Trainz/Content Manager


 * Releases earlier than Trainz: A New Era (TANE) are covered in the main page:  Trainz/Content Manager 2.0--CM3.7 
 * Early versions coverage: Content Manager Plus,  AM&C/Content Manager 

Introduction To CM/CMP
Predecessors to CM or CMP were a stand alone utilities from Trainz 1.0 through TRS2004-SP4 (also named ContentManager.exe,. hence the 'Plus' of TRS2006's CMP) with which users could install new modeling assets. There weren't many options but installing assets. Other utilities performed some of the tasks (e.g. uploading) but Data Management was mainly manual by moving folders about. In essence the early simple ContentManager.exe programs did some simple file management and unpacked files and tucked their contents away in a scheme using open folders,  folder locations, and a data system that had no real data base to it. They could also create cdp files, allowing the early growing Trainz community to feast on shared creations. Eventually, the early Download Station was hosted by Auran and users could browse without much search capability much as one can on today's less sophisticated 3rd party Trainz fan-sites. Most of these are operated by an individual or a small group of Content Creators. Prior to TRS2004, the cloud services we know as the DLS was more list presenting access to a disorganized collection of zip and cdp files than an organized database with a built in search engine, FTP manager. It was a central repository but a chaotic one, and the chaos was converted into today's order when DLS was established during UTC's hey days (v1.5), a little before the time TRS2004 (v2.0) came about.
 * Background to the Content Manager and the DLS

The need for CMP
The early local Trainz 's database was more organized as groups of open files as well, and data corruption was thus more likely until TRS2004 evolved a better file structure and compressed data formats, which was best exploited with the advent of TRS2006 and its Content Manager Plus became a data base manager and search and access tool. With a database manager on the servers to handshake with on the DLS end, the more sophisticated user-end software became feasible and it arrived with trainz-build v2.5 (TRS2006 Content Manager&mdash;then retitled as Content Manager Plus (or CMP).

The powers of CMP
CMP had capabilities unknown in the earlier Trainz 'Content Manager' which relied on a primitive and  tags classification system for it's limited capabilities of asset grouping and searching. The earlier module was mostly a listing/cataloging utility allowing a user to examine her own inventory of assets, with no information from the DLS. and generally became the center-point for asset operations not involving actually building a route.
 * CMP took on a whole host of additional capabilities formerly performed by several separate *.exe utility programs, including those of 3rd party providers, and incorporated a ton of new powerful search, classification, and asset management features such as:
 * 1) the ability to directly communicate with the Download Station (DLS) during searching
 * 2) could import content from installation to installation by direct file importing/parsing
 * 3) or via cdp importation,
 * 4) export a route or asset or
 * 5) upload it to share with others on the DLS
 * 6) manage asset editing
 * 7) manage and use archives and archiving
 * 8) search by combining criteria and classification

Launching CM/CMP
CM/CMP (Content Manager Plus) is accessible via the Trainz Launcher screens or by directly launching the ContentManager.exe file from the Trainz installation's root directory \bin sub-folder (recommended, or by shortcut thereto). Many users with multiple Trainz installations will bundle shortcuts to launch the CM or Trainz launcher programs from a common Trainz folder. CM's primary purpose is to manage the data flow to and from the DLS and manage the local assets on your hard drive (located in your ..\UserData folder) and the sub-folders therein (such as the ..\local, ..\settings, ..\screenshots, ..\editing folders) as well as the Trainz release's special data base of built-in items. (See  and .)

Mainly Trainzer's use it to communicate and manage downloading from the DLS, and to select and filter assets for surveyor. TS2009 introduced enhanced filtering (selectable savable criteria were part of the T'06 CMP, but the way they could be combined was limited. In T'09, the new power was in the addition of new search-refining Boolean logic operators: OR, AND NOT, and AND [the latter of which is somewhat redundant in most uses]) so power users will often define a search criteria, called a search filter, save that and then use that to trim down the list of assets one must look through to find a desired asset when route building. CM/CMP has a sophisticated search facility and automatically identifies and downloads associated with each asset. CM/CMP is closely integrated to and is also used to open assets for editing and committing them for use in Trainz. In TRS2006 and above, new assets and asset clones (copies with new kuids) are created via CM/CMP, though a route or session may be cloned using a Save As option in Surveyor.

