Verify that there's no way to lock a preset for edit. Restore a specific factory preset.

[billbassler]

It's fairly easy to mistakenly overwrite any preset. And I haven't found if there is a way to lock a preset for editing. Backing up and restoring your presets shouldn't be the only defense against this. So is there a way to lock a preset so that I have to explicitly remove the lock prior to editing? Also, I accidentally overwrote a factory preset and I'd like restore just that preset without a full restore. Is there a place where a bundle or singles of factory presets reside?  I'd like to keep the originals for reference purposes. 

[silverhead]

Changes to any preset are not permanent until/unless you specifically SAVE the changes. So you can consider the SAVE operation to be the lock that you desire. In either case you need to consciously declare that you want changes to be made. There's nothing automatic or unintentional happening, except the automatic syncing between the Helix app and the device. But the sync'ed changes are not permanent until you SAVE on the device.

 

You can only restore a single preset if you have previously saved it as a single preset. That applies to factory presets as well. There is no public storage area for factory presets, setlists, or bundles.

 

Some people are in the habit of making personal backups of all factory setlists (usually not all presets) immediately after updating the firmware. You can do that for yourself anytime if you haven't yet changed them. If you have already changed them and find yourself needing to restore a setlist or preset you can post here and ask if anyone can share their backup.

 

Edit: after thinking more about the app and sync'ing, I think the only editing that 's possible now in the app involves preset naming and reorganization. I think those changes are permanent once confirmed, but the app requires confirmation before making the changes. Again, a conscious decision is required.

[HonestOpinion]

It's fairly easy to mistakenly overwrite any preset. And I haven't found if there is a way to lock a preset for editing. Backing up and restoring your presets shouldn't be the only defense against this. So is there a way to lock a preset so that I have to explicitly remove the lock prior to editing? Also, I accidentally overwrote a factory preset and I'd like restore just that preset without a full restore. Is there a place where a bundle or singles of factory presets reside? I'd like to keep the originals for reference purposes.

To prevent this part of your save procedure should always be to check what setlist and what preset location you are saving to before you hit the "OK" button. L6 did a great job of putting that information on the save screen so you can easily see what your target is. Although Silverhead is correct that it takes an explicit action to overwrite a preset there is still always the possibility of user error.  The most likely instance being that you are either not in the list or on the preset that you think you are saving.

 

I actually kind of like the idea of being able to lock a particular preset or even lock an entire set list. This would work well for the strategy I use. I never save tweaks to a factory preset. I actually always copy the factory preset to an alternate "User" list and tweak it there leaving the original preset untouched for future reference or in case I want to modify the factory preset differently and start again from scratch. Additionally, I don't have to worry about my tweaked presets being overwritten when L6 puts out new firmware that tweaks the factory presets, something I endorse them doing as it means the factory presets keep getting better. In my case being able to "lock" the Factory lists so they can't be edited (other than by a firmware upgrade) would work quite elegantly. With that said, this "lock" functionality falls relatively low on my priority list for things I would like to see first on the Helix.

 

I also think it would be a great feature if the Helix App (librarian) or maybe down the road the editor could look at a saved "Bundle" or a saved "Setlist" and allow the restore of a single preset within that larger backup. It is quite a chore to save every preset individually, particularly if you edit your factory settings in place in the "Factory" lists (a bad idea in my opinion as stated earlier unless you need every preset location available on the Helix, in which case you are some kind of scary superhuman with more than 24 hours available in a day).

 

Ideascale?

[silverhead]

I think a separate 'lock' feature might be useful in unusual circumstances - most likely if/when the user has already made some error in their conscious thinking. And I agree that it should be very low on the priority list.

 

But the question arises: how many times should you make a user confirm their intentions? Right now the user needs to initiate a SAVE action and then repeat/confirm it - there is a second chance to recover from an unintentional press of the SAVE button. So if the 'lock' feature were implemented, along with its own confirmation to identify/prevent a mistaken action, a user would need to declare their intention to make a change four times before any change was actually made.

 

Personally I think that's excessive. Throughout the computer industry it is standard to have to confirm an initiated change action just once. At least if implemented the feature should be optional, and by default be off. Then any user could turn it on, acknowledging to themselves that they would like to be further protected from making mistakes and willing to bear the quadruple hurdle. I suspect they would pretty quickly turn it off again.

[HonestOpinion]

....

Throughout the computer industry it is standard to have to confirm an initiated change action just once. At least if implemented the feature should be optional, and by default be off. Then any user could turn it on, acknowledging to themselves that they would like to be further protected from making mistakes and willing to bear the quadruple hurdle. I suspect they would pretty quickly turn it off again.

 

There are however also many examples of software within the industry where a particularly coveted item can be locked, or deletion or modify privileges revoked. There is also version control, managed/automatic backups, as well as undo features, all of which are designed to prevent accidental overwriting or deletion of code or product.

 

I agree that if a lock feature were implemented it should absolutely be off by default and only used when someone has come up with the holy grail of patches that they absolutely want to ensure does not get overwritten, in which case, a good backup of the patch would suffice as well. As I stated before, in the list of things on my Helix wishlist, this is fairly low but still not a bad idea.

[duncann]

I think the weak point in the saving is when you want to save a preset to a new location; this is where a lock feature would be useful. For the same location, you get used to just hitting save twice. You get used to that because you're most likely to be saving presets in the same location more frequently than choosing a new location, at least I am anyway. But when selecting a new location with the sometimes overly sensitive encoders, it gets a little stumbly. Since you're used to hitting save twice quickly, and because of the sensitive encoders, you almost immediately (but too late) realize that the wrong location was selected! With any luck, it was only over a blank preset.

[billbassler]

I disagree with idea that confirming a Save is the same thing as explicitly marking a preset, group or set list a non-editable. The scenario where you might misread the location in the prompt specifying where you intend to save a  preset is the perfect example. If an explicit lock was set I would receive a notification that the preset, group or set list is locked and I need to go to an interface to explicitly unlock it before I can edit it. If I'm only presented with the location and I misread it, without a prompt that explicitly locked that item I can very easily do something that I didn't intend. If a could I would lock the Factory groups and any solid long term presets. If I ever mistakenly try to overwrite a locked preset I will know immediately. If I really want to edit the preset I will unlock it. BTW, most of the other units I've had had a lock capability and locked the factory presets by default. 

[Dshow]

I already hate the alerts in Helix Application so for me a big no ;-)

[HonestOpinion]

I disagree with idea that confirming a Save is the same thing as explicitly marking a preset, group or set list a non-editable. The scenario where you might misread the location in the prompt specifying where you intend to save a  preset is the perfect example. If an explicit lock was set I would receive a notification that the preset, group or set list is locked and I need to go to an interface to explicitly unlock it before I can edit it. If I'm only presented with the location and I misread it, without a prompt that explicitly locked that item I can very easily do something that I didn't intend. If a could I would lock the Factory groups and any solid long term presets. If I ever mistakenly try to overwrite a locked preset I will know immediately. If I really want to edit the preset I will unlock it. BTW, most of the other units I've had had a lock capability and locked the factory presets by default. 

 

I agree, locking functionality is a good idea! Please put it in Ideascale, I think it might get a lot of votes.