Files

A project is one TOML file. The GUI edits that file's contents in memory; nothing is written until you save. The top bar shows the file name, or untitled for a project without a file, with a * when there are unsaved changes. Undoing an edit by hand, so the project matches the file again, removes the *. See The project file for what the file holds.

You can also open a file when you start the GUI:

senzor examples/showcase.toml

New and OpenCopy Anchor Link

New starts an empty, untitled project. Open shows a file dialog that lists TOML files (Senzor project) and opens the one you pick. Replacing the project this way stops every instance of the current one; the new project's autostart devices start once those instances are offline (Running devices).

A file opens even when it has validation problems: they appear in the Problems tab, and you can fix them in the GUI. A file that is not valid TOML, or that does not match the project format (an unknown key, for example), does not open. Senzor then shows Cannot open with the file's path, the note Fix the file in a text editor, then open it again. and the errors with their line and column. The current project stays open; if you named the file on the command line, Senzor starts with an empty project instead. To check a file from the command line, run senzor-cli validate (CLI reference).

Save and Save asCopy Anchor Link

Save writes the project to its file. For a project without a file, it works like Save as.

Save as asks where to save, suggesting the current file name, or project.toml for a new project. Senzor adds .toml to a name that does not end in it (in any letter case), so the file shows up in the Open dialog: myproject is saved as myproject.toml, and notes.txt as notes.txt.toml.

The save dialog checks for an existing file only under the name you typed. If the name with .toml added already exists, Senzor asks before it overwrites that file: Replace myproject.toml? says the file already exists in its folder and that replacing it overwrites its contents. Click Replace to save over it, or Cancel to write nothing.

After Save as, the project's file is the new one, and relative TLS paths in the broker settings are resolved against its folder.

How Senzor savesCopy Anchor Link

• No half-written files. Senzor writes the project to a temporary file next to the original and then swaps it in, so a crash while saving leaves either the old file or the new one. Two cases are rewritten in place instead: a file with other hard links (so every name sees the change), and a file in a folder where Senzor cannot create the temporary file.
• Permissions are kept. The saved file gets the old file's permissions, so a file you keep private because it holds a broker password stays private.
• Symlinks stay links. Saving through a symbolic link writes the file it points to and keeps the link.
• Read-only files are not overwritten. Saving to a read-only file fails, and Senzor shows Something went wrong with a message such as cannot write /path/to/project.toml: the file is read-only. The project keeps its unsaved changes.

Unsaved changesCopy Anchor Link

When the project has unsaved changes, New, Open and closing the window first ask Unsaved changes, for example Save the changes to this project before opening another project?

• Save saves the project, then goes on. For a project without a file, Senzor asks where to save first; if you cancel that dialog, nothing else happens and the project stays as it is.
• Discard drops the changes and goes on.
• Cancel keeps the project open with its changes.

A name you are still typing into an ID or name box counts as a change, so the question also comes up for a rename you have not confirmed yet.