Trainz/AM&C/Third Party Content

yes yes Acquiring and Managing Data from Third Party Sources Trainz Assets & Content Management Fundamentals yes thumb|220px|right|DLS 3rd party content was used as a sweetener in Trainz 2004 to wet the appitite and advertise the newly established DLS. Unlike later Trainz, early version ContentManager.exe programs served solely as a download manager, adding to but not managing the data base. What is 3rd Party Content Third party content is any Trainz compatible asset made available by private communications or publicly available channels that you have not written the software for (created) yourself nor which is offered by N3V Games as official content in one release or another. Third party content is the magic in the box, since there are thousands of us contributing to the rich panoply of resources, most of it freeware, that enrich and make the Trainz modeling experience untouchable relative to the occasional short-lived competing product. Other simulators run faster, have less quirks, better graphics, but none offer either the huge asset library that is the Download Station, the community camaraderie nor the world building ease and capabilities of Trainz Surveyors toolset in any version since UTC. Using the DLS website If you are a Wikibook reader, and not a registered Trainz owner, the next (https:// secure hyper-linked) link will likely not be successful for you The TRS2004 pre-release days (2003) saw the establishment of the https://www.auran.com/DLS/index.php first DLS facility, a shopping cart based website with search tools which many of us still find to be very useful to search out and explore the Content on the Download Station without CM getting between us and the lists, which are more like typical web-based shopping sites.   Auto-ContentManager Downloading Why ContentManager's name won't change Trainz releases ever since UTC beta tested the nascent DLS have made two or more data ownership (CDP .cdp, cdpa, and .cdp2) entries in the Microsoft Windows registry which allow the DLS Download Station's shopping cart via your browser (which can see the registry) to open and use the installed local computer installation's downloader, the FTP protocol handler parts in post-CMP ContentManager.exe modules. Further, in August 2015, Auran/N3V Games has instituted 'appropriate version' checks into the Trainz download sequence and the DLS itself is now limiting the downloads to appropriate TBV versions. If running Multiple Trainz versions, see Changing CDP entries in Windows Which ContentManager.exe is linked by the registry entries is the CM the DLS shopping cart will attempt to wake. If you are running multiple versions of Trainz and desire to select and download using the shopping cart facilities, you must make sure these data keys point to the desired ContentManager ..\bin folder. Downloading From 3rd Party websites   Notes, Footnotes & References Config.txt files are endemic and ever present in Trainz assets, for no asset can be defined without this type of Computer Science container. The keyword-value_of_key pairing must always be kept in mind in editing or creating Trainz content. The TrainzBaseSpec contains values and containers which are most common in asset defining config.txt files.   Notes   Footnotes   References Trainz printed or pdf file Manuals, applicable version - usually in the ..\extras or ..\extras\manuals folder Config.txt_file TrainzOnline Wiki Config.txt file page and various other pages CCG TrainzOnline Wiki: Content Creator's Guide pages (various) Various CCG and Auran websites   1 1 1