Quick Help: Plugin-Manager not working

[cogeo]

Hi,

I'm facing a problem with the PM:
- While the "Models" list is OK, the "Descriptors" tree is empty.
- Pressing F5 (Refresh) returns the following error: Error loading Properties XML file
- In the File->Settings dialog, all entries in both the "General" and "Files" tabs are empty.

Have you ever had this problem?

It used to work though. There are several things I suspect:
- Do you have any file named Properties.XML? Of course I don't mean the one for the reader. It must be somewhere in the Simcity folder (Program Files).
- PM creates a folder named Plugins, at the same location as the SC4PluginMan.exe executable resides. Could you please check what this folder contains?
- Could you please check the registry? Run the Registry Editor (from your Windows Taskbar click Start->Run, and type-in regedit), and go to key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Maxis\SimCity 4 and check the contents of this key and its subkeys. Better export the tree (right-click on "SimCity 4" and select "Export") and send it to me please.

Thanks!

[Lowkee33]

Do you have any file named Properties.XML? Of course I don't mean the one for the reader. It must be somewhere in the Simcity folder (Program Files).

In the Apps directory I have a file named "SC4Exemplar.xml" which causes your error when not present.

PM creates a folder named Plugins, at the same location as the SC4PluginMan.exe executable resides. Could you please check what this folder contains?

I have nothing there, but I think The Living Mall was put there when either Rush Hour or PM was installed.

send it to me please.

I exported it, and it is a .reg.  Is that what you want?  I will send you a link through google docs.  I think this should work.

[cogeo]

Thanks Carl!

Could you pls send me SC4Exemplar.xml too? I don't have this file in my installation.

Another question, does your PM display help? Mine doesn't.

[Lowkee33]

btw,

In the File->Settings dialog, all entries in both the "General" and "Files" tabs are empty.

I noticed this when I took the xml out of the App folder.  With it in there are entries there.

The file should be in a PM.  Never done that before, so I hope it works. 

My PM displays help.

[cogeo]

Carl, thanks again!

Checked the registry entries, and everything was almost identical. Mine is missing the IsDeluxe entry (but this is normal, as I have SC4+RH, not Deluxe), and some settings like CacheSize and Product GUID differ too (it's OK again, as it's a different product), so I'm not changing these.

Out of the topic, it might be interesting to know what CacheSize affects, as in your (Deluxe) installation it's ca 50% larger. Could it make the game faster??? Mmmm....

Installed SC4Exemplar.xml, and the Descriptors list was displayed, though only if I pressed F5 (Refresh).
I still had problems, saving an exemplar was impossible ("Error saving exemplar resource" ??).

I noticed that in the Settings dlg, Files tab, only Properties XML was OK (pointing to SC4Exemplar.xml), but the other two were empty.

Created an (empty) file named Ingred.ini in the main Simcity 4 folder (it was missing), and now I can open PM and see the Descriptors list (without having to press F5), and most importantly save the exemplar! Also the "Ingred" setting now shows this file, but the program doesn'r save anything there (it remains empty). Entry Application.ini is still empty.

It seems more parts of my installation are still missing. I can't see the PM help. Do you know which is the missing file?
Also what's the Application.ini setting in your installation?

Could you pls send me (your) Ingred.ini, Application.ini and the help file?
I have another problem, all entries in the Settings dlg are not editable; I can remember that I could change at least the Models folder (or I'm wrong?). Maybe installing the correct Ingred.ini and Application.ini will fix these too.

Don't know what has caused all this, I uninstalled older versions of NAM as well as some programs like DatPacker, Region Census, SC4M/TF, and reinstalled them, maybe some un-installation removed these files too. The download from EA contains only the .EXE (not an installer, the executable itself!) and I don't know how else to get these files back (and avoid reinstalling SC4+RH+patches+Tools+...).

[Lowkee33]

Also what's the Application.ini setting in your installation?

I don't have an Application.ini  .  I can't change these settings either, and although I can see the help menu, clicking help in this window only displays an error message.

The download from EA contains only the .EXE (not an installer, the executable itself!) and I don't know how else to get these files back (and avoid reinstalling SC4+RH+patches+Tools+...).

Have you tried the BAT download from the EA support section over here?  PM gets installed automatically with the BAT.  I think I did this recently and it worked, hmm, maybe that was MaxisLE.

Unless there is something unethical about posting on google docs, it seems like this would cause SC4D less stress: Ingred and Help.  They both go in the App folder.

[cogeo]

Carl, thanks!!! 

It works now!
I can see the help, and everything looks OK, as before. Can't change the settings, but this may be a feature of the program itself (and I may not remember correctly).

As for the Application.ini, I tried creating an (empty) file named SC4PluginMan.ini, in the same folder as the executable. Now it shows this file in the Application.ini entry. Also searched the .EXE with a hex editor, and found that a "SC4PluginMan.ini" string, indeed exists in there! That is the program is looking for it (unless it's something "old" and forgotten). But it seems to make no difference at all.

LE works properly now (at least as far as its core functionality is concerned).

All the Best!



Note: If someone has a non-empty SC4PluginMan.ini file in his/her installation, please Post!