Re-creating the Content Library and defaulting to an external hard drive

MJW

No doubt I have entirely too messy a mindset, but my Content library is spread over umpteen drives and folders. I am wondering how I can rationalise it wthout losing stuff (especially stuff rom outside Daz) and ideally set it all up on an external hard drive. Given that I have 6000+ products from Daz and possible similar numbers from elsewhere, it is a big job. I must have been foolish at some stage and told the system to find files in the entire computer, which means that many are repeated (for example, if I download a zip file from CGStuff for Fools (non existent site) I then extract to a new folder and then copy the extracted files to the My Daz Library folders, so if the entire drive is checked then I am likely to have two or three versions of each file - plus any that may be on the back-up drive. I know - it's a mess.....

Help, please, but don;t assume any technical ability!

fixmypcmike

Are the Daz portions installed with Daz Install Manager or manually?

fixmypcmike

I find this program very helpful for tracking down duplicates:  http://www.daz3d.com/content-folder-twins

MJW

@Fixmypcmike: 'Are the Daz portions installed with Daz Install Manager or manually?'

DIM.

Thanks.

fixmypcmike

If you have created any custom categories, tags, or metadata, Export User Data before moving things.

For the products installed with DIM, you can just have DIM uninstall them and reinstall them in the new location.  Once you've done that, use the Content Folder Twins program to track down duplicates.  I can give you some tips on how to use it when you get to that point.

MJW

Being by nature a coward, I am not sure when I will try this. With more than 6000 Daz products alone, it is a bit of a struggle. Regarding which, if RDNA has now merged, can I somehow access RDNA (previous) products through DIM? That might ease things - although it would also increase the number of DIM things. (Is this a DIM sum?)

I am tempted (despite the price) by the Content Folder Twins program, but is it different from normal 'duplicate' removal programs? (If not, I could buy a generic one for all my duplicates, rather than one that targets specific programs). How does it tell if there are differences between files with the same names? CAN it tell that files with the same names but (perhaps) different content or size) need to be both retained?

fixmypcmike

RDNA products which have migrated here are available in DIM (although some people have said they can take awhile to show up).  For most of the ones I've seen, the content hasn't been modified, so the DIM version has the same file and path names as the old RDNA zips.  In DIM, you can install them on top of the existing versions, then go to Settings > Installation and right-click on the content install path and choose "Fix Installed File Registry".  That tells DIM that if a file already existed and you uninstall all products in DIM that use it, the file should be uninstalled -- otherwise DIM assumes it was a different product that shares some of the same files and won't uninstall it.

Content Folder Twins has a lot of features which I wasn't able to replicate in any of the generic duplicate file finders I tried.  Most importantly, it understands that DS and Poser locate content using relative paths, so you can indicate that files should only be considered matches if the relative path matches.  For example, if you have a hair or clothing item that was originally for Genesis 1 and was updated for Genesis 2 Female, they shouldn't be treated as matches because they're in different relative paths, even though the files might be the same (or the .duf files may be different, but the .png files may be the same).  It also understands the different parts of your content library, so you can specify to only look in the user-facing parts of the Runtime folder, and skip textures, geometries, and other folders.  You can list your content folders and give each one a priority, so that if there are duplicates you can tell it to keep the copy in the content folder with the highest priority and delete the rest.  For the sort of cleanup you're talking about, I consider it invaluable.

MJW

I have thought of another snag. If I transfer everything to (say) drive G:, then the links from existing images won't work. Given that there can be dozens of items in a scene that implies a lot of re-directing. Is there a script or something that would enable me to (say) convert everything prefixed C: change to G:?

Richard Haseltine

As long as the files were in a content library the scene will hae stored only the relative paths - the locations within the content library - so moving the whole lot to a different drive will not be an issue. If that were not the case it would be impossible to use content made by another user.

MJW

So c:\\mylibrary is not worried if it suddenly finds itself g:\\mylibrary (obviously I have simplified it)?

Richard Haseltine

No. DIM and the Content Management Service use absolute paths, but saved files don't (as long as the assets they are refrencing were loaded from a content directory mapped at load and save time - that is, one that appearss in the Content Library pane under one of the ... Formats headings).

MJW

Thanks. I will try it out perhaps.

JD_Mortal

There are few files which use hard-coded full-paths. So, it is easy to merge all your content into one location, safely.

Additionally, you can make a virtual folder in DAZ folders, that points to any drive and any folder, and DAZ will never know it is NOT a real folder. It will think it is a real folder on the same drive, with all the content being on another drive. (Eg, no issues with paths, even when you move to drive Q: or R: or S:... or even if you have it nested a million folders deep in some obscure folder archives.)

This program will add an option to make a folder a symbolic link, hard or soft... Or, you can use a dos-prompt (Command line or BAT file to make one.)

http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html

MJW

I used to reckon I understood basic computing.....

What does 'make a virtual folder in Daz folders' mean? Is it a way to put the files somewhere else but let Daz think they are in the usual place?

I generally use the Public Documents/My Daz Library as the base, and then DIM sticks new stuff in there, and I copy unzipped stuff from elsewhere there as well.

If I were to copy My Library and paste it onto an external drive, can I erase everything on the (C:) default drive and tell DIM and CMS where to go? If so, how, exactly, remembering that you are talking to an increasingly rapidly aging OAP with little confidence....

Is there an idiot's guide somewhere perhaps?