Removing duplicate asset entries from library
gepetersiii
Posts: 86
Hello,
I have been working to clean up and repair my library. I thought that it was in a good state and then I noticed a few assets that were installed multiple times. My assumption is that they were from previous iterations of my library and were carried over. There are some specific assets I am trying to clean up and could use your advice. In the image, you will see that the EJ Face and Body Generator assets have multiple installs.
IMAGE LINK: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7s7tpgl6e2walud9ypnjo/Screenshot-2023-07-20-132328.png?rlkey=50sj0bj6h6lqhotaegy9ioury&dl=0
Can I right-click and delete those extra versions (those that do not have an image)? Or do I need to track them down and manually uninstall the individual folders?
If they are installed multiple times, are there duplicate paths or does each install overwrite the next? Will deleting them in the library mess up the properly installed asset?
I know that was a lot of questions. Hopefully, I made some sense and you can help! Thank you for your time and assistance!
P.S. This glitch preventing file uploading is a hassle.
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Comments
1. How are you installing your content?
2. Do you log in to Daz Studio?
The most obvious reason for double contents is using an installer like DIM while also installing stuff using Daz Connect (the 'products' view inside Daz Studio?).
Also that picture doesn't tell us anything because... I have no idea what I'm looking at and the "..." at the end may indicate that there's more to the name than is being displayed. Your best option to check is either the Daz installer which you use or, while in Daz Studio itself, check the content library pane; in specific the product section.
Well, also a while back Daz changed some product names adding "Legacy" to the end of the installer, so upon installing it installed the same thing, but must have had a different extension once installed, leaving two of the exact (apparently) same thing next to each other. I still have a bunch of these to find.
I install all content using DIM. If the content is from a third party, I install it to a "Third Party Library" using DIM. I do not use any other method to install content in my main library. The only time I manually install content is when I install shared DUFs. Then it is manually installed into a "Third Party Character Library."
This picture shows that the SAME file is installed multiple times in the content library as viewed in the product section. The "correct" installation has the icons and the assets work properly. The titles that do not have an icon are the items I am attempting to remove.
Can I right-click and delete those extra versions (those that do not have an image)? Or do I need to track them down and manually uninstall the individual folders?
If they are installed multiple times, are there duplicate paths or does each install overwrite the next? Will deleting them in the library mess up the properly installed asset?
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qtgcm1e3pctvoz5p3uxoc/Screenshot-2023-07-21-155907.png?rlkey=1w85noerjl6am276s1fcg4hf0&dl=0
If you right-click and delete those it should just remove the product entry from the CMS. I would imagine that those duplicate product entries do not correspond to duplicated installed files unless you have accidentally installed to multiple base folders or have ever logged into your account via Daz Studio.
That sounds legit. The obvious concern is that I right-click to delete and end up messing up things. Then I would end up reinstalling the assets.
I don't understand the system well enough. Does deleting an asset from the product display in the Content Library delete all the backend files or just prevent it from being shown in the CMS?
It would be great if it deleted everything, but my guess is it does not. The asset has to be uninstalled or completely removed manually.
Well, to know for you you would need to investigate why there are multiple products to begin with. It looks like the PA that made those products has left the Daz Store but I found a wiki for one of the products and if that is correct then there is only one DSX file in there so it should have made only 1 Product. However, in your screenshot the "duplicates" had names with different spacing and were with and without the "(s)" at the end which is odd as that should not happen when installing a product via 1 method.
Deleting the Product is different from uninstalling, that should just remove the entry in the CME/Database. To remove the physical files you would uninstall via DIM (or right-click uninstall the Product if installed via Connect).
Do you have the product package files still saved on your machine? If so, the safest and cleanest method would probably be to unsinstall those products via DIM, remove any remaining copies under Products and then re-install via DIM. Hopefully that should result in 1 copy of each product. If you get multiple versions coming back then it could be that the install package is defective - normally you should then raise a ticket with Support but I don't know if they do anything for products that are no longer available on the store.
You highlighted several important lessons. You are correct, those items are no longer managed through DIM and Daz. They are legacy items that I still have.
It is a good catch to see the spaces in those titles. I will have to track down each of those items and delete them manually. Perhaps it is better to uncheck the 'Delete Package Once Installed" button on DIM so that I have the archives afterward. That is twice not that I wish I had that. Unfortunately, there are probably a hundred times I have deleted an item using that panel and not actually removed the item from within the folders. I will have to find a way to track that crap down.
It amazes me how much time I spend dealing with the database versus actually spending time creating and rendering. I would estimate quite conservatively that it is 10:1, database management to creative time.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/c0vqyhmrt07r5aou4cva0/Screenshot-2023-07-21-190444.png?rlkey=tkdkr4xl5dtttc5oka2y0cr8x&dl=0
If I can ask another question regarding the colored markers that you can sometimes see on Assets in the product library. You can see a red, yellow, and black mark, as far as I know, in the corners of the title icon. What do those mean? (Image shows two items that have some of these marks.)
Yes, I know what you mean there :(
I am not sure exactly but I do also have some products that are showing some of those marks on products that have no thumbnail: black in bottom-right when not selected and then red in bottom left when selected. Not sue if that is all they are indicating or not. As for the yellow one I a. not too sure either but I would guess it's indicating something is broken with the product.
I did not know that was an option. How does that work, exactly?
Just add an additional content directory, called something like "Third Party Content", and install the content to that.
I currently have my third-party content in F:\DAZ 3D\Studio\Annex but it was all installed manually from the download zips from Renderosity and elsewhere. DIM was not involved. What gepetersiii said gave me the impression that those packages can be installed using DIM (which I assume means DIM would be able to uninstall them if necessary).
Yes, as long as the package is formatted for DIM, you can install anything into Daz using it. It is best to use Content Package Assist (CPA) to format the file correctly. CPA will put the package in the 'Download' folder of DIM and then you can install it in whatever directory you like.
Set up the directory in DIM. Go to the advanced settings and then add a directory to the 'Installation' tab (like your F drive). At the bottom of the DIM window is the option to "Show Details." Click that and then you can choose where and how the packages are installed, switching directories for each package.
Then you can install and uninstall any (including third-party) assets using DIM.
That is very good to know. Thank you, I'll definitely look into that!