Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide

LAST EDITED ON Sep-13-01 AT 09:53 PM (EST)This is an outline of my method of packaging a route for distribution. This is not the one and only correct way to do it, just the method I'm currently using. Some of the steps, references, and methods will have to be adjusted for things that are unique to your route. This is not a dummies guide with step by step and pictures, I'm assuming anyone who has a route ready for distribution is computer savvy enough to understand what I'm talking about. I'm not even going to copy this to my old claris works to run the spelLcHekkkuRr on it, cuz if I hti the wrong \*.*key you'll figure it out if you're smarte enuff.Using PortOgdenV31 as an example, here's what I did.
First, I deleted the \envfiles, \shapes, \sound, \terrtex, and \textures folders.
Second, I did a tools, find, files or folders named *.BK *E.RAW *N.RAW , select all and hit the delete key. You can do one file type at a time, but if you put a space between each and watch the syntax you can do all three at once. The .BK are backup files generated by the route editor and are unnecessary if there are no problems with the route, and if you're getting error messages you need to fix those anyway first. The files in the \Tiles directory that end with E.RAW and *N.RAW are for lighting and geometry, and according to the newest FAQ (first time I ever got any useful information out of a MS faq) these are automatically regenerated the first time the sim is run when they're not there, and I tried it, works flawlessly first time every time. Port Ogden version 3 was 1.8 megs zipped up, and I added a few kilobytes rather than subtracting any and also bulked it up with the self extraction feature, but the elimination of the *E.RAW and *N.RAW files shrunk the zip down to 1.02 megs for 3.1.
Next I added a new folder named \custom, and pasted in my coal.ace texture for the coalmine. I then pasted in a copy of EZSTUFF2.BAT, edited it to copy the custom texture into the \terrtex and terrtex\snow, and saved it as INSTALV3.BAT. Then I zipped it up, deleted the portogdenv31 folder from the \routes directory, and tested both the extraction and the install bat a few times before making the self extractor.
That's pretty much it, the EZSTUFF2.BAT I used for a template is available in the utilities section of the file library in GITSTUFD.ZIP, but there are several things you should know about it. First, I have Windows 98SE, and I have heard that the /Y switch should be added for WIN2000XP to eliminate the need to answer the overwrite prompt, because it processes DOS commands differently, and I've also heard rumors that some future operating systems are not going to support DOS commands at all. Second, I wrote it for COMBOREF, and it needs to have CALL XCOPY ..\..\GLOBAL and the assorted shapes and textures folders added in order to work with ALL_OBJECTS.REF for the editor. I also wrote it from a rusty wetware memory bank, and I've since dug up my old DOS 5 manual from the attic, and found it would be a lot less cumbersome if I had remembered the /S switch at the end of the command line, which eliminates the need for the duplicate command lines to get the subdirectories. Third, it copies files with the same name over each other, so if you cut and paste a set of references under each other it changes the kind of textures you get. For example, as is you will get the USA2 track textures since they are in the last set that overwrites the previous. Look at V3.1's instalV3.bat, and you will see why I have european track textures in the route. Some people are running their batch files from the root of \routes rather than self contained in the root of the add on, if you want to do it that way you need to change the shortcut convention for XCOPY. DOS has a problem returning a "too many parameters" error when it hits the spaces in those long file names, and the workaround uses ".\" which is "within this directory", and the double dot backslash, go up one directory, double dot backslash double dot backslash, go up two directories, etc. So if you are going to run the batch somewhere else other than inside your route's folder, you will need to alter those. For an example, take a look at SETUP.BAT for the new Danish route, which uses a version of EZSTUFF2 modified to work from the \routes directory. Again, understand that this is what worked for me, other possibilities are out there, try a few and see what you like best. I tried a couple of the other utilities for route developers, some of them I can't get to work, and another one, altho it makes some spectacular promises, strikes me as being too cumbersome and complicated for the end user to get the route working after the download. Maybe you'll have better luck.
There are also setup.exe makers, freeware and shareware, available from zdnet and other places which would do away with the need for these clunky batch files altogether, but I'm a slow learner so it's going to take me quite a while to figure out how to use them.
The one thing I did figure out how to use was Winzip self extractor 2.2, which unlike the dumbed down version that comes with the regular version, includes the ability to add a command line to run a setup.exe or install batch file automatically after the extraction is finished. So that's what I used for the auto install, just typed in the name of my batch file in the appropriate box. Demo version of that is available at www.winzip.com .
Pack 'em up boys, I got a 40gig hard disk just CRYING for as many different routes as I can pack on it.Jim "Sniper" Ward
On the Island of Sodor

