Auto Arrange Off, as default

[JohnH]

Is there a way to turn off Auto Arrange as my default for the Process Flow Window? I always find it annoying when I want to move the icons around.

[seanrez]

I wish I had an answer to this question.  My situation is even more annoying.  I often have large process flows, organized just the way I like them, and then "Auto Arrange" somehow gets turned on.  This has happened 3-5 times in SAS Enterprise Guide version 7.13 HF4, and it's extremely annoying.  I then have to disable Auto Arrange and reorganize all my programs and tables.  I wish I could permanently disable Auto Arrange.  

[ChrisHemedinger]

Auto Arrange is a per project option, not an overall application preference.  That means that when you turn it off in a project and save the project, it should stay off -- for that project.  If you disable Auto Arrange in one flow but then re-enable in another flow within the same project, it re-engages the setting for the entire project (not ideal -- there is a suggestion in the works to address that and a number of other ideas, I think).

As this is a per-project option, there isn't a way to control the "default" as we can with application preferences.

[seanrez]

Thanks a lot for the reply, Chris.  That seems to be related to my problem.  When I create a new process flow, Auto Arrange is indeed turned on by default, even though all my other process flows have it turned off.  That by itself wouldn't be so bad, although I wish there were a global default I could set to force it off forever.  The main problem is the bug that inexplicably sometimes switches Auto Arrange on for existing process flows that previously had Auto Arrange disabled.  This bug then rearranges all my programs and datasets in a strange diagonal manner, and I have to spend the next 15 minutes rearranging them after I've once again disabled Auto Arrange.  Therefore I'm delighted to hear that this issue may be fixed in the future.  Thanks again.  -Sean

[seanrez]

Just as an update, I found another bug.  When I moved a few programs from one process flow to another, it auto-arranged the process flow to which I was moving the files.  Now I have to spend valuable, annoying time trying to reverse the damage.  I've attached a screenshot of the mess Auto Arrange created.  Please fix this bug ASAP.  Thanks.  

[ChrisHemedinger]

Here's the idea in the SASWare Ballot that tracks the suggested improvements.  It's on the list, but I can't speak to the time frame.

[EHittner]

I definitely share everyone's frustration with this.  In my experience, whenever I use the "Program Maintenance" function to change settings in a process flow (which are rather large with my projects as well), the auto-arrange setting flips back on -- annoyingly scattering my programs and results around the grid.  And you're right on with the point about valuable time.  I spend much of my time putting things back in order after this.  

[shoin]

Is there any update for EG 8.x?

-S

[lc_isp]

    Hi Chris and all,

TYVM for the ballot's link but

1.   that thread is now locked (probably 'cause Ballots "evolved" to something else)
   
   
2.   don't you feel is it enough time, for a feature requested by many customers (as it's useful for sure, no doubts) to be still not present since Sep 2007? Are not 17 years "enough" to add a flag into EG's Tools > Options > Project and Process Flow section?
   
   
3.   to all what other customers mentioned already, I would add another good reason why we (really) need to be able to turn that flag off "by default" even before than to open a project (which means in the .egp file's properties or, as it was told already, have it already turned off so that the opening project won't automatically switch it on): I'm migrating some projects from a SAS application server to another. A step I need to perform is Project Management: given my projects have all the AutoArrange turned off at migration start, when the Project Management works on them, to adapt to the new application server, it also switch the flag on (which, I believe, it's nothing else than a BUG😞 at that point it saves and reopens the project, so I've NO way to turn the flag off before the "feature" totally re-arranges (scrambling them) all my tasks (and that in ALL the workflows, not in the first one only).
     If the AutoArrange worked well it wasn't that Big Problem... but it doesn't! What I'm seeing is tasks moved to the wrong positions, and we all know that, in EG, the tasks execution order IS positional.
     Last but not least: if the problem involved the first workflow only it was (still annoying but) bearable, but it's NOT that way you told, sorry to say: I turn AutoArrange OFF in the 1st workflow, only to discover it's already ON in the 2nd (which then becomes totally scrambled... I'm speaking about a workflow having 50-60 tasks, to manually re-arrange... not exactly 10 minutes, and the project have like 10 workflows). That's a BIG problem, to us.
   
   
4.   Such Big Problem could be avoided totally just adding a "global flag" in the Options, so that an "incoming project" I upload (or a new project I create) have such flag set to OFF and remaining OFF 'till I'll manually turn it ON.
     I believe, in 17 years, one can program such "monster change" into EG without too much problems (but saving us to have them).
   
   

 Thanks for reading, I would prefer to have updated the ballot's thread but, as I told, it's locked.

[lc_isp]

(must add as a reply to myself, as I can't edit my original post)

 Update: inspecting the problem better, it seems it's related to local client only (and even not all local clients too).

 By opening my EG project using the web interface, via Citrix dashboard, and using the Project Management to modify the application server in all the tasks at the same time, this problem don't arise.

 The same: a colleague who is supporting me in the migration, reported me that, even using his locally installed client, opening my project and using Project Management, didn't incur in that bug. He have not been able, tho, to tell me which configuration setting to look at (and, possibly, to change) in my local client, to avoid having such problem.

 To avoid spreading unuseful alarm, I tested such behavior on my migrating project (one project only, for the moment) multiple times.

 I hope this update at least help who fell in my same pit.