Overview and Save BehaviorUpdated 4 hours ago

Summary

• The Global Settings screen centralizes configuration for the entire FMX application.
• Changes you make in tabs update the in-memory configuration immediately for preview/testing.
• Nothing is written to disk until you click the Save Changes button on the Global Settings screen.

Where settings are stored

• Path (source tree): C:/FMX/appsettings.json
• Format: JSON, human-readable, versioned by app updates

In-memory vs disk: how changes apply

• Immediate preview (in-memory):
• When you adjust a control (e.g., toggle, slider, dropdown) the setting updates the live runtime state immediately where supported.
• This enables testing before committing.
• Persist to disk (by user action):
• Persisting requires an explicit Save via the Save Changes button.
• If you close FMX or switch projects without saving, in-memory changes are discarded on next launch.
• Error behavior:
•  If a save fails, your in-memory changes remain active; you can correct the issue and try saving again.

Single point of control for saving

• Designated save entry point:
• Only the Save Changes button in GlobalSettingsView writes to appsettings.json.
•  It performs validation, logs with the [SAVE-BUTTON] prefix, and shows user feedback via Snackbar.
• What happens on save:

1. Validate settings across all tabs.
2. If valid write appsettings.json atomically if supported by the environment.
3. Show a Snackbar with success or error (see UI feedback below).

• Logging (if enabled):

1. Success: [SAVE-BUTTON] Settings saved successfully
2. Validation fail: [SAVE-BUTTON] Validation error: <details>
3. IO fail: [SAVE-BUTTON] Save failed: <exception>

Allowed exception: selected Event

• Event selection updates may save the selected Event ID immediately using SaveSelectedEventToSettings() (internally calls settingsService.SaveAsync()).
• This is the only allowed exception to the “Save button only” policy because event selection is critical for sync and state management.
• No other general settings should persist automatically on property changes.

What does not save automatically (examples)

• Changing camera, audio, display, media, or sharing options in tabs does not persist to disk until Save Changes is clicked.
• Adjusting workflow, triggers, sync toggles, or diagnostics levels also requires Save Changes.
• Bulk edits or importing presets still require an explicit Save to commit.

Recommended workflow

Step-by-step:

1. Open Global Settings and navigate to the relevant tab(s).
2. Adjust values and verify behavior live (where supported).
3. Click Save Changes.
4. Look for the Snackbar confirmation. If an error appears, fix issues and save again.

UI feedback (Snackbar)

• Success (uses centralized status resources):
  • Style: SnackbarWarning/Error styles are reserved for status; success uses the app’s default success/info style.
  • Message: “Settings saved successfully.”
• Error (must follow project status style):
  • Color: Error #FF5630
  • Icon: Error icon per centralized resources
  • Message: concise cause + “See logs for details.”
• Warning (non-blocking issues):
  • Color: Warning #FFAB00
  • Icon: Warning icon per centralized resources
  • Message: guidance on potential side effects

Backup, restore, and reset

• Backup:
  • Manually copy Config/appsettings.json before large edits or upgrades.
• Restore:
  • Replace with a known-good backup while FMX is closed, then reopen FMX.
• Reset to defaults:
  • Otherwise, replace appsettings.json with a default template from your version’s distribution.

Troubleshooting

• Settings revert after restart:
  • You likely didn’t click Save Changes. Reopen Global Settings, reapply, then Save.
• Save button disabled:
  • One or more tabs may be in an invalid state. Resolve inline validation errors first.
• Save fails (IO/permissions):
  • Ensure write permission to the config directory. Check disk space and antivirus/EDR interference. Review logs.
• Unsaved edits lost after a crash/restart:
  • In-memory changes are not persisted until saved. Reapply and Save.

Quick checklist (operators)

Make edits → Verify behavior → Click Save Changes → Confirm Snackbar → Optionally back up appsettings.json

Do/Don’t summary

• Do use only the Save Changes button to persist general settings.
• Do look for [SAVE-BUTTON] entries in logs when auditing saves.
• Don’t rely on auto-save; it is intentionally disabled by design.