============================================================================= Morrowind Plugin Manager 1.2 by DW (mpmhelp AT yahoo DOT com) http://www.geocities.com/mpmhelp September, 2004 ============================================================================= Table of Contents: ----------------- 1.1 Version History 1.2 Package Contents 1.3 Development Environment 1.4 Development Notes 1.5 Installation 1.6 Uninstallation 1.7 What It Is 1.8 What It Does 1.9 Usage 1.10 Not-So-FAQs 1.11 Disclaimer 1.12 Distribution and Copyright 1.13 Thanks 1.14 Contact 1.1 Version History: ------------------- MPM 1.2, September 2004 - timestamp defect fixed - support for nonstandard archive structure - minor GUI defects fixed MPM 1.1, August 2004 - RAR archive support added MPM 1.0, May 2004 - Original release 1.2 Package Contents (mpm.zip): ------------------------------ mpm.exe (v1.2, 9/19/2004 13:39, 1,708,032 bytes) unrar.dll (7/14/2004 21:11, 158,208 bytes) readme.mpm.txt 1.3 Development Environment: --------------------------- MS Visual C++ 6.0 Qt 2.2 (http://www.trolltech.com) zlib (http://www.zlib.org) unrar (http://www.rarlab.com) WinXP SP1, Win98 SE 1.4 Development Notes: --------------------- The zlib source was compiled for use as a static library, but not modified. The unrar.dll is used by and packaged with MPM 1.2 in an unmodified state. 1.5 Installation: ---------------- Extract the Morrowind Plugin Manager archive to a folder of your choice (for instance, your Morrowind folder). If you are upgrading from a previous version of MPM, simply overwrite the old files. MPM 1.2 is fully backward compatible - you do not need to modify an existing plugin database. 1.6 Uninstallation: ------------------ No changes to your registry or system folders are made by this application. Simply delete the files that came in the install package, and any files created by its use (mpm.cfg, mpm.pdb, mpm.log). Be sure to uninstall any plugins before removing the application though, or you will be left with all installed plugin files on your drive. 1.7 What It Is: -------------- Morrowind Plugin Manager was developed for two main reasons. First, it was simply for me to get experience using C++ with the Standard Template Library, and GUI development using Qt. The second reason is that another mod utility for Morrowind (I assume you know which) doesn't work as I'd expect, or wish. It skips installation of files which it determines are not necessary (based on a scan of the ESP and ESM files) for the plugin to operate (meaning, for example, the plugin author's documentation is not installed). And the scan is not reliable, as stated in the code (it doesn't detect certain dependancies), so sometimes it fails to install and uninstall files which do in fact belong to a given plugin. With MPM, I skip that complexity and instead install all files in a plugin archive. 1.8 What It Does: ---------------- Morrowind Plugin Manager installs all files found in an archive to your chosen Morrowind installation path, and associates them with the plugin entry in the plugin management display. File collisions are handled by allowing you to overwrite, skip, or rename the file (the plugin archive name is automatically appended to the file, allowing you to try the file later manually if you choose) with a click of a button. Plugin and file sizes are displayed in the interface. Uninstalling a plugin removes all files associated with the plugin except files shared with any other plugin, and removes empty directories that are no longer needed. A configuration file, 'mpm.cfg' is saved in the MPM folder. This file contains your chosen Morrowind install path as well as the original file listing at the time of Configuration. Do not delete this file unless instructed to do so by the application. The application will prevent you from reconfiguring if you have any plugins installed, however, if you intentionally delete it to avoid this safety check and then change the Morrowind path, you are asking for trouble. That is essentially separating the plugin database from the indexed files. A plugin database file, 'mpm.pdb' is saved to the MPM folder. Do not delete this file unless instructed to do so by the application. It is written in plain text and is in the format, '[archive name]:[file name]'. You can edit it by hand but be sure to follow the format. Failing to do so could lead to a damaged or inaccurate database. Make a backup copy first. If 'Options -> Write Log To File' is selected in the menu, output shown in the log window will be written out to a log file, 'mpm.log'. The setting for this option is intentionally not saved, as log files can grow very quickly. Simply set the option when you run Morrowind Plugin Manager if you wish to log the session. You are safe to delete the log file at any time when it is not in use. 1.9 Usage: --------- MPM will prompt you to configure your Morrowind path on the first launch. Depending on the number of files currently in your 'data files' folder and the speed of your machine, this initial configuration process might take a few seconds, so be patient. If you wish to reconfigure it later, choose 'Options->Configuration' from the menu (no plugins may be installed when you configure). To install a plugin, click 'Install', and browse to a valid plugin ZIP or RAR