Addon Linker Questions

I have been using this tool for several months but now have a few issues I’d like to understand. One is that with several aircraft, those with installers like FBW A320 neo, SWS P12, FSS E175 the aircraft folder is in both the Community folder and my Addon Community folder. The “Is Link” box is not checked in the addon linker app for those folders. My question is why didn’t the linker app not move the content and create the symbolic link, and how should I resolve this? I guess one way is to just leave those with installers in the community folder along with their liveries so that the installer knows where they are and I don’t have to copy back and forth or whatever is required. I would delete the folders in the addon linker community folder if I use this approach.

Or - find a way to use the addon linker community file - making the Community aircraft folder a symbolic link, making sure that the version in the addons link Community folder is the one with the latest version, and figure out a way to get the installer to recognize the new location. Would need help figuring this one out given the current state - especially making the Community folders symbolic links.

The other issue I have is that the PMDG 737 and DC-6 livery folders do not have a symbolic link to a folder in the addon linker folder structure. I do have those livery folders in my addon linker community subfolder ‘Liveries’, but there is no symbolic link to them.

And finally an observation. I was under the impression that disabling the addons I would not be using would shorten the MSFS startup time. I have about 150 addons, aircraft, liveries, tools/utilities, airports, scenery. There is virtually no difference in startup time between disabling all or enabling all. So the only purpose this linker is going to have for me, at least at this point, is to be able to organize the addons by type into folders so I can see what I do and don’t have. Somewhat useful, but not sure it’s worth the hassle. Probably useful in the ‘remove everything from your Community folder’ advice for trouble shooting. But even that’s not super helpful.

I have had no problem in simply moving the files out of the Community folder into the Linker default folder for addons. I then have the Linker program enable the addon and it puts the symbolic link into the Community folder automatically.

Do you have the installers pointed to the Community folder by chance?

If so, whenever you do an update, it is going to put it directly into your community folder. To correct this, you have a few options. If the installation manager allows custom Community folder locations, uninstall the affected products, re-install and point it to a “custom” Community folder which is basically wherever you want them that Addon Linker uses.

Going forward, the updates will go to that spot rather than directly installing into your community folder.

Or, just leave it as is, and cut it from the Community folder and move it to wherever you want it, knowing that next update you will have to do the same.

This is how I do it from a “management” perspective, I have everything set to install to the community folder. I then Cut it from there, and pasted it to the external folder I want Addon Linker to use.

I then created a profile in Addon Linker called “MSFS Updates” which has EVERY addon selected.

Then I run through all my apps and do the updates, as far as the app is concerned it’s installing into the “Community” folder, but that’s obviously just a link.

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This is how I have mine laid out;

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And then each “installer” is pointed to it’s respective folder.

The only thing I leave in there is AFC_Bridge.

For PMDG 737, you don’t actually see each any every livery, they get installed through PMDG’s tool and then you should have 1 entry for pmdg-aircraft-73X-liveries (x being the model variant you are using).

Ex:

I don’t own the DC-6 but I suspect this is the same?

As for load times, it use to affect it allot, since SU13-14, it doesn’t seem to as much anymore, long load times regardless.

That said, if you use FSUIPC and have it set to start with MSFS, I do notice that seems to slow it down more.

It’s one reason I dislike certain installation managers. Some ask me where I want to install, and I choose my Addon_Linker folder. Others don’t give me a choice, search for and find ‘Community’ and install there, complicating my goal of minimizing content in that folder.

I’ve said it before: For 3rd party mods, let me download a ZIP file and install the folder containing the mod’s files myself. In fact, I find myself gravitating towards two kinds of downloads:

  1. Marketplace (because a plane I want is unavailable elsewhere.)
  2. Developers who release their product in a form I can download and install myself.

I’d be curious to know which apps don’t let you specify? I can’t think of any, and I use a TON!

IIRC, Orbx’ installer gave me no choice. I haven’t used them since I bought my first plane from them quite a while ago. Maybe they’ve changed, or maybe my memory is faulty.

ORBX installer gives you the option to use another location, but it then creates the links so not exactly ideal.

I just let everything install to the Community Folder, then I cut and pasted everything into the folder structure I wanted, set it up in addon linker, then created a profile called MSFS Updates that has everything selected, enable that profile and run the gambit of updating through all the various players.

Then turn off that profile.

Thanks. Far fewer flaming hoops to jump through if you could just download a ZIP file from a server and extract it to your Addon_Linker folder.

Are there benefits to using a download manager? Sure. They make it easy to rely on 3rd party software to monitor activity on your computer and keep the product updated (like Microsobo does.)

There’s a few benefits, obviously the main one would be update management, makes updating much easier.

The other is configurations.

Allot of airports are customizable, static aircraft, landside cars, modeled interior, etc. can be turned off and on.

This can be manually done through the config files by editing them, but it’s also nice to be able to just toggle it in the manager.

That’s a valid point. As a rule I don’t do addon airports, as I find them a rather pointless waste of money. Others love them, and for those folks the installer and its option settings makes a lot of sense.

Another example would be if the installer could run a performance test on a system and offer customizable aircraft with recommended options for multiple textures, flight model, and control system complexities.

But that would require a lot more work than most developers can reasonably be expected to take on. Downloade managers are (to me) control, disguised as convenience. Call me a cynic, if you must.

Hey thanks for the explanations! I’ll take a look at this again now knowing a bit more about how this works. I think when some of the addon installers are installed you specify the community directory location and you can’t change it afterwards.

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Having a number of separate installation managers is problematic. How do you keep track of what installers you have and which addonsgo go with a particular installer. The update management is a useful function for this but it comes at the price of additional complexity. Starting to remind me of Xplane.

At this point, it’s just muscle memory to be honest.

Friday’s are usually “update day” for me. I enable the profile and launch every product.

I’m a bit OCD so my start menu is all organized and everything programmed into my stream deck as well. I just run the gambit and fire everything off, then just go through it all and update.

I also keep a Google Sheet of everything and update it as I go.

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On this subject: I just purchased X-Codr Denver through ORBX. The folder was automatically downloaded into my MSFS Community folder. I have tried to copy and paste, and also to cut and paste into my linker Community folder, but the downloaded gets corrupted when I do this. Is there another way to move the airport that I’m missing?

I would suggest just dragging and dropping using File Explorer. How do you know it’s corrupted?

Because it comes up with a berm (or bump) running down the centerline of all three ramps.
However, I finally figured out how to download to a library, and also, that Asobo Denver is causing the problem.