Why start with only "new" tab from taskbar?

Detlev Hochmuth

Notepad++, 8.4.9 64-bit portable version

Windows 11, new installation
different behaviour from what I am used to in Windows 7

(1) If I double-click a txt file, Notepad++ opens with all previous tabs visible and in addition the clicked file. This is what I want and what I am used to.

(2) I pin this instance of Notepad++ to the Windows 11 taskbar and close Notepad++.

(3) I start Notepad++ by clicking the taskbar icon. Notepad++ starts with only one “new” tab. This is NOT what I want. I would like Notepad++ to open with all previous tabs.

(4) I close Notepad++, again double-click a txt file and it still remembers all previously opened files.

Weird or intended behaviour?

Preferences>Backup is activated
no command line option in task icon property

Terry R

@Detlev-Hochmuth said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

Preferences>Backup is activated

What you seem to be referring to is “sessions”. You say you have backup activated. Does that also include the “remember current session for next launch”?

Terry

Detlev Hochmuth

@Terry-R Yes, “Remember current session” is activated, both when checking after (1) with all sessions/tabs visible, and after (3) with only one tab visible.

And when clicking a file, it still remembers all previous sessions, even after just having displayed only one “new” tab.

It behaves differently when started by double-click on txt file and by click on task bar icon.

Terry R

@Detlev-Hochmuth said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

It behaves differently when started by double-click on txt file and by click on task bar icon.

When you open Notepad++ by each method, click on the ? menu, then “Debug Info”. See if you can see any differences between the 2. I’m thinking you are running two different versions possibly. Especially as the portable version isn’t in the Windows PATH variable (by default) so it might not be running in one option.

Terry

Detlev Hochmuth

@Terry-R

Notepad++ v8.4.9   (64-bit)
Build time : Jan 27 2023 - 03:11:16
Path : C:\Portable\Notepad\App\Notepad++64\notepad++.exe
Command Line : 
Admin mode : OFF
Local Conf mode : ON
Cloud Config : C:\Portable\Notepad\Data\Config
OS Name : Windows 11 (64-bit) 
OS Version : 22H2
OS Build : 22621.1194
Current ANSI codepage : 1252
Plugins : 
    mimeTools (2.9)
    NppConverter (4.5)
    NppExport (0.4)

Notepad++ v8.4.9   (64-bit)
Build time : Jan 27 2023 - 03:11:16
Path : C:\Portable\Notepad\App\Notepad++64\notepad++.exe
Command Line : "C:\Users\hochm\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\installs.ini"
Admin mode : OFF
Local Conf mode : ON
Cloud Config : C:\Portable\Notepad\Data\Config
OS Name : Windows 11 (64-bit) 
OS Version : 22H2
OS Build : 22621.1194
Current ANSI codepage : 1252
Plugins : 
    mimeTools (2.9)
    NppConverter (4.5)
    NppExport (0.4)

You see a notable difference?

Terry R

@Detlev-Hochmuth said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

You see a notable difference?

There is 1 line different, the command line. Also I see you appear to have cloud config setup. At that point I don’t know what effect that has on the startup as I’ve never used that option. Would you be willing to try without the cloud config and see if you get a different result.

There’s going to be some setting you have which is affecting the results, you just need to find it. Maybe consider installing yet another portable version separately with just basic preferences and see if it gives you the results you wanted, then build on that until you find the setting which breaks it.

But certainly both startups you run do work on the exact same installation.

Terry

Detlev Hochmuth

@Terry-R

Well, of course the difference is the command line parameter. Windows adds that automatically when double-clicking a file.

There is no command line parameter if I click the task bar icon.

Weird, isn’t it?

What does “cloud config” mean? I just downloaded the portable version and that’s it. I didn’t configure that.

PeterJones

@Detlev-Hochmuth

What does “cloud config” mean? I just downloaded the portable version and that’s it. I didn’t configure that.