Printer-friendly page | Top

Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide. [View All], sniper297, 09:46 PM, Sep-13-01, (0) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., TheEagle, Sep-14-01, 02:17 AM, (1) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., sniper297, Sep-14-01, 03:06 AM, (2) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., rgarber, Sep-14-01, 08:43 AM, (3) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., TheEagle, Sep-14-01, 09:36 AM, (4) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., sniper297, Sep-14-01, 08:09 PM, (5) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., TheEagle, Sep-15-01, 04:00 PM, (6) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., GandyDancer, Sep-15-01, 06:47 PM, (7) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., sniper297, Sep-15-01, 07:03 PM, (8) RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide., GandyDancer, Sep-15-01, 07:27 PM, (9)

Conferences | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic

TheEagle
Charter Member

Sep-14-01, 02:17 AM (EST)

1. "RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide."
In response to message #0

First of all, I made my own bat file and the only problem why I didn't work at many people is because they didn't have a 'template' folder into their MSTS directory. I mean, the template folder was created when you installed MSTS wasn't it?Secondly, what's the difference between the command 'Xcopy' and 'Call Xcopy' ?Third of all, you mentioned that a /y switch should be added to elimante those 'overwrite prompts' in win 2000 xp but I don't see that command into your bat file (the Bat file from your Portogden route).

Printer-friendly page | Top

Geez, Eagle, you sound a little hot under the collar. You seem to think I'm accusing you of something, that's probably because of translation problems. I made my batch files for anyone to use as a template, and I only mentioned "SETUP.BAT" from "THE NEW DANISH ROUTE" as an example of how to change it that way. Maybe my European geography is rusty, but the last time I looked Rotterdam was in Holland, not Denmark, but if "Hoogdam" is in Denmark it wasn't the one I was referring to. Maybe yours is also a "Danish route", I thought it was a Dutch route. I also recall your batch file, which does not have my name at the bottom of it, was "Hoogdam.bat" and not "Setup.bat". So yes, I know you wrote it youself, it was not the one I was talking about.Second point, the "Call" function is as old as the rest of my DOS knowledge, but as I recall, it's purpose is to make DOS refer back to the batch file for further instructions at the end of each execution so it does not get lost and forget what it was doing. It may not even be necessary anymore with the newer version of DOS that underlies win9x, but I use it out of habit.Third point, sounds like you are accusing me of something. Again, this may be a problem in translation, I am an American, and the kind of English we use over here is a little different from European English. I do not have a /Y switch in ANY of my batch files, because I have Windows 98SE, and I only found out about the difference with WindowsXP a few hours ago. I am only passing information along as I get it.

Printer-friendly page | Top

Oh gee... I was wondering what that command Call was for. Never heard of it before so I thought it was something NEW! So I left it in. Now I gotta take it out! By the way Mr. Sniper DOSman... I'm guessing the .\shapes\*.* after the intial call to the directory tells DOS to dump it to a smiliar folder name or create it? Is that right?The syntax was as I saw
Call ../shapes/*.* ./shapes/*.*rich g.

Printer-friendly page | Top

TheEagle
Charter Member

Sep-14-01, 09:36 AM (EST)

4. "RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide."
In response to message #3

I actually didn't mean to be rude or something. With my message I actually wanted to point out the differences between your and my bat file. I read my message again and it seems like I was a bit 'angry' in that message. Well, that was not the case, I just had problems writing things in English (I'm dutch you see) so I used words which may seemed I was 'angry'.....Sorry for the problems it may had caused.----------
Wouter

