Location of INI-file and relative paths for portable use

[a.borque]

Hello!
If I read the documentation correctly ScummVM stores the INI-file somewhere in the users home-directory and needs absolute paths to the game-directories.
I don't know how much coding-work it would cost, ot whether it contradicts some ScummVM-design-philosophy, but would it be possible to allow

- storage of the INI-file in ScummVMs installation-directory
and
- relative paths to the game-data-directories

to ease portable use?
Doing a quick forum search I have not found any thread dealing with this, so I ask it.
Thanks!
A.Borque

[LogicDeLuxe]

All paths can be set with command line parameters, check the readme file.

[Dark-Star]

you can launch ScummVM with

Code: Select all

scummvm.exe --config=foo.ini

to use the INI file from the current directory, and then store/change all paths in that INI file to relative paths. This is a manual process (ScummVM will always write absolute paths to that file) but once you converted it, your ScummVM will be portable. I've been using this method for years.

[rootfather]

If there's any particular interest, I can try to build a version that would respect a "marker file" like "is_portable" and if such a file is present, automagically set all paths including the configuration relative to the ScummVM directory for "real" portable use.

@a.borque: Would that solve your issue?

[a.borque]

If there's any particular interest, I can try to build a version that would respect a "marker file" like "is_portable" and if such a file is present, automagically set all paths including the configuration relative to the ScummVM directory for "real" portable use.

@a.borque: Would that solve your issue?

Hi!
Yes, that would be great.
Perhaps ScummVM should expect the INI-file and (optional) additional libraries etc. in the directory where the main executable is stored (or a subfolder) in the first place and search by a relative path if not found there. The game data files should/could have relative paths by default?
Thanks a lot once again!
A.Borque

[NLS]

Indeed this is the proper method.
Look for the .ini locally first. This makes portable use easy.
Look for the .ini in user home directory. Prefer that if it exists. This would allow for custom parameters based on host hardware.

Also implement parameters to -ignorelocal or -ignorehome.

[rootfather]

A first solution for this issue now resides at https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/pull/1504.

[NLS]

Very good solution and I don't get why another dev fights it so much.
It is transparent, quite stupid-proof, has validity checks. It is OK.

Not all people want to use default user home directories in windows.
I actually don't even like that the exe (installer) version is "promoted" more for Windows, rather than the zip one (even for nightlies that are NOT intended for the casual user!).
Looks a bit like babysitting the users or not trusting them to "not make something stupid".

[a.borque]

Hi!
Aside from being not a dev but an (perhaps advanced, I don't know) user who only donated a small amount of money instead of code:

I support an optional portable solution for Windows!

I too don't get why other devs are fighting it so fiercely and say forking ScummVM would be the only possible way to get this done.
If an active user intervention is required to change the default behaviour, everyone doing so should have noticed and it should be no problem for support?
If it is such a big concern perhaps a string like "Portable mode" could be additionally displayed at a prominent place in the interface to further clarify ScummVMs current mode of operation?

A.Borque
PS: I am not posting this on Github because I am no Dev!