In GroIMP, preferences refer to the software's configurable options, stored using Java's preferences system. Most of these options are managed through the Preferences Panel. By default, preferences are applied globally, meaning all workbenches share the same settings. However, this behavior can be overridden by creating an option file specific to a workbench, allowing that project to use its own set of preferences instead of the global ones.

By default, when a user changes settings in GroIMP, they are modifying the global options. These are stored using the Java Preferences system at: ~/.java/.userPrefs/de/grogra/options/ + [option path]

This storage method ensures that global preferences are persistent across sessions and even carry over when updating to a new version of GroIMP.

Global options apply to all workbenches unless a specific option file is present in a project.

If the current workbench does not have an option file, the Preferences Panel will display the global settings. In this case, a label reading “Global” appears in the bottom-right corner of the panel, indicating that the global configuration is active (See Figure 1).

Figure 1: Global preference panel

Since GroIMP version 2.1.4, it is possible to configure options specific to a given workbench through an option file named workbench.options. This file is located at the root of the project.gs file or within the .gsz archive. It allows users to share a project with a specific set of options, overriding the global preferences.

• When a workbench option file exists in a project, GroIMP uses its settings instead of the global ones.
• If the option file contains more settings than the current GroIMP instance supports, those options are retained but ignored.
• If the option file is missing settings defined in the current GroIMP instance, those options are added to the file upon saving.

To create a workbench-specific option file, open the Preferences Panel via Panel > Preferences and choose: file > options > create current workbench option file (See Figure 2).

Figure 2: Menu options for creating a workbench option file

After the option file is created, the Preferences Panel will switch to the Workbench Options View (see Figure 3), displaying:

1. The name of the active workbench in the top-right corner.
2. A button to open the Global Options Panel in the bottom-right corner.

Figure 3: Workbench Options Panel

• When a workbench option file is added, it is automatically set with the current global options.

• Changes to workbench options are applied immediately. However, the option file is not updated automatically. To save the changes to the option file, the project must be saved.

To stop using a workbench-specific option file, it can be deleted via the menu: file > options > delete current option file (see Image 2).

• Option files can also be edited manually as plain text outside of GroIMP.
• To add an option file externally:
  • Unordered List Item Add workbench.options to the project directory.
  • Add the OptionsSource registry item to project.gs.
  • Update the MANIFEST.MF file.

• To delete an option file externally, remove the file, the OptionsSource entry from project.gs, and update MANIFEST.MF.

The UI Toolkit/Swing UI group in the Preferences Panel allows you to customize the Look & Feel of the Swing-based user interface. You can choose whether window decorations (such as title bars and borders) are handled by Swing or by your system's native window manager.

The available Look & Feels depend on your Java and GroIMP installation. GroIMP comes bundled with several styles, including Kunststoff, Liquid, and Tonic. Additional styles can be downloaded from Javootoo, which also provides installation instructions. The default style shown in the preferences is Java’s standard Metal Look & Feel.

Figure 4: Swing User Interface

When switching to a different Look & Feel in the Preferences Panel, the user interface is immediately updated. However, changes to the window decoration setting only apply to newly opened windows. Note that not all Look & Feels support window decorations.

See also:

Additional plugin for extra Look & Feels