How to set a default profile and have exe specific profiles overlapping it?

[Badibbou]

Hi

I'm trying to figure out how the autodetect system work. I have a hard time trying to do what i want. At first i thought the rewasd worked like mouse or keyboard softwares (like logitech and such), we set a default profile, and profile for a specific exe. When we switch on that exe, profile switch accordingly, when we're not on any recognized profile, mouse switches back to default. Apparently, that's not how it works. When i use autodetect and radar for an exe, it switches to it, and when i go back to desktop, rewasd says remap is off and controller goes back to native.
So it raises two issues :

• I can't have a "custom" default profile, like we can with mouse softwares. A profile i'd use with a few shortcuts that would potentially be useful to any exe (alt + f4 for example, things like that). I could theoretically make one custom profile and add all the exe in the world manually, or *.exe if that even works, but that's not really what i'd like and it wouldn't solve the second issue either.

• There is the characteristic windows sound of USB plug in-plug out whenever we go back to native controller and even when switching between custom profiles. Meaning rewasd virtually forces the pc to plug out-in the controller for every profile switch. Is there a way to make it work differently? Again, compared to other softwares, they usually change the profile of the mouse/keyboard internally and it goes smoothly. It's not just the sound (i could mute it), there is even sometimes a small freeze of the PC that may happens when we plug an usb in, it's annoying and if anyone has to switch profiles very often between different exe for whatever reason, it becomes very impractical. Not even talking about the fact that constantly plug in-out even virtually could lead to other issues.

So, unless it's possible and i missed it, my suggestion :
Could we have a default internal profile, and also make the switch between all the profiles in a way that the controller doesn't get virtually plugged out but only internally within rewasd like for other similar softwares ?

Thank you.

[reWASDer]

Hello!

Global (default) config is in our to-do list, but I am not sure about the ETA at the moment. But I have a kind of workaround for you now:

1. You do not need to add all exe files, just ensure that you have added explorer.exe and searchUI.exe (you can add them manually if you open the config file (*.rewasd) as a text file, so you won't need to search for them on your file system)
2. Go to Preferences -> Tray Agent tab and uncheck Remove applied config on exit from the associated app option
3. Create the configs for your games and adjust the associated apps like you need

Then, each time you get back to the Desktop, the default config will be applied and will stay there as long as you switch to the game.

As for the second thing, it is a bit more complicated question. I assume that you have a virtual controller added to your config(s), and each time this config is applied, reWASD creates a virtual controller, and when you get back to the normal state, the controller is removed. If the virtual controller stays in the system forever, there may be other issues: for example, the game could use the virtual controller as a primary input while you actually want to use your physical one, so we decided to remove the controller when you do not need it. Still, I got your point, we will consider what is possible to do for you with a team.

And then, once again, a workaround You can create a separate Shift (with a Toggle) with your Desktop mappings and add it to the game's config. Then, once you leave a game, you could press a modifier (some button you do not use often in a game) and switch to the desktop mode while the controller, created in the main layout, will be still "connected". This way, you do not need to adjust autodetect and create a separate config for desktop, but you will need to press that button when you leave the game. Also, in this case, Remove applied config on exit from the associated app option should be unchecked too.

[Badibbou]

Thank you for the tips, but it may be a little bit too complicated for what i want and i don't think i'll gain much from it in the end.
Also, i'll probably use the toggle shift by accident all the time and toggle back to another config during game.

Probably the best way is to either keep it like it is or make a default config within a profile and manually switch to it when needed.

If the virtual controller stays in the system forever, there may be other issues: for example, the game could use the virtual controller as a primary input while you actually want to use your physical one, so we decided to remove the controller when you do not need it.

And how is that a problem? When could that bother anyone? (i genuinely don't know) I bought rewasd to pretty much use it like the logitech software for the mouse, is it also a software that creates a virtual mouse or rewasd works differently? As long as i have the exact same inputs with zero lag (comparing native controller with a default config with native functions) i don't mind never having a physical controller anymore. Now if you tell me there is an important lag difference or something lag that, that's more problematic.
What other problems would that potentially cause if we had rewasd on all the time?

Also, it's kinda weird, you say you don't want rewasd to be applied to the controller all the time. Yet rewasd is one of the only background softwares besides the AV that is impossible to close from tray, as if it was precisely an app made for constant use. I can quit other softwares i use to remap mouse/keyboard but not rewasd yet they apply to devices forever. So a bit of a contradiction here if i may say so.

[reWASDer]

Thank you for the tips, but it may be a little bit too complicated for what i want and i don't think i'll gain much from it in the end.

You can send me your Desktop config (just press Open file location option from the context menu of the config's name), and I will modify it for you.

I bought rewasd to pretty much use it like the logitech software for the mouse, is it also a software that creates a virtual mouse or rewasd works differently?

Unfortunately, reWASD can't be the same as Logitech. Logitech is created as a native software for the particular device while we have tons of other use cases, and could not be the same as them or other apps.

Now if you tell me there is an important lag difference or something lag that, that's more problematic.

