To run the WebIssues Portable Client, just double-click the WebIssuesPortable.exe file from where you installed the package on your portable drive. Then use it just like you would use a local copy of the WebIssues Client. You can also use the PortableApps.com Launcher to run the program.
Warning
Keep in mind that portable devices can be used to spread viruses between computers. It can be especially dangerous when you use an unknown or untrusted machine (at school, Internet cafe, etc.). Make sure you have an anti-virus program on your primary computer and on the portable device. Also consider write-protecting the device if it has such capability. Read the Safe Portable App-ing article for more suggestion.
The portable launcher will make sure that all temporary files used by the program are removed from the hard drive when you close the program. However, if you leave some attachments opened, it may be impossible to delete them. To ensure that no sensitive data is left on the computer, close all attachments before closing the WebIssues Portable Client
When you run the WebIssues Portable Client for the first time, a configuration window is displayed allowing to select one of three modes of operation:
- Store settings and cache
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In this mode all settings and cache files are stored on the portable device. Only downloaded attachments are stored in a temporary folder on the computer's hard drive. This is the default option, recommended when running WebIssues Portable Client from fast USB devices and hard drives.
- Store settings only
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In this mode all settings (including column settings and filters) are stored on the portable device, but cache files are stored in a temporary folder and deleted when the program is closed. This option is recommended for older, slower devices. Note that the state of issues in watched folders is not preserved in this mode.
- Read only mode
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In this mode no data is written to the device. Both settings and cache files are stored in a temporary folder and deleted when the program is closed. This option should be used when running the WebIssues Portable Client from write-protected USB devices or CD / DVD disks.
The portable launcher detects if the device on which the WebIssues Portable Client is installed is writable. If not, the configuration window is not displayed and the read only mode is used automatically. If the program was already configured to run in a different mode, a warning message is displayed.
The selected mode of operation is stored in the portable.ini configuration file stored in the Data\settings subdirectory. If that file is deleted, the configuration window is displayed again and a different mode can be selected.
The simplest way to copy your settings (including column settings and filters) from your primary computer to the portable device is to export them from the WebIssues Client installed on the primary computer to a file and import that file to the WebIssues Portable Client run from the portable device.
In the read only mode, the default settings are automatically copied from the device to the temporary folder when launching the program. To create the default settings, you can copy them from your primary computer (located in the application data folder, usually C:\Documents and Settings\) to the user\Application Data\WebIssuesData\profiles subdirectory on the portable device. Alternatively you can first run the WebIssues Portable Client in the default mode, adjust the settings, and then delete the portable.ini file and change the mode of operation to read only. Using one of these methods you can also prepare the WebIssues Portable Client for burning to a CD or DVD from which it can be run.
In order to preserve the state of issues in watched folders, manually copy the cache files from your primary computer (located in the local application data folder, usually C:\Documents and Settings\) to the user\Local Settings\Application Data\WebIssuesData\cache subdirectory on the portable device. This will only work if the WebIssues Portable Client is configured to run in the Store settings and cache mode. Do not copy the attachments sub-folder as attachments are never stored on the portable device.
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