INI file

From TrillWiki

.INI is a filename extension that represents a very specific text file format. (.ini file format) The name stands for Initialization File

.INI files organize data into Sections (Section names are surrounded by []) Within Sections, variables (known as Keys) are followed by "=" and then the Data.

[Section Name]

Key=Data

Key2=Data2

[Section Name2]

Key3=Data

This is the format used by Windows to save system settings since (at least) Windows 3. These files eventually turned into the registry in Windows 95, but some system settings and many 3rd party programs still store things in a .INI file to save settings locally. (In fact, programmers can read and write from either the registry or .INI files by using the same API functions: WritePrivateProfileString, GetPrivateProfileString, etc)

Trillian's Colors.ini uses this standard format. (As well as trillian.ini and the other settings files in the user profile directory. The [skinname].ini file in the profile directory stores all of the user-specific information for the skin, like the savable anchor positions, window sizes / positions, last phase, transparency, etc, etc.)

(To clear a user's settings when installing a new version of a skin, it is a good idea to delete the [skinname].ini file so that bad effects aren't left over from a previous version of the skin.)

When Windows is installed, .INI files are set up in windows associated with notepad.exe and with the description: "Configuration Settings".

Unfortunately, this nice name and the fact that it has a program associated with it on all computers, led to the co-opting of the .INI extension by some skinners for skin settings files in their skin directory (including STIXE). These files are really DTD files and NOT true INI files. This has led to some end-user confusion with these settings.ini files and the [skinname].ini files in the profile directory.