Howdy:

I was wondering why there are two versions of add-ons.cfg -- one in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5\ and one in C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5\. I ran Winmerge on these two files and they are significantly different. Anybody know why there are two versions and what they are used for (I assume that the one in Program Data is used to store active/non-active status and a listing of what is installed).

Just curious.

Many thanks!

They are both valid locations, and the sim will use both. The reason why some add-ons end up in one folder and others in another one depends how their installer works, and which permissions levels it requires.

If the installer needs to run with elevated privileges, and started the P3D-own services to automatically "enable" itself, its package will be referenced in the add-on.cfg in %PROGRAMDATA%, which is unique across the whole PC, while the one in %APPDATA% is different for each users (assuming you have more than one user profile)

If the installer ran with standard user privileges, and the P3D itself is configured to start without admin permissions, the package will be enabled in the add-on.cfg under %APPDATA%

ALSO, if the installer didn't do anything, other than placing an add-on.xml file in its own folder under Documents\Prepar3d add-ons folder, then P3D will AUTO-DISCOVER the add-on, asking if you want to activate it. This happens also when you remove all your preferences or reinstall the sim: all add-ons with their add-on.xml in place under Documents\Prepar3d add-ons will trigger an auto-discovery, so you won't be forced to reinstall the add-on, just re-enable it. THIS process will result in using the add-on.cfg under %APPDATA%.

Both files are functionally identical: they both store the enabled/disabled status of each add-on ( the same you can see in the Options->Add-ons menu ) AND the path to where each add-on.xml is found, which in turn contains the *actual* path of all components that make a product, like scenery, textures, objects, effects, sounds, etc.

 

Thanks Umberto!