Export Settings (include Quick Access, local attachments, roaming app data)

[stack247]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. A new feature request, not related to a problem.

Describe the solution you'd like A way to export Azure Storage Explorer's settings, such as Quick Access link, appearance, theme, account / sas connection setting, certificate, etc.

Describe alternatives you've considered Manually set the settings in the new installation of Azure Storage Explorer, other than that, no alternative at the moment.

Additional context The context is here whenever we have a new installation of Azure Storage Explorer, we need to set the settings to match our old setup. New installation is not the update from previous version. Such a case when we have to install a new machine.

Thanks.

[MRayermannMSFT]

We'll look into the feasibility of this in 1.16

[JasonYeMSFT]

Also think about how we can export local attachments and App data (user profile).

[craxal]

@stack247 We're currently investigating the feasibility and design of this feature. Can you answer a few questions for us?

• Can you go into more detail about the problem you're encountering and what you'd like to see? You mentioned bringing settings from an "old setup" to a "new installation".
• Do you want to transfer settings to a new installation on a different machine or locally?
• Are your new installations/old setups due to a recovery situation (for example, a hard drive failure)? Would you or whoever still have access to the old installation?
• Do you intend to share settings with multiple users?

[stack247]

See below:

• Can you go into more detail about the problem you're encountering and what you'd like to see? You mentioned bringing settings from an "old setup" to a "new installation".

From example when I setup a new computer. Or if I have another development box I want to use. I’d like to see the same Azure Storage settings in the new computer / box. Slack would be a good example. I install in different computer, I sign in, and in both computers, I’m seeing the same thing (color theme, etc.).

• Do you want to transfer settings to a new installation on a different machine or locally?

Different machine. Sign-in approach to save settings would be ideally, that way the setting is stored in my account, and I can login in another machine, and it’d be there. But if a file-based setting would also acceptable I’d think. I can export the setting in a file, then import in other machines. I haven’t thought about the security, i.e., someone got hold of the file, can they access my Storage account?

• Are your new installations/old setups due to a recovery situation (for example, a hard drive failure)? Would you or whoever still have access to the old installation?

Yes, that is one of the use cases. The other use case could be I have more than 1 development machines. Or if I want to give my team a same setup (probably in a very rare case).

• Do you intend to share settings with multiple users?

Potentially. But I honestly can’t think of the benefit of sharing settings... what setting would warrant the shares? I don’t know the answer to that. I’d want to share credentials / keys to access Storage, but security is the main concern (what if a bad actor get hold of the file?). The only other thing that I can think of sharing is the “Quick Access” list.

[eissko]

@craxal @MRayermannMSFT Hello Gents, has the development of this feature been paused? One possible use-case which I've got is - I would like to be able to prepare attachments to individual resources (OAuth), e.g. Azure Tables, then pin it to Quick access, export settings and share them with my other mates for import. Thank you. Peter

[verajosemanuel]

just migrating from my old working laptop and i am desperately in need of migrating all my data to the new one. any hint?

[craxal]

Migration, unfortunately, is not a simple task. The data for these things is a mixture of plaintext, encrypted text, system credentials, and various storage locations. Encrypted text especially is difficult, because it is encrypted by a key that Storage Explorer generates and saves with your system credentials manager. The key is different for each installation.

We have been in the process of gradually consolidating and modernizing how we handle this data. Once done, this should make a migration solution viable.

In the meantime, here are some steps you can follow:

1. Sign in to your new installation. This will give you access to most resources you have access to.
2. Copy the connection information for each of your custom connects and enter them into your new installation. For example, account name and key or SAS. You can get this information from the Properties tab below the tree view.
3. Recreate your Quick Access items.

I know this not ideal and could be tedious if you have a lot of connections or Quick Access items to recreate. I'll bring this up with the team and see if we ought to prioritize work in this area in order to make migrations less painful.

[RoBal42]

Is this still not possible?