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I guess that I might have broken that qualificatiion by moving the original into a different folder (as I tend to do with lots of content). Ah well, maybe I should look at categories again.
There are solutions for that though... you can easily make a backup of your database ("Content DB maintenance => Export user data") and you can do this on the commandline as well (PostgreSQL has excellent backup features (pg_dump or optionally pg_dumpall), you do need to know a username ("dzcms"), the database to use ("Content") and the port number ("17237")).
But most of all... as long as you make sure that you don't shut down Daz Studio or the Daz Install Manager forcefully then nothing should go wrong. I've been using Daz Studio since 2012 or 2013 (close enough) and I've only had a database hiccup like that once, but that was many years ago. With the latest DS versions I never had issues. Not even with Daz Connect (which I had mistakenly used in the past and ended up with some of my contents installed twice, I discovered this last year and did a major cleanup, freeing up tens of megabytes).
If I am remembering correctly, it was the DAZ Connect update to DS that destroyed my categories shortly after making them. All icons disappeared from my DS installation which, in turn, killed all my categories. Everything had to be deleted and reinstalled.
It's very posible that backing up my categories would have resolved it, after the complete delete and reinstall. It's also possible that it wouldn't have.
Regardless, that is still more work than I have to do now.
Every time I set up a new dynamic / static / virtual links I add the command line to my batch file. Everytime I remove a product that I don't need a quick reference to, I remark out that command in the batch file. Any time I want to recreate the links, I delete the links in Windows and rerun the batch file. Less than 10 seconds later I am back up and running.
If I want to recreate the links on a new computer all I have to do is copy the batch file, change one variable (the base DIM content directory location) and run the batch file. Less than 10 seconds later and my linkes are functional on a new computer.
No amount of back up, restore is going to be able to compete.
The result being this:
I can see my organized content at the same time that I can see the Smart Content panel. Making it easy to find things that I didn't add links for. (The white bar in the middle is the real estate between my dual monitors.)
Showing the detail:
Everything I use regularly is easy to access, is at the top level directory to prevent hunting, and (most importantly) is named the way I want them to be. So I can find whatever I need quickly and not get caught up hunting.
At the drive level:
It looks like this. With a minimal overhead impact, in a format that I understand, cannot be affected by software changes, and is easy to recreate.
To show how easy it is to maintain this, here is an excerpt of the batch file:
Right click. Run as Admin. Done.
Am I saying that this is the perfect way to organize things? No. Am I saying everyone else should do this? No. I am saying its another way to do things that just happens to work for me.
Using categories I would not be able to access that and Smart Content at the same time, resulting in extra clicking here and there that I don't want to deal with.
Since I install via DAZ Connect when available, it doesn't populate the Daz Studio Format Library. I do like having content accessible in the Daz Studio Format Library so I create product file shortcuts (.djl) just by dragging and dropping from the Smart Content tab to the Daz Studio Format Library in my perferred manually created folder structure. See Pic.
For those that Install with DIM, just create an empty base directory in the Daz Studio Format Library and create your perferred folder structure for your content and start Dragging and Dropping shortcuts from the Smart Content Tab to your custom Daz Studio Format Library. You have complete control of the folder structure since DIM will never save files to it. The only drawback is if DAZ updates a product and changes the folder structure the shortcut links will be broken, but I've never had an problem locating the product on the Smart Content tab, deleting the broken shortcuts and dragging and dropping new ones. This even works for adding Poser format products to the Daz Studio Format Library as long as it's accessible on the Smart Content Tab.
To have both Smart Content and Content Library tabs accessible for dragging and dropping, I temporarily just move the Content Library Tab where the Viewport tab is.
Seem to be missing the Edit button...
Let me add that this is no different than manually installing content, just that you're doing it with Shortcuts rather than actual files. The advantages are you are automating the product install process and the shortcuts are always updated as long as you update products with DIM or Daz Connect.
You're free to move and reorganize shortcuts using your computer os without breaking metadata. Since they are shortcuts and take little space, you're free to create multiple product shortcuts, such as typical product placement (environments, props, shaders, people) and also alternate folder structures such as Themes, or Bundles just by copying and pasting using your computer's operating system.
Agreed. I think we are both getting to the same result, just in a different path. Which path you take is entirely your preference. I am comfortable working at a command line prompt, I imagine most people would not be. Not using the DS supported organizer tools gives me a little peace of mind that they won't change in the future and render all that work moot.
I should also add that I install only through DIM and manual methods. So my method may not work with Connect / Central. I haven't tested those methods and I don't plan to.
I also only install two ways:
1. Permentantly installed items (i.e the items I use constantly).
2. Temporary installed items (i.e. the times I am only using for the current project).
This keeps my overhead low and doesn't involve sorting through the 17k products I have in my library.
I am curious if Daz5 will bring any more clarity to organization....?
I think though, at the core, the problem stems from a historical "wild west" approach for Daz's asset generation & QA.
The content library should have a set structure, that all PA's have to follow in order to have their Assets accepted... Currently, is a dog's breakfast of misspelling, misclassification, and mismanagement.
If everything had a proper place, and Assets were forced to conform, it would eliminate 90% of User frustration and time spent on user workarounds. Maybe my OCD is just getting the better of me, but I have to believe that there “is a better way”.
If PA "DoubleJointed" wanted to submit their "Cool Summer Nights" clothing package, which consisted of a Hat, Glasses, Sundress, and Sandals, then the items should be listed as:
Hat_CoolSummerNights.duf/png/tip
Glasses_CoolSummerNights.duf/png/tip
Dress-Sun_CoolSummerNights.duf/png/tip
Shoes-Sandals_CoolSummerNights.duf/png/tip
and if PA's really needed to get their vanity naming thing on.. then make it Shoes-Sandals_CoolSummerNights_DoubleJointed.duf/png/tip
Which be under the folder
Genesis 8 Female/Clothing/Modern Clothing/Sets/Cool Summer Nights
The same could be implemented for just about everything…
Environment/Fantasy/Castles and Keeps/…
Expressions/Road Rage/angry-grimace_roadrage.duf etc
Shader/Iray/Metal Sets/Construction Steel/steel-rebar-rusted_constructionsteel.duf
The added benefit would be that if you searched “skirt” every skirt & skirt like thing that had “skirt” in the name would show up…
Just my ramblings, as the system is obviously broken… and I can’t see the cure being worse than the disease for this one.
It has all started with Poser's way of 'organizing' the content, fortunately there is not many creators anymore that split their products to separate Scene/Props/Materials/Poses folders with deep vanity folders.
DS 5 cannot change the general folders structure as it would break the compatibility with the existing products, but if there was some QA done to the products, we could at least get rid of the stupid spelling errors.
Vanity folders - yeuch! First thing to go when I install something.
Spelling errors - I find the problematic errors are those that mispell something that goes into the "textures" folders. Folders in the People and Props, etc., can be moved and renamed but not the textures. They need to be exactly where they PA places them, spelling mistakes not withstanding. I have at least three products which point to a "texture" (missing "s") folder and that's where they remain because they can't be moved (unless I want to go through the other files and change all the pointers - which I don't).
QA seems to be more concerned with covering exposed shoulders than making sure the product is ready for release.
The shoulders thing, to the extent that it's a thing, is for young characters. In any event I'm pretty sure such issues would not be handled by QA.
This is another reason why I like using the symbolic links method.
I can correct most spelling mistakes and remove vanity folders, without affecting the original structure. That means that any updates sent through DIM will still install correctly and won't affect the links.