I am seeing more and more requests for help solving VASL problems which are in fact issues of file management and access.
These problems arise primarily for Windows users and seem to be increasing with the arrival of Windows 11 but there is probably some good practice advice here for Mac and Unix users.
The key point is to separate data from program files. You wouldn’t wash your tidy whites with your new blue jeans and you shouldn’t put your data files in with your program files.
In Windows, avoid placing data files in areas such as C:\Program Files or any subdirectory under such a heading. Place your personal files in areas such as Documents on your device. Cloud storage locations such as One Drive, Google Drive, etc., are good for permissions/access but may cause problems during play if the internet connection is not strong and reliable. Thus they are not recommended for non-expert users and are not recommended for anyone when using VASSAL in edit mode to save modules or extensions.
So, what is a data file? For VASL purposes consider all boards, overlays, .vsav files, .vlog files, and extensions to be data files. All of these should be put in places where windows will let you as the user, and apps such as VASSAL, have access to them. I recommend that folks pay particular attention to their extensions and boards directories to make sure they are and will remain accessible.
Default access permissions for file types and for file locations can differ from version to version of windows and from computer producer to producer when windows comes pre-installed. It is possible that what has worked well for a long time will stop working on a new or upgraded device.
For those of your who are expert users, you understand that there is a lot more detail to this and other ways to solve the problems. You will have solutions in place already, I am sure. For those who are not experts, I would strongly recommend that you move all of the VASL file types described above into locations under the Documents folder or in a cloud storage.
There is some risk that moving extensions to new locations might have an impact on previously saved games. I did a quick test using the BFP extension and a game saved with the extension saved in one place worked well when I opened it after having moved the extension. But this is no guarantee so approach with caution and do a little testing on your system.
These problems arise primarily for Windows users and seem to be increasing with the arrival of Windows 11 but there is probably some good practice advice here for Mac and Unix users.
The key point is to separate data from program files. You wouldn’t wash your tidy whites with your new blue jeans and you shouldn’t put your data files in with your program files.
In Windows, avoid placing data files in areas such as C:\Program Files or any subdirectory under such a heading. Place your personal files in areas such as Documents on your device. Cloud storage locations such as One Drive, Google Drive, etc., are good for permissions/access but may cause problems during play if the internet connection is not strong and reliable. Thus they are not recommended for non-expert users and are not recommended for anyone when using VASSAL in edit mode to save modules or extensions.
So, what is a data file? For VASL purposes consider all boards, overlays, .vsav files, .vlog files, and extensions to be data files. All of these should be put in places where windows will let you as the user, and apps such as VASSAL, have access to them. I recommend that folks pay particular attention to their extensions and boards directories to make sure they are and will remain accessible.
Default access permissions for file types and for file locations can differ from version to version of windows and from computer producer to producer when windows comes pre-installed. It is possible that what has worked well for a long time will stop working on a new or upgraded device.
For those of your who are expert users, you understand that there is a lot more detail to this and other ways to solve the problems. You will have solutions in place already, I am sure. For those who are not experts, I would strongly recommend that you move all of the VASL file types described above into locations under the Documents folder or in a cloud storage.
There is some risk that moving extensions to new locations might have an impact on previously saved games. I did a quick test using the BFP extension and a game saved with the extension saved in one place worked well when I opened it after having moved the extension. But this is no guarantee so approach with caution and do a little testing on your system.
