P3Dv4.5 Problem with missing add-ons

[ErnstB 13]

Hi,

Since some days I am missing a number of add-on.xml sceneries which were working before.

I suspect the corrupted add-ons.cfg in C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\add-ons.cfg

This becomes modified every time the starting P3Dv4.5 (4.5.12.30293)

My backup add-ons.cfg consist of 83 well sequenced entries and is 11KB size.
Whilst P3D start-up this becomes modified into a corrupted file with missing entries, starting with a block and entries [Package.55] and ending with [Package.82], followed below a new block starting with [Package.0] and ending with [Package.2].

The add-ons.cfg in C:\user\name\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4 remains fine.

Can someone tell me what is causing this modifications and how to prevent that?

Thanks for any help!

Ernst

[simbol 5,819]

Hi There,

P3D will manage and handle the add-on.cfg depending of your add-on.xml entries located inside of your C:\users\username\documents\Prepard3D Add-on's folder.

It is possible, one of these add-on's.xml is corrupted giving you issues, etc. I suggest you use the well know tool Lorby add-on's organizer which can help you to check the encoding of these and also to organise all your add-on's in a better structure / location.

Regards,

Simbol

Edited October 3, 2019 by simbol

[ErnstB 13]

Hi Simbol

Thank you for your response.

However, in the P3D Add-ons folder specified by you I find only a few of those items shown in the add-ons.cfg.

Will try the help of this Lorby tool.

Thanks again

Ernst

 

[simbol 5,819]

4 minutes ago, ErnstB said:

Hi Simbol

Thank you for your response.

However, in the P3D Add-ons folder specified by you I find only a few of those items shown in the add-ons.cfg.

Will try the help of this Lorby tool.

Thanks again

Ernst

 

Then something is modifying your addons.cfg.

List here all of them so we can work out what it could be.

Regards,

Simbol

[trisho0 23]

How can be missing the addons xml files from P3Dv4.5?

[Lorby_SI 2,038]

On 10/3/2019 at 6:52 AM, ErnstB said:

Hi,

Since some days I am missing a number of add-on.xml sceneries which were working before.

I suspect the corrupted add-ons.cfg in C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\add-ons.cfg

This becomes modified every time the starting P3Dv4.5 (4.5.12.30293)

My backup add-ons.cfg consist of 83 well sequenced entries and is 11KB size.
Whilst P3D start-up this becomes modified into a corrupted file with missing entries, starting with a block and entries [Package.55] and ending with [Package.82], followed below a new block starting with [Package.0] and ending with [Package.2].

The add-ons.cfg in C:\user\name\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4 remains fine.

Can someone tell me what is causing this modifications and how to prevent that?

Thanks for any help!

Ernst

Hi,

there are two different mechanisms in play here.

The file "add-ons.cfg in C:\user\name\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4" is the one that should correspond to the addons that you have in "\Documents\Prepar3D V4 Add-ons". This file is managed by P3D itself, and it should only contain the automatically discovered addons. You can delete this file, and P3D will rebuild it.

The file "C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\add-ons.cfg" however, is not managed by P3D, at least not entirely. It is supposed to be used by addon installers by virtue of the P3D CLI, where the add-on.xml is -not- in "\Documents\...".  If you delete this cfg file, P3D cannot rebuild it, the addon references are lost.

Several things can potentially alter that file. An installer would do it, a tool could do it, and P3D can do it too, if there are [DiscoveryPath.x] entries in that cfg file.

One thing to be careful with is where you install your addons. You should never install something into "\Documents\Prepar3D Vx Add-ons" manually, when the installer wants to put it somewhere else by default. For example, when you install the Aerosoft A330 into "\Documents\Prepar3D Vx Add-ons", the addon will be seen twice by P3D - as an autodiscovery addon and as a CLI addon, because the add-on.xml is in the autodiscovery path and the installer added it to the CLI add-ons.cfg too.

That kind of duplicate/circular dependency could potentially create all kinds of issues, especially when additional DiscoveryPaths are in play. At this moment there is not enough conclusive evidence though, this is just a personal feeling. (based on the fact that the Aerosoft A330 ran into problems with the P4AO tool because of this duplicate, and that there were several issues with ORBX libraries in odd places)

Best regards

Edited June 16, 2020 by Lorby_SI

[cowpatz 243]

Easy to see how things can get scewed up when you have so many add on related folders:

• C:\user\name\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4
• \Documents\Prepar3D V4 Add-ons
• C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4

Then we have the usual folders inside P3D.

Could it get any more complicated? 

🥴