malware/trojan or virus. This may in turn leave you anxious because RM may not be able to communicate externally for updates and may also cause port errors thus stopping RM working properly. I have stated this many times before. If you DO have UAC's turned off then it is strongly recommended that you turn them back on.It is possible for malicious software to turn these off but it is not a frequent occurrence.To tunr them back on go to the Control Panel and click User Accounts then Change User Account Comtrol Settings. Adjust the slider to the third from bottom of four settings. Click OK. That's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St1ngr4y Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 @AugustusCaesar"An ini file is a way to get variables into the software at the initial startup of said software before it itself loads. If the programmers placed these variables within the software then they would load later on." In the Systems Settings window, there is a checkbox which indicates whether the user wants to set points and signals on start-up. If your statement is correct, why is this not an entry in the .ini file?I'm just playing Devil's Advocate here. It just seems to me that the variables which are configured in Railmaster should fall into one group or the other, but they don't. :-)Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Or maybe RM could simply have 2 .ini files - one for variables that the programmers set (and users would rarely need to change) and one for variables that users more often set.Rocrail uses 2 .ini files, one for the server side of things and one for the user interface. You can amend either of these files in Notepad or you can use a simple tick box dialogue from the user interface.Maybe RM could use a similar approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St1ngr4y Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Another thing about a .ini file is that you need to be 100% accurate with spelling. When mouse control of locos was introduced, I wanted to switch it off, the default .ini file setting had it switched on. I couldn't get this to work, so I reported a fault through the system. It turned out that the manual was wrong. Instead of ...Enable mouse=1The manual, and the .ini file, had ...Enabled mouse=1I pointed out at the time, that it might be a good idea if RM found an entry in the .ini file which it did not recognise, to report it to the user.Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 The easiest way to explain why a .ini file is or is not used by the respective programmers of each piece of software released is thus:It is purely down to personal taste. If ten programmers are given a task to write a piece of software to do a particular job and then they are given carte blanche to do it whichever way they see fit using ONE programming language then all ten would have different code doing the same thing. One or two would simply keep all variables and parameters within the software which may, or may NOT, be accessable to the user via a menu system for example, and the rest may use a .ini file with the thought that the user doesn't NORMALLY change the settings within these files. On the other hand if it easier to prgram the software to allow the user to change .ini files and their settings within then this wouldn't actually be the best way forward for that.Placing variables within the user interface is the best way forward obviously but programmers don't always think alike. They have habits like we do when making a cup of tea... does the milk go in first or last, considering we may not even use milk?So, as HRMS have stated they left these in a .ini file with the possibility of moving them within the software later on. From that I think they didn't envisage anyone changing what are default settings and thus didn't place them inside RM for the user to change at will.Think about it... how many of the RM users world wide are going to look at an ini file and start changing settings contained within? For those members who say they are not technically gifted and then go ahead and alter this file means you are more gifted than you think or give yourself credit for. Playing with an ini file is not recommended unless you know what you are doing really.By changing this file and having NO warning messages come up on your PC or laptop on Win 7 or even 8 etc means exactly what Fishy is saying... you have UAC's turned OFF and they shouldn't be! Your machine will be open to attack far more easily than others with the UAC's on and you will eventually find that RM and other programs will develop issues because of this if you get malware etc on the machine without you knowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejj101 Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 Question ? According to the Railmaster Guide you can delete the railmaster.ini file should you mess it up and the program will create a new copy ?I did mess it up and then delete it and now Railmaster will not run? It has not created a new copy.How do I get my .ini file back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St1ngr4y Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 Try re-installing RM using the link at the top of this forum. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejj101 Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 Try re-installing RM using the link at the top of this forum. RayI copied it from my laptop in the end.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 See this previous post regarding generating a new 'railmaster.ini' file. This documented method is a much better method compared to copying a file from a different PC..https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/railmasterelite-interface/?p=1/#post-200252 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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