Notepad++ doesn't notify any more of changes on other open files

Michel Merlin

Since my Thu 15 Aug 2019 I update from npp7.5.9 to npp7.7.1, Notepad++ ceased to notify me of changes made by external programs to the OTHER files open in NPP.
This is very annoying in my case.
I keep ~100 files open, of which ~30 are copies of directories of my ~30 discs of (full legit) TV-recorded videos.
Each time a video filename is added or changed on one of these discs, a .BAT file on that disc updates a local DIR file and copies it to my main disc.
Up to version 7.5.9, any change would trigger a windowlet saying something like “File DIR… has been changed by another program. Do you want to reload it?”, so I had just to click OK.
Since the upload this notification does NOT happen any more “spontaneously”; the notification now only happens when I open the changed file, which of course only happens when I know the file has changed, which defeats the efficiency of my whole system of video file log.
I have tried to toggle the “Monitoring (tail -f)” status (eye icon in the icon bar, at 26th position in my case) of the files involved, but it doesn’t work, neither when “on” nor “off”.
How can I revert to previous behavior? TIA,
Versailles, Wed 04 Sep 2019 18:21:10 +0200, edited (1 typo) 18:23:35

Alan Kilborn

@Michel-Merlin

Have you checked your File Status Auto-Detection preference setting?

Try Enabled for all opened files.

Here’s the lowdown on how it works:

Enable <-- popup prompt when user switches tab back to one that has had a file status change
Enable for all opened files <-- popup prompt globally whenever file status changes
Disable <-- never popup prompt

Also, RTFM: https://npp-user-manual.org/docs/preferences/#misc

ggo98

@Alan-Kilborn
sorry but you’re wrong. I have R(ead)TFM and I have tried to “play” with the File Status Auto-Detection setting, and changes detection randomly works as expected.
(using the latest notepad version at time of writing=v7.8.7, win8.1)

So it’s a real issue.
I also have the feeling it was working better (may be perfectly) with (much) older versions.

Best regards.
Olivier.

Alan Kilborn

@ggo98 said in Notepad++ doesn't notify any more of changes on other open files:

sorry but you’re wrong

I don’t think I’m wrong about the functionality as described, but, of course, there may be bugs with this feature.

For example, I can think of a current bug regarding it which manifests when you have both views open…

ggo98

@Alan-Kilborn

May be you are not so wrong after all, and the key word in the manual is could be “periodically”, which is not very precise.
What does it mean exactly? (did not find what is the delay between 2 checks, neither where it can be configured)

Best regards.
Olivier.