WebSync – How To (English)

Instructions for the use of the WebSync

Contents

 

Creating a Series

To create a series for SimSync PRO, several steps are necessary.

  1. Create a directory via FTP on the sync-server.
  2. Upload the files and folders.
  3. Use the WebSync to manage the series settings.
  4. Index the series.
  5. Test run
  6. Finishing touches

We recommend using an FTP client like FileZilla to connect to the FTP server. Using a browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc. is not advisable and will cause problems!

1. Create a directory via FTP on the sync-server

With your password, you get access to your area of the sync-server with an FTP client. The server is located at the address “ftp.simsync.de”. As soon as you have established a connection, you will be in your FTP root directory.
Now create a new directory (e.g. alms) which will be used as the series base folder. Do not use spaces or special characters in the directory name! Upper case letters are allowed, but lower case letters are preferred.

2. Upload the files and folders

Hint!
Unfortunately, FTP uploads lose the timestamp of the file during transfer, instead the server assigns the current date/time to the file. For this reason SimSync PRO recognizes this file as “newer” than the local file and overwrites it during synchronization.
To prevent this, you should use an FTP client, which is able to keep the timestamp of the transferred files (e.g. FileZilla).
If you use such a client, do not forget to enable this option…!

Upload your data into the new directory (the series base folder).
The structure of the data must be similar to the way it is in a mod, car, track pack. I.e., that all the files must use the same relative path starting from the series base folder just as it would be on a local machine starting from the game directory.
For example, if tracks are located on the local machine at C:\Games\rFactor\gamedata\locations, they must be placed on the server into /<series basefolder>/gamedata/locations.
If you need to place data outside the series base folder, for example in the games documents folder, then there are so-called special folders that you can use to manage the data there. For example, the path in the previous example needs to use the special folder _DOCUMENTS_ to access the documents folder: /<series basefolder>/_DOCUMENTS_/Customs/. Click here to learn more about special folder names.
This applies to all data that is transmitted.

 

3. Use the WebSync to manage the series settings

While the data is being copied to the server (or afterward), use the WebSync to define the series.

  1. Click on the button [New Series].
  2. Enter the required data and set the options according to your needs:
    1. Series enabled?
      As long as “No” is selected, the series will not be displayed in the SimSync PRO.
    2. Game
      Choose the right game. A rFactor series will only be displayed in the SimSync PRO if the sync is located in the rFactor root directory.
    3. Name
      Enter the name of the series as it should be displayed in SimSync PRO. Each game + name combination must be unique.
    4. Series base folder
      Select the name of the created series base folder (i.e. alms).
    5. Remove unused content?

      If enabled, those files are removed, which are located in the same folders as the synced files but are not part of the current series’ files.
      Files that are protected by the “Undeletable” option, which are part of other series or are protected by the “Protect original files” option, will not be deleted.
      Make sure you test this function extensively before you release it to your drivers!
    6. Delete sub-folders
      Here you can specify, in which folders the sync is allowed to delete unused sub-folders. The entered path MUST ALWAYS be relative to the base folder of the game, except it starts with a specialfolder like _DOCUMENTS_, that is supported by the game! The specialfolders _ROOT_ is not allowed to be used here!
      Unknown files will be deleted anyway, as long as if “Remove unused content?” is set to “YES”. However, directories below the specified directories are deleted only if the files in the directories are managed by the sync.
      This setting is only used, if “Remove unused content?” is set to YES.
      Please note

      • 1 path per line!
      • Max 1 wildcard (*) per path!
      • _ROOT_ is not allowed! Use only specialfolders that are supported by the game (see Series base folder, Supported specialfolders)!
    7. Undeletable
      Directories given here will be definitely NOT be deleted. specialfolders, except _ROOT_ can also be used here.
      In rFactor this should apply for: UIData, RFM, gamedata/vehicles, gamedata/locations
      In GTR2 and GTL this should apply for: gamedata, gamedata/locations
      Please note

      • 1 path per line!
      • Wildcards (*) are not allowed!
      • _ROOT_ is not allowed! Use only specialfolders that are supported by the game (see Series base folder, Supported specialfolders)!
    8. Local configuration files to protect
      Enter here a list of local configuration files, which shouldn’t be overwritten by the sync, even if they do not match the server content.
      Example: app1/app1.ini
      Please note

      • 1 file incl. relative-path per row!
      • 1 Wildcard (*) is permitted in the filename (NOT the path!)
        e.g. app1/*.ini is OK; app*/app1.ini is wrong!
      • _ROOT_ is not allowed! Use only specialfolders that are supported by the game (see Series base folder, Supported specialfolders)!
    9. Scan & Delete
      Enter here those folders which the sync MUST scan for unknown files and folders, even if no file is located in that folder. The sync “knows” folders only, if files are located in that folder or the folder is located in a folder with files managed by the sync.
      This parameter is useful if you remove a mod from your series and the sync doesn’t recognize it. By adding the base folder of the mod to this field, the sync will scan it and delete the removed files.
      Please note

