mattercontrol/research/09-settings-management.md

Settings Management

Summary

MatterControl uses a hierarchical settings system managing printer configurations, slicer parameters, and user preferences. Settings are organized into profiles with inheritance, preset support, and real-time validation.

Technical Description

Architecture

ProfileManager
├── ActiveProfiles (list of printer profiles)
└── PrinterSettings (per printer)
    ├── BaseLayer (OEM defaults)
    ├── OemLayer (manufacturer overrides)
    ├── UserLayer (user customizations)
    └── MaterialPresets / QualityPresets

PrinterSettings Class

Central settings container with layered overrides:

public class PrinterSettings
{
    public SettingsLayer OemLayer { get; }
    public SettingsLayer UserLayer { get; }
    public List<SettingsLayer> MaterialPresets { get; }
    public List<SettingsLayer> QualityPresets { get; }

    public string GetValue(string key);
    public T GetValue<T>(string key);
    public void SetValue(string key, string value);
}

Settings Layers

Settings resolution from highest to lowest priority:

1. UserLayer - User customizations
2. ActiveQualityPreset - Quality preset (Draft/Normal/Fine)
3. ActiveMaterialPreset - Material preset (PLA/ABS/etc.)
4. OemLayer - Manufacturer overrides
5. BaseLayer - Application defaults

SettingsKey Constants

All settings keys defined in SettingsKey static class:

Category	Sample Keys
Printer	printer_name, build_height, bed_size
Layer	layer_height, first_layer_height
Perimeters	perimeters, external_perimeter_speed
Infill	fill_density, infill_type
Support	support_material, support_type
Temperature	temperature, bed_temperature
Speed	travel_speed, perimeter_speed
Retraction	retract_length, retract_speed
G-code	start_gcode, end_gcode

Profile Management

ProfileManager handles profile lifecycle:

public class ProfileManager
{
    public static ProfileManager Instance { get; }
    public IEnumerable<PrinterInfo> ActiveProfiles { get; }

    public static Task<PrinterSettings> LoadSettingsAsync(string profileId);
    public void SaveSettings(PrinterSettings settings);
    public void DeleteProfile(string profileId);
}

Settings Validation

SettingsValidation checks configuration consistency:

Check	Description
Temperature bounds	Min/max temperature limits
Speed limits	Reasonable speed ranges
Layer height	Compatible with nozzle diameter
Retraction	Valid retraction settings
Bed size	Build volume constraints

UI Components

SliceSettingsWidget:

SliceSettingsWidget
├── Category Tabs (General, Infill, Support, etc.)
├── Settings Sections
│   └── SliceSettingsRow (individual settings)
└── PresetsToolbar
    ├── Material Preset Selector
    └── Quality Preset Selector

SliceSettingsRow:

• Label and value editor
• Reset to default button
• Override indicator
• Help tooltip

Preset System

Material Presets:

• PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, etc.
• Temperature profiles
• Retraction settings
• Fan settings

Quality Presets:

• Draft (fast, low quality)
• Normal (balanced)
• Fine (slow, high quality)
• Custom user presets

OEM Customization

Manufacturers can provide custom profiles via:

StaticData/
├── Printers/
│   └── {Manufacturer}/
│       └── {Model}.printer
│           ├── base.ini
│           ├── material_pla.ini
│           └── quality_normal.ini
└── OEMSettings/
    └── OEMProfile.json

Settings Events

Event	Description
SettingChanged	Individual setting modified
AnyPrinterSettingChanged	Static event for any printer
ActiveProfileModified	Active profile changed

Design Rationale

Layered Settings: Inheritance hierarchy provides:

• Clear override semantics
• Easy reset to defaults
• Manufacturer customization
• User freedom to modify

Preset System: Separating presets allows:

• Quick switching between materials/quality
• Consistent printing results
• OEM-tuned profiles

Key-Value Model: String-based settings enable:

• Flexible storage
• Easy serialization
• Runtime modification

Reference

Core Classes

Class	Location	Description
PrinterSettings	SlicerConfiguration/Settings/PrinterSettings.cs	Settings container
SettingsLayer	SlicerConfiguration/Settings/SettingsLayer.cs	Settings layer
ProfileManager	SlicerConfiguration/Settings/ProfileManager.cs	Profile manager
SettingsKey	SlicerConfiguration/Settings/SettingsKey.cs	Key constants

UI Components

Class	Location	Description
SliceSettingsWidget	SlicerConfiguration/SliceSettingsWidget.cs	Settings panel
SliceSettingsRow	SlicerConfiguration/SliceSettingsRow.cs	Settings row
PresetSelectorWidget	SlicerConfiguration/PresetSelectorWidget.cs	Preset dropdown

Application Settings

Class	Location	Description
ApplicationSettings	SettingsManagement/ApplicationSettings.cs	App-level settings
UserSettings	SettingsManagement/UserSettings.cs	User preferences
OemSettings	SettingsManagement/OemSettings.cs	OEM config