How do you keep track of downloads?

railroy19

New member
Hello All
How do you keep track of all the downloads you get?
I find that I lose so many items that I download either by forgetting the correct names of the items or the name of the creator of the piece.
Some names are in different languages and I forget what they are.
If I download anything that I really want to use I create a new route with no texture just the downloaded items and name it something that I can remember example backdrops or bridges or such. This is just a quick fix that is not very practicle but it does at least save the items so I can find them in cmp. My brain hard drive is at it's max right now :hehe:
I need some advice.
Thanks All.
Bob:)
 
Hi,

After I download the cdp files, either manually through FTP or through CMP, I place them into a folder and use CDPBrowser to open the CDP's and collect information from them, like author, kuid number, username.

I then export this from CDPBrowser into a txt file, import this into a Excel Spreedsheet, once done I move the CDP's into a folder (called a name that I know, like TRS Content 01) for archive, once the folder becomes 700MB full of CDP's I stop adding to it, create a new folder and continue process. Once I have enough to fill a DVD, I burn the folders to free up Hard Drive space.

The Excel Spreedsheet is updated to show this, doing it this way also gives me a search function so I can find content quickly and where they are.


This is just my way of doing things, hope it helps... :)
 
Hello All
How do you keep track of all the downloads you get?
I find that I lose so many items that I download either by forgetting the correct names of the items or the name of the creator of the piece.
Some names are in different languages and I forget what they are.
If I download anything that I really want to use I create a new route with no texture just the downloaded items and name it something that I can remember example backdrops or bridges or such. This is just a quick fix that is not very practicle but it does at least save the items so I can find them in cmp. My brain hard drive is at it's max right now :hehe:
I need some advice.
Thanks All.
Bob:)

Hello Bob............ I am not a computer wise person. I have a WordPerfect document on a seperate old computer. When I download an item, I put it in a category type. For example, INDUSTRYSTEEL. Anything that could possibly apply to this category is placed in there. I follow up with its' PROPER NAME as listed by the creator. I then call it something that I choose along with a description. This especially helps when the item is called something that is completely unknown to me.

Another example. I have an entry that says:
INDUSTRYCOAL - KOHLEHEIZKRAFTWERK - huge coal / power plant.......

I would never remember Kohleheizkraftwerk, and even if I did, I would not be able to spell it!!!!!!!!.

So anything I download, especially anything that has descriptions / titles that I dont recognize, I make this note, and a brief description of what I think it is or what I think it looks like. If I am "building" a COAL INDUSTRY, I simply go to INDUSTRYCOAL. Anything I want is there, except common stuff like textures, people, vehicles, etc. Of course I would put airplanes under INDUSTRYAIR, and boats under INDUSTRYMARINE.

EICHE and KIEFER are stacks of logs, so I have them under INDUSTRYWOOD.

ET-UW HOCHSPANNUNGSM is a power cable spline, so I have it under INDUSTRYPOWER.

There is no way I would be able to remember those terms!!!!!!! This is so far working very well for me. I keep a MISC file for stuff that can be earmarked for just about anything. I am sure someone has a better way and / or an alternate method. Whatever works!!!!!:wave:
 
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This all was easier with TRS2004:
After installing new content I opened TrainzObjectz and ordered the list by date - so I had all new content at the top of the list.
Then I started renaming similar as manjoe described: First the general-class name, the the specific items name, i.e. TreeOak, TreeKiefer, TreePineBig, TreePineSmall .... As in Surveyor the items show up in alphabetical order I have the similar classes in one cluster. This renaming still works in TRS2006.

But TRS2004 offered more help for sorting: in TRS2004 the "type" and "region" description existed, which could be named as you wanted AND showed up in Surveyor with these selfmade region and type-names (I even made a "region" with my own name, containing my standard materials. )
This made it pretty easy to find the items in Surveyor, as they were sorted the way I wanted.
When I bought 2006 I learned that these additional individual categories "region" and "type" do not exist for TRS2006. So this helpful individual sorting seems not any more possible. That was the main reason why I went back to my TRS2004! (let me know, if I made a mistake - I would be so happy if I am wrong!)
 
Thank Guys

Well now I have an idea of another way to keep track of these downloads.
Manjoe you have a good way of keeping track that I could probably figure out how to do. I'm going to try your method and see if I can figure it out.
I also use to use Trainz Object which worked very well for me. I think now I'll go into surveyor and pick out some of the objects I use a lot, and then rename them to my own code like you suggested like coal industry or wood or scrap iron and so on. Looks like I have a lot of work to do lol
well that's why they call it "working on the railroad":)

Thanks for all your help again.
Bob
 
I like the idea of renaming in TO, but I have a question. If I rename an object and use it in a route. How is the object treated if I upload the route with the renamed object to the DLS?
 
I like the idea of renaming in TO, but I have a question. If I rename an object and use it in a route. How is the object treated if I upload the route with the renamed object to the DLS?

No problem there, the renamed asset is only on your computer, your uploaded route will only reference the asset's kuid #, so anyone downloading your route will also download the original asset from the download station.
 
Good luck to you Bob...........I personally like the grouping of items for a given industry type. That way I look in that grouping when I "build" that industry in a route. Since I only speak and write English, the minute I see an item and download it, I automatically put it in my chosen grouping with the creators EXACT NAME FOR THE ITEM, and make a note in English so I know what it is.

As a matter of fact, today someone was looking for a swimming clad person for their pool. I knew where one was simply because I had the non-English name for the item, and I had made a note of what it was, I could send along this information. It helps, give the almost 80,000 entries on the DLS.
Take care.........:wave:
 
Dave
thanks for the info. That's what has stopped my renaming in the past. So I guess I'm clear to reorganize.
Mike
 
One other thing that TrainzObjectz was good for is that it can rename all your collected CDP files. You can select from a number of naming options; kuid, name, (kuid+name) or (name+kuid).

I use the kuid+name option, since the CDP's will then sort by kuid in Windows Explorer and are easy to find.
 
Immediately in the downloading process of CDP's I rename them with the name of the content - not using the kuid. If I need the kuid, I find it in the config.txt.

@aradlaw: Thank you for your answer - clarified a problem for me.

Can anybody answer my problem with the "region" and "type" categories in 2006 - did these helpful sorting-instruments indeed dissappear?
 
You can open the config file of any asset and change the username to something easier to remember. Anything you change in the config file will only be used on your computer. Dont change any kuid numbers as this will not be found by any uploaded content on other peoples computers.
 
I tend to lose track as well - though the idea of changing the username tag hadn't occurred to me.

For content creators - might I suggest that "road sign 1" is not a sensible name for a road sign - it only tells half the story. Sometimes a little more detail is needed (this is only one example - no persecution intended of this particular creator).
 
The easy way to do this in TRS06 is to add your own keywords to stuff you want to keep track of. You can add them to a selection all at once, and add as many as you like - just make sure you use the back up keywords function...

Personally, I'm always re-discovering stuff I downloaded ages ago and forgot about... I just wish that the original TRS04 categories worked in '06 as keywords...

Paul
 
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