Where did you download the portable? Because the default setting of Settings > Preferences > Cloud & Link > Settings On Cloud is No Cloud, but your Debug Info shows that there’s a setting there. So either you configured it, or you didn’t download Notepad++ from an official source. (If you downloaded from portable apps dot com, delete it immediately! We have no idea what changes they make when they re-bundle things, and they are known to break Notepad++ features when they rebundle)

Also, please go to Settings > Preferences > Multi-Instance & Date, do Alt+PrintScreen, and paste that image directly into your reply here. If you have “always in multi-instance mode” checked on, that will explain the problem; if not, then showing us that may give us other ideas.

Terry R

@Detlev-Hochmuth said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

What does “cloud config” mean? I just downloaded the portable version and that’s it. I didn’t configure that.

I think it might be a way of making sure the portable version stays self-contained. So it uses the configuration files within it’s own directory. I’ve never delved much into the portable setup, I just know it’s self-contained and doesn’t get added to any PATHs (by default).

Do you still have your old Windows 7 system so you can look through the debug (and other) info there? There will be some differences, it’s just a case of spotting where it is.

At this point I’ve run out of ideas, maybe another forum member might have some other things to check.

Good luck
Terry

Detlev Hochmuth

@Terry-R

I need and enjoy Notepad++ so much, I couldn’t afford to delve deeper into this matter. I am sure this is a bug of the portable version. The behaviour makes no sense whatsoever.

I now deleted the portable version and installed the normal full version. Now everything works as intended.

Thanks for your efforts.

Terry R

@Detlev-Hochmuth said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

I am sure this is a bug of the portable version.

It may well be a deficiency on the part of the portable version, in so much as the way it’s sets up the environment.

It might have been an interesting question for you to ponder and test more fully but I understand. Sometimes we just want to get on with things.

Unfortunately whilst it may be an issue, unless more research is done it may never be solved.

Terry

Alan Kilborn

@Terry-R said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

It may well be a deficiency on the part of the portable version, in so much as the way it’s sets up the environment.

Too many variables that weren’t, and obviously aren’t going to be, pinned down to draw any conclusions here.

But, the portable version doesn’t do any “setting up” of the “environment”, and that’s by-design. So if there’s some “set up” that would need to be done that allows…nvm…typing any more about this issue is dumb, because there are simply way too many variables and unknowns.

Terry R

@PeterJones said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

Because the default setting of Settings > Preferences > Cloud & Link > Settings On Cloud is No Cloud, but your Debug Info shows that there’s a setting there.

I just got around to testing the 8.4.9 portable version. I had an older 7.9 portable version which didn’t list a cloud option. And the new one didn’t either. That’s when I spotted your post @PeterJones. I agree, this smacks of an “unofficial” version.

Terry

Alan Kilborn

I want to say that we typically see postings here about the “portable apps” versions with “…\PortableApps\…” just like that in the file path. OP didn’t have that; made me think that OP truly has the official N++ portable version, and just put it in a “…\Portable\…” filepath.

Terry R

@Alan-Kilborn said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

made me think that OP truly has the official N++ portable version, and just put it in a “…\Portable\…” filepath.

Possibly, but what’s confusing is OP states it already had the cloud config setup and they didn’t do it. We know that isn’t the case. So either they have missed telling us they copied across an old config from the previous installation, or something else such as it being an “unofficial” version.

Whichever the reason, the problem we see time and time again is the OP will give us information they think pertinent to the question. It’s up to us as seasoned users to elicit that final bit of the puzzle that suddenly makes it all clear.

We may not get an answer as they’ve now gone with the full version and seem happy. They may never return, since they only created the NPP forum account to get an answer to something they’ve resolved themselves.

Terry

Alan Kilborn

@Terry-R said in Why start with only “new” tab from taskbar?:

what’s confusing is OP states it already had the cloud config setup and they didn’t do it

We also have consider how reliable their memory might be. :-)

Lycan Thrope

@Detlev-Hochmuth ,
Hmm…for one thing, it doesn’t look like you have the double-click hack setup to enable NPP to open files that way in either of those Debug info readouts. Apparently you got it fixed by going to your full version, and that’s nice, but that doesn’t answer the question of why you expected double clicking a file (in File Explorer presumably) to open it in NPP.