Content manager and some suggestions for Daz store
KevinLQ
Posts: 0
Sorting/searching content for Daz Studio is a serious headache, so is trying to uninstall stuff. I don't know how people with more content do it because I am already struggling to handle my small library of stuff. Creators name their products all sorts of different names and put them all sorts of folders that makes it impossible to find what you're looking for. Instead of just the product name, they name it something like "BN148X JK_MAT" or something like that. Every time I'm looking for something I gotta do a keyword search, either in windows explorer or inside Daz studio. For god's sake I can't even find the basic V4/M4 figure without a frigging keyword search, because it's located in some completely obscure folder. You'd think it should be in my library/people, no, it's more like my library/people/runtime/libraries/character/DAZ people/Victoria 4, lol. I know there's a smart content function, but since 99.99% of my content do not use smart content, I barely touch that window, I just find everything in the file directory window.
Also I'm not sure if it's just me, but how come uninstallers do not install everything was installed? I go to program files -> Daz Productions -> installed content then try to uninstall something, then just to make sure it actually got installed, I do a keyword search for the "my library" folder. Sure enough, there were tons of files with that keyword that didn't get removed, meaning the uninstaller only removed a portion of the files. Now I gotta manually open the product's HTML manual, then manually read through the list of files it came with and then manually remove every single one. Seriously this is 2012 I can't believe I have to read a file list and manually delete files to uninstall...
Anyways does anyone else feel that the people at Daz, or anyone with the time/skill really, should make a content manager? Drag an installer, or in Renderosity's case, the "runtime" folder, into the content manager, it will unpack into the "my library" folder, and every package will have a preview pic as well as the file directory it came with (installers have the nasty habit of not telling you where it got installed in the my library folder, I find that really annoying). The most important feature though is a one-click uninstall to remove every file that came with that package. It's completely possible, as I play Oblivion/Skyrim and even something like a video game has a mod manager that does one-click install/uninstalls, for something professional like Daz I'm surprised there isn't one already. I never used Poser before, anyone know if Poser has a package manager or something similar that won't kill all my brain cells trying to find or uninstall stuff?
Also have a few suggestions for Daz store...
- I'm not sure why the new store removed the file size info of all the products? That was useful. If a dress is 300mb I'll have serious doubts about getting it as after installing it'll be like 500mb+, plus keeping a copy of the installer itself, that's like piling up to 1GB, that's huge for a single clothing article, and some people's harddrives aren't exactly gigantic
- Why does the shop not have install instructions? Lots of products come with multiple installers that are named like scrambled code "ds_axsghi1218712590_dpc_1.exe", what the heck does that mean? I had to actually manually google which files you're supposed to actually install, because supposedly some .exe's were for Poser while others were for Daz. A simple statement like "this product comes with 4 installers, 2 for Daz and 2 for Poser, the ones with the suffix abc is for xyz is for Poser" would help a lot
- We need information on which products already include another product!!! If I already bought let's say "Victoria 4 Elite", and the package came with Hair XYZ, when I go visit the Hair XYZ page why does it not say "this product is included in Victoria 4 Elite"? I might not remember exactly what products came with these combo packages a few months later. Unless the website prevents you from purchasing the same item when you click "buy"? But I kind of doubt it as it might not be able to keep a record of which combo packages include which products
- Base packages should have links to all the expansion packs on the page. I think these are more important than "related products"... If I want expansion packs for Hair XYZ, I gotta do a manual search for it and hope they all pop up on the same page. It would be a load easier if it automatically lists all the expansion packs right on the base package page itself
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Comments
There are so many questions, statements, and suggestions that it's hard to properly respond.
Uninstalling. All the latest DAZ installers create an uninstaller and they're located in My Library/Uninstallers. They'll only work if the files have not been moved from their installed location.
For content from places other than DAZ that is 'for Poser' and are zipsI install to a separate runtime(s) which I organize to my liking. I don't clutter up My Library/runtime with those files and I can, for example, put mat files in a directory under the actual clothing item instead of a completely separate folder. I rename directories as well. Instead of Vendor/clothing item I usually have FigureName/Clothing/OptionalGenre/ItemName_Vendor/actual files. I don't unzip the whole shebang at once but drag files out of the zip file. Be careful, though, cause it's easy to forget some. But it's easier to find the files in your Content tab if you've placed them yourself.
As for the store, the old store had a separate page you could click to from the product page that gave related items such as textures for the product. I miss that. Perhaps it will come back some day.
In the last six months or so, uninstalling is hit and miss. I've installed a product and realized immediately that I installed it to the wrong runtime. So, I ran the installer again to create the uninstaller, then ran the installer only to have it do ...
nothing.
I'd not moved anything.
Instead, I had to manually move the geometry, texture, and library files to where I wanted.
I didn't move any files. Sometimes there are like 3 installers, only one of them will actually install an uninstaller. The contents from the other two uninstallers you gotta check the file list, then remove them manually... Actually I'm pretty sure this applies to most products that come with multiple installers. As for why it even comes with multiple installers I have no idea? Names like "dpc_ashgsio15125_1" doesn't leave much room for guessing which installers are "optional" does it?
Welcome to the New DAZ Order! Resistance is Futile! [as are suggestions] ;-P
If I actually chose the option to have the installer include the uninstaller I would have ?????? (no idea how many).
Runtime size: 298 GB
This is why you should install everything manually where you want it so you know where everything is. yep, it can be a pain at times, but at least you have control over your content. The only time I ever used the uninstall was for a V4 update awhile back and unless it is a major DAZ file, like V5, I never choose the option of an uninstaller. I also don't use metadata or smart content, no need. Life is so much simpler when you know where everything is, LOL.
Thumbs up. Totally agree.
I thought installing it outside the my library folder wouldn't work? Or do you mean installing it in some made up folder, looking at where all the files are, then dragging it into the my library folder? That would work I guess but that's why there's a file list for the installers... I can just look at where stuff are. It's the need to look at the file list and manually find all the files that seems ridiculous to me. Installing stuff into outside folders is just as much hassle as looking at the files list.