ACTIVE Technical Questions - default.xml and other files

[hjmx]

I reinstalled  FSX acc and all my FTX titles followed by FTX Global. By now, I have a pretty clean installation and other addons will follow soon.

 

But before I will do this, I'd like to know which files are changed (replaced) when switching between the different modes in the FTX Central. I am asking this because sometimes when switching between the modes (e.g. from hybrid to non-hybrid) I get an "unhandled exception error".

 

I got this error also in the past (before FTX Global) and it led to serious problems with autogen when flying FSX default. The reason was, that the original (non orbx) default.xml had disappeared (also in orbx backup folder!) and when I switched from a orbx region to FSX default, the (non-orbx)default.xml could not be rebuilt. I could resolve these problems by replacing the default.xml with a personal backup I had.

 

Before I continue with further addon installations, please let me know which files are changed when switching between the different modes in the FTX central. As I remember, in the past this was default.xml, autogendescriptions.spb and roofdescriptions.spb. But this may have changed now. Could you also give me a list which files should be in the orbx backup folder ( I cancelled the backup option when I installed FTX Global !).

 

Which mode should the FTX central be set when installing new addons, regarding that some addons modify the defaul.xml?

 

 

kind regards,

 

 

Harry

[Holger Sandmann]

Hi Harry,

 

have a look in \ORBX\Scripts\custom.gb_base and \ORBX\Scripts\custom.gb_hybrid. Those two folders contain all the global files we replace. Actually, the only difference between those two folders is lclookup.bgl, all other files are identical. 

 

As with our region products backup copies of a user's current file set, default or third-party, is stored in \ORBX\Scripts\Backup. Thus, its file list is the same as in the custom.gb folders. FYI, even if you cancelled the FTXG backup option these files should still have been backed up, it's just the content of \Scenery\World\texture that wasn't copied to a backup folder of your choice.

 

Since only lclookup.bgl is different between "base" and "hybrid" modes of FTXG is doesn't matter which mode you're in when installing other add-ons. What I would do though in the case of an add-on that alters default.xml or other autogen files is to make backup copies of our versions in custom.gb_base and custom.gb_hybrid and, after testing that the new versions works as intended, use those as your extended FTXG version in the two folders.  

 

Cheers, Holger

[hjmx]

Hi Holger,

 

Thank you for these detailed informations. I compared the backup folder with those two folders you mentioned. Ecxept of the restore.bat in the backup folder the content of all three folders is absolutely identical (size, time stamps, ...). IMO this means that this "unhandled exception error" corrupted the content in the backup folder. The same what happened before (see my OP). How should  I continue, is it necessary to replace those files in the backup folder (I have a complete fsx backup image before FTX Global installation). And more important, How can this "unhandled exception error" be avoided.

 

Cheers,

 

Harry

[hjmx]

I forgot to mention that it also seems that the lclookup.bgl is identical in both custom.gb_base and customgb_hybrid folders. I mention this since you said they should be different.

 

Harry

[NoLonger]

As with our region products backup copies of a user's current file set, default or third-party, is stored in \ORBX\Scripts\Backup.

 

Don't want to make things more complicated than necessary but I found that for instance 'terrain.cfg' is only backupped to ORBX/Scripts/FTXCentral/InstallBackup. So it seems not the entire 'user's current file set' is copied to the directory you mentioned bit to the folder I mentioned instead? Or does this depend on what region you have acticated in FTX Central...?

 

Anyway, the main reason for posting this is that I've read people tried to uninstall FTXG by amongst others removing the ORBX folder in the FSX folder which is desastrous because if you do so you will be losing all your original unedited files, which makes restoring FSX to as it was before you installed FTXG impossible (so it seems to me).

 

Sorry for being off topic but (besides being curious ) I just want to warn people who think about uninstalling FTXG (for whatever odd reason because FTXG is the best! )

[Alex Goff]

There is another terrain.cfg in ORBX\Scripts\FTX Global\Backup, on my end it is larger than the default terrain.cfg from 2007 which is 147kb and contains several dozen inserts from other sceneries. I believe this may be the backup of the users current files that Holger refers to.

[robmw]

Hi Holger,

 

I've been concerned about the lack of FTX default in the new version of FTX Central and have been looking out for the uninstaller app (but I still think the default option should be in FTX Central).

 

I can see backed up versions of the autogen files in the location you specified and understand the way in which edits are merged to terrain.cfg

 

However, it appears that a previous version of the key lclookup.bgl file is not in that backup location - the version there is the latest FTXG one! I've checked this twice against image backups I have from May and July prior to installing FTXG. So assuming that there will be some clean way of uninstalling FTXG if the user so desires where will the lclookup.bgl come from? I don't think this is just a problem on my system as I've installed FTXG global again to a restored image of my FSX install and observed the same behaviour.

 

Just to be clear I've been using and enjoying Orbx scenery for many years and also other products so the lack of an obvious Orbx supported way to switch back to other products when I wish is a concern to me.

 

Thanks,
Rob W