Copy & save my GUI to use for other characters?

[Iwin]

How can I copy my GUI from one toon over to another, so my GUI looks the same and have the same keybindings? This would also come very handy if I save this for later use if I have to reinstall or buys a new PC.

If so, can this be done for multiple accounts too?


In advance; thanks.

[Honorbound]

The biggest problem is the way the various parts of the settings are stored, scattered across a lot of files some of which are specific to the given character and will become "orphaned" and a new set created when transferred to a different character.

Copying the content of an existing characters "..\Anarchy Online\Prefs\<account name>\<CharID>" folder to a new char will transfer everything that's needed to make its GUI setup look like the other one (including chat windows, channel assignment to the windows, shortcutbar setup where applicable, ignore list, etc.), but also a lot of things that will not be used and will be ignored and recreated into new files (hundreds/thousands of files that will become orphaned and noticeably slow down certain client operations such as opening the inventory and bank window).

A partial transfer is also possible, if you only copy the "..\Anarchy Online\Prefs\<account name>\<CharID>\Prefs.xml" file, which will not create useless duplicates, but you'll lose the position of a lot of GUI elements; various windows, shortcutbars, chat window layout and settings...

(I have been considering creating a tool that can properly migrate / merge the prefs fileset between chars without making a mess out of it, but I'm not exactly thrilled by what it would take so I keep putting it off... )

Edit:
I do have a tool which, while was originally created for a different purpose, can be tricked into stripping a prefs fileset of most of the char specific files that wouldn't be used on a different char anyway. It's a bit technical/complicated, but if you want to try it, I can explain what to do.

[Iwin]

The biggest problem is the way the various parts of the settings are stored, scattered across a lot of files some of which are specific to the given character and will become "orphaned" and a new set created when transferred to a different character.

Copying the content of an existing characters "..\Anarchy Online\Prefs\<account name>\<CharID>" folder to a new char will transfer everything that's needed to make its GUI setup look like the other one (including chat windows, channel assignment to the windows, shortcutbar setup where applicable, ignore list, etc.), but also a lot of things that will not be used and will be ignored and recreated into new files (hundreds/thousands of files that will become orphaned and noticeably slow down certain client operations such as opening the inventory and bank window).

A partial transfer is also possible, if you only copy the "..\Anarchy Online\Prefs\<account name>\<CharID>\Prefs.xml" file, which will not create useless duplicates, but you'll lose the position of a lot of GUI elements; various windows, shortcutbars, chat window layout and settings...

(I have been considering creating a tool that can properly migrate / merge the prefs fileset between chars without making a mess out of it, but I'm not exactly thrilled by what it would take so I keep putting it off... )

Edit:
I do have a tool which, while was originally created for a different purpose, can be tricked into stripping a prefs fileset of most of the char specific files that wouldn't be used on a different char anyway. It's a bit technical/complicated, but if you want to try it, I can explain what to do.

Thanks for a nice answer.

I think I'll pass. My skills when it comes to using certan aspects of the PC are very limited. I think I will do it the "old" way. It takes me a few minutes, but then it gets correct first time
(I would never give up on your tool if I first start on it, so I think I pass on it, as it could make me "stuck" for hrs or more on something htat combined I will have done faster the old way).

But a tool for "dummies" to do this would be real great...


-Thanks

[Gatester]

Just create a froob character and name it something like "Guisetup1". Set that character's GUI up the way you want it and leave it on noob island.

You can copy that character's prefs folder contents over as honor suggested and it won't cause any problems really. The main thing you have to fix is your shortcut bars and that is it. At least check it out cause it saves a lot of time.

[Iwin]

Just create a froob character and name it something like "Guisetup1". Set that character's GUI up the way you want it and leave it on noob island.

You can copy that character's prefs folder contents over as honor suggested and it won't cause any problems really. The main thing you have to fix is your shortcut bars and that is it. At least check it out cause it saves a lot of time.

Which files shall I copy to be sure I aint copying too much?

I want to be rather safe than sorry.

Thanks for the tip.

[1upnate]

if I wanted to copy over chat windows and subscriptions to another character, what folder would I be looking at?

I have about 8 different chat windows on my keeper to keep me happy and i'd love to get that on all my chars. but its a lot of work settings that all up every single time

[Honorbound]

Which files shall I copy to be sure I aint copying too much?

I want to be rather safe than sorry.

Thanks for the tip.

Using that trick, you can copy everything safely to a new char, since only the "common" parts of the files will exist on a newly created char, the problematic stuff gets added later as you start using it (which in this case you won't). It still won't be perfect, since it'll be missing some windows you may not have used/will use, but at least most of it will be set up.

You can also keep that char in that unplayed state (or at least save the entire CharID folder if you don't want to keep the char itself) as a template for later to set up any new "playing" chars.

For an existing char tho it won't be really usable, since you'd lose for example channel assigments, and some of the files would still just get recreated because of broken associations between them. In this case you still could only copy the Prefs.xml itself (actually, not even that as there's a chance that it would result in incompatible position/setting data assigned to some windows) and a select few other files here and there. There is no really quick way to transfer settings to an existing char other than going through all the files (and their associated counterparts through internal links) one by one and edit the necessary parts manually, which requires quite a bit of knowledge about how it all comes together... or just set them up manually, of course.

[Honorbound]

if I wanted to copy over chat windows and subscriptions to another character, what folder would I be looking at?

"..\Anarchy Online\Prefs\<account name>\<CharID>\Chat"
It contains all the window layouts and settings, the channels registered to each window (which might create unavailable channels in the channel list, for example when copying them from an omni char to a clan char, or when copying to a char being in a different org, but the presence of those doesn't cause any actual problem) and even the chat input history (if you want to delete that, you can delete the InputHistory.xml file in each "WindowX" folder found in "..\Anarchy Online\Prefs\<account name>\<CharID>\Char\Windows").