P4ADO and explicit Layer statements

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Oliver,

I've run across an interesting issue, but I'm not sure that it's a bug in the P4ADO (beta 10). As you may remember, I pointed out before that recently some add-on installers were using the add-on.xml method to add scenery folders with the <LAYER> statement  and using:

<Layer>3</Layer>

to place certain folders at almost the lowest priority possible in the scenery library, just above Default Scenery and Default Terrain. This, of course, inserts layers in the middle of the scenery.cfg entries with regard to priority. Only with this type of add-on installed, the Add-on Organizer subsequently displays duplicate entries. The duplicate  entries are different entries than the entries added with the explicit <Layer>3</Layer> statement. The entries with <Layer>3</Layer> statement display correctly in P4ADO. Note, that I have never used the P4ADO to either add or rearrange entries and subsequently save, only to display the scenery list. P3d4 displays the scenery library correctly, so I'm not sure what is going on. Here's the backup zip file that P4ADO made:

-snip-

What's even more curious is that LorbySceneryExporter produces a merged LorbyScenery.cfg file that has the scenery library entries in the correct order:

-snip-

Jay

Edited March 1, 2019 by Lorby_SI

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

Hello Jay,

You shouldn't post that information online, I have hidden your links. Just send me an email, address is on the last page of the manual.

What exactly does "duplicate entries" mean? Are you seeing the same scenery entry more than once? Can you please take a screenshot for me, include it in the email?

Unfortunately I can't do a lot with these backup files. They reference products and disks that naturally don't exist on my computers, so I can't really load it into P4AO to take a look myself.

That a normal scenery.cfg is created would mean that this is only a glitch in the GUI logic - which is basically only showing you what your configuration looks like, nothing more. Maybe there really are duplicates (the same addon package being referenced in both add-on.cfg files), there is a bug in the autodiscovery feature of P3D V4.4 that makes the packages turn up in the wrong cfg file.

Best regards 

Edited March 1, 2019 by Lorby_SI

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Those links were just download links to the cfg files on Dropbox. I'm not sure what anyone could do maliciously with them, but thanks anyway. The screenshot will show up as a Dropbox link also, given my previous experience with the AVSim forums:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ldtcvdrk76qpy4o/P4AO.jpg?dl=1

Note the magenta exclude entries. They are identical. I just gave you the links to the two cfg files to show that there aren't any real duplicate entries. You could probably try to duplicate the issue, just by changing a few scenery entries of the scenery library on your development PC to add the <Layer>3</Layer> statement as a test.

Edited March 1, 2019 by jabloomf1230

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

41 minutes ago, jabloomf1230 said:

just by changing a few scenery entries of the scenery library on your development PC to add the <Layer>3</Layer> statement as a test.

Hello Jay,

I have had a few base layer add-on.xml scenery components from the beginning, on all my sim computers, and I never experienced these duplicates. Where exactly did you add that tag? And why did you have to do that in the first place, the P4AO automatically adds layer tags to all scenery components in all the add-on.xml files anyway - ?!

Edit: I have taken a look at your files now. Is it possible that you never actually pressed "Save" on the P4AO? The Layer tags are missing throughout, and since the tool adds them everywhere, that at least is strange. Furthermore, there are syntax errors in the XML files, like blank lines, and, for some reason P4AO is able to reference the FsDreamTeam sceneries twice (I can see two add-on.xml files in the same location - which is impossible in the file system but not in a ZIP). There must be two config files referencing them at the same time, otherwise this wouldn't happen. 

Best regards

Edited March 1, 2019 by Lorby_SI

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

You mean the LAYER statement? I didn't add that tag, the FlyTampa installers (St. Barths, Saba and St. Maarten) add it to make sure that their airport's terrain folder is very low priority. I have no idea why they did it that way. As to your question about saving, I mentioned above that I never use P4AO to save anything, only to check the scenery order. I'd be afraid of saving, just because of the duplicate entry. I've never had any problems with P4AO and I've been using it since the first beta was released. There don't appear to be two configuration files referencing that FSDreamteam exclude, as best as I can tell from using the "search in files" option with Notepad++. That was my first thought also, so I'll look again. The duplicate entry in P4AO only showed up after I installed the  FlyTampa sceneries (St. Barths, Saba and St. Maarten), but it just could be a coincidence.

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

8 minutes ago, jabloomf1230 said:

referencing that FSDreamteam exclude

All of your FSDT sceneries are there twice, in your screenshot and in the ZIP. Somehow P4AO is tricked into seeing the same package reference twice - and that would have nothing to do with the Layer tags. As I said, used as intended, P4AO will add layer tags to all sceneries, no matter what. I have at least 5 different base layer entries where I collect those files on my sim computer, and I don't have any duplicates. Nor has anyone reported those before.

But it isn't really much of an issue. The sim won't mind, external references override each other anyway, and only the file that is loaded last is the active one. This is done that way so you can override for example texture files by providing another set of them with the same file names that is just loaded later in the sequence = you don't have to physically overwrite any core simulator files anymore. 

Best regards

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

I know that all of the FSDT sceneries are listed there twice. I just pointed out the exclude entry as an example. The duplicates didn't happen until the FlyTampa sceneries were installed. I'm not really worried about this, as the sim seems to function correctly. I just wonder if this messes up other apps that search the scenery library like Makerunways and LittleNavMap. I haven't seen anything odd, but it's only been a few days, since this issue started showing up in P4AO, which I use because it's the "canary in the coal mine".

If I find out anything else, I'll let you know in this thread. The only other thing that I can think of is that one day about 5-6 months ago, P4AO kept "discovering" the FSDT sceneries with every load of P4AO, but eventually that stopped.  You could be correct that this issue is due to my practice of never saving with P4AO. Maybe I'll uninstall it, clear its registry entries and reinstall  P4AO.

BTW, do you know offhand what P3d4 uses the file scenery_add-ons.xml for? It's in ProgramData. I has CRC tags so it must have something to do with checking the validity of each file and whether it's disabled or not via the Addon/Options menu item in P3d4. It doesn't seem to be mentioned in the SDK. It's been discussed before online, for example here:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php?topic=15767.0

 

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Uninstalling and reinstalling P4AO fixed it. The duplicate FSDT entries disappeared. I did a Save in P4AO and P4AO still worked when I ran it again. The sim's scenery library seems okay too.

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

Hello Jay,

sorry, no idea, maybe that file is used to quickly track changes to the scenery addons (different CRC = something changed and needs to be reassessed). It is obviously a file that is handled by the sim itself, and not something a user would concern himself with.

As for your addon issues: please be aware that there is a bug in P3D V4.4 concerning the addon discovery. Could be a contributing factor.

https://www.prepar3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6312&amp;t=132273

Best regards

 

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

41 minutes ago, jabloomf1230 said:

and whether it's disabled or not via the Addon/Options menu item in P3d4

No, that is handled by the two add-ons.cfg files. They have the addon package information and an "Active=" tag for each of them (addon package = add-on.xml). You can't disable a single scenery in an add-on.xml that holds several, only the whole package. Unless you use the P4AO method, which is strictly non-spec...

Best regards

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Thanks. I wasn't aware of the bug, but I don't visit the LM official forum that often.