Help:Trainz Content (Content Manager)

Content Manager Tech Manual

Template:User-contrib To the new user, ContentManager.exe (usually just 'CM') has the appearance of a Windows-XP-era style spreadsheet with a over-busy left side pane of some sort occupying the left margin and the right pane initially having a somewhat confusing spreadsheet-like format—which on initial boot is alarmingly incomplete. It won't help the new users state of calm that the first thing the tool displays is an inadequate message about the initial long wait the new Trainzer is now experiencing in an alarming way, but that's our beloved N3V Geeks for you.

TS2009-SP3's Content Manager 2.0 shown displaying the 42 local routes included; because of the last update, there are several routes showing the red exclamation mark signifying a fault in an asset.

They're not real good at walking in another man's shoes. There is nothing to worry about. While there is plenty of time to go make a cup of tea or void the bladder of previously ingested caffeine—fortunately the wait while the database manager initializes its local list of assets available on the Download Station will soon be over. Of course if you hadn't connected to the internet, or haven't yet signed in and registered your copy with Planet Auran, this wait will be indefinite, so quit out and go take care of the paperwork!

TIP: when all else fails in Trainz, try the escape (ESC) key.

There at first seem to be a bewildering number of columns of information or indexing, only some of which stand out initially as comprehensible. The kuid, author, and asset name columns readily jump out as identifiers, while the default column set does not display them, the region and era, or the dates columns at least seem to make immediate sense—though how such data might either be used or even be useful is not immediately clear. This page and its several sub-pages is meant to give you a basic set of skills and a knowledge reference about ContentManager, a data base manager, download manager, upload manager, archive controller, asset status indicator, and update manager tool can be used to make your Trainz experience even better.

Unlike the rest of Trainz, Content Manager is an actual windowed application, but the first lesson to learn about living with CM is that Trainz has a hidden part called TADdaemon that takes a while to shut down when quitting out so you want to wait plenty of time (as much as 5-6 minutes) when leaving Trainz for this facility to close up shop. Then and only then will it be safe to reboot or shut down the computer.

Trainz User Tip:
Content and asset in Trainz-speak are nearly always used in interchangeable contexts, but do have a technical difference. Technically, an asset isn't content until it's included in some other asset, such as the normal two grouping containers: Sessions or Routes. Until placed in the virtual world by one of those, assets are just potential content that appears as menu choices on menus.

Trainz 2009 after upgrade to Service Pack 3; all releases after this list the Trainz-build version in the Windows Title Bar where this image shows "ContentManager 2.0" like earlier TS2009 versions. Service Pack 4 showed "ContentManager 3.3" in the same spot, TS2010 started with "ContentManager 3.2", and TS2012 "ContentManager 3.6" or 3.7 for SP1.

Content Manager has a number of functions rolled into one integrated package giving you control and access to the hundreds of thousands of assets available for Trainz. The main functions that Content Manager offers are: