Need a visual indicator

I had a heck of a time coming up with a title for this post.

I've found that after a day of downloading quite a bit of content that starting up CM the next day takes a very long time (in this case over five minutes) before the CM window actually opens. Meanwhile, you sit there wondering why nothing seems to be happening.

Anyone who knows about Task Manager will immediately start that up and try to see what the holdup is.

My research found that way down deep in the background TADDaemon is slaving away deleting all the files in \cache\internet. Every thing you've downloaded previously is in there and, one file at a time, it take a long time to delete them. While this is happening TADDaemon may or may not show up in the taskbar at all so you have NO visual indication that your "double-click" started anything.

What is needed is a little popup stating something like this:

"TADDaemon is working hard in the background to delete all the working files for content you installed the last time. Please be patient"

Now, how hard can that be to do?

/rant :hehe:

I realize that this could better be placed in the "Suggestion Boxcar", but I've had many, many suggestions disappear into a black hole and never make the panel.

Bill

Hi Bill,

I agree that it can be infuriating waiting for Content Manager to open, without much information given.

Unfortunately, I cannot see N3V doing much about it. All the problems I've submitted to them that should have resulted in patches never did, like the list of bugs in TS2009 SP4 for example.

Shane

I've been experimenting. I think it might be possible to start TADDaemon from a batch file. If so, then I could at least do a pop-up myself.

Bill

A fair suggestion Bill, I think any information that a program can provide while it is churning away is a good thing! What I particularly despise are those programs that don't even give you the hourglass while they are working, leaving one to wonder just what the in wide wide world of sports is going on!

I sure hope you aren't wasting your time downloading any of my stuff!:hehe:

Funnily enough, I did download a few things of yours, Ed. Can't remember right off what they were though. I was searching out railway stations fit for a big city scene I wanted to create. I'd love to find something along the lines of München Hauptbahnhof or possibly Zurich.

A batch file won't work. Apparently, TADDaemon needs to be run clean and not inside a wrapper because CM didn't start afterwards.

Bill

You don't need to, just enable it in Content Manager, developer settings, enable Database process Windows. Not a pop up but you can see if it and or Trainzutil are active and what they are up to or even as sometimes happens in 2010 if they have stalled, ctrl C will then kill it cleanly if you open the console window
Then you can just shut down the PC when it's gone from the task bar, works fine for me.

TS 12 takes seconds to do that cache deletion task compared to 2010 which can take minutes.

I tried that but sometimes there is an indication but sometimes not. Actually, I was working on the problem bass-akwards. What I did was use a batch file on my desktop right next to the CM shortcut. What that does is clear \cache\internet BEFORE I double-click for CM.

That should work fine.

EDIT: Actually, "show database window" is already checked and has been from the first. It does not always show up however before TADDaemon starts up. It could be a thread priority thing.

Bill

Hello Hiballer,

Would it be advisable to go to the cache/internet folder and delete the contents with Windows Explorer before firing up the CM? That should work a lot faster than Taddaemon.

Bernie

Why bother to do all the clicking when using a batch file to do it for you?

Bill

Very simple and easy solution to the problem for those affected, though I doubt many too many users these days, even know what a batch file is.

You're probably right. I was in the business long before batch files even existed. Gosh, almost 50 years now - since 1964. Yow.

Bill

Trainz also does a asset validation of all new assets downloaded since last time you started up. If you have the TrainzUtil show up on the taskline then you will see each asset go through a validation routine.

That's true. But, in most cases you see that validation begin after CM (or at least TADDaemon) has become visible on the taskbar. The deletion of 'left-over' files from the original download session is apparently done before anything else happens - which means that you aren't sure anything is happening at all unless you check Task manager.

Bill

clam1952 said:

<snip> ...or even as sometimes happens in 2010 if they have stalled, ctrl C will then kill it cleanly if you open the console window
Then you can just shut down the PC when it's gone from the task bar, works fine for me.

<snip>

Click to expand...

Interesting information. I'll have to try that the next time CM locks up upon starting and I have to manually terminate it and TADDaemon, and see if this would save me from a database repair when I start Trainz afterward.

Using the "End Task" button on the TADDaemon window instead of temrinating the process produces a different result that results in a message in the TADDaemon window about a console event handler (or something like that), but I still get a database repair when I start Trainz afterward.

Regards,

Zachary.

clam1952 said:

[snip]

TS 12 takes seconds to do that cache deletion task compared to 2010 which can take minutes.

Click to expand...

Maybe someone wised up. It is far faster to say "Delete *.*" than "delete file a", "delete file b", "delete file c", ad infinitum.

Bill

Bill,

I posted a suggestion similar to this for when Trainz is shutdown so people, who are not running with the DB consoles, will know when it's safe to turn off their computer. A nice dialog box or progress bar would be useful.

On my setup, I have two monitors. When I start Trainz or even Content Manager, which I run separately from the Trainz Launcher, I move the console windows to my second monitor. You do this once and the program usually remembers the position next time.

So now when I start, I click on the console window icon that appears on the taskbar and it opens up on my second monitor where I can watch what's happening while using the program.

If you're interested in an awesome batch environment, check out Microsoft's Powershell, which is now integrated into Windows 7. If only this existed back in the old DOS days, things would have been a lot more interesting and easier too.

John

I agree, John. Powershell is great. I don't really remember when it came into existence, but I've been using it for a quite a while. Before that, I crafted some pretty elaborate batch files. In the old DOS days, I had a directory full of batch files to do most anything. I think being able to pass parameters into a batch file was one of the best changes to those types of files.

If I had dual monitors I would do exactly as you have.

Bill

I hope you will bear with me, but I'm trying to understand the process at work here. Are there things in the cache one would not want to delete. If not, if there is a downside to just emptying the file, and if so why not just select all files in this cache while in Windows Explorer, click delete, then do an on line crossword puzzle or something while the files are being sent to the recycle bin and start Trainz when the deletion is done?

This is not a challenge, it is a good faith question by an ignoramus who is trying to understand.:wave:

Bernie

Hi, Bernie. What happens when you download an item from the DLS is that all the files associated with the CDP you download are unpacked and placed in this directory (folder):

[trainz install folder] \ UserData \ cache \ Internet (the spaces are mine)

Then, when you exit Content Manager after your session, they stay there until the next time you start CM. If you've downloaded a lot of content, then there may be as much as 300 or 400 Mb (or more) of files in that folder. As CM starts, these files (which are a mix of PHP, TXT, and other extensions) are cleared by TADDaemon ONE FILE AT A TIME prior to CM starting up. This takes a very long time.

Yes, you could do exactly as you say - manually delete everything in the \Internet folder (and JUST that folder!) all at once but that involves a lot of clicking.

My method is to simply create a batch file with several commands such as:

ECHO off
DEL [trainz install folder]\UserData\cache\Internet\*.*

(NOTE: if you wish, you can leave out the ECHO off command and watch the command execute. It won't be much, but it will make the command window stay around a bit longer.)

This will do everything you said all by itself. If you leave the batch file on your desktop and place it right next to the shortcut for CM, then you can double-click the batch file, wait for it to complete, and then double-click CM and let it start. That way, there is no LONG delay (with noting apparent happening) which makes you wonder if CM is hung up.

Bill

I guess for those who don't fancy 2 stages you can run the Trainz launcher from the batch file as well.