Elvas Tower: ActMan Problem (Locating TRAINSET folder with mini-routes) - Elvas Tower

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#1 User is offline   conductorchris 

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 10:32 AM

Not sure where to put this topic.

I've been checking out the latest revisions to ActMan. Thanks, Ged.

Ged, I find your approach simple in the best way - generally gets the job done in a graceful way without extra steps or extra annoyance. Thanks.

Anyway, I'm having trouble making ActMan work. When I choose a route, the location of the Train Simulator folder defaults to C:\ and therefor ActMan can't find the TRAINSET folder or consist folder and says every activity is missing everything.

I suspect my problem falls under the disclaimer that the program only works with the standard MSTS file hierarchy. Not sure where my problem, but this is how I have things set up:
- I use mini-routes
- Within each mini-route installation I have the files required by open rails: TRAINS, ROUTES, SOUND, GLOBAL. I also have a train.exe dummy text file.
- I have an SSD drive (C:) and a 1T hard drive (D:). The mini-routes are on the D drive except that some routes are on the C drive and linked to in their appropriate place using symbolic links (thanks Dave Nelson for that). The SOUND and GLOBAL folders are on the C drive and linked to from each mini-route by a symbolic link
- There is extensive symbolic links within the TRAINSET folder. COMMON.SND and COMMON.CAB are symbolic links to the C drive. I have several TRAINSET folders holding rolling stock linked to from the mini-route TRAINSET folder by symbolic links
- Open Rails is on the C drive (probably PROGRAM folder) and all content on the D drive.

I can't find any settings file to set the default Open Rails content folder.

Christopher

#2 User is offline   slipperman 

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 11:19 AM

Hi Christopher,
Many thanks for your kind comments :)

However, I am puzzled by your comment "the location of the Train Simulator folder defaults to C:\" because ActMan doesn't default to anything! It's entirely up to the user to specify a route folder within an installation. You mentioned about using C:\Program Files and, although I didn't think it was the cause of your problem, I tested with one of my Open Rails installations (LIRR) in C:\Program Files (x86); the activities listed, as expected, and checking all activities resulted in only two non-critical 'errors'.

I must admit that I know absolutely nothing about "symbolic links", but shouldn't they be "invisible" to any program processing the files? I suspect they may be the cause of the problem as you say the mini-routes are on drive D: but linked to routes on drive C:. The link may be being followed, but then ActMan loses its way because it needs to accumulate data from all the routes in the ROUTES folder.

I'm sorry, but unless/until I get to grips with "symbolic links" and do some testing, I can't offer any answers :sign_sorry:

Cheers,
Ged

#3 User is offline   slipperman 

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 12:32 PM

Hi Christopher,
Well, that didn't take long :)

I set up a simple symbolic link to a route folder and tested it with Open Rails to make sure it worked. I then tried with MSTS_ActMan.
The results were that, when it's set up as a soft link, Open Rails works OK, but ActMan doesn't (reporting many errors)! Changing it to a hard link (directory junction) both worked OK.

This seems to indicate that I need to change something in ActMan to enable it to work with soft links. At present, I've no idea, so I'd welcome any suggestions, please.

Cheers,
Ged

#4 User is offline   conductorchris 

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 12:33 PM

Did a bit more testing.

My mini-routes are all located on the D drive. Most of the routes are located within the ROUTE folder within the mini-route structure on the D drive.

The problem only happens when the mini-route on the D drive contains a symbolic link within the ROUTE folder pointing towards a folder on the C drive (the SSD drive) for that particular route.

Apparently ActMan references the *actual* location of the route, even though it found it by choosing through the structure of the mini-route on the D drive. The top line in ActMan shows the location of the Train Simulation installation to be on the C drive. So, a relative link from he C drive is not going to find the TRAINSET or CONSIST folder (because it is within the mini-route structure on the D drive).

If there were a way of manually changing the MSTS location after choosing a route that might take care of things.

The OTHER routes - that are not located on the C drive and linked - they all work in ActMan.

Christopher

#5 User is offline   R H Steele 

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 12:40 PM

Chris, I'm using it, works fine. My setup is also multiple OR profiles ( mini-routes).
First thing, when pressing start, ActMan is looking for a route...you have to point it to a route, then let it load the activities in the route.
After the loading process is complete, it will know where the trainset and consists are, and all buttons should be active.

Above is irrelevant to Chris's problem, because of the symbolic links.
To Ged...I've been using this and fooling around with it...another very fine utility for both OR and MSTS...thanks Ged, for producing these fine analysis programs...great utilities.

#6 User is offline   slipperman 

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 01:08 PM

Hi Gentlemen,
I seem to have got my hard and soft terminology wrong!! To clarify, when I set up the directory link with /J, ActMan works OK, but not if /D was used. I'm still looking for a solution.

@Gerry : Thanks - I'm pleased you're finding it useful :)

Cheers,
Ged

EDIT : Christopher : One question - How do you select the route in ActMan? If you select the actual route folder on your Drive C:, it won't work; if you select the "link" folder on drive D: then I think it will - can you check, please?

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