Issue #2 for next version:

Simplify the Move and Copy functions. In other words, let the user choose from a dropdown list of current profiles. Get rid of the nasty pathname.


Issue #3 for next version:

Handle renaming of the currently active profile. Forbid it? Auto-change Skyrim ini?


Issue #4 for next version:

Draft a better usage document. HTML.

Here is a look at the prototype I have made for version 2:

[img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20195017/forum_stuff/TESVSFU_v2.1_Interface.jpg[/img]

Questions? Comments? Please advise.

Looks good. Though if I were to nitpick, I'd point out that it should read "Creation Kit" rather than "Construction Kit".

Thanks. I think that "Wrye Bash" should also be "Wrye Smash". Comes from my glory days with Oblivion.

FYI:

Version 2 is still under development.

More information on the progress later. Life has been making it difficult to properly update this thread...

I was just swinging back into this thread to see if there'd been any updates... Glad to know you're still at it!

The v2 screenshot you put up looks good so far.

Thanks for checking in @Mynex.

Well, another week has gone by and I find myself still working on Version 2. I did work hard on it, but there are many things to iron out. Patience, Prudence (as my dad used to say). It will come to Skyrim Nexus soon enough.


Here is an example of the things life throws at me as an obstacle to projects like this. There was a major leak in my mother-in-law's house and my wife and I have to fix it. This of course involves joyous efforts like: ripping up the baseboard, falling into the crawlspace (twice, mind you), and inhaling 60-year old mold spores that are causing my sinuses fits. Oh, and that doesn't cover the lame-headed, no-excuse decisions I made. For example, I purchased a lot of 1/2" plywood for the baseboard, only to find out that we needed 3/4" plywood. The hardware and lumber stores are about 30 minutes from the house. Naturally, my mother-in-law lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere and failed epically in her task of maintaining pipes and electrical circuitry.

But, that's just a temporary setback. Development continues to move along. Take comfort, dear friends, in the knowledge that I am committed to this project.

Just checking in. This is my favorite save game manager and the items you have planned for version 2, make it just that much better.

Thanks, @Layman. It's my favorite as well.

Yes, another week has passed us all by. Bethesda just recently pushed 1.5.26 out the door, and the cool mods keep piling up at Nexus's door.

Version 2 reached a major milestone the other day. It can almost be called a true beta, but the archiving features have yet to be implemented. Additionally, I need to fix a couple odd bugs with directory creation. Darn it all that Calculus class of mine...too much homework. Not enough time for work, school *and* Skyrim.

Especially Skyrim.

LoL at those times live is not easy, just hang in there.

A Little Background

Well, well, well. Whare have I been? I hear this question in my head each time I visit this page and wonder just what the heck I'm doing.

In a prior post, I mentioned working on my mother-in-law's house, and I am pleased to say that we have completed the work we set out to do. Well, almost, because the septic tank is now inoperable and my wife and I are wondering where we will get the money to fix it. We have renters staying there and a broken septic tank does not a blissful life make.

You see, the tank overflows when the leech lines finally outlive their usefulness, and that's what happened out there. Yug!

On the bright side: I am still a happy programmer. I just landed a new job and it may (gods be willing) end up as a permanent job for me. I will know more three months from now. Also, I finished the last semester with a 'B' in Calculus. Woo hoo! The fun will begin anew when the next semester arrives.

---

The Status

So, here's the deal on the app. I have hardly worked on it since my last missive many weeks ago. This is the weekend, however, when I get back into the code. I also need to create a decent user's guide, which means MORE delay.... Oh, well. Better late than never, eh? Keep up your optimism, fellow rabid gamers.

Version 2 is still on the course to completion.

*does the wave*

Oh, crap.

The First Deadly Error!

I had been assuming that Skyrim--a.k.a. TESV--would handle pathing (that is, the path to the save files) in a specific manner. Innocently, I thought one could simply set SLocalSavePath to something like C:\Users\GamerDude\Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves\KickButtCharacter, for example, and it would pull the list of saved files from there, etc.

But, nooooooooooooo.

Let me explain. I wanted to give the player the choice of placing their save files absolutely anywhere on their computer. So, before I "tested" my "theory" by manually modifying the Skyrim.ini file and watching it work, I developed an entire application based on my faulty premise.

