Quality of life SF: remember 'Remember selected branch'-tick-box state per branch

​@Boudewijn-202 Are you basically saying that the ‘Remember branch’ checkbox should be disabled with a Default procedure whenever you change Model and/or Branch? And that after having switched to another Model and/or Branch, the Switch branch task should default the Model & Branch that you earlier saved as to be remembered branch?

Hi Arie, 

Thanks for your reply and interpretation. 

Yes, that would work. 

• When opening “Switch branch...”:
  • The default sets branch to the remembered branch 
  • The layout hides”Remember selected branch”
• Switching to another branch:
  • The layout shows “Remember selected branch”
  • The default does not touch the tick box
  • Ticking the box “Remember selected branch”
    • This updates the property for subsequent branch switches
  • Not ticking the box “Remember selected branch”
    • The branch-switch is “one-off”; next time running the task,”Branch” is set to the branch that I wanted the SF to remember

The current functionality remembers that I ticked “Remember selected branch”, but not which branch it is that I want to remember.

Hi Boudewijn,

With that last point, would you expect the Software Factory to pre-fill the remembered branch upon opening the Software Factory, or simply start in the context of that remembered branch? I would expect the latter, but just to make sure I ask.

One thing would become more difficult, and that is to un-remember a branch. So if you want the Software Factory to not start in a particular context, the user would need to disable the use last session option (currently hidden) / (or if we build it this way) remove the remembered branch in the User screen.

Hi Mark,

That is also what I’d expect my application to do. Maybe others will chime in with their preferences.

Doesn’t the SF always start in a branch? Even if not, these situations seem similar for the user: 

• Start in a remembered branch but I want to switch to another
• Start in an unknown branch, but I want to make sure I’m in branch X
• (for completeness) Start without context for a branch, but I want to switch to a branch
• I want to use my last-used branch, but that is not the remembered branch. I need to switch branches (comparable to current situation)

Current situation:

• If I’m usually on my DEV branch
  • And ticked “Remember branch” when selecting it 
• Switch branch to MAIN
  • Untick “Remember branch”
• Close the SF
• Start the SF
  • SF will come with the switch-branch popup
  • The last used (but ‘remember’ unticked) branch MAIN is pre-selected
• I would expect not to have to choose a branch and go to DEV automatically, since I set it to be remembered

Doesn’t the SF always start in a branch?

I wouldn't call it like that. The SF currently opens either:

1. In the remembered branch context
2. With the Switch branch pop-up, pre-filling model and branch based on your last session.
3. (In no context if no work models exist, only applicable the first time your start the SF, pre-configuration)

It is true that we "force” the user to select a model/branch context; hereafter context. This is because most of the Menu items are dependent on that context, as without it it does not show any data. Experienced SF developers may know that is due to not having a context, but newer developers may not.

I do think we could go the route that you described earlier, where the Remember branch option is only shown, and initially unchecked, when selecting a new context that is not the (old) remembered context.

The user will start up the Software Factory in their desired context, and could thereafter switch branch. If so, the Remember branch option is shown and they can choose to remember it.

• If they do, the next time they open the SF, that context is used automatically.
• If they don't, the next time they open the SF, the previously remembered context is used automatically.

Pre-filling of the model and branch fields will still be based on their last used context, giving priority on the sessions that use the same GUID, which in 3-tier is based on the Login session.

We will have to think of a way to stop the automatic context selection when starting the SF, so the Switch branch pop-up is shown again at that moment. The users table already has a field for this, we can repurpose it for that reason and make it visible. The checkbox will then be True if you desire the SF to start in the remembered context and False if you want a Switch branch pop-up upon starting the Software Factory.

From the Switch branch pop-up, unchecking the Remember branch option will not be possible as we intend to hide it when you have selected your Remembered context.

Sounds like a plan? 😄

> Sounds like a plan?

Yes, it certainly does! Thanks for elaborating on it :-)