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Using .off!

Featured Replies

How effective is renaming a flle with an .off ending in P3D 4.5

Can it be used to systematically search for an malfunctioning Scenery or Airport?

(I have used it successfully for a targeted .dll file and the Carenado Meteo files)

xxd09

Hello,

if you rename any file by adding an extension that Windows does not recognise, you have disabled that file completely.

 

 

  • Commercial Member
4 hours ago, Reader said:

Hello,

if you rename any file by adding an extension that Windows P3D does not recognise, you have disabled that file completely prevented P3D from loading that file.

Cheers!

 

Edited by Luke

Luke Kolin

I make simFDR, the most advanced flight data recorder for FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane.

That's what I like about these forums, there is always someone ready to pick holes in any advice given.

It would be interesting to see how many chosen file extensions that Windows does not recognise that P3D

would recognise but thanks for correcting me in any case.

  • Commercial Member
13 minutes ago, Reader said:

That's what I like about these forums, there is always someone ready to pick holes in any advice given.

It would be interesting to see how many chosen file extensions that Windows does not recognise that P3D

would recognise but thanks for correcting me in any case.

Luke did not poke a hole in the advice, he merely (and correctly) clarified it, which is perhaps more important for anyone who reads this thread in the future.  His clarification made the advice more technically correct, and I strain to see how in the world that could upset anyone.

I read hundreds of posts each day, and the amount of inaccurate, incomplete advice is overwhelming when taken as a whole.  We all realize that people are just trying to help, but sometimes a little correction or more complete advice is warranted to help the community especially since many posts are accessed during future forum searches. Our hobby is a constant learning experience for everyone involved!

Best wishes!

 

 

Dave Hodges

 

System Specs:  I9-13900KF, NVIDIA 4070TI, Quest 3, Multiple Displays, Lots of TERRIFIC friends, 3 cats, and a wonderfully stubborn wife.

I prefer to sequester disabled scenery file(s) to another subfolder, e.g. "...\removed" so that the disabled files don't remain interspersed with the functioning bgl files.

Another potential "gotcha" with disabling/removing files is that some of the scenery manager utilities (ORBX FTX Central is notorious for this) will detect a missing bgl and reinstall it without telling you.  In those cases I have a batch file that I run after using the scenery manager that checks the scenery folders for any files also listed in the subordinate "removed" folder and it re-disables them.  Sometime it feels like that old "Spy-Counterspy" cartoon series from Mad magazine.

Regards

Bob Scott | President and CEO, AVSIM Inc
ATP Gulfstream II-III-IV-V

Sys1 (MSFS20+24/XPlane12+11): AMD 9800X3D, water 2x240mm, MSI MPG X670E Carbon, 64GB GSkill 6000/30, nVidia RTX4090FE
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26 minutes ago, w6kd said:

I prefer to sequester disabled scenery file(s) to another subfolder, e.g. "...\removed" so that the disabled files don't remain interspersed with the functioning bgl files.

Another potential "gotcha" with disabling/removing files is that some of the scenery manager utilities (ORBX FTX Central is notorious for this) will detect a missing bgl and reinstall it without telling you.  In those cases I have a batch file that I run after using the scenery manager that checks the scenery folders for any files also listed in the subordinate "removed" folder and it re-disables them.  Sometime it feels like that old "Spy-Counterspy" cartoon series from Mad magazine.

Ain't that the truth?
I used to move all of the Orbx files I wanted to disable to another folder, but then I couldn't quickly see which files had been re-installed by Central. By looking at my .OFF files I can see which have been added once again as they appear right next to them.

However, that's a slower and more fallible method. 
Would you mind sharing your batch file / 'code' within the batch file, please?

I'd be able to understand how to do a batch file in future by having the actual end result presented rather than follow a set of instructions on a tangential point.

AMD Ryzen 5800X3D; MSI RTX 3080 Ti ; 32GB Corsair 3200 MHz; ASUS VG35VQ 35" (3440 x 1440)
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1 hour ago, DaveCT2003 said:

 His clarification made the advice more technically correct, and I strain to see how in the world that could upset anyone.I read hundreds of posts each day, and the amount of inaccurate, incomplete advice is overwhelming when taken as a whole.  We all realize that people are just trying to help, but sometimes a little correction or more complete advice is warranted to help the community especially since many posts are accessed during future forum searches. Our hobby is a constant learning experience for everyone involved!Best wishes!

I'm not upset, just weary.

 

As to the problem of files being written back, another and perhaps better method is to create a folder inside the scenery folder and move the unwanted files into that, so that P3D cannot see them.

In the event of a reinstallation or file verification, those files can be copied back into the installation.

This has the effect of highlighting them all, so they can then all be removed again in one step.

Edited by Reader

  • Commercial Member
Just now, Reader said:

I'm not upset, just weary.

I can relate to that from time to time my friend!

My very best wishes!

 

Dave Hodges

 

System Specs:  I9-13900KF, NVIDIA 4070TI, Quest 3, Multiple Displays, Lots of TERRIFIC friends, 3 cats, and a wonderfully stubborn wife.

  • Author

Thanks chaps

xxd09

I have a question, related to this.

If I rename something.bgl to something.off, will the sim still scan for it on its lookup meanderings?  I have used a util called Filemon to look at these things but never noticed...

Rhett

7800X3D 96 GB G.Skill Flare  Gigabyte 4090  Crucial P5 Plus 2TB

It won't, why should it?

  • Commercial Member
19 hours ago, Reader said:

I'm not upset, just weary.

My goal was not to "pick holes", but to be precise. There may be situations where someone with an unrelated issue will see a post and think "if explorer doesn't recognize the file extension, Windows will not load it" which is not the case.

Cheers!

Luke Kolin

I make simFDR, the most advanced flight data recorder for FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane.

6 hours ago, ha5mvo said:

It won't, why should it?

The thought was, that the sim or OS (or both) are still doing a file operation on the .off file.  That's a waste of resources, although it may be so inconsequential it doesn't matter.  That's why, a Reader notes earlier in this thread, maybe it is a better idea to move the file to another location (outside of /scenery)?   Or maybe it doesn't really matter. 

Hence the question.

Rhett

7800X3D 96 GB G.Skill Flare  Gigabyte 4090  Crucial P5 Plus 2TB

20 minutes ago, Mace said:

The thought was, that the sim or OS (or both) are still doing a file operation on the .off file.  That's a waste of resources, although it may be so inconsequential it doesn't matter.  That's why, a Reader notes earlier in this thread, maybe it is a better idea to move the file to another location (outside of /scenery)?   Or maybe it doesn't really matter. 

Hence the question.

It shouldn't really matter. The sim will ignore unfamiliar files. I use this method a lot, and never have I noticed any degraded performance as a consequence or calls being made to files that were switched off.

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