No emoticon could ever illustrate my sadness...my embarrassment...my humiliation. How many times in the past had I scorned business anolysts for improper research, only to merrily dig my own hole with my shovel of unmitigated hubris? It must be karma. The gods turned their backs on me. It will be the ruination of my career...

<Ahem.>

Well, not exactly. You see, I am quite angry with myself as well. And, after all, the interface (UI) is the only thing affected, constituting something like 25% of the production. Schedules must now be adjusted. Time to put on my thinking cap and put the ol' nose to the grindstone as it were. The programming shall now commence in earnest.

Ego, you are my bane!

<fist thrust defiantly toward the heavens>

They don't allow image embedding here. Too many people ruined a good thing. There is a way around this if a person has https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/greasemonkey/?src=http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1334189-wiprel-tesv-save-file-utility/userprofile and http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/79990. All you have to do is have a direct link to your pic and it will show up for that person. Makes the Screenshot threads actual screenshot threads for the most part ( For some reason doesn't do Steam pics).

On topic I do like the looks of this save manager. I don't know if you covered it already but a lot of the save managers I messed with did not sync up with Wrye Smash's save profile system and screwed a lot of things up for me. I see you have start buttons for Smash so does that sync up?

MrDarkSim: Thanks for the info. I had a sinking feeling I wouldn't be able to show pretty pics. I guess links will have to do.

Regarding Wrye, if I understand you properly, you would like a way to sync profiles (characters, that is) with Wrye builds...correct? So that when you load a new character, the proper bashed.patch file shows up and all the mods specific to that character auto-enable?

I have thought about this. I cannot do that at this time, since it would require two-way communication between the Wrye app and mine. At one time I honestly believed i could just replicate the Wrye build engine and have my own integrated app. LOL Oh, but then I woke up and smelled the coffee.

It is possible, but not in the immediate plans. I first want to get the new version of TESVSFU working before considering a sync operation between it and Wrye Smash.

So, when I have the next general release of the Save File Manager, then perhaps I can open a discussion with the Wrye team. Maybe something will come of it.

No what I meant to explain is say Smash has is it's own way of handling profile saves by making a folder in My Games->Skyrim->Saves->ProfileName. All of the save managers I have used makes their own folders somewhere else and then move the saves over to their own folder. I was hoping for an option to make the save manager profiles with the same naming convention as Smash. That way when my wife or kids want to play they can switch using the save manager and I can still use Smash to set up the mods and swap to my profile.

Hope I made some sense that time.

Thanks for the clarification. I basically do the same thing that Smash does. However, I also provide the option for grouping characters into portfolios. You could, for instance, have a portfolio for each member of the family and then each member can switch between their own characters more easliy. Under the hood, TESVSFU creates subdirectories for the portfolios under My Games -> Skyrim -> Saves because the game engine expects the save games under that directory, and that directory only. Subdirectories (a.k.a. portfolios) are legal and can be part of the saved games directory entry in Skyrim.ini.

What I believe Smash does differently, however, is save the bashed.patch and other files particular to what it calls profiles (subdirectories). TESVSFU works only with the save points in the game. Due to this separation of efforts, Smash and TESVSFU should not clobber each other and should be able to work in unison.

I also use Smash, but I have not yet tested this out. I am the only user on the computer, so I have little need to swap Smash profiles back and forth (although I can easily see why it is needed with kids).

I am glad you brought this up.

Could you please tell me how you save a profile in Smash? I'd like to replicate your actions to see what happens with TESVSFU.

I apologize for appearing so dense. TESVSFU does exactly what Smash does with profiles.

I also discovered that, although Smash has the ability to create a profile under a subdirectory (like a profile under a portfolio), it cannot actually see the profile. In fact, it treats all subdirectories under Saves as a profile, whereas TESVSFU distinguishes between the two.

You can still use both if you'd like. If you desire to switch profiles under Smash, then you can create one or more portfolios in TESVSFU for the rest of your family and then you will have a directory structure something like this:

My Games    |    |    +----Saves		    |		    |		    +----Smash Profile 1		    |		    +----Smash Profile 2		    |		    +----Portfolio 1		    |		  |		    |		  +----TESVSFU Profile 1		    |		  |		    |		  +----TESVSFU Profile 2		    +----Portfolio 2		    |		    ...

The actual "Saves" directory is a valid portfolio in TESVSFU, so it will also be able to display your Smash profiles.