On 11/20/2024 at 9:45 PM, Bad_T said:

so hmm, even if it should be offered during the install, it looks like we can change the community folder location easily so that's it's not in the c:\ drive but unfortunately it looks like other folders are still mandatory to the c:\ drive if i understood correctly. Like the 'streamedpackages' folder.  On my c:\ drive i have already over 20GB of stuff related to v2024 after 30 minutes of play (when disk space is limited it's a lot), for 2020 after 4 years i have only 8GB .. so yeah it's a bit annoying (hopefully i'm wrong).

I moved the 'streamedpackages' folder to my E:\ drive (4Tb) and symlinked it back - Steam version of MSFS2024. It is working so far... 🙂

I also moved the rolling cache so my C:\ drive can again breathe!

@Chicho11 not sure if i understand correctly. When you launch the 2020 version 'MSFS_Addons_Linker.exe' you can set up a folder containing your addons. When you launch the 2024 version (MSFS_Addons_Linker_2024.exe) you can setup the same source folder (so you don't need to duplicate your folders).

So if that folder contains 'nzasimulations-airport-nzch-christchurch-v1-1-0' it will be visible for both 2020 and 2024, and when you link it via the 2020 version it will end up in the real 2020 community folder, when you link it with the 2024 it will end up in the real 2024 community folder.

That's why i meant by 'you can use the same source folders for both versions if the addons are compatible between the two versions to avoid duplicate files'

Not sure if that answers your question because maybe i didn't understand it correctly, if it doesn't please give me more info and maybe also some screenshot so i can see better what you are trying to do.

 

@Jure yeah i will probably end up doing the same (symlink for streamedpackages), i was even wondering if adding such an option in AL would make sense and be useful (the only thing that makes me not being so sure is that i'm not really sure if i want my tool to move GB of files on the user's system for the first creation of the folder 😱).

 

@Bad_T When one adds a folder in the "My Addons Folders" dialog in Options, it automatically uses the folder name to distinguish it from others.
Would it be possible to allow for a custom name to be set to each entry in the "My Addons Folder"?

The reason I ask this is because several publishers that have their own libraries use folder structures like "Contrail\msfs" and "Orbx\msfs". If you add these subfolders which are both named "msfs" they will be merged in the Addons Treeview which is probably not what most people want. Allowing for a custom name would solve this issue.

Before MSFS2024, there was a perfect way around this by adding the parent folder instead of the "msfs" subfolders. However, I noticed Contrail has added a "Contrail\fs24" subfolder. If I use the parent folder, it causes a duplicate warning when the same ICAO is present in both the msfs and fs24 folder.

There might be other ways around this, e.g. by showing not just the folder name but also its parent folder in the Treeview.

@Allard Yes there is an option for that but i requires manually editing some files. I have already added the option in the UI but it's not released yet, i can send you the test version if you want to check it out, is it for the 2024 version that you need it ? (because for now i added it only in the 2024 version).

 

 

Edited November 30, 20241 yr by Bad_T

1 hour ago, Bad_T said:

@Allard Yes there is an option for that but i requires manually editing some files. I have already added the option in the UI but it's not released yet, i can send you the test version if you want to check it out, is it for the 2024 version that you need it ? (because for now i added it only in the 2024 version)

 

I don't mind manually editing files if you can tell me which file to edit, but I'd love to try to test the GUI version. It's indeed for the 2024 version which I am just starting to configure.

I am new to this concept, Addons Linker, MSFS2024... hopefully I can ask couple of questions here where pros reside.

As I understand it, different than FSX/P3D, sceneries are either put into Community folder or symlinked from somewhere else. This is what Addons Linker does. I think I have that part.

Many sceneries come with their own installers, Aerosoft One, ORBX, iniBuilds...

How do you manage these? Do you let them install wherever they want, and then just move the folder and link it? If so, how will that work with future updates of the scenery? Or, is there another way?

What about aircraft? Right now specifically Fenix. Does it make sense to install those into outside-folders, and link them?

Is it possible, and/or does it make sense, to create a folder structure for Addons Linker? Like MSFS-Addons folder, and there inside Community (or no Community), but Aircraft, Scenery, inside Scenery Freeware and Payware, or something else, like regions one flies in? Like Europe, NorthAmerica, Asia...

I am simply looking at organising stuff, before I get many sceneries, because knowing myself from previous years, this is exactly what will happen in a while.

Ah yes, and what about GSX? Would you also do it with the Addons Linker?

Edited November 30, 20241 yr by Simon_C

14 minutes ago, Simon_C said:

How do you manage these? Do you let them install wherever they want, and then just move the folder and link it? If so, how will that work with future updates of the scenery? Or, is there another way?

This is what I do. It's rare when a store doesn't see the linked version. The symlink folder will "send" the files to the Addon Linker area.

 

16 minutes ago, Simon_C said:

What about aircraft? Right now specifically Fenix. Does it make sense to install those into outside-folders, and link them?

I usually store aircraft direct in the Community folder. Makes support easier since we can rule out the "take it out of linker step.

 

17 minutes ago, Simon_C said:

Is it possible, and/or does it make sense, to create a folder structure for Addons Linker? Like MSFS-Addons folder, and there inside Community (or no Community), but Aircraft, Scenery, inside Scenery Freeware and Payware, or something else, like regions one flies in? Like Europe, NorthAmerica, Asia...

The Community folder only has root-level items so you can't subdivide them. In Addon Linker, yes, I have a folder structure. Each region has a paid and free folder I store the sceneries in.

 

18 minutes ago, Simon_C said:

Ah yes, and what about GSX? Would you also do it with the Addons Linker?

GSX won't work within Addon Linker (that I know of), so keep that in its install folder.

Thank you very much! Helps a lot.