      • 1 path per line!
      • Wildcards (*) are not allowed!
      • _ROOT_ is not allowed! Use only specialfolders that are supported by the game (see Series base folder, Supported specialfolders)!
    10. Protect original game files?
      If set to “YES”, the sync will protect all original game files from being deleted by the sync. This setting is not available for all games. In that case, this setting will be greyed out. The most up to date list of the supported games are displayed below the setting.
    11. Password
      The series can be protected by a password. The user will be asked to enter the password, BEFORE syncing any files. This means, if the password is wrong, no files will be transferred. This option should be used at least during testing.
    12. SteamIDs
      Enter here a list of SteamIDs (SteamID64), that should have access to this series. Users with a SteamID not listed here, will not be able to sync the series!
      Use the buttons “Sort & Count” and “Check names” to verify, if the entered SteamIDs are valid and sort the numbers ascending.
      If you do not know how to find the SteamID, click on the following link to view a tutorial video about How to find the SteamID. Thanks to “Killerturcky” for sharing this video.
    13. Changelog mode
      Should the changelog be displayed on syncing and if yes, when? Choose between Manual (open the changelog manually from the series context menu), Before (the syncing starts), and After (the sync has finished).
      This option is always available in the websync, but if the changelog is empty, this setting has no influence.
    14. Readme mode
      Should the readme (if available) be displayed on syncing and if yes, when? Choose between Manual (open the changelog manually from the series context menu), Before (the syncing starts), or After (the sync has finished).
      Readme’s must be saved to the series base folder and can be either in .txt or .md (Markdown) format. e.g. readme.txt or readme.md
      Localized versions of the readme must be named according to the following scheme: readme_xx.txt (or .md) where xx is the 2-char language code like “de”, “en” or “fr”. So the final filename looks like this: readme_fr.txt
      If both, a general and a localized version of the readme are available, the localized version will be used. If no localized version for your language is available, you will get the general readme.txt (or .md).
      This option is always available in the websync, but if no readme is available, this setting has no influence.
  3. Click [Save] to save the series.

 

4. Indexing the series

After all the data has been uploaded and the series has been created in the WebSync, you need to create the file index. Click [Index] for the corresponding series in order to create/update the file index.

The index is necessary because it makes the Sync recognize which files are new (or have been modified) and therefore need to be downloaded.

 

5. Test run

Before you release a series to the public you should test it.

In order to do this, protect the series with a password that only you know.
Enable in the the sync the option “Show preview”, so you get a list of file that will be downloded or deleted. Check this list exactly, especially the files and folders which the sync will delete. Check if there are files/folders, that you don’t expect to get deleted.
In that case, try to modify the settings, so that no files or folders get deleted, that shouldn’t get deleted…
Once you have optimized the settings, do not forget to remove the password (or to replace it with the previous one).

Hint!
If you have the chance to create a copy of your game installation, you should do this and run your tests on this installation, because wrong settings or a faulty data structure can lead to errors in the game and/or loss of data and consequently force you to reinstall everything.

A backup of the game installation can save a lot of time … 😉

 

6. Finishing touches

After all the important steps have been checked and a successful test run carried out, it is now time to let the drivers synchronize the series.
If you have not yet deleted or restored the password, you should do so. Or you can forward the new password to the drivers.

Do not forget to sync the game server as well! 😉

 

Modifying a Series

  1. Data Transfer
  2. Editing
  3. Indexing
  4. Test run
  5. Finishing touches
1. Data Transfer

First, you should disable the series you want to update. This makes sure, that nobody is syncing the series while you are updating it. After that, you can start to upload the new or changed data via an FTP client to the sync server. If you find unnecessary files, you should delete them from the server.

 

2. Editing

If you need to change any setting of the series, click on the [Edit] button to open the series in edit mode. Apply your changes and do not forget to save the series. A description of the fields can be found in the “Create a series” section.

 

3. Indexing

Whenever new or changed files have been uploaded or files were deleted from the server, the file index of the series MUST be recreated.

Do not forget forget to index the series, if the content of the series has changed!

 

4. Test run

See the “Test run” section in the “Create a series” area.

 

5. Finishing touches

In case you disabled the series in step 1, do not forget to enable it again… 😉

Do not forget to sync the game server as well! 😉

 

Deleting a Series

  1. How to delete a series in the WebSync
  2. How to delete the series data via an FTP client

 

1. How to delete a series in the WebSync

To delete a series in WebSync, click on [Edit] for the corresponding Series.
On the next page you will find a [DELETE] button at the bottom right of the page. Click on the button to start the deletion process.
After you confirm the following prompt, the series is removed from WebSync. However, the files on the server still exist!

 

2. How to delete the series data via an FTP client

The second step is to delete the files of the series using an FTP client. Simply delete the base directory of the series on the sync server.
Attention! There is NO Undelete function! Files that have been deleted are lost!