Tracking a file back to its associated mod?

[VulcanTourist]

Is there a means in Vortex to track a file - in this instance a RaceMenu preset file - back to the installed mod responsible for it? Often enough, chosen filenames are not sufficiently disambiguated to make it possible to figure it out from just looking at the file. I have half a dozen preset files that have me buggered, even after trying to use tricks like the date stamps on the files and installation dates of mods (if only the time was included, maybe that would have worked).

Edited June 18, 2020 by VulcanTourist

[anjenthedog]

If you only have a half dozen preset files, then here's what I'd do

1. create a dummy folder.
2. copy all the source files for those presets into it
3. decompress each into its own folder
4. review the contents.

Most preset installs are just a long folder chain that leads to the associated game directory for presets. (some don't even have the folder chain) You're looking for files with a .jslot file extension. (at least that's what's used for Skyrim LE/SE. not sure for other games)

 

an example from https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/37288?tab=files

 

Christie - Required Mods.txt (313 B)

Data

SKSE

Plugins

CharGen

Christie.dds (16.8 MB)

Christie.nif (3.3 MB)

Presets

Christie.jslot (90.3 kB)

 

Generally, they'll follow that path

 

/Data/SKSE/Plugins/CharGen/Presets/some-preset.jslot

 

where any associated meshes and textures (if provided) are in the

 

/Data/SKSE/Plugins/CharGen folder

 

Alternatively, you can review the file contents for the ~half dozen presets in their source mod pages by going to the files tab and then clicking "Preview file contents"

 

(And no, afaik, Vortex doesn't have the capability to do what you want...)

[VulcanTourist]

If you only have a half dozen preset files....

No, there's a half dozen out of 123 whose mod source I can't identify....

 

 

Alternatively, you can review the file contents for the ~half dozen presets in their source mod pages by going to the files tab and then clicking "Preview file contents"

I've been reviewing all my installed (preset) mods and visiting their NexusMods pages and previewing the file chains that were installed, and many more tricks, and I'm still coming up empty. I'm generally more than a little competent to solve my own technical problems, but this one has me stymied.

Edited June 19, 2020 by VulcanTourist

[anjenthedog]

I apologize if I sounded condescending. Didn't mean to. I also misread the number of presets you have.

 

good luck.

[Rattledagger]

and installation dates of mods (if only the time was included, maybe that would have worked).

If you double-click a mod to open-up the extra dialogue in the right, you will see the date + time mod was installed.

 

As for tracking file back to original mod, Vortex does not have a direct way for doing this.

 

Still, there are possibly two methods of handling this.

1st. method:

If you're lucky, you'll example looking for the file dwarvenarmor_0.nif, and since this file is only present a few times it's fairly easy to open-up File Explorer (on Vortex mods-tab, in menu on top click Open - "Open Mod Staging Folder") and search for dwarvenarmor_0.nif and only a small number of mods should show-up. In Vortex find one of these and since conflicts, right-click mod, click "Manage File Conflict" and find dwarvenarmor_0.nif in the file-tree. The mod the file is from will now directly show.

In case you've choosen an unique name, there won't be any file conflicts, but in this case the file is listed once in File Manager search and based on directory name you can normally directly find the mod.

 

Unfortunate, if you're unlucky, you'll example looking for "body" and for me this shows 595 results, much too many to be useful. In this case, use method 2.

 

2nd. method - Binary Search:

This can be done in Vortex.

Duplicate current profile and switch to new profile.

 

Disable half of the mods and deploy. Check if the file is still present in game-directory.

If file still present, you know the file is from the half not yet disabled. Disable half of this half and try again.

If file is not present, you know the file is in the half you disabled. Disable the remaining mods and re-enable half of the disabled half.

 

After 7 tests, you've found the original mod among 128 total mods.

After 8 tests, you've found the original mod among 256 total mods.

After 9 tests, you've found the original mod among 512 total mods.

After 10 tests, you've found the original mod among 1024 total mods.

 

Meaning, after 10 deploy or less you've found the mod the file is coming from, unless you started with more than 1024 active mods. Test 11 will find the original mod among 2048 total mods.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Rattledagger

[Tannin42]

A quick way may be to look at the vortex.deployment.json file in <path to your game>\data

In there you will find every file Vortex deployed, each entry has "relPath" which is the path to the file (relative to "data") and "source" which is the name of the mod, however it's not the name you manually gave the mod but the a name derived from the the archive you originally installed the mod from.

Please don't edit the file, Vortex needs it to work correctly.

[VulcanTourist]

and installation dates of mods (if only the time was included, maybe that would have worked).

If you double-click a mod to open-up the extra dialogue in the right, you will see the date + time mod was installed.

 

As for tracking file back to original mod, Vortex does not have a direct way for doing this.

 

Still, there are possibly two methods of handling this.

1st. method:

If you're lucky, you'll example looking for the file dwarvenarmor_0.nif, and since this file is only present a few times it's fairly easy to open-up File Explorer (on Vortex mods-tab, in menu on top click Open - "Open Mod Staging Folder") and search for dwarvenarmor_0.nif and only a small number of mods should show-up.

 

A tangent of your approach actually helped me identify the source of one file: a copy was nowhere in the staging folder, but when I expanded the search to the entire Vortex directory Windows found the filename in a log file, and it was bracketed by lines that revealed the name of the mod!

 

Sadly it only worked for the one, and the other six aren't even mentioned in any log file much less have copies stored... I don't know why. I haven't been installing any mods behind Vortex's back, so it should have a record of every mod and every file, with the exception of EnBoost and ReShade. But it has no record much less copies of those final six, and it didn't have a copy of the one that was in the record.

 

I'm a little bit unsettled by what Vortex doesn't know that it should, but there's no more I can do. Obviously if there's not even a record much less archival copies of those remaining files, technique #2 will also fail for lack of that record... it can't remove files that it has forgotten exist.

 

Thanks for also pointing out that the info panel/sidebar actually shows the install time as well as date. That may one day be useful.

 

 

A quick way may be to look at the vortex.deployment.json file in <path to your game>\data

In there you will find every file Vortex deployed, each entry has "relPath" which is the path to the file (relative to "data") and "source" which is the name of the mod, however it's not the name you manually gave the mod but the a name derived from the the archive you originally installed the mod from.

Please don't edit the file, Vortex needs it to work correctly.

I didn't know about this file, but Windows would have included it in the text search I did if I had expanded the search to the entire drive. When I searched it directly, it had mention of all seven of the mystery files.

 

So... all seven are now accounted for. I will remember these techniques for the next time; knowing me, there will certainly be a next time.

Edited June 19, 2020 by VulcanTourist