Nope, you won't see any difference, just there are lots of our customers who prefer turning remap off when you do not need it, and we have this option from the very first version and do not plan to change this logic completely.

Yet rewasd is one of the only background softwares besides the AV that is impossible to close from tray, as if it was precisely an app made for constant use.

It stays in the background and ready to switch the config (when you connect the device, switch to another game or just want to be notified about the low battery status, still it does nothing with your devices if you do not wish. Still, we are thinking about adding an option to be able to close the background service from the tray/GUI, basing on the feedback we are getting from our customers. Not sure if I understood at the end: do you need an ability to close the background agent at hand or you are OK if it works always?

[Badibbou]

I meant it's difficult to maintain as a solution, plus there is that usb sound all the time it switches profile. I tested it, i really dislike it. It's the sound, the pc freeze, the fact that i know it's plugging out-in an usb virtually. It's all that. I wanted it to go smoothly internally within a software that would take care of the switch without usb switch every time i switch profile.

I was just pointing out rewasd behaves like a logitech software and is even harder to close, so i expected it to act like it would take control of the controller all the time like the logitech software.


Let's forget about logitech then, what about AntiMicro? One of your free software competitors that i used before rewasd. It has several customizable presets for controllers and when we switch from one set to another, there is no usb plug out-in issues, it just switches instantly with zero freeze. How can they can do it even though they are a much cheaper version of rewasd? I mean, i would never do it, cause it would ask way too much work, but in theory, one could use Anti micro + AHK to do exactly what rewasd does minus the usb issue i talked about. So it's possible.

Sometimes i wait for like 5-10 sec for the switch to get effective, and a couple of times i even had my PC freeze completely and had to restart it (even though i don't have a bad PC). I mean, why do we HAVE to have that when we switch profiles? Even if you implement a global profile one day, there would still be that exact same issue. Could you, for instance, add an option in global settings for people who never want to leave the virtual controller, so switches between profiles happen inside the software itself? That wouldn't prevent people from turning off mapping when they want to like they currently can.

[reWASDer]

Oh, I haven't got your point, as there are two different thing we are talking about.

There is nothing impossible, there are different cases in which the virtual gamepad working all the time may not be the perfect solution. I tried to explain in my previous messages, still, it doesn't mean that we abandon your case. Yes, we will consider what is possible to do here with a team.

Sometimes i wait for like 5-10 sec for the switch to get effective, and a couple of times i even had my PC freeze completely and had to restart it (even though i don't have a bad PC).

That sounds totally abnormal. Do you get the same behavior when you plug in and out the physical gamepad? The sound is OK, the freeze should not happen. Yeah, you are right that this is an operation of a virtual plug in, but it is immediate and it doesn't lead to any freeze and it is absolutely incorrect that it may make you restart your PC. Do you have other mappers, drivers, controller companions and so on? Which physical controller you use and which type of the virtual one do you have?

[Badibbou]

Ok, let's get to the point without digressions then :

I'd like to be able to change profiles and configs (it ends up being the same) without having a plug out-in of the controller which leads to a sound (that i don't want to mute) each time and sometimes a small freeze of the PC. Example of a similar software that does that : AntiMicro, that i used to use.

Yes, there is a small delay each time i change from one config to another. If you go to one config, then change to another and click "apply", you should see the windows loading icon replacing the cursor for at least a sec, sometimes a small slow as well.
If you open Task Manager during that process and change update speed to "high" (easier to see), you'll see a surge of the CPU usage whenever you change a config (must be what caused my crashes). When i do the same with AntiMicro, there is 0% increase of CPU usage.

I have a rather ok pc, i imagine it's even worse for slow pc configs. But that's not what i want to fix, i'm pretty sure it's normal. If you remove important devices plugged to the PC, you'll see similar CPU usage behavior.
I just want config changes to happen within the software without ever sending a plug out order so none of those issues happen to begin with, and so the process is silent and smooth even if i ever try to juggle between two .exe alternatively with a close to 0% CPU usage increase.
I don't see the cases you talk about where having a CPU usage surge is better than not having any. And it wouldn't prevent people from using the native controller either, as long as they have the same current option "remap on/off" they have right now, nothing changes, and we could set native by default when no active exe profile is recognized by autodetect, like we have right now (then only in this case, plug out-in/CPU usage surge would be mandatory).

[reWASDer]

Yes, there is a small delay each time i change from one config to another. If you go to one config, then change to another and click "apply", you should see the windows loading icon replacing the cursor for at least a sec, sometimes a small slow as well.

Do you get the same load when you apply a config with a virtual controller and without it? Or does it increase with a virtual controller?
We create a new virtual controller when the config is applied, but we do not create a virtual mouse and keyboard, so do you feel the difference?

[Badibbou]

Without virtual controller? You mean creating a config without touching remapping of the controller? If i only modify a key from keyboard for example, there is still a load, smaller, but still important, and no sound.

