Option to clean up Vortex mod staging folder by removing files that is not used after conflict solving

[KeXe5]

45 minutes ago, showler said:

I do think it would be a useful idea.  And that Vortex might need a "power user" mode for experienced users.

The main issue is that I'm pretty sure that Black Tree has stopped adding new features to Vortex and any new feature requests would be directed to the upcoming Nexus Mods App instead.

Your best bet would be to write it up on the http://feedback.nexusmods.com Feedback Portal site and allow people to upvote it.  Highly voted suggestions will be given priority consideration when they start adding extra features to the Nexus Mods App.

Thanks, posted it there too.

[vortexposer]

An alternative method that achieves exact same effect (destructive to file integrity), would be to use "combine" feature and essentially merge all enabled mods into one mod (folder). This gets rid of overwritten files (only conflict winner are kept) but also uninstalls every mod that isn't the "combined" mods target. User can take all active mods (of the same mod type) and make one giant mod - which is basically what you're already proposing by removing its conflicting file losers from each individually enabled mod in profile.

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by vortexposer

[showler]

That might be a bit much.  Simply removing the unneeded files would still allow you to update the mod (the unneeded files would end up being put back but that wouldn't matter since they still wouldn't be deployed by Vortex).  The combined folder idea would probably prevent that.

[vortexposer]

I don't disagree but file integrity is already being compromised and as previously stated, what happens when override is disabled if critical file are then missing? There is a plugin (extension) for MO2 by LostDragonist that does this exact suggestion but beside saving a bit of space, I don't find it has any tangible value that combining wouldn't also achieve by simply merging everything (or maybe just some things) into what essentially can be considered as a managed output folder for controlled merges.

Whenever I've done this, I kept output and combined mods it uses in its own custom category as a way to keep track of what contents were "merged".

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by vortexposer

[showler]

If done correctly the process would be entirely reversible by Nexus Mods App maintaining a list of deleted unnecessary files and replacing them from the downloaded archives if necessary.  This would allow the process to be one click to clean up, one click to revert and still save space on the fast SSD with the unnecessary files only being stored on a slower larger drive with the rest of the downloads.

If you're going to do this it should be as simple a process as possible both to do and undo.

[beomble]

How is this any different than merging your mods that overwrite eachother? and how would it handle file updates? Sounds like you want is for the staging folder to function like deployed mods, which wholy defeats the purpose of the staging folder.

[KeXe5]

On 12/7/2023 at 2:05 AM, multicolourcrayons said:

How is this any different than merging your mods that overwrite eachother? and how would it handle file updates? Sounds like you want is for the staging folder to function like deployed mods, which wholy defeats the purpose of the staging folder.

To be honest, you was right... I was not even aware that Vortex have mod merging function, just discovered it some days ago. Otherwise after i tried it i realised it needs to do one by one on each mod that overwrite others, and you need to figure out all of that by yourself, which one of the mods can be merged together. So at the end, you still need an easier, automated way.

Edited December 19, 2023 by KeXe5