Zugg Software :: View topic

Newbie Joined: 27 Aug 2002 Posts: 8 Location: USA

I have installed various versions of zmud over the top of one another for quite a while, and though my version works perfectly, I would kind of like to clean out the folder. What is the file structure of zmud like? What can I get rid of without risk of corruption or data loss?

Also, which files within the root folder and a specific MUD folder hold global parameters and localized data (maps, triggers, etc.)? I would like to transfer a character to another computer w/ the same version (6.40) of zmud if possible.

Thanks Again
Alex

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 4379 Location: USA

You can pretty much delete any file in the zMUD directory without much harm. The only exception would be .lay files, which would cause zMUD to give you an error saying that the file does not exist when you try to open the associated character. This is remedied by simply making the character stop using that layout file in the Properties for that character.

Besides that, data loss may occur by deleting one of the following files: chardb.mdb, zmud.ini, default.mud, global.mud, mudlist.mdb, mudName*.mud, mudNameMaps*.mdb, mudNameDB*.*.

chardb.mdb - Contains your character database. Deleting this file will force you to recreate all of the connections you had to each MUD, and re-enter the character name and password.

zmud.ini - Contains various settings stored by zMUD. This file is automatically recreated if deleted, but it may also contain definition of your global variables/aliases which will not be recreated. If you don't use global variables/alias, no data is lost upon deletion.

default.mud - Contains base settings for all characters (keypad macros, default directions, etc.). Deleting this file will cause the loss of the functionality provided by these settings in all characters. The file may be restored with a reinstall.

global.mud - Contains the definition of the toolbar found on all characters. Deleting this file will result in the loss of this toolbar. the file may be restored with a reinstall.

mudlist.mdb - Contains the database listing the MUDs available for connection. Deleting this file will cause the list of MUDs to be empty when creating a new character. The file may be restored with a reinstall or by downloading a new list from within zMUD.

mudName*.mud - These files store the settings (aliases, trigger, macros, etc.) for a specific character. Deleting these files will result in loosing these settings. There is no way to get them back unless you made a backup.

mudNameMaps*.mdb - These files store the maps for a particular character. Deleting this file will result in the loss of these maps. There is no way to get them back unless you made a backup.

mudNameDB*.* - These files store the database of your characters created with the database module. Some of these files define the template database table availables. The one that really contains your database is dbName.db. Deleting these files will result in loss of the database templates and database data. The templates may be recovered with a reinstall, the data stored in the database may not be recovered unless you made a backup.

To transfer a character to another copy of zMUD, you need at least the mudName*.mud file, mudNameMaps*.mdb file, and mudNameDB*.db file for that character. The mudName.lay file may also be copied if you do not wish to recreate the layout. Since you are only transfering one character, it does not make sense to copy the chardb.mdb file to the other copy of zMUD, so you just need to create the character again in the other copy of zMUD. If all characters were being transfered, then copying chardb.mdb does speed things up.

Kjata

MASTER Joined: 28 Nov 2000 Posts: 4817 Location: USA

You might also want to copy the mudName/Db directory and its contents if you have any databases.

LightBulb
Senior Member

GURU Joined: 23 Dec 2000 Posts: 4834 Location: USA

There's also a custom.mud file that goes along with default.mud. I haven't a clue what it does, but all my characters had that file auto-inserted into the inherited settings field upon creation.

li'l shmoe of Dragon's Gate MUD

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 4379 Location: USA

I believe custom.mud is part of a character creating scheme in past versions where you could create base settings file for various types of MUDs. Those files are not used anymore.

I edited the reply above to include global.mud. Db files included like LightBulb said too.

Kjata

Newbie Joined: 27 Aug 2002 Posts: 8 Location: USA

Thanks for the inundation of data, guys! I have one more little question...

Which of the Dynamic Link Libraries are still in use?

I have the following in my zmud directory:

Dwsw32.dll
elicen40.dll
vtcpak24.dll
vtcpak32.dll
vtcpak33.dll
zmapi.dll
zMUDapi.dll

Thanks Again!

Alex

Newbie Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 3 Location: Sweden

Well, i know that dwsw32.dll and elicen40.dll is vital for Zmud to work. DLL's are generally not healthy to remove, but back them up and try to delete one at a time. If everything works correctly, keep it that way, if not, you'll still have the DLL's

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 4379 Location: USA

vtcpak24.dll and vtcpak32.dll shouldn't be needed anymore since you have vtcpak33.dll. The zMUDapi.dll file is used by plugins that want to interface with zMUD through the dll instead of using COM. I believe zmapi.dll is used for the mapper. However, I don't guarantee anything, so as with any dll, excert caution when dealing with them and make backups.

Kjata

Newbie Joined: 06 Sep 2001 Posts: 5 Location: USA

I was getting a COM error message that looked like this:
fatal error: Cannot open databases in directory:C:ZMUD
COM Server Warning
There are still active COM objects in this application. One or more clients may have references to these objects, so manually closing this application may cause those client appliscations to fail.

Are you sure you want to close this application?

The Zmud wouldn't open. So I re-installed an earlier version. It didn't like that at all. The zmud worked, but the database was corrupted, it said. So then I re-installed the 6.40 and now it's telling me it can't function without the vtc24.dll file. I don't know where they all went, but I seem to have lost some of those older .dll files. I believe all these problems are related to this string. I just want to get my zMUD working again. Any suggestions?

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 4379 Location: USA

Do a clean reinstall: backup the necessary files, unistall zMUD, delete the remaining zMUD folder, reinstall zMUD and try it out. If it works, you may copy your backed-up files again.

Kjata