How to: Save a project
Bootstrapper Manager saves in two stages. Every change you make on a page goes into Bootstrapper Manager's own tables right away, but the project file doesn't change until you save. That way, you can work on a project across several pages at your own pace, and the starter never reads a half-finished project. The trade-off is that the tables and the project file can get out of sync, so Bootstrapper Manager always shows you when they are. To write the selected project to its file, select Save on the Projects page or press Ctrl+S on any page. If Bootstrapper Manager can find the starter, the starter also checks the file when you save.
Save a project
Steps:
Make a change on any page. Not saved appears in the upper-right corner (1), and a dot appears next to Projects in the navigation (2).
- Press Ctrl+S (or select Save on the Projects page).
Result: A notification in the lower-right corner says “Saved to bootstrapper.json,” and Not saved and the dot disappear. If the starter found problems when you saved, the notification shows how many and offers Show, which opens the Problems page. Fields and rows with problems are marked. See How to: Check a project and fix problems.
Preview, Trial run, and Build MSI also save the project first, because the starter works with the saved file.
Check: Not saved no longer appears in the upper-right corner, the dot next to Projects is gone, and on the Projects page, the Last read or saved column shows when you saved.
What "Not saved" means
Bootstrapper Manager builds the file it would write right now and compares it with the text it last read or saved. So if you make a change and then change it back, the project doesn't count as changed. For parts of the file that no page edits, Bootstrapper Manager uses the text it last read.
Close with unsaved changes
When you close Bootstrapper Manager, it asks about each project that has unsaved changes:
| Answer | What happens |
|---|---|
| Yes | Saves the project to its file |
| No | Keeps the changes in the configurator. They're still there, and still marked, the next time you open it. The file isn't changed |
| Cancel | Leaves Bootstrapper Manager open |
If another program, such as a build script, controls Bootstrapper Manager through Automation, the Bootstrapper Manager doesn't ask, because nobody would be there to answer. The changes stay in the configurator.
Technical details
- Don't edit the file by hand at the same time. If someone changes the project file outside the Bootstrapper Manager after you open it, Bootstrapper Manager doesn't notice, and saving overwrites their changes. If you've edited the file by hand, reread it with Open first.
- If saving fails (for example, the file is read-only or the folder isn't available), a message tells you why. Your changes stay in Bootstrapper Manager, and the project is still marked Not saved.
- If Bootstrapper Manager can't find the starter, it saves without checking, and the markers from the last check stay as they are.
- What's in the file: Bootstrapper Manager rewrites the whole file in the format the starter reads. It leaves out values that match the starter's defaults (such as an action's Once only and Wait).