Tech/Dev question: Would it possible to create a way to backup configs on console?

bobdrad · February 23

Some addons, such as Wizards Wardrobe, can require a huge amount of configuration data. Unfortunately, on Console, there's no way to copy or backup these configurations as there is on PC (without jailbreaking the filesystem, presumably). More unfortunately, sometimes things misbehave and wipe out those configurations. Many of us have had to recreate all our settings, including addon configurations, multiple times.

Would there be any way to create a general console mod that can export addon configurations in some fashion? For example some addons, such as More Markers, can export their configurations as strings, which can be copied and pasted into the console browser for storage in cloud. That's obviously very inconvenient, but it's better than having to recreate the entire configuration for Wizard's Wardrobe for 4 prog teams, for example. That could be vulnerable to schema changes potentially, but hopefully that doesn't happen often?

I'm trying to create some brainstorming here for ways to mitigate this painful issue and am open to other suggestions.

DenverRalphy · February 24

bobdrad wrote: »

Some addons, such as Wizards Wardrobe, can require a huge amount of configuration data. Unfortunately, on Console, there's no way to copy or backup these configurations as there is on PC (without jailbreaking the filesystem, presumably). More unfortunately, sometimes things misbehave and wipe out those configurations. Many of us have had to recreate all our settings, including addon configurations, multiple times.

Would there be any way to create a general console mod that can export addon configurations in some fashion? For example some addons, such as More Markers, can export their configurations as strings, which can be copied and pasted into the console browser for storage in cloud. That's obviously very inconvenient, but it's better than having to recreate the entire configuration for Wizard's Wardrobe for 4 prog teams, for example. That could be vulnerable to schema changes potentially, but hopefully that doesn't happen often?

I'm trying to create some brainstorming here for ways to mitigate this painful issue and am open to other suggestions.

How much data do you need to keep track of? Can you jam it all into a QR code?

[edit] NVM, I forgot that you'd also need to be able to import the data back in. =/

Baertram · February 24

Addons cannot do that, as addons can only save to the SavedVariables which is on the console filesystem again.

I guess the only way to backup data is to get into the filesystem, and for that you'd need some tools (not sure if there are any out there which can be used to read the filesystem of a console, but I guess so).

What adons can do is open a QRcode or a webbrowserwith fixed url, but we cannot pass in many data to that url as it will be truncated.
So we cannot send like long texts etc. to any website to backup the data from the URL.
With QR codes you maybe can do that but the import is missing then, as described above :-( So no way to get it back into your console account...

LootAllTheStuff · February 24

I can't see any way of doing it on XBox: the file system has been opaque to users since the XB1 launched. (Presumably MS changed that because of all the support calls for accidental permanent deletion of save files on the 360 - had my son do that to me

). There is no way around that without violating XBox TOS/TOU. My recollection was that PS4 files were more visible to users; not sure about PS5 as I've never encountered one in the wild.

bobdrad · February 24

Baertram wrote: »

Addons cannot do that, as addons can only save to the SavedVariables which is on the console filesystem again.

I guess the only way to backup data is to get into the filesystem, and for that you'd need some tools (not sure if there are any out there which can be used to read the filesystem of a console, but I guess so).

What adons can do is open a QRcode or a webbrowserwith fixed url, but we cannot pass in many data to that url as it will be truncated.
So we cannot send like long texts etc. to any website to backup the data from the URL.
With QR codes you maybe can do that but the import is missing then, as described above :-( So no way to get it back into your console account...

So how does More Markers do this? It has an export/import feature. Is it because the import string is relatively short?
If so, could one encode/segment a larger import string into multiple shorter strings?

Even if there's no way to create a general add-on for this purpose, having a library to do it which could be consumed by add-ons to create their own imports/exports would be great. Although there might not be a lot of motivation for devs to do this since on PC it's a non-issue.
It's a huge issue on console however.

Baertram · February 24

How does it actually import anything via QRcode? I mean what do you do to get more markers into your game on console?
Do you scan a QR code and then it does what? How does the scanned QR code (from your device like a smartphone or tablet) get data into your console game then?

You have to enter something into the chat ingame to import data? And this is manually then?

Could you describe it with more details please, so I can understand the technical parts.
Thanks

bobdrad · February 24

Baertram wrote: »

You have to enter something into the chat ingame to import data? And this is manually then?

Could you describe it with more details please, so I can understand the technical parts.
Thanks

Yes I believe it's done as chat strings. But now that I think about it, while you can use PC shortcuts like ^A, ^C, and ^V to copy/paste strings you type in yourself, I don't know how you can copy the output of an addon command so that you can paste it into a browser to save it externally (without doing something silly like snapshot and OCR to get the text). Can addons write to the console copy-buffer?

Baertram · February 24

No, addons can only write to SavedVariables on reloadui or zone switch.
On PC you manually need to select text and copy it, so on console it will be the same. If you attach a keybaord and that works flawlessly within ESO (not sure that is possibe?) you could type text and also copy the text (I assume).

What addons can do is create a QR code which contains an URI like https://www.mywebsite.com?data=abcd143454354
and this data string must contain anything that the website then can interprete and save.
The console addons, and PC addons, can try to open that URL from the game's API to show in the consoles browser then -> You see a popup ingame "Do you want to visit https://www.mywebsite.com?data=abcd143454354 ?"

But afaik there is no way to get data back from a website into your console game then. You'd have to a string from the website to your clipboard (CTRL+c) and then paste it into your ingame chat window, manually.
Or get an ingame mail from another user, which also needs that user to have the string so it can send it to you (if it's not too long and fits into a mail).
And the chat also only can max contain 350 characters in 1 message!

SugaComa · February 26

Only one way to do it and that to have the defaults for the saved variables set to the way you use it but to do that you would have to be the author., which why many authors do there very best to make the default setting the best for majority of users