Saving changes to toolbar; Using Toolbar profiles

[Chrisi22]

I'm not sure whether my questions relate to Windows or not, since I've not compared VLC running on other OSs. Here goes.
Using VLC 1.1.9 (just d/l 1.1.10) in Vista hm prem x64.

Have had problems getting VLC to store & use Toolbar customization in View>Customize Interface, that brings up the "Toolbars Editor."
I haven't changed any skins, etc. from default. I believe the QT interface is the default & AFAIK, that's what's being used. That may have nothing to do w/ changes to the toolbar not "sticking" in the past.

1) Any ideas (or documentation - I found none) on proper way to get VLC to save customization to the toolbar? I'd like not to do a long trial & error thing again.

Several times in several recent versions of VLC, I tried to add a few "available elements" (icons) in L window of Toolbars Editor. It might show those I added in VLC toolbar after closing editor in the current session, but NEVER after closing / restarting VLC. After restarts, it always reverted to default icons.

I tried adding the extra icons in several places - among ones already on "line 1;" on the Advanced Widget Toolbar & the Full Screen Controller line.
Until today, never could get VLC to keep the icons that I added after exiting / restarting. It's odd there's no Save or Apply button on the toolbar editor & previously thought that might be related to my problem. I always hit the "Close" button, since no Save or Apply.

Today, I added the desired icons - again - and closed / restarted VLC. AFAIK, did nothing diff than many times before - except created a custom profile & made changes in it. (NOTE: Created a custom profile & made changes in it, a few times before today & VLC never retained those changes in the toolbar, after prgm exit / restart - until today). Exited / restarted VLC several times to check - still showing changes to toolbar. No idea why it saved them NOW & never in the past?

2) In the Toolbars Editor, there's a box for "Select Profile," w/ some pre config'd profiles & option to create a new profile (but again, what ever you might do w/ the profiles, no "Save" button). What is the main purpose of using the pre set or a custom profile - what do the profiles control?

3) How can you tell which profile VLC is using or what is VLC's behavior of which profile it will use (if any), even after restarting?

4) Is it necessary to create a new, custom profile, make icon additions to the current (default?) toolbar setup, then hit "Close" to save a customized toolbar? And on restart, does VLC use the profile that was last selected in the Select Profile box? That's what I did this time - may not be related to VLC suddenly saving changes to the toolbar.

I couldn't find lines in files VLC-qt-interface or vlcrc, specifying any particular profile to use or anything related to customized toolbars / interface.

Thanks.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

it would seem that you have an issue of saving on your vlc-qt-interface.ini, because all those infos should be there.

[Chrisi22]

Thanks. "All those infos should be there?" I attached my vlc-qt-interface.ini below.
Yes, vlc-qt-interface.ini contains info about the several profiles. But I don't see in it or vlcrc, which profile is currently in use (or specified to be used).

You didn't comment on what choosing different profile in the Toolbars Editor, or creating a new one is intended for (I found nothing in documentation / wiki about profiles), or how one knows which profile is in use.

You didn't answer whether it was necessary to create a new profile to make customizations to the toolbar icons, and if so, how one knows VLC is using that profile (or any other one).
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
[General]
isfirstrun=0
filedialog-path=C:\\Users\\Evan\\Documents

[FullScreen]
screen=@Rect(0 0 1440 900)
pos=@Point(853 842)

[Help]
geometry=@ByteArray(\x1\xd9\xd0\xcb\0\x1\0\0\0\0\x1\xce\0\0\0\xb3\0\0\x3\xd1\0\0\x2\x9a\0\0\x1\xd6\0\0\0\xd1\0\0\x3\xc9\0\0\x2\x92\0\0\0\0\0\0)

[Mediainfo]
geometry=@ByteArray(\x1\xd9\xd0\xcb\0\x1\0\0\0\0\x1\x9c\0\0\0\xa4\0\0\x4\x3\0\0\x2\xa9\0\0\x1\xa4\0\0\0\xc2\0\0\x3\xfb\0\0\x2\xa1\0\0\0\0\0\0)

[ToolbarProfiles]
1\value="0|64;39;64;38;65;|0-2;64;3;1;4;64;7;10;9;64-4;20;19;64-4;37;65;35-4;|12;11;13;14;|5-1;33;6-1;|0-2;64;3;1;4;64;37;64;38;64;8;65;35-4;34;"
2\value="1|64;39-1;64;38;|2-1;32-4;0-5;1-5;32-5;3-5;5-5;6-5;4-5;32-5;10-1;64-1;35-1;65;|12-1;11-1;13-1;14-1;|33;37-4;|0-5;1-5;32-1;1-5;5-1;6-1;4-5;32-1;12-5;11-1;65;34-4;35-1;"
2\profilename=Classic Style
5\profilename=Simplest Style
4\value="0|64;38;65;|0-4;64;3;1;4;64;7;10;9;64-4;39;64-4;37;65;36-4;|12;11;14;13;|5-1;33;6-1;|0-2;64;3;1;4;64;37;64;38;64;8;65;35-4;34;"
1\profilename=Modern Style
3\value="0|64;65;|0-7;64;3-1;1-5;4-1;64;12-5;64-5;37-5;38-5;64-4;10-1;65;36-4;|11-5;13-5;14-5;|5-1;33;6-1;|0-5;64;3-5;1-5;4-5;64;12-5;65;34-4;35-1;"
3\profilename=Minimalist Style
5\value="0||36-4;65-4;0-7;4-5;1-5;65-4;7-5;|12-4;11;13;||36-4;65-4;0-5;4-5;1-5;65;8-5;"
size=6
4\profilename=One-Liner Style
6\ProfileName=Custom 1
6\Value="0|64;38;65;|0-4;64;3;1;4;64;7;10;9;64-4;39;64-4;37;65;35-4;|12;11;14;13;|5-1;33;6-1;|0-2;64;3;1;5-4;6-4;4;64;37;64;38;64;8;65;34;"

