What is included within the preferences file?

Prism offers many choices on its Preference dialog. It allows you to set defaults for color schemes, fonts, symbols sizes, graph units, and more. Beyond that, the Prism Preferences file remembers which files you have recently opened or closed, user-defined equations you have created, color schemes you have created, autocomplete text, and more. All that is saved in a preference file that customizes Prism for you.

Where is the preference file located?

Windows XP:

[system disk]:\Documents and Settings\[user] \Application data\GraphPad Software\Prism\7.0\Prism7.cfg

Vista and Windows 7-10:

[system disk]:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\GraphPad Software\Prism\7.0\Prism6.cfg

Mac:

 ~[local user]\Library\Preferences\ com.GraphPad.Prism.plist

With older versions of OSX, you can locate the file using Finder and drag it to the trash. Since Lion, the file is invisible. To delete it, launch the Terminal application, and enter this command:

            rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.GraphPad.Prism.plist

How to prevent saving changes to the preferences file: Windows

When Prism is used in a teaching lab, you want Prism to startup the same way each time. When a student uses Prism, you don't want preferences set by other students to be used, as that would make it seem that Prism acts unpredictably.

The first step is to create and write-protect the preference file.

1.Delete the Prism preference file, Prism6.cfg from:

  [system disk]:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\GraphPad Software\Prism\7.0  

2.Launch Prism so it creates a default preference file.

3.Set any preferences as you want them to appear for each user.

4.Create any color schemes you want everyone to have access to, as well as user-defined equations you want everyone to access.

5.Quit Prism. Now the preference file is saved.

6.You might wish to write-protect the preference file to make sure it isn't changed in the future.

The second step is to add /C to the Prism command line, to tell Prism not to resave the preference file when it exits.

Individual users will still be able to make changes to the Preference file, and these will be used during that session. But those changes won't get saved and so won't be seen by the next user.  

How to prevent saving changes to the preferences file: Mac

When Prism is used in a teaching lab, you want Prism to startup the same way each time. When a student uses Prism, you don't want preferences set by other students to be used, as that would make it seem that Prism acts unpredictably.

The method explained above for Windows doesn't work, because there are no command line switches in OSX. Instead, create and write-protect the preference file.

1.Delete the Prism preference file, com.GraphPad.Prism.plist, from:

       ~[local user]:Library:Preferences  

2.Launch Prism so it creates a default preference file.

3.Set any preferences as you want them to appear for each user. Also create any color schemes or user defined equations you want everyone to access.

4.Quit Prism.

5.Write protect the preference file:

Open the folder that contains the preference file

   : ~[local user]:Library:Preferences

Beware that Macs have multiple Library folders. Pick the one within the local user that each student will log in as, not the overall Library folder.

Right-click on the file "com.GraphPad.Prism.plist", and choose Get Info. Check "Locked".  

Repeat for the file that contains the list of autocomplete text entries:  com.GraphPad.Prism.autocomplete.plist