Workbench Metadata – Arma Reforger

Latest revision as of 11:57, 14 November 2023

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See the Metadata Wikipedia article.

.meta File

A .meta file is created whenever a resource (not scripts) is registered or created in the Workbench. This file holds metadata such as:

the resource's GUID - a unique identifier for the engine to track
the original file's path (informational, only the GUID is relevant to the engine)
platform build configuration:
- file: import configuration - the one that is set in the Resource Manager's Import Settings tab (e.g file's build presence, texture import quality, etc)
- directory: properties set by editing a registered directory using "Edit Properties" (e.g directory's build presence, build tag)

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A runtime file (.ent, .et, .json, .edds, but not .fbx, .tiff, .tga) without a .meta file will throw a warning in the Log Console about missing it.

GUID

The GUID is generated based on the file's path and name (using them as seed - regenerating the metadata of a file with identical path and name will generate the same GUID)
Once the meta file is generated, moving or renaming the file will not change its GUID (the meta file obviously must be renamed along the main file - this is done automatically when renamed from the Workbench)

GUID Change

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Changing a GUID manually is not a trivial operation - be careful doing it, and make backups.

Two files with the same GUID in two different addons will overwrite each other (see Data Modding Basics - Can Be Modified)
Two files with the same GUID in a single addon will throw a warning message in the Log Console and one of the files will not work properly.

A resource's GUID can be obtained can be obtained via the "Copy Resource GUID(s)" action Resource Manager - Contextual menus.

A GUID should normally not be changed, but a conflict can, in rare cases, happen. There are two ways to change a GUID:

rename the resource file, delete the .meta file, reimport the resource and rename the file back to the original name (safer, but any import configuration will be lost)
generate a new GUID with the Resource Browser utility (see Resource Manager - Generate GUID) and replace it manually in the .meta file

resourceDatabase.rdb File

This binary file is a database storing information of all resources available in the provided project (base game, addon). Its content changes when a resource is added or removed, and the file is verified and refreshed/re-created on Workbench opening and closing.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 ** file: import configuration - the one that is set in the Resource Manager's {{Link|Arma Reforger:Resource Manager#Import Settings|Import Settings}} tab (e.g file's build presence, texture import quality, etc)
 ** directory: properties set by editing a registered directory using "Edit Properties" (e.g directory's build presence, build tag)
+{{Feature|informative|A runtime file ({{hl|.ent}}, {{hl|.et}}, {{hl|.json}}, {{hl|.edds}}, but not {{hl|.fbx}}, {{hl|.tiff}}, {{hl|.tga}}) without a {{hl|.meta}} file will throw a warning in the Log Console about missing it.}}
 === GUID ===
@@ Line 19: / Line 21: @@
 ==== GUID Change ====
-{{Feature|warning|Changing a GUID manually is not a trivial operation - be careful doing it, and make backups.}}
+{{Feature|warning|
+Changing a GUID manually is not a trivial operation - be careful doing it, and make backups.
+* Two files with the same GUID in two different addons will overwrite each other (see {{Link|Arma Reforger:Data Modding Basics#Can Be Modified}})
+* Two files with the same GUID in a single addon will throw a warning message in the Log Console and one of the files will not work properly.
+}}
+A resource's GUID can be obtained can be obtained via the "Copy Resource GUID(s)" action {{Link|Arma Reforger:Resource Manager#Contextual menus}}.
 A GUID should normally not be changed, but a conflict can, in rare cases, happen. There are two ways to change a GUID: