HomSoft Ini Files

On a HomSoft application termination, the majority of its settings is automatically stored in its particular Ini File, located in the HomSoft User Folder. The next time you start the application, this file is loaded back and both the application and the connected Homer unit appear in the same state as when you left them.

HomSoft Ini File Names

A HomSoft Ini File name depends on:

  • Type of the application (Autotuner, Analyzer, simulation).

  • Communication interface (RS232/RS422, CAN).

  • Whether it is a full-fledged program or a reduced-functionality HomTool.

The names overview is shown in the table below.

App Type

RS232 / RS422

CAN

Before V5.0.2.0

Autotuner

Tu_rs.ini

Tu_can.ini

Ho0.ini

Analyzer

Ho_rs.ini

Ho_can.ini

Ho0.ini

Simulation

HoSim.ini

HoSim.ini

HoSim0.ini

Autotuner Tool

TuTool_rs.ini

TuTool_can.ini

Tool0.ini

Analyzer Tool

HoTool_rs.ini

HoTool_can.ini

Tool0.ini

To view the pertinent Ini File name, click the File|Show Ini File Name menu item.

After starting an upgraded HomSoft for the fist time, the older style files (before version 5.0.2.0) will automatically be copied under appropriate new names.

Note: This also happens anytime you delete, remove or rename a new style ini file (e.g., Tu_rs.ini) but the older style file (Ho0.ini) still exists. Thus, instead of expected default settings, including Homer power-up, you will arrive at settings defined by Ho0.ini. To avoid such a surprise, you may wish to delete or rename the old style file.

Customizing Homer Power-Up Behavior

If you want the Homer settings you made using HomSoft to become permanent, you have to change Homer’s internal Hom.cfg and Tun.cfg configuration files (these files define the Homer power-up behavior). You can do that either by downloading, editing, and uploading these files, or by the Create CFG command.

Controlling Creation of Ini Files

Sometimes, settings made while running HomSoft turn out to be undesirable, and the user may wish to return to the original settings before the HomSoft start. To enable this, the user can decide whether the “automatic” ini file is rewritten or not.

Normally, HomSoft is terminated by clicking its main window standard closing button. Alternatively, you can use the File|Exit menu item, or the Alt+X shortcut key. Following this, a confirmation dialog (Fig. 23) appears. When you click  Abort  in this dialog, the HomSoft Ini File file will not be overwritten.

Fig. 23.  Confirmation dialog when normally terminating HomSoft.

If you terminate HomSoft by the File|Exit (no setup) menu item or the Alt+A shortcut key, the application is closed immediately and quickly, without any dialog, and without writing the HomSoft Ini File. The same can be achieved by clicking the button on the topmost Standard toolbar.

Backup Ini Files

If you accidentally and unintentionally terminate HomSoft without saving the “automatic” ini file, all desired settings you might have made will be lost. To avoid this, check the File|Backup Ini File menu item. When checked, the settings will still be written in the background as a User Setup file. A penalty is a slightly slower application termination. The file location is the BackupSetups subfolder of the User Folder. The file name will have the form

OrigName_yymmdd_hhmmss.stp, such as Tu_rs_250311_132003.stp

where OrigName stands for the original ini file name as shown in the table above, yymmdd stands for the date and hhmmss for time. You can load these files, and thus restore the settings, as described in the User Setups section.

It is a good practice to delete old and unused backup files from time to time.

Corrupted Ini Files

In case of problems at the HomSoft start, (stubbornly appearing error messages or missing apparently open windows), odds are that the HomSoft Ini File is corrupted. In this case, try to delete the ini file  and restart the application. An alternative is to move the suspect file to another directory or rename it for further analysis, a procedure that can help find the cause of the faulty behavior.

User Setups

Each HomSoft settings collection can also be saved to a custom *.stp setup file and loaded anytime later. In this way, you can prepare various measurement scenarios and quickly switch between them.

To save a setup:

  • Click the File|Save Setup menu item or the equivalent SaveStp toolbar button or use F2 shortcut.

  • When prompted, enter Comment text, characterizing the setup.

To load a setup:

  • Click the File|Load Setup menu item, or the equivalent LoadStp toolbar button or use F3 shortcut.