gimp document history

dinasset · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 3:34 am **(#1)**

GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

where does gimp store info related to its "document history"?
with 2.8.14 this feature (enable document history) seems to work strangely
so, I would like to look into the file
thanks

jontait2 · **Joined:** Dec 27, 2014 **Posts:** 508

The document history is common to all GTK apps running on your system (eg. GIMP, InkScape, etc), so if you've been using other GTK-based apps recently (eg. trying out some free downloads) that may be responsible for the "strange behaviour".

On Windows, the doc history is stored in file C:\WINDOWS\Users\<usr>\AppData\Local\recently-used.xbel which is an XML document.

saulgoode · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 3:50 am **(#3)**

On GNU/Linux it is stored in ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel. I don't know where Windows keeps it.

dinasset · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 3:54 am **(#4)**

thanks jontait2 and saulgoode
I opened Gimp
loaded 15 images
exited Gimp
opened the mentioned file, it contains:

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xbel version="1.0"
      xmlns:bookmark="http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/desktop-bookmarks"
      xmlns:mime="http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/shared-mime-info"
></xbel>

also I don't use other GTK apps (I have Inkscape installed since months, but no use at all)

jontait2 · **Joined:** Dec 27, 2014 **Posts:** 508

Check Edit>Preferences>Environment and make sure that "Document History" is checked.
If it is, uncheck it, restart Gimp, check it again and restart Gimp again.

dinasset · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 4:30 am **(#6)**

done (it was checked.....)
same results

edit: could I delete that xbel file to see whether it will be recreated correctly?

jontait2 · **Joined:** Dec 27, 2014 **Posts:** 508

Save it somewhere (eg. on your desktop) rather than delete it.

dinasset · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 4:59 am **(#8)**

the trick worked! moved that file to the desktop, gimp recreated it WITH the infos on the opened images
reopened Gimp, the history is there
thanks!

dinasset · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:16 am **(#9)**

not so easy!...
I don't know which "obscure" application has again destroyed that file
is there a way (a "guardian" program) which can tell me WHICH application uses that file?

jontait2 · **Joined:** Dec 27, 2014 **Posts:** 508

I don't know of any guardian, but the Windows file manager should show when the file was last modified - if you keep a careful log of which programs you are (intentionally) running, when it happens again you might be able to identify the culprit.

BTW are you sure you're not using any other GTK-based apps? You might be surprised just how many there are - that's what happened to "gramp" as detailed in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=11767

dinasset · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:53 am **(#11)**

I didn't say that I'm not using GTK-based apps, I just said I don't use that one of gramp
I would like to know which programs make use of GTK; is there a way to discover them?

edit: because this "event" did not happen before gimp 2.8.14 could be that it's gimp itself which performs the clearing of that file even if the user (me!) wants to keep the history?
I should try to make some tests...

edit2: hmmmm, it seems the problem lies in Gimp itself
I did the following:
-started Gimp w/o that file existing
-opened about ten images
-closed
-the file was created but only with the pointers to the last 7 images
-reopened Gimp
-found the 7 images in the history
-opened additional 3 images (different from the seven in the history)
-closed Gimp
-looked into the file: only the last 3 images were pointed to!

what's wrong in (my) gimp 2.8.14?
-

jontait2 · **Joined:** Dec 27, 2014 **Posts:** 508

Are you using the Document History dockable dialog or just the File>Open dialog?

dinasset · **Posted:** Fri Apr 03, 2015 9:29 am **(#13)**

I made a double check.
Started the previous Gimp version (2.8.10, I still have)
repeated the tests done before
ALL LINKS TO ALL IMAGES OPENED IN MORE THAN ONE OPEN/CLOSE session are kept!
definitely there is something wrong in my 2.8.14 Gimp
I will reinstall it...as an "extrema ratio"

edit: just for info:
does someone else using gimp 2.8.14 windows 32-bits have similar problems?

dinasset · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2015 2:02 am **(#14)**

just to let other people curious on this aspect know the follow-on:
-made some other test
-discovered that it's the .dll related to gtk which causes this problem (it has been changed between 2.8.10 and 2.8.14)
-by overwriting the version of that .dll present on 2.8.14 with the one present in 2.8.10, the history is kept as expected.
Maybe I will get other errors/have other problems having done that replacement, but for now I keep this "crude" patch; should the Gimp system become unstable/unusable there is always the "extrema ratio"...

paynekj · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2015 2:30 am **(#15)**

Just to clarify something.

When you say "document history" are you referring to the recent file list (up to 10 entries) or the document history dialog (many more entries):

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Kevin

paynekj · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2015 2:40 am **(#16)**

There are also some gimprc entries to control how many recent files are remembered:

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# How many recently opened image filenames to keep on the File menu.  This is
# an integer value.
# 
# (last-opened-size 10)

# Keep a permanent record of all opened and saved files in the Recent
# Documents list.  Possible values are yes and no.
# 
# (save-document-history yes)

Kevin

dinasset · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2015 2:51 am **(#17)**

The document history, Kevin.
I set those values already, but if you read my previous posts, you will see that I made tests opening/closing/reopening using the 2.8.14 (as I had until this morning), and the document history was cleared totally or partially by Gimp w/o any personal intervention between those sessions.
Now the history is kept until I want to have it (I can as usually delete the history if of no more interest for me).