Positron BASIC Community

I have 2 development boards that both have their own serial port and are using the 16F887 proton bootloader going through a USB-serial adapter, lets call it port1, port2 on same PC. I was wondering if there was anyway to have multiple instances of Proton basic open at same time? My code files both have different file names. I'm trying to avoid the hassle of constantly changing ports in the
microloader app. I have tried several ways like holding shift, etc but nothing worked.
Thanks
Daniel H.

Proton or Positron?

Proton is obsolete.

You could install Positron Studio as well as Positron and have both open.  The editors are different but both do the same thing.

Hello,
I meant Proton IDE. I tried using Positron studio but found the old Proton IDE easier to use. The shortcut on my Desktops says "Positron compilers".
here's a screenshot of what I'm using.
Thanks

I think that you could simply load all the files simultaneously into the IDE but select and compile the .bas files separately. This should work if ALL the files have different names so the compiler then 'knows' which files to load and there is no possibility of confusion.

John

Thank you for responding. I have a NRF24 as a TX and a NRF24 as a RX each have their own development board and comport, when I program one for say com 1, it changes the MCLOADER for every file/tab so when
I go back to program other board I have to keep changing it to the associated dedicated port. I know this may sound silly but I am switching between boards quite frequently so when I make a change for one board I have to upload
and manually change the comport in MCLOADER for each board but on separate com's that is why I thought I could have two instances of Proton IDE each one with separate com ports say one with COM1 and other with COM2. I tried to change comports for each tab/file but it globally changes it.

I just want to say thanks to everyone on here and Les for answering our questions on this forum it has been really awesome! I seriously don't know of a better community for support then this right here. 
John, I think I'm going to get a few of your boards those are nice!

Could you use a single USB-to-serial converter with one commport assignment, and build a serial port switch with 3 DB9 connectors and a DPDT switch to alternate TxD and RxD connections between the single commport and your two test platforms?

Actually that's not a bad idea!! I have some new DB9 connectors, I can whip up a board real quick in Diptrace. (Break out thee 'ole HP laser printer) And I can get a USB/Serial adapter back!
Thanks 
Daniel H.

If money is no obstacle, get yourself 2 x USB Programmers from https://www.northernsoftware.com/nsdsp/

Each programmer has it's own ID. Use 1 ID on yr current dekstop/laptop, and install another instance of yr IDE on a VM and use the other programmer ID.

Theese programmers can be used with command line ( Just like Pickit with PKCMD ), and in the parameter part u can add an Programmer ID to select the correct programmer to use.

ps. Perhaps it's not even needed to given an ID with the Commandline tool. If u use VMWARE as VM tooling it might not even see the other programmer..

So, my shorter answer is : Get 2 x USB Programmers, use 1 on a VM and the other yr Actual system

Another possible solution is to install the program that you're trying to open in 2 sessions in 2 separate directories (I don't know if this is possible with licensed software that requires activation keys).  For example, I began using Microchip's MPLAB-IPE instead of the IPECMD.exe executable back when I was using PIC Basic Pro.  I'm still using IPE with Positron Studio (old habits die hard).  So after I compile within Positron Studio, an IPE window pops up and asks if I want to overwrite the existing *.hex file (yes).  Then I switch screens to IPE and hit "Program".  It's possible to open 2 sessions of IPE (although I haven't tried redundant installations of the same version, I can open V5.45 and V6.15 simultaneously) and I can connect each IPE session to its own PICKit programmer, simultaneously attached to 2 USB ports.  I'm able to have 2 programs open in Positron Studio, compile and store each hex file in it's respective folder location, and then switch to the corresponding IPE session and program the target device that's connected through the PICKit that's associated with the IPE.

It's not clear to me what your complete configuration is, but I'm guessing you're compiling and then using some serial terminal app (like the old Hyperterminal) to send your file to the bootloader in your 2 external devices.  You could open multiple sessions of the terminal app with each connected to one of your USB-serial commports to send your files.