answered Question on how Central inserts information into XP11

[Tortuga47]

I have tried various ways to get my Orbx products into XP11 and the safest method has been to install into the sim directly. Then they appear in the Custom scenery directory and are included into the scenery-packs.ini file (not always in the correct order, but that can be solved.

If however I install them into my Orbx Library, they appear there in the xp11 subdirectory but do not show up in Custom scenery and as a consequence also not in the scenery_packs. ini file, So, they are not loaded into the sim at all.

The manual published here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QqebVX8fUFdFtOOEMR1ZULkhhieenQHNopfNY-5_K0Y/ states however, that ....

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Many of our users wish to install Orbx products outside their simulator directory. Before Central, this was a difficult process that often involved creating symbolic links.

In Central, we handle this process for you with libraries. Central libraries work with Aerofly FS 2, Prepar3D v4, and X-Plane 11.

Installing products outside the simulator allows you to ensure your products are safe after simulator re-installs.

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and more importantly this:
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In simulators such as Prepar3D v4, Aerofly FS 2 and X-Plane 11, Central can install products into a library for that simulator. Libraries allow you to install a product anywhere on your computer, then they will be seamlessly linked to your simulator in the background. In simulators from FSX to Prepar3D v3, Central will install the products directly into the simulator directory as FTX Central v3 does.

 

All of this configuration is handled for you by Central. We’ve tried to make the installation process as easy as possible. In most cases, you’ll just click the “install” button and then the product will be installed automatically.

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So how exactly does Central do that, please?

 

All I can do at this moment is to create symbolic links from the Library/xp11 directory into my Custom scenery folder ....

 

Thank you for an explanation and instructions on how to proceed correctly when using the library solution (on another drive for instance).

Kind regards

Juergen

Edited October 25, 2021 by Tortuga47

[Doug Sawatzky]

4 hours ago, Tortuga47 said:

So how exactly does Central do that, please?

 

Hi Juergen

 

Exactly as it states. It creates the symbolic links to the correct locations for you, so you do not have to do it manually.

 

I have moved this topic to the X-Plane support forum so incase @Jon Clarkewould like to elaborate on this.

[Jon Clarke]

Orbx Central can easily install any Orbx or Orbx Partner's addon into XP11 via a self created library outside of the XP directory.

You choose the library you want to install into when Orbx Central asks you where to install it.

It ten does the download. extraction, conversion and finally installs into the Library/location of your choosing. The addon will then appear in your scenery_packs.ini as Orbx Central would have linked it into Custom Scenery via a symbolic link method.

 To show you what happens I have uninstalled my copy of Darrington Airport and I will reinstall it into a library.

Here is a picture sequence of the installation:

1.  The choosing of Darrington to install:

 

 

2.Choosing where to install. I choose my library called Orbx1 on my E drive. (XP!! is on my D drive)

 

3. Orbx Central showing that Darrington is installed into my Orbx1 library on E drive successfully:

 

4. Showing Darrington is placed in my Custom Scenery folder:

 

5. Showing Darrington is in my scenery_packs.ini (notice the date to show it is all done while I am online here this morning at 5.21am)

 

6. Actually at Darrington in XP11:

 

So to summarise, Orbx Central does place your addon into a library of your choice, it links it to your Custom Scenery folder and XP11 links the contents of your Custom Scenery folder into the scenery_packs.ini

I cannot be more comprehensive in explaining and showing via pics the whole process.

If you are using an organiser then the enabling and disabling of Orbx addons especially True earth will result potentially in anomalies.

 

 

[Tortuga47]

That is very helpful and clear, thank you both!
It is also how I would interpret the wording used in the manual, however in my case the scenery is installed and appears in the Orbx Library, subdirectory xp11, but NOT in the ini file nor in my Customs Scenery folder as a link. The links I have there I all created them MYSELF.

 

Jon said: "Orbx Central would have linked it into Custom Scenery via a symbolic link method."  Exactly what I do MANUALLY, Central never does that for me unfortunately, but that is what I would like to see, of course.....

 

That is why I wondered (and stil do....), how I can check if all is OK, if I do not see any symbolic links created by someone else than myself  

 

I have to experiment some more, perhaps I´ll discover something hidden to me so far... one never knows, right?   

 

To be continued......

 

Regards

Juergen

Edited October 26, 2021 by Tortuga47

[Jon Clarke]

The symbolic link is in the Custom Scenery folder.

Here is the symbolic link showing in my Custom Scenery folder for Darrington which as you know I installed yesterday.

To test your system  do you have an Orbx airport addon that can be uninstalled and reinstalled?

[Tortuga47]

Hi Jon, thank you for your reply.

 

I have done that multiple times and NEVER has that link appeared in my Customs Scenery folder all by itself. I had to do that myself by going into the Orbx library and creating that symbolic link, then drop it into my Customs Scenery folder. It is full of those links, because I only physically stored the default sceneries installed by XP11 there, all other third party sceneries I have stored on an external drive to save space on the internal drive with XP on it.

