Hi, I have noticed for quite some time that the “Write DisplayStrings” parameter doesn’t seem to work. I add the parameter and uncheck the box, but upon re-opening a saved file, the edit tabs are still all there, with text. Am I missing something?
The Write DisplayStrings parameter only blocks the DisplayStrings value from being written to the file, but Glyphs still tries to keep a record of the display strings of the file to restore the tabs. So this is the intended behavior.
What’s the point of it, then?
“This can facilitate version control.”
Is there any means of saving the file without the edit tabs? Apart from closing them before saving, of course. This would be very useful when sharing files with clients or collaborators, who usually want to look at the file without seeing the mess of tabs somebody else opened.
Glyphs keeps track of the open tabs of a file locally on your computer. So, if you send it in a Zip file to someone else, they will not see the tabs.
You can delete the file or add it to your .gitignore.
What’s the file? UIState.plist?
Thanks for the clarification. That means using the parameter gives other people a clean file, but locally preserves my edit tabs. That even makes sense! 
The tabs information is saved in the file attributes. This might help: How to View & Remove Extended Attributes from a File on Mac OS
Yes. When using a Glyphs Package, you don’t need the Write DisplayStrings parameter. Add the UIState.plist to your .gitignore when working with Git or delete it manually when sharing the file otherwise.