DCS mods list - organisation

[TheBiggerBass]

As the list of mods in DCS is getting larger and larger in my installation its getting harder to find a specific mod in this unsorted list. Is there any way to arrange and list them in alphabetical order?

Thanks.

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, TheBiggerBass said:

Is there any way to arrange and list them in alphabetical order?

 

Have you tried a Mod Manager? ... I use it to always load just the Mods that I need for the missions I'm currently editing/playing ... looks like this:

 

 

This way I never have to see the mod files on the disk, which are like this:

 

 

Regards,

 

Eduardo

[TheBiggerBass]

vor 34 Minuten schrieb Rudel_chw:

Have you tried a Mod Manager? ... I use it to always load just the Mods that I need for the missions I'm currently editing/playing ... looks like this:

You never give up, don't you ? 

I just would like to enable/disable the mods in DCS without completely installing and reinstalling them. As the mods often have different file names than their IDs in DCS it is also not always possible to clearly identify them. It is just time consuming to find them in a non sorted list.

btw: due to all the user missions my tech mod list has 188 entrys and seems a bit longer than yours. Most of them are disabled and will only be enabled for missions which requires them.

Edited October 29 by TheBiggerBass

[MAXsenna]

@Rudel_chw Maybe you can win him over. I've tried many times, while it seems @TheBiggerBass is allergic to mod managers. This is a perfect example of why I am using one.

But in all seriousness, he's not talking about "mods". He's talking about the modules. This is why I always stress that language is important. Mods = modifications ≠ modules.

Edit: Seems I was wrong. In Open Mod Manager you can make mod packages to load only specific mods.

Edit2: Oh, you're about disabling mods in the Module Manager in the game. And how to sort them there. I guess you can edit the mods' luas and give spesific list names. But to be honest, a mod manager is probably simpler. 

Cheers! 

Edited October 29 by MAXsenna

[TheBiggerBass]

Well, I meant mods stored in Saved Games/DCS/mods/tech an Saved Games/DCS/mods/aircraft, not DCS World mods. Those can be enabled from DCS launcher - and are sorted alphabetically btw.

[MAXsenna]

Well, I meant mods stored in Saved Games/DCS/mods/tech an Saved Games/DCS/mods/aircraft, not DCS World mods. Those can be enabled from DCS launcher - and are sorted alphabetically btw.

I don't really use the Launcher, but most mods show up in the Module Manager in the game.
If you're talking about how to sort on your disk, just give them numbers and alphabetical folder names. Simple as that. Windows naming conventions apply. Before I compile a mod zip, I give the root folder name like core, tech, liveries, etc. And I use a mod manager for Saved Games mods too. I have full control. The way you're doing it is way too cumbersome for more than 10 mods for me, even if I was to use batch files or scripts. A mod manager is basically that, only with a GUI. If you plan accordingly, everything can be enabled/disabled with a few clicks.

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[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, TheBiggerBass said:

You never give up, don't you ?

 

Sorry, will try to refrain from suggesting it 

[TheBiggerBass]

vor einer Stunde schrieb MAXsenna:

I don't really use the Launcher, but most mods show up in the Module Manager in the game.
If you're talking about how to sort on your disk, just give them numbers and alphabetical folder names. Simple as that. Windows naming conventions apply. Before I compile a mod zip, I give the root folder name like core, tech, liveries, etc. And I use a mod manager for Saved Games mods too. I have full control. The way you're doing it is way too cumbersome for more than 10 mods for me, even if I was to use batch files or scripts. A mod manager is basically that, only with a GUI. If you plan accordingly, everything can be enabled/disabled with a few clicks.

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk
 

I guess I wasn't clear. I just meant the Module Manager in the game (see attached screenshot). To me it does not seem to be sorted at all, or it follows an order I don't understand (see the first two entries). I just want this listing alphabetically sorted to easier find a mod. I do not want another program just to manage the listing order.

Edited October 29 by TheBiggerBass

[MAXsenna]

19 minutes ago, TheBiggerBass said:

I guess I wasn't clear. I just meant the Module Manager in the game (see attached screenshot). To me it does not seem to be sorted at all, or it follows an order I don't understand (see the first two entries). I just want this listing alphabetically sorted to easier find a mod. I do not want another program just to manage the listing order.

Right, so I sort of guessed right. I have noe idea how the original devs of DCS chose to sort things. Not that long ago, there was sorting messes everywhere. They have semi fixed it on the main screen, while Nevada still list as the first Icon. It was similar strange things in Missions and Campaigns.

But like I wrote, you need to somehow edit the luas yourself, while that will probably lead not being able to share missions. It is what it is, and I don't understand why you want to disable mods between missions, but I guess you have a system. Is it for not cluttering the ME? In that case I again suggest an MM. This will likely never be changed, and you're also dependant of how the mod devs actually name the assets

 

[TheBiggerBass]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb MAXsenna:

I don't understand why you want to disable mods between missions

Mainly due to reduce load times. But it seems it does not have any noticeable efficiency benefit once DCS is completely loaded so I may skip that for the future. I guess I'm a curious cat that needs to test every stupid idea.

Btw: I made 1st tests with Open Mod Manager - also because of curiosity I guess. But atm I don't see any other benefit than just another way of copy & paste. I was hoping for a clever way of managing overlapping mods, which modifies the same files. I know this is almost impossible for binaries but it's feasable for .lua or other text files. I'm managing this already with NotePad++ and manual editing + comparing files which might be time consuming sometimes but at least it allows me to combine mods which otherwise cannot be installed at the same time. Mod Managers does not seem to provide this atm.

I also wrote some CMD batch files which exactly do what I need but without all OMM overhead. I will make some further tests with OMM but atm I rather tend to stick with my batch files.

[MAXsenna]

3 hours ago, TheBiggerBass said:

Btw: I made 1st tests with Open Mod Manager - also because of curiosity I guess.

3 hours ago, TheBiggerBass said:

But atm I don't see any other benefit than just another way of copy & paste.

Now, that's basically what it does of course, but IMO it has benefits compared to File Explorer. Thumbnails, descriptions, really easy to update the compiled zips. Easy troubleshooting when DCS doesn't work, and you have to test one by one. Full control graphical display of what mods are actually active/deactive. Make "apply filters" for IE. WWII, Cold War, Modern etc. To me these are benefits, even for Saved Games Mods. You can use it for liveries, while I use a livery manager for that, but it doesn't cover everything, like when there are special livery packs for mod packs, so to speak. Now all this can be batched and scripted, but unless you are a sucker for documentation, you will forget something at one point or another. A mod manager makes it even easier to remember for me. 

For core mods, I find it very handy that it shows and warns me of conflicts. I like to have user missions/campaigns in the core per aircraft. It's super easy to switch between various map texture mods. If you're gonna script all this in various config and situations, you won't possibly have much time for actual flying. But I do get, that if tinkering is your thing, be my guest. 

Another thing, is that I find it easier to come up with different ideas on how to accomplish certain tasks. Like, I can have Kneeboard packages, because most pages just clutter the kneeboard anyway. This can be applied even when I the aircraft. 

There are more stuff. It works with any program. You can have a mod repository shared with friends etc. Sedenion is actively developing the application, is active in the forum, is always open to new ideas. Will answer questions I haven't/cant. I'd love for you to come up with better ideas to handle conflicting mods. It's probably just not thought of, as most users just apply everything I guess!