All add-on sceneries are stored on G:/X11Scenery and all Orbx files are in the library on G:/Orbx Library with various subdirectories for each simulator. in my case that is msfs, p3dv5, and xp11 (as my FSX sceneries are stored within the Orbx subdirectory in FSX itself for historic reasons and stemming from the days of good old FTX central 

 

So to me it is still a mystery how Central will manage to produce a viable scenery_packs.ini file in MY customs scenery folder without creating those symbolic links (as it is described in the manual and confirmed by you above.....)

All I can do is create those links myself, sorry.

 

Cheers

Juergen

[Tortuga47]

Hi Jon,

still within the same topic of the inner workings of Orbx Central I have another question for you....

I have both LFLJ Courchevel and LFKX Meribel in my library and already was wondering why Central installs both sceneries into one and the same directory, please see here:

 

Within that directory there is a subdirectory ""Custom Scenery" and in that one there are three more subdirectories: Orbx_A_LFKX_Meribel_Airport,  Orbx_A_LFLJ_Courchevel_Airport, Orbx_B_LFLJ_Courchevel_Mesh. No traces found in the Custom Scenery folder in XP though.

How can I use those sceneries WITHOUT creating the symbolic links myself manually? 

That is what I did and all looks just fine, so no problem there, just out of curiosity I would like to understand how Central does that for instance in your installation (like the other example you showed above) and what the resulting links would like like. Is there just one link to the directory created during the download process? That would be "Orbx_A_LFLJ_Courchevel_Airport" as shown in the two pictures below.....

OR, does it create three perhaps even four links? i.e. one for the download directory and three more for each of those listed in its own Custom Scenery folder?

 

THAT is what interests me mainly.

 

Thank you for your help in understanding all this.

Regards

Juergen

 

P.S.
The link to a user guide for Meribel is not there (see third picture) but for Courchevel I am presented with a leaflet containing useful information and even a chart

 

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by Tortuga47

[Jon Clarke]

Not all addons have User guides. This has been for quite a long time now as they were deemed as unnecessary in most cases.

Send e a pic of your Orbx Central/settings/downloader page please.

Something is very wrong with your Orbx Central to XP!! setup if Orbx Central is not loading addons into your Custom Scenery folder.

No one has ever reported such issues before and I have demonstrated in my  pics above of how the process works.

[Tortuga47]

Yes exactly, and that is why I decided to start from scratch so to speak. I deinstalled the Central completely, left my Orbx liberay intact, then reinstalled the new Central again and tried to imitate your example!

To my surprise (or rather not perhaps) it worked now as advertised! The program deleted the link from my Custom Scenery folder and the files from the Library after deinstalling EGHI. I then clicked install, was presented with the choice and opted for my Orbx Library. After about a minute or two, the files appeared in the library again AND so did a symbolic link to that directory from the library in my Custom Scenery folder.

All I had to do then, was to start XP (I had kept my scenery-packs.ini file intact) and voilá - all looked just fine AND Orbx Central did the job without further intervention from my side! 

 

So it seems that there was some kind of bug or glitch in my old installation which is now taken care of and I should in future have less work to do.....

Of course the occasional checking of the order in the ini file still will have to done after installing or deinstalling some other add-on scenery.

 

-
As to the guides, yes I understand that not all sceneries have them included and that is accptable. There are other ways to get the required information for a field and in the case of Meribel that was the French AIP where I found charts and detailed information about the Altiport Meribel LFKX.

So here too: problem solved!

 

Thank you a thousand times for your help and patience for guiding me through this adventure and learning experience.

Have a great day and best wishes for you and yours

Cheers

Juergen

 

P.S.

a screenshot is attached below

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Tortuga47
attach pic

[Tortuga47]

I can now report with confidence that Orbx Central is doing its job according to the book after I have made a final test to check my re-installed app.

 

First I deinstalled LFKX Meribel and LFLJ Courchevel (which is the prerequisite for Meribel) and there was no trace left of them in the Library.

Then I installed LFLJ again, opting for the Library as installation directory. (see pic 1) The updated library folder can be seen in pic2 below.

The symbolic link created was then inserted into the ini-file (see pic3) and the final outcome was very satisfactory (pic4).

Note that Central inserted the Mesh BELOW the scenery (perhaps based on the naming including A and B to determine the sequencing).

 

Next I did the same process with the addon for LFKX Meribel and the verious stages are documented below with the second series of screenshots.

All I had left to do was some "beautification" workg by shifting the three new entries around and group them with other Orbx products, but respecting that mesh has to be below those sceneries.

 

The last picture shows Meribel BEFORE installing the addon. It was marked as coming from Global airports....

 

I hope this litte experiment and the documentation of the various steps can help others to better grasp the inner workings of Orbx Central and show the clever design behind it.

 

Thank you, Jon, for being so patient and supportive with this old man! 

 

Have great weekend and all the best to you and yours

Juergen

 

[Jon Clarke]

Glad it is now all sorted out.