[EPanel]
geometry=@ByteArray(\x1\xd9\xd0\xcb\0\x1\0\0\0\0\x1\xc2\0\0\0\0\0\0\x3\x61\0\0\x1\x8c\0\0\x1\xca\0\0\0\x1c\0\0\x3Y\0\0\x1\x84\0\0\0\0\0\0)

[MainWindow]
inputtoolbar="5-1;33;6-1;"
toolbarpos=0
geometry=@ByteArray(\x1\xd9\xd0\xcb\0\x1\0\0\xff\xff\xff\xf8\xff\xff\xff\xf8\0\0\x5\xa7\0\0\x3k\0\0\0\b\0\0\0\x1e\0\0\x2\x87\0\0\x1\xe0\0\0\0\0\x2\0)
fullscreen\pos=@Point(853 842)
maintoolbar1="64;38;65;"
maintoolbar2="0-4;64;3;5-4;1;6-4;4;64;7;10;9;64-4;39;64-4;37;65;35-4;"
bgsize=@Size(1440 747)
fsctoolbar="0-2;64;3;1;5-4;6-4;4;64;37;64;38;64;8;65;34;"
advtoolbar="12;11;14;13;16-4;17-4;"
playlistsize=@Size(-1 -1)
fullscreen\screen=@Rect(0 0 1440 900)
pl-dock-status=false
adv-controls=4

[Update]
geometry=@ByteArray(\x1\xd9\xd0\xcb\0\x1\0\0\0\0\x2\x32\0\0\0\xfe\0\0\x3m\0\0\x2O\0\0\x2:\0\0\x1\x1c\0\0\x3\x65\0\0\x2G\0\0\0\0\0\0)

[Chrisi22]

It appears the "General VLC media player Troubleshooting" sub forum is fairly low traffic compared to the Windows forum. I see a fair # of posts in the Windows forum aren't specifically related to Windows. I try to follow the rules, but the general discussion forum traffic isn't nearly that of the Windows forum.

But, does no one have any idea what the profiles accessible in the Toolbars Editor are really used for? If there's any documentation about them?

If it's necessary to create a custom profile to save icon customization on the toolbar?

If not, what's the purpose of being able to create new profile names & how do you tell which profile VLC is using?

Thanks.

[orotau]

Hi Chris
I too lost some of what is left of my hair over this.
I came to the following conclusions.

The 'profile' that is used when VLC starts is the one that is contained in the section that starts [MainWindow]

Whenever you close the 'Customise Interface' dialog box whatever you have there is written to the vlc-qt-interface.ini file into the [MainWindow] bit

So, if you want to set up a profile you have to do it 'backwards'. That is, you make the changes in the 'Customise Interface' part and THEN you 'Create a new profile' THEN you close the dialog box.

I would imagine that you can't change a profile once you have created it (unless you edit the vlc-qt-interface.ini file directly).

HTH
Graham

[Chrisi22]

Thanks for tips, orotau. I was beginning to think no one reads this forum or no one knows anything about VLC. I know the VLC team made note somewhere on their documentation / wiki pages (don't remember) that "up to date" documentation / help isn't available due to lack of technical writers - which is a shame. It has far too many options / settings (which is good) not to have a recent help file. No offense & I'm sure he's busy, but Jean-Baptiste's reply was no help.

To clarify your comment:

The 'profile' that is used when VLC starts is the one that is contained in the section that starts [MainWindow]

I think you're saying, what ever visible features / changes (or settings, if look in preferences, etc.) that are present when start VLC, is the profile in use?

But, still doesn't show name of profile, if say, created a custom one.

The Toolbars Editor screen really needs some work, IMHO. At the least, should be a Save Changes or Apply button. In many apps, "Close" doesn't necessarily = "Save." I get what your saying about making customizations, then creating a profile name to save them under. I assume the profile that was last opened in the drop box in Toolbars Editor will be used by VLC on subsequent restarts. AFAIK, no mention of using / editing profiles in documentation.

What would it take to enable developers to write an up to date help file? Maybe if they stated to users exactly what it would take - for that specific project ( in real $, time, help, etc) users enjoying use of VLC could ante up.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

The original documentation was written and updated a few times by ECP students, while there still was a VLC project in that university. There is no more and that is why it is out-of-date. The style was inconsistent and the quality pretty poor: each student got one chapter.

There is simply no way that we developers could update the documentation. It is a huge effort and we are already totally overwhelmed. Besides we do not have much skills as technical writers.

The wiki was a largelly failed attempt to offload the problem to the user community. I do not see much viable business around building free online documentation, and VLC is not the pet project of any insanely rich sponsor. So I think we are screwed.

[waynex]

the toolbars are saved. go to tools in the vlc (while watching a video) screen, choose customized interface, select whatever toolbar you like, then click close. The tool bar is saved at this point. To view it, click on view (in the VLC screen), click the advanced controls, this shows you your toolbar always.

[sagarpatel]

the toolbars are saved. go to tools in the vlc (while watching a video) screen, choose customized interface, select whatever toolbar you like, then click close. The tool bar is saved at this point. To view it, click on view (in the VLC screen), click the advanced controls, this shows you your toolbar always.

Thanks Waynex...Your post on saving and viewing Customized interface for vlc media player really helped me...
Best Regards,
Sagar