archive. If an unpacked file already exists, you will be asked what action you want to take (skip, overwrite, or rename). If the displayed filename is truncated due to length, hovering the mouse pointer over it will show the full filename in a tooltip style popup. It should be obvious, but I will say it anyway - use caution whenever using the "Yes To All" overwrite option. Be very sure what you're about to overwrite, or you could be overwriting default Morrowind files without knowing it. It is always best to step through an install, manually verifying overwrites file-by-file. To uninstall a plugin, choose the plugin from the list and click 'Uninstall.' No shared files will be deleted. Registered file types in the 'Files Used' list can be opened with your operating system's default applications by double clicking the file or pressing return. You can choose 'Options->Write log to file' to log all activity to a file (mpm.log). Before patching Morrowind, it is highly recommended that you uninstall all plugins installed by MPM. After you patch, be sure to reconfigure MPM. This will rebuild the base configuration for MPM, and will prevent the overwriting of plugin files by new files added or changed by the patch, and vice-versa. An advanced mode exists for MPM, for the sake of cleaning your 'data files' folder in the event that an installation problem occurred which you cannot undo, or you damaged or deleted your plugin database file, etc. It is recommended that it be used only when necessary. To access the cleanup functionality, run mpm with the '-advanced' switch. A new menu item, 'Clean Up', will appear in the File menu. If you wish to remove all plugins, and clean your folder of unplugged files, or otherwise return MPM and the 'data files' folder to the state it was in when you last configured MPM, you can use this advanced function. It will delete all files in the 'data files' folder which are not listed in the MPM configuration file (mpm.cfg). If this is not completely clear to you, do NOT use this functionality. To repeat, ALL files other than those listed in mpm.cfg will be irrevocably deleted. This includes all files not installed by MPM - for instance, a plugin file of your own you might be working on would be deleted. Additionally, your plugin database file (mpm.pdb) will be deleted. You've been warned and re-warned. Use caution if you insist on using this advanced feature! Note that the Clean Up process can be intensive and take several minutes depending on the speed of your computer and if you have many plugins installed. If MPM appears to have locked up during a Clean Up, chances are it has not - just be patient. One final caution: If you are manually copying plugin files to your 'data files' folder frequently, be aware that these files will not be configured as either the MPM base configuration or an MPM installed plugin. These files could be at risk for overwrite or deletion, if you install or uninstall a plugin that shares the file name(s). One of the principal design intentions for this utility was to keep the 'data files' folder clean of junk files, and keep all plugin files associated with their plugins. If you choose to manually pollute the folder, MPM cannot be held responsible. The best way to avoid this is to always use MPM to install plugins from zip archives (or configure the PDB entry by hand if you are comfortable doing so). Besides, you DO keep your own plugin creations separately backed up in zip archive form, don't you? 1.10 Not-So-FAQs: ---------------- Q: What is different with version 1.2 of MPM? A: Timestamps were not being written properly for extracted files in versions of MPM prior to 1.2. I'm a bit surprised that 5 months and nearly 4000 downloads (as of 9/04) beyond original release, neither I nor other MPM users had noticed or commented on this defect. Regardless, I believe it is now fixed. Additionally, some support has been added for nonstandard archive structure. MPM should now be able to install plugin archives it did not previously support, namely those built up from folders other than the "data files" folder or deeper. The 'File Exists' dialog has been changed to no longer resize based on filename length. Long filenames are now truncated in the display, with the full filename shown in a tooltip by hovering the mouse over the displayed name. Finally, a few minor GUI annoyances have been corrected. Q: What is different with version 1.1 of MPM? A: Support for RAR archives has been added. Q: I am upgrading to MPM version 1.2 from a previous version. Do I need to uninstall and reinstall my plugins? A: No, the database for MPM has not changed for the upgrade to version 1.2. It is fully backward compatible. Q: Okay, but what about this timestamp thing? Is it important? A: Yes, timestamps can be important for Morrowind plugins. If you have been using an old version of MPM and have not had any problems with plugin ordering, then you might as well leave them as they are. If you have had problems, or want the timestamps for your plugins to be correct against the original release archives, then you should uninstall/reinstall the plugins. Q: What plugins can be installed using MPM? A: MPM installs plugins from ZIP or RAR archives with directory structure preserved. As of version 1.2, as long as an archive contains