gPhotoShow Products Support Forum

Hi
I am only one step away from finishing a major screensaver project.
Suddenly gPhotoshow will not remember where it is up to in the slides,
and starts from the beginning every time.
This happens on the machine with gPhotoshow installed on it.
It also happens on a different machine with an exported ss.

I have the box 'Save FIles List Between Sessions' ticked.

Rebooting the computer didnt change anything.

So I unticked the box, previewed, then re-ticked the box.
Hurray, it works properly again on the creating machine, so I thought the problem is solved.
But no, when I export the ss and install it on another machine
the slideshow starts again every time.

Im almost ready to uninstall gPhotoshow and install it on a different machine
as the problem only appeared lately.
Any other suggestions before I do that?

PS I have now ticked the Enable Extended Logging box in case that helps.

Also: I do use Inno Setup and it is successfully activating the Audio and Overlay plugins.

Hello,
gPhotoShow Pro and created standalone screen savers works in different ways.
gPhotoShow Pro keeps its files lists (full files list and partial files list) in its cache directory:
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\gPhotoShow\Cache

the only reason for it not to work properly is if it doesn't have access to that directory but that's quite unusual.
The action to tick/untick that option does really nothing. The only useful action is to click the button to clear the cache.

One thing that can happen if you are trying a screen saver with a lot of images is that you close it while it is still scanning the configured folders. In this case the list of undisplayed files is not saved because the scan is not complete.

As for the standalone screensavers created by gPhotoShow they simply do not save the list of images still to be displayed. Only in case of sequential display they save the point where they were interrupted but in any case they restart each time with the complete list of images.

So taking your hint I set it to play the files sequentially, and then it does remember where it is up to.

I could sort of live with this if the WIndows SS settings tick box that says 'Choose Images Randomly' worked, but is the ss is exported using alphabetical sequence then that tickbox for random order does not seem to do anything. In fact it doesnt seem to work the other way round either, if the SS is exported to paly randomly then unticking the box in the SS Windows settings does not make them play sequentially.

Also: I notice that sometimes Inno setup asks for a folder to install into, and sometimes it doesnt.
When it doesnt as for an installation folder it seems to copy the scr file into the main WIndows directory, and then I get a final install screen saying that I need to restart the computer to finish the installation. Weird as I cant see why it has 2 different install procedures.

Ive just spent about 5 hours creating test SS on 2 different machines and installing them on 3 different machines.

What I dont get is why this problem only recently occurred and then spread to more than one machine.
Until recently I am 99% sure I had no problem setting it to random file order with sequential folders, and it would start each session from where the last one ended. At least it started the next session in the samefolder anyway, I cant be sure if it replayed some files.
I guess there must be some setting, or combination of settings, that causes this problem.

But you say that the'standalone screensavers... do not save the list of images still to be displayed', does this mean it doesnt save what folder it is up to either? I thought I would have noticed that long ago with my testing.

As it is, I think I will be forced to play the images sequentially so as to avoid the problem of starting from the beginning each time

AngelicInterface wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2024 2:29 pm I could sort of live with this if the WIndows SS settings tick box that says 'Choose Images Randomly' worked, but is the ss is exported using alphabetical sequence then that tickbox for random order does not seem to do anything. In fact it doesnt seem to work the other way round either, if the SS is exported to paly randomly then unticking the box in the SS Windows settings does not make them play sequentially.

The random setting used to work in the following way:
- In gPhotoShow Pro you set random display, then in the created screen saver users can untick the option and have a sequential display. If you (the screen saver creator) already set sequential display that control is useless (it doesn't set random display)

AngelicInterface wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2024 2:29 pm Also: I notice that sometimes Inno setup asks for a folder to install into, and sometimes it doesnt.

If the screen saver is already installed the installer doesn't ask for a folder, it uses the one of the previous installation.

AngelicInterface wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2024 2:29 pm When it doesnt as for an installation folder it seems to copy the scr file into the main WIndows directory, and then I get a final install screen saying that I need to restart the computer to finish the installation. Weird as I cant see why it has 2 different install procedures.

Screen savers must be installed in the windows folder. If it is already installed it may happen you need to restart the computer, this happens when the file is locked.

AngelicInterface wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2024 2:29 pm But you say that the'standalone screensavers... do not save the list of images still to be displayed', does this mean it doesnt save what folder it is up to either? I thought I would have noticed that long ago with my testing.

Random file order with sequential folders internally is handled as a random mode and since standalone screen savers don't save the partial file list every time it starts from the beginning.