$PBOPREFIX$ content

[Monkwarrior 0]

Gents,

We are trying to test our soundmod unpacked.

We unpacked the pbo and removed it.

Our file structure looks like this:

arma 2/@i44sounds/addons/i44sounds

1) where should we put the $PBOPREFIX$ file ?

2) what should be the content of the $PBOPREFIX$ file ?

We looked here but it is confusing: http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/CMA:DevelopmentSetup#Develop_with_unpacked_data

Thanks for your help gentlemen, Monk.

[TeRp 1]

Yeah, those articles are quite confusing and sometimes actually misleading or making things a lot more complicated than they actually are.

Anyways, the file should be located in your pbo's root directory.

It is a simple textfile with just one line of text, and that line is the prefix.

You don't actually need to do it on your own if you're using BinPBO, it creates a prefix file by default. You just need to do it if you want to have a different name for both prefix and your pbo file.

A simple example.

If your pbo is named mycooladdon and for some reason you want to have a different prefix, like mycooladdonprefix, you create the file $PBOPREFIX$ directly in the pbo's root folder and put the line "mycooladdonprefix" in it (without the quotes of course).

In your example, the contents of the file would be "i44sounds", yet if you're using binpbo and the pbo is named i44sounds you don't need to do anything!

[.kju 3245]

Just write better ones. But yeah you dislike me. Everyone knows by know.

to 1)

arma 2/@i44sounds/addons/i44sounds/$PBOPREFIX$

to 2)

@i44sounds\addons\i44sounds

Make sure to adapt your path inside the config from 'i44sounds' to '@i44sounds\addons\i44sounds'.

[Monkwarrior 0]

Thanks for helping me out gentlemen.

I'm sure w'll get it done correctly.

Main reason for testing with sources is our large team.

We will be using an svn and want to use syncing of all sources to all teammembers to prevent versionhell.

If necessary we will re-pbo them automatically on each client.

Oh and kj: some positive feedback on you pboprefix-wikki-page.

When I fully comprehend it I can send you some proposals for making it more easy for newbies to understand it a bit better. It's almost perfect.

Monk.

[.kju 3245]

No worries Monk.

You might find these summaries and screencasts about SVN useful:

What_is_a_Version_Control_System

Subversion-SVN

[Monkwarrior 0]

Thanks kju, we are using subversion indeed.

Problem is we still cannt seem to work without pbo's.

We deleted the pbo, when we leave it there the custom sounds are heared.

1) current folder structure = arma 2\@i44sounds\addons\i44sounds

2) we added the $PBOPREFIX$ file inside arma 2\@i44sounds\addons\i44sounds

3) the line inside $PBOPREFIX$ = @i44sounds\addons\i44sounds

Our customs sounds are only heared when we add the pbo, unpacked we cannt hear them.

Anything we are overlooking ?

Thanks, Monk.

[mankyle 421]

You've got to have a pbo with the addones there for the game to load. I mean, if you have the unpboed addon files in your addons folder the game won't load them. It will only load them if you have them in a PBO

[Monkwarrior 0]

Well, then I misunderstood what it means to work with unpacked data.

I thought it meant working and testing without pbo-ing ?

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/CMA:DevelopmentSetup#Develop_with_unpacked_data

If pbo's are needed for testing/playing then so be it, just thought it was possible to test without them.

Monk.

[.kju 3245]

Unfortunately no it is not the neat. You still need a "dummy addon".

The dummy addon needs the same files as the unpacked data.

Yet the files can be empty.

For general practice it is still okay as

a) you can create the dummy pbo with empty files via a script (ie ruby)

b) if your file number/name inside the addon does not change, you have an outdated

pbo, yet you can tweak the files without the need to pack it again and again

c) a simple case is a config.cpp only addon (+ pboprefix file). tweak values, reload game. repeat. :)

So as you say, you normally do no longer need to repack the data.

For scripts, textures, sounds, models (all but config files) can be modified during runtime and replaced.

Only configs and adding new files requires game restart.

Edited September 3, 2009 by kju

[Monkwarrior 0]

Thanks.

One thing I dont understand is that our pbo is filled with sound files (ogg) and a config.cpp. When I leave the pbo in there the game will use the sound files from this pbo.

If I replace this pbo with a pbo with empty/small soundfiles I see no reason why the game would ignore that one and use the unpacked files .... ?

Monk.

[.kju 3245]

Well it is the way the engine works for some reason.

Only if a config (name)space (/prefix) is defined by a pbo, it looks also for the unpacked data.