proper directory structure, MPM should be able to install it correctly. For example, MPM 1.2 will understand any of these following archive formats: Example 1: readme.txt /textures/flamesword.tga /sounds/swordout.wav Example 2: /data files/readme.txt /data files/textures/flamesword.tga /data files/sounds/swordout.wav Example 3: /games/morrowind/data files/readme.txt /games/morrowind/data files/textures/flamesword.tga /games/morrowind/data files/sounds/swordout.wav Support for archives built up from folders other than the "data files" folder or deeper was added because, although it is silly to pack an archive in such a manner, quite a few plugins do exactly that. If a plugin archive does not contain proper folder structure or naming, or has no folder structure at all where it should exist, it is not the fault of MPM. That is the plugin author's choice of blunder. Q: What about plugins that come packaged as a self-installing archive? A: If you want or need to use MPM with a self-installing plugin (for instance, GIANTS), you could simply install the plugin to a temporary folder and then compress the files into a ZIP or RAR archive that MPM can use. Q: I see that MPM lists installed plugins by the original archive filename. Do I need to keep the archive file? Does MPM use it after installation? A: No. The original archive filename is used to remind you of the exact package from which the plugin was installed, the version which was installed, an alternate name you may have chosen for the plugin, etc. After a plugin has been installed, you can safely delete the archive file if you wish. Q: Can MPM only use ZIP files? What about RARs? A: As of version 1.1, RAR support has been added. An archive file can be named anything - a file extension (or lack thereof) is unimportant - but it must be a ZIP or RAR compressed file. Q: I accidentally deleted my plugin database (PDB) file. Am I screwed or what? A: Pretty much, yes, but you can try to minimize leftover junk on your drive. The best thing to do would be to try to remember each plugin you had installed, and then reinstall them right over the old files. That way, MPM will build an entirely new database from the plugins, and it will be as if you'd never lost the database at all. In the worst case scenario, where you cannot remember what plugins you had installed, you have the files leftover on your drive. So basically, it's as if you had not used MPM at all. You'll lose some hard drive space to those files, but it won't harm your machine or your Morrowind installation. In this case, you could opt to use the advanced cleanup functionality (see '1.9 Usage'). Or you could delete leftover files manually. Q: Files renamed with MPM's automatic renaming are not associated with the plugin. Why? A: When a file is renamed with MPM, the plugin name is appended onto the filename. For example, "readme.txt" becomes "readme.txt.myplugin". These files can be manually examined by you, deleted by you, or used to replace the original by you. Trying to keep track of that in the plugin database is unrealistic. Therefore, when you choose to have a file renamed during an install instead of skipping it or overwriting the original file, you assume control over it. You could for instance decide after trying a renamed file, that you prefer the original version, and thus you only have to restore the original and delete the unassociated renamed file. Doing so will not affect your plugin database, so everything is kept in order. Q: Is there any danger in installing a plugin by unzipping it myself? What if I use another plugin installer? A: Yes, this could be dangerous. Read section '1.9 Usage' - it's important. Q: Does MPM do anything to change my system settings or the like? A: No. MPM does not register or install any system files. It does not change your registry. It does not watch you sleep at night. 1.11 Disclaimer: --------------- I assume no responsibility for anything that happens to you, your PC or data, or your love life due to the use or misuse of MPM. It shouldn't affect them in any way, except perhaps for improving your love life. 1.12 Distribution and Copyright: ------------------------------- MPM is copyright(c) me, DW. It may be distributed as is without modification to this package or the contents, for use with the game Morrowind. It may not be packaged and or sold by any money grubbing magazines and schlockware distributers without my prior written consent. If you have a question regarding distribution, contact me (mpmhelp AT yahoo DOT com). Assume no rights with regard to this package. If you have obtained this package through distribution such as on a CD or with a game magazine, you and I both have probably been ripped off. Please take a moment to inform me at (mpmhelp AT yahoo DOT com). I am in no way affiliated with Bethesda Softworks. Morrowind and all associated properties are their copyrights. 1.13 Thanks: ----------- Special thanks to DB and TN for (almost tireless) assistance and suggestions. Thanks to Dongle for the Oblivion v1.1 Daedric font. 1.14 Contact: ------------ This application has been virus scanned, tested, and used; however, no software can claim to be perfect. If you find an operational defect, let me know. To otherwise comment, praise, moan, etc., send email to (mpmhelp AT yahoo DOT com).