Overall my rewasd is really laggy, i never really paid attention to it and assumed it was normal, maybe it's not. If I'm on one config and click on another, it takes about 1 sec to switch to it (not even applying it, just clicking the config title). I don't have that many configs saved yet, so i don't think it's because of that.

EDIT :
Ok, while i was messing with the configs and trying different things, including unplugging controller, i've had a HUGE issue with my PC. I got suddenly bombarded with usb plug out-in sounds. Nothing was responding. My PC finally rebooted by itself, i got a C: drive repair during booting (never had this) and different blue screen windows error messages during the first restart. After a few restarts, I still have a few programs not working correctly that i had to reinstall and rewasd was reset to trial version...

I tried to figure out what happened, i got this message at one point, that i never saw before. I'm not sure what it means or if it's related to what happened :

https://i.imgur.com/u49hlUM.jpeg

On the bright side... changing configs is not laggy anymore. Still have the exact same issue when applying a new config, but overall, the software is much much more responsive than before. What the hell happened?
That's scary how rewasd took down my PC that easily. I have no clue of what happened, it seemed like the thing was possessed for a moment.

Also, that's exactly what i meant in my first post when i wrote : "Not even talking about the fact that constantly plug in-out even virtually could lead to other issues." I proved myself right.

[Support Agent]

You had (or maybe still have) problems with your system drive. They seem to got fixed this time, but I suggest you to consider replacing it or at least consult with a specialist.

[Badibbou]

Maybe but unlikely. I have a NVMe, not a hard drive. Far from full, and never got any issue with it. I think my rewasd just got crazy now, ever since i tried to do the tests reWASDer suggested with keyboard/mouse instead of controller, it just behaves extremely weirdly. I first got the issue i mentioned above that led to PC reboot, but i still get rewasd switching from one config to another to native for no reason from time to time now. Like, i plug in controller, use my profile like i always do, everything works. After 5 min of use, even though i haven't done anything unusual, rewasd starts to switch configs like crazy, with obviously a huge CPU load. I have to quickly unplug controller to avoid another PC Crash. Also now i sometimes see the physical slots lights on the xbox button going crazy as well, i have slot 3 or 4 turned on (instead of 1 as usual) and sometimes they all turn on alternatively like a Christmas tree, as if the controller was trying to fill all the slots at the same time.

I'll have to look tomorrow in details what's happening, reinstall rewasd probably. But something's very fishy. Rewasd is basically trying to kill my PC if i let the controller pluggged in right now so i'm definitely gonna have to fix that or uninstall it.

[Badibbou]

I have a NVMe, not a hard drive

Meant not a SATA drive*

[Support Agent]

reWASD wasn't designed to kill your PC, but if there are no problems with your controller connection, then there might be an issue with some of the apps you have added to [Associated apps list]. What you describe seems to be a reaction of [Autodetect] to the change of an active window, meaning that some apps from the lists are literally fighting for user focus, which triggers a constant change of configurations.

You should check [Associated apps list] of every profile you have and make sure that no executable is mentioned in two or more profiles. You should also remove any app that might start a "fight for user focus" by trying to get on top. And I also suggest to disable [Remove applied config from slot on exit from the associated app] option if it is enabled.

[Badibbou]

Phew. Ok, just a heads up, I'm very sorry for this off topic incident. I think i found what happened. Rewasd is only half at cause here, i shouldn't have accused it for the whole thing. It just so happened that my well trusted controller suddenly got a faulty contact in its cable (after years of use without any issue) exactly at the moment i was doing testings with configs. Easy for me to have overlooked it, what are the odds. So the controller keeps plugging and unplugging itself.
But it is indeed rewasd that caused a PC crash as it loads and unloads configs simultaneously causing slowdown, freeze and eventually a crash that damaged the PC. Proof is, if completely close rewasd and plug the now-faulty controller, it still keeps on plugging in-out but without any slowdown and a smaller CPU load, no crash.
That was really unfortunate.


Alright, back to the topic to give it a conclusion at least.
If anything, that serves my point of having rewasd pluggin out controller between every config switch leads to too much CPU load and (even with a good CPU) could lead to a crash and serious issues. I'm the living example of it.

Just offering an alternate option so the configs switch would not involve any plug out of the virtual controller would solve the issue. Plus it would solve all the inconveniences i mentioned above (usb sound, small slowdown, windows loading cursor and very high CPU load).

Thank you and sorry for the long digression on that unfortunate event.

[Badibbou]

And then, once again, a workaround You can create a separate Shift (with a Toggle) with your Desktop mappings and add it to the game's config. Then, once you leave a game, you could press a modifier (some button you do not use often in a game) and switch to the desktop mode while the controller, created in the main layout, will be still "connected". This way, you do not need to adjust autodetect and create a separate config for desktop, but you will need to press that button when you leave the game. Also, in this case, Remove applied config on exit from the associated app option should be unchecked too.

Gonna use that workaround for now. While trying to do it, I didn't not realize you could create a shift with keyboard keys also when you were using a controller (only used shifts, and rewasd, with controller buttons until now). It's actually a good workaround, only drawback is having to press the key each time.