Opening multiple instances of a database

[MVFF]

Is there a way to open multiple instances of the application and use the same database in each one?

[kinook]

No, but you can open multiple tabs in a single database.
http://www.kinook.com/UltraRecall/Manual/tabs.htm

[MVFF]

Well, after posting the question, I searched the forum and found an entry from quite some time ago saying that it's not possible to open the same database more than once. Got the cart before the horse it seems. Sorry!

But, I'm wondering if anyone else thinks this would be a real productivity enhancement?

Seems that all during the day, I'm trying to work on scheduled project tasks but constantly detoured by phone calls, instant messages, walk in's, e-mails, etc. So, I navigate away from what I'm working on and then, when I want to go back to what I'm supposed to be working on, it seems to take a bit to get UR back to the same state.

Also, I would just love the ability to have one instance open to the current project/task with a certain layout and then be able to have another instance open to do searches, research, etc independent of the first instance. I'm drooling over this one!!!!

[Dymium]

Is the multible tabs option (as suggested by Kinook) in combination with the different Layouts (from the Menu View->Layout / F11, F12, etc) not usable, or was this to slow?

[MVFF]

I must admit that I haven't played with layouts much. Yes, that does take me a step in the desired direction. Thank you for opening my eyes on that. Perhaps I'm missing some other features that would allow me to work the way I want.

One of things that I really enjoy about UR is the ability to logically link items. I'm giddy about the ability to create seemingly endless relationships. The real underlying reason for my original post about opening multiple instances is my frustration at not being able to undock tabs and then be able to see and manipulate multple items (tabs) at the same time. If an item is linked to another item, I would just like to be able to see them both at the same time.

UR already has the ability to allow multiple users to access a database from different workstations. If a single user could open multiple instances then I would be able to open as many instances as I like and be able to view/manipulate as many items as I want.

As I said earlier, maybe it's there but I'm missing it or maybe there is a better way to accomplish what I'm describing.

I'm fortunate to have 2 monitors and would love to have UR in one open to the project I'm scheduled to work on and have another instance of UR in the other so I can follow e-mail trails, perform searches, take care of support requests that have nothing to do with my main project.

I would appreciate any insights, comments, suggestions

[quant]

you can run second instance of Ultra Recall (or any Windows program) ...
create another user in your windows, and then when you right-click on the ultrarecall.exe there is an option "Run as ..." and you will choose the other user. Then you open the same urd file, and you can work as you wanted ...

[MVFF]

Quant, that is a beautifully simple work around. I hope that Kinook will allow multiple instances at some point. It appears that I can work independantly in the 2 sessions, copy and paste between the sessions to create links, etc. Excellent, thanks.

Only one issue I've run across: When navigating in one "Data Explorer" and expanding a folder and clicking on a child item, that parent folder in the other session expands also. The 2nd session does not change the selected item but if there are a lot of children, the display changes quite a lot.

Thanks again, this is going to help me so much.

[quant]

glad I could be of help ;-)

If opening multiple instances is a problem for Kinook, maybe saving tab sessions as in Firefox would be useful and probably easier to implement. User could save the currently opened tabs and give it a name, then later on just choose this session which would reopen the saved tabs (and when using with CTRL, it would not replace the tabs, but add them). There is already "Tab enhancements" in the HALF-YEAR OLD roadmap, so this could be added to that section or maybe it already is ...

[aaronjsolomon]

Another way to open multiple instances of Ultra Recall, without having to create a secondary user account, is to create hard links to your .urd file.

For instance:


C:\Files\File.urd <-- Your file


Now, create two hard links in the Command Prompt.

C:\> cd Links
C:\Links> mklink /H "File 1.urd" "C:\Files\File.urd"
C:\Links> mklink /H "File 2.urd" "C:\Files\File.urd"

Your C:\Links folder will now contain the two hard links:


C:\Links\File 1.urd <-- Hard link to C:\File.urd
C:\Links\File 2.urd <-- Hard link to C:\File.urd


Create as many hard links as you'd like concurrent open instances.

Now, create regular Windows shortcuts to your hard links. Ultra Recall is "tricked" into thinking it is opening different files, but since it can handle concurrent access, it doesn't have a problem with the fact that they are, in fact, multiple connections to the same file.

It works pretty well. Be advised that Ultra Recall links (links inside of an Ultra Recall database to other items in that database) should be created within a single instance, or it will think it's linking to another file, rather than a location within itself. Also, database locks etc. are a bit more frequent, but not nearly enough to offset the advantages.

Be careful working with hard links. As far as I can gather, they actually work a lot like links in Ultra Recall--all links are peers, and you can delete all but one without deleting the object itself, but when you delete the last one, you actually delete the object.