@Allard  i will send you the link to the test version.

 

@Simon_C feel free to aks if you have more questions, for GSX, i don't own it so i don't really know but if someone has an idea of how it could be somewhat integrated i would certainly check it out. Make sure you also check out some videos on Youtube, you'll see some examples of how poeple organize their addons and get a good idea of how it works.

Edited November 30, 20241 yr by Bad_T

45 minutes ago, Simon_C said:

I am new to this concept, Addons Linker, MSFS2024... hopefully I can ask couple of questions here where pros reside.

As I understand it, different than FSX/P3D, sceneries are either put into Community folder or symlinked from somewhere else. This is what Addons Linker does. I think I have that part.

Many sceneries come with their own installers, Aerosoft One, ORBX, iniBuilds...

How do you manage these? Do you let them install wherever they want, and then just move the folder and link it? If so, how will that work with future updates of the scenery? Or, is there another way?

What about aircraft? Right now specifically Fenix. Does it make sense to install those into outside-folders, and link them?

Is it possible, and/or does it make sense, to create a folder structure for Addons Linker? Like MSFS-Addons folder, and there inside Community (or no Community), but Aircraft, Scenery, inside Scenery Freeware and Payware, or something else, like regions one flies in? Like Europe, NorthAmerica, Asia...

I am simply looking at organising stuff, before I get many sceneries, because knowing myself from previous years, this is exactly what will happen in a while.

Ah yes, and what about GSX? Would you also do it with the Addons Linker?

Publishers like Contrail, Orbx, Inibuilds, Aerosoft have their own addon manager that also have the ability to use symbolic links, just the way MSFS Addon Linker does. Each has its own "library" folder which you can freely assign to any folder you like, where the downloaded addons go. From there they link to installed addons to the Community folder.

This how I manage things:
I created a main "MSFS Library" folder with subfolders for all these publishers and pointed the default location for their respective libraries to its own subfolder within my main library folder. 
In MSFS Addon Linker I have added all these libraries as well, a separate entry for each publisher.

They all work nicely together. Say I download a new airport from Orbx. Within Orbx Central I download the airport and install it, which means Orbx Central downloads it to its own library folder located (in my case) in D:\MSFS Library\Orbx\msfs\. After it is downloaded, OrbX central will link it to the community folder.
If I then start MSFS Addon Linker, it will show the airport I just downloaded in the Treeview under Orbx\msfs as installed. I can unlink it from there, or from Orbx Central, and re-link it in either application as well.

For freeware, or software that do not come with a installer, I have separate folders (freeware, misscellaneous, Simmarket, etc.)  which I can link using Addon Linker.
If addons come with their own installer I usually let it install directly to the Community folder and keep it there. I could of course move it afterwards to another subfolder in my library which generally should work but in some cases it gets messy when you try to update one of these addons.

Last, but not least, I keep track of all (purchased) addons in a seperate excel file. It's extra work, but it has prevented me to buy the same addon twice a few times. If I add a ICAO code of an airport that is already in the spreadsheet It turns orange as a warning that it has a duplicate. It might be an airport from one of the World Upgrades or something I purchased earlier. It can stop me from buying or alert me to disable the existing airport.

5 hours ago, Simon_C said:

Is it possible, and/or does it make sense, to create a folder structure for Addons Linker? Like MSFS-Addons folder, and there inside Community (or no Community), but Aircraft, Scenery, inside Scenery Freeware and Payware, or something else, like regions one flies in? Like Europe, NorthAmerica, Asia...

I am simply looking at organising stuff, before I get many sceneries, because knowing myself from previous years, this is exactly what will happen in a while.

Take a look at the procedures guide I lashed up a fair while ago:
https://flightsim.to/file/14298/msfs-addons-linker-general-procedure

It hasn't been updated for a while (it hasn't needed to be), so it may give you some ideas. It's not specifically a Linker "How To" - it's mainly ideas on how to organise your file structures etc.

7 hours ago, Simon_C said:

s it possible, and/or does it make sense, to create a folder structure for Addons Linker? Like MSFS-Addons folder, and there inside Community (or no Community), but Aircraft, Scenery, inside Scenery Freeware and Payware, or something else, like regions one flies in? Like Europe, NorthAmerica, Asia...

Sort of like this?

This is one similar, but I found it conventient to add the ICAO country codes in the folder names.

• Aircraft is subdivided in whole aircraft, liveries, mods, checklists and instruments (e.g. the GNS750)
• Interface contains stuff like toolbar items (pushback, shift-Z stats etc)
• not shown but I have a seperate entry for traffic which contains subfolders air AIG, FSLTS, ship traffic etc.
• For commercial addons I have entries per publisher since the way their software works re-shuffling items in their libraries isn't really practical.

20 hours ago, BrammyH said:

GSX won't work within Addon Linker (that I know of), so keep that in its install folder.

It does... I installed it under my main Addon Linker folder. Structure looks like this:

FSLinker (this is my main add ons folder on my D:\ drive that I selected in Addon Linker) 

   Aircraft

   Scenery

    Utilities

        Addon Manager  --- GSX installed itself here

When I fly helicopters or GA, I simply deselect Addon Manager in Addon Linker, thus disabling GSX and my sim loads considerably faster.

Hello,

I will post a new version on FS.to in a few minutes, i just put here a little screen explaining the main new features. The new 'hide' options was requested several times now that most of you share the same folder for MSFS2020 and MSFS2024. The main idea is that you can hide addons not compatible with v2020 in AL2024 and hide addons not compatible with 2024 in AL2020 version. The little screen below be a bit more helpful than just the what's new on fs.to so i post it here. Hope it's ok and feel free to ask me if something is not clear because yes with both sims to manage at the same it's getting a bit more complicated. Thank you 🍻