Plugins + Scripts VPM - VaM Package Manager

VPM - VaM Package Manager v0.4.08

A powerful, modern package management tool for Virt-A-Mate

Disclaimer - Work in Progress

Please Note: VPM is currently in active development and should be considered beta software.

• Bugs may occur - While we test extensively, unexpected issues can happen, especially with unusual package configurations or edge cases
• Always keep backups - VPM moves and modifies files. Although it's designed to be non-destructive (originals are preserved in ArchivedPackages), I recommend keeping backups of important packages
• Features may change - The interface and functionality may evolve between versions
• Report issues - If you encounter bugs or unexpected behavior, please let me know in discord with details about what happened

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What is VPM?

VPM (VaM Package Manager) is a standalone Windows application designed to help you organize, browse, and manage your VaM package collection with ease. Whether you have hundreds or thousands of packages, VPM provides a fast, visual way to explore your content, manage dependencies, optimize packages, and keