Using Command Line cfg file Option in Celestia - Its GREAT!
Posted: 15.11.2005, 01:18
Hi All:
Chris Laurel has released 1.4.0pre 7 and Fridger/Toti have just released 1.4.0 FT1.2. Both of them contain a new feature called the command line option for calling an alternate configuration file. Here's how it works!
1. Place your add-ons in separate folders, specific just to them. For example:
Arc Builders (folder with all add-ons in it)
Orion's Arm (folder with all add-ons in it)
Hi Res (folder with any high-res add-ons you like)
StarTrek (folder with Star Trek add-ons, etc.)
Educational Activity 2 (folder with all add-ons specific to that Activity)
Etc.
2. Place your individual folders above inside a "custom-extras" folder and store it in the Celestia main directory, next to the regular "extras" folder.
3. Copy the "celestia.cfg" file that comes with the program and edit the lines that call which start.cel you use, and which extras folder you open. For example, the lines might read,
4. Change any other cfg parameter you like. For example, I change several parameters, to include the RotateAcceleration line (40 is more controllable than 120), the Mouse Sensitivity line, star magnitude cutoffs, star names list, etc. I also have customized solarsys.ssc files in the data folder which I specify in the cfg file.
5. Save the cfg file under the name "StarTrek.cfg".
6. If you wish, create a separate start.cel, which opens Celestia far out in space or near the vicinity of a StarTrek planet or spaceship, at any time in the future. Save it as "StarTrek.cel"
7. In Windows, create a shortcut to Celestia.exe inside your Celestia folder.
8. Right-click on the shortcut and select "Properties"
9. Edit the target line to read,
10. Make sure the "Start in" line in the shortcut properties menu points to Celestia or Celestia FT1.2
For example, if using Fridger's new code, it should read,
11. Save the shortcut to anywhere you like (desktop, other folder, etc.)
12. Double-click on the shortcut to open it. It will now launch Celestia FT1.2 using your StarTrek.cfg file instead of the regular one. Your customized StarTrek.cel will open far out in space in the future, and only the add-ons you placed in the StarTrek folder inside custom-extras will be loaded.
13. Create as many custom cfg files as you wish, using as many shortcuts as you like. I have over 15 cfg files, calling 15 different sets of add-ons and different start.cel files. I keep them all in the Celestia main folder, but the shortcuts can be stored anywhere.
There are other ways to use this new feature, including launching it directly from an open document in MS Word. All my Educational Activities do so.
Enjoy and thanks to our great Celestia developers for the new feature.
Regards,
Frank
Chris Laurel has released 1.4.0pre 7 and Fridger/Toti have just released 1.4.0 FT1.2. Both of them contain a new feature called the command line option for calling an alternate configuration file. Here's how it works!
1. Place your add-ons in separate folders, specific just to them. For example:
Arc Builders (folder with all add-ons in it)
Orion's Arm (folder with all add-ons in it)
Hi Res (folder with any high-res add-ons you like)
StarTrek (folder with Star Trek add-ons, etc.)
Educational Activity 2 (folder with all add-ons specific to that Activity)
Etc.
2. Place your individual folders above inside a "custom-extras" folder and store it in the Celestia main directory, next to the regular "extras" folder.
3. Copy the "celestia.cfg" file that comes with the program and edit the lines that call which start.cel you use, and which extras folder you open. For example, the lines might read,
InitScript "StarTrek.cel"
DemoScript "demo.cel"
#------------------------------------------------------------------------
ExtrasDirectories [ "extras" "custom-extras/StarTrek" ]
4. Change any other cfg parameter you like. For example, I change several parameters, to include the RotateAcceleration line (40 is more controllable than 120), the Mouse Sensitivity line, star magnitude cutoffs, star names list, etc. I also have customized solarsys.ssc files in the data folder which I specify in the cfg file.
5. Save the cfg file under the name "StarTrek.cfg".
6. If you wish, create a separate start.cel, which opens Celestia far out in space or near the vicinity of a StarTrek planet or spaceship, at any time in the future. Save it as "StarTrek.cel"
7. In Windows, create a shortcut to Celestia.exe inside your Celestia folder.
8. Right-click on the shortcut and select "Properties"
9. Edit the target line to read,
"C:\Program Files\Celestia FT1.2\celestia.exe" --conf StarTrek.cfg
10. Make sure the "Start in" line in the shortcut properties menu points to Celestia or Celestia FT1.2
For example, if using Fridger's new code, it should read,
"C:\Program Files\Celestia FT1.2"
11. Save the shortcut to anywhere you like (desktop, other folder, etc.)
12. Double-click on the shortcut to open it. It will now launch Celestia FT1.2 using your StarTrek.cfg file instead of the regular one. Your customized StarTrek.cel will open far out in space in the future, and only the add-ons you placed in the StarTrek folder inside custom-extras will be loaded.
13. Create as many custom cfg files as you wish, using as many shortcuts as you like. I have over 15 cfg files, calling 15 different sets of add-ons and different start.cel files. I keep them all in the Celestia main folder, but the shortcuts can be stored anywhere.
There are other ways to use this new feature, including launching it directly from an open document in MS Word. All my Educational Activities do so.
Enjoy and thanks to our great Celestia developers for the new feature.
Regards,
Frank