Getting around in CM
CMP through CM-3.7 looks much like a spreadsheet with relocatable columns (from CM-2.0 of TS2009) meaning columns selected for viewing in the 'main view' (the right hand part of the screen) using can later be slide left or right and rearranged to suit the user preferences, or the type of task you might be about. For example, one day you might want to locate all the assets that were installed with the download of XYZ route and sessions, so want to see install date... an otherwise uninformative data column. Some days you want modification date, and on others perhaps, the regions, era or the trainz-build values are your primary sorting and searching interests. The check box in the menu allow hiding columns or turning their display on, whilst dragging them allows you to rearrange them left to right. The notations CM-X.Y appears in the CM/CMP title bar after TC3 and after TS2009-SP3 the X.Y (initially just CM-2.0) was incremented with each and so displayed as a suffix to give a visual reminder of the  or 'version' of the Trainz software. It now signifies the trainz-build code an asset created or updated using Content Creator Plus (CCP) editing will be given. CM supports asset editing in two forms: CCP, which is a table-like fill in the blanks rigid form for getting the proper parts assigned to a new asset, or by free form editing using Windows utilities. For asset repairs, virtually everyone avoids CCP and uses a Windows Explorer editing folder with direct access to the files making up the asset. This folder and files can be opened in several ways:
 * title bar notations
 * Editing modes
 * 1) Hotkeys  directly opens a Windows Explorer folder with no processing, and it pops up immediately on top of other screen windows.
 * 2)  accesses one of the PEVtools or other batch utility that has been installed in the \bin\...\Tools sub-folder. Thusly, for example, if a repair requires accessing textures (say in the error message you see an alphamask and it's base texture don't match in size, so one needs re-sized) one can open the asset with PEV's images2TGA utility and be ready to fix the problem immediately. In this case the window will often be behind or other another Windows application window depending upon your video set up and the biases built-in to Windows. If running a dual or three monitor system, often these can be biased to open in the other screen(s) from CM, so will open where it can be seen immediately.

Left hand panes
For the moment, notice the default tabs along CM's top of the main view each load a search criteria in the Search pane when pressed; and also that by using (Toggles) one can hide or open the left panes. The tutorial & reference will allow us to cover tips and tricks in depth outside this survey topic. (You didn't want to read that here, now anyway, did you?)

As can be seen in the image below and left, each left hand pane has a little click icon to open it or close it, and in normal operations, one will be the DLH (Download Helper) pane, another the Asset Details pane, and as needed, the Search pane, or other combinations (uploads, archive, and pick list) based on what you are doing that give you the desired flexibility. Each can be closed when set up and still have effect, or the whole set of panes can be toggled open or closed with commensurate widening or narrowing by alternate presses of the key. Other panes shown are for uploading, archiving, and so forth, but like the DLH pane, these are used primarily by dragging and dropping from the Main View into the pane, so must be open to be in actual use. Play a bit and read the manual, whether printed or in pdf format, then re-read it. Wait a month and read it again. Each time will give you the power of additional knowledge and insights as to the capabilities shedding further light on what we present here.

Download Helper (DLH)
To pick something for download, one sets up a search criteria (see image left) then clicks on one or more assets to select them (Highlighted, colors of CM and highlighting are as you set them in your Windows theme) then drag them into the DLH pane. As you add more you'll likely note some activity going on, part of which is CM and the DLS are filling in dependencies&mdash;sub-assets the asset you selected depend upon as parts, for example the bogeys, wheels, or couplings of that railcar type, or textures, etc. which are parts of the assets you selected. As you add more by drag and drop, the list will grow a scroll bar and grow longer as dependencies are identified and added.

Search pane
Buttons are straight forward,, , , and / to add/delete a new 'filter-line' (API data window). With nothing in the pane, it's already cleared.

Perils of Downloading
New Trainzer's need be aware of the perils of downloading too much too soon. There is a smart way to proceed, and ones less effective. The Table at right illustrates this point. Six assets were listed as downloads in the DLH pane. When the were added by CM, the download was 36! A sixfold increase, and this is a mild example. Downloading a session will bring in a route, the route (and since Layers were introduced in TS10) and sessions might both have several thousand or several hundred asset dependencies respectively.

Search Pane
Perhaps even more than the DLH the Search Pane will likely receive your most frequent attentions.

Notes, Footnotes & References
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