Printer-friendly page | Top

Hey, that's Okay, Eagle, we're all friends here, and like I said it was only a misunderstanding due to translation. My fault, the fact that you and I are communicating at all is due to your excellent English, because I don't speak or understand any foreign languages at all. And even within English speaking people who have it for their native language there are frequent misunderstandings between the various slang terms among British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealanders, and Americans. Even here in America people from Deer Valley, Arizona have trouble understanding someone from Boston, Massachussets. And since I'm from Chicago they both think I talk funny!
So yes, let's all try to remember when we read something that the guy might not mean what we think he meant. As long as I got you here, Eagle, could you, or the Danish guy (you ARE the Dutchman, right?) or maybe the boy genius from Elvis country, explain what the advantage is of running the batch from the \routes directory instead of inside the route itself? I was gonna ask Chris, but I forgot because I was asking about the Windows XP, and he confirmed that you get the prompt because it processes it differently, so he's adding the /Y switch to his next batch file. I didn't know, cause I have 98SE, and I've never seen XP. As far as the CALL command, I deleted it from Ezstuf2, and ran the batch with no problems on my 800MHZ AMD Athlon several times, but on my son's K6-2 450 (also win98SE) it stopped after copying most of the files and didn't get all of them without the CALL in front of it. It actually runs faster without it, because as I said it calls the xcopy to execute the one instruction and then return to the batch for the next command, so it don't seem to make any difference on faster systems. I can't test it more thoroughly than that cause these are the only two computers I have, but since it drops files on the slower one occasionally without it I'm gonna leave it in.Rgarber, I dug my old DOS 5 manual out of the attic, and I also have a copy of DOS 6.2 buried under some other directories I copied off an old 486, and honest to god I'm frying my brain cells with relearning all the stuff I hoped I wouldn't need to know anymore. If you have Dos 6 anywhere I think it was the first version to come with FASTHELP, and the help command line, and you can put it in a folder called \oldos or something that's not in the path and it won't conflict, and you can access the help files from the dos prompt in the directory it's in. I don't know if they cover this stuff in the windows98 "manual" or not, I haven't seen that itty bitty thing in a long time, it's probably hiding under a match book or something. I accidentally dropped a Sunday Tribune on top of my Windows 95 "manual" and squished the pitiful little thing to death, so it's buried out in the back yard. I used a chewing gum wrapper as a coffin, stuffing tissue paper in there to take up the extra space. Anyway, from the DOS 5 manual, yes, you interpreted the computerese correctly. "Find a folder in the next directory up named shapes, copy it and all its contents into a folder named shapes in the current directory, creating the directory if it does not already exist." And again, the /S switch which I forgot about before eliminates the need to make a seperate entry for each subdirectory, /S /E will copy subdirectories even if they're empty, /V will verify each file copied to make sure it's identical to the source. I'm not going to go in to the various switches for the dates and archive attributes, but one that might be desirable to add to the end of the first line would be /W, display message "press any key to begin copying files" and wait for a keypress. Again, only necessary if you want to configure it that way, I assume the guy wouldn't have double clicked on the batch file in the first place if he wasn't ready.I might rewrite a streamlined and corrected version of ezstuf2 in the near future, but I was really hoping someone else would have come up with something better by now. If any of you have actually managed to get that Route Buddy to work, I think we would all appreciate hearing how you did it, or any other way you know that would make distribution less clumsy and more reliable.

Printer-friendly page | Top

TheEagle
Charter Member

Sep-15-01, 04:00 PM (EST)

6. "RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide."
In response to message #5

The 'huge' advantages about having a bat file placed in the 'route' folder is that a person can easier locate it (before running it) and delete it (after running it). It's also a tiny bit easier to make a BAT file when you place it into the route folder.Oh, and I'm dutch BTW

Printer-friendly page | Top

GandyDancer
Charter Member

Sep-15-01, 06:47 PM (EST)

7. "RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide."
In response to message #6

I have to chuckle at the previous posts. I am a member of the "Python computer programming language group" that is headed by it's original developer, a Dutchman named Guido Van Rossum" Every one in the group has stated that he abrupt, and difficult to deal with and has no tolerance for people who miss-interprets his statements. What we have found out, in talking with people from other countries is that, the Dutch are just that way.I think it has more to do with translating from English to Dutch then anything else. The same problem exists when dealing with the British. Their are terms the British use that mean things are really going bad, that Americans understand as being just OK. This train sim group has grown to be a worldwide group, and I feel that we should be less argumentative about what we state in our replies. I have seen posts that have criticized individuals for poor grammar, spelling and English syntax. In a multi-cultural environment this kind of behavior should not occur, instead we should concentrate on the ideas behind their posts, and query’s. I for one am dyslexic, and am constantly being criticized for my use of English, and spelling. This handicap has plagued me all my life, as other individual have proclaimed me ignorant and useless as a result. Still my performance in my field (Developing Windows based Hard Drive diagnostic programs) has shown me that once people pay attention to the overall results of my work, this misunderstanding disappears.What I have seen as a result of this group, is a richer quality of routes,engines, and cars from all around the world ( Except for the upside down Australians who keep complaing about good DEM data) Just wait until Tranz comes out.
Sam Schulenburg

Printer-friendly page | Top

OK, Eagle, "gotcha covered". (American slang, I get what you're saying.) Yeah, Gandy Dancer, there's a few, fortunately not many, who need to put other people down to make themselves feel smarter or something. I try to flame them when I run across them cuz Bullies are my number one pet peeve. I was on a NATO cruise back in 78 or 79, on a Canuck Navy oiler, went over to England. No problems communicating with any of the other sailors, but I met a British girl in a bar ("Pub" they call them), she had to run off just as we were getting aquainted. So she gives me her address, and says "Come tomorrow and knock me up." Well, what she meant was "come over and knock on my door", but if you're an American you know what I thought she meant! Someone needs to publish a dictionary for the internet with commonly used slang and idioms for all the different regions and languages.

Printer-friendly page | Top

GandyDancer
Charter Member

Sep-15-01, 07:27 PM (EST)

9. "RE: Route distribution packaging - the zipper guide."
In response to message #8

Snipper297;Just had a thought!! When Tranz comes out will we have to turn our monitors upside down to run the PO&N port that you will be obligated to do Sam Schulenburg

Printer-friendly page | Top

[ Home | MSTS Forum | MSTS FAQ | How To... | File Library ] Copyright © 2004 by Nels Anderson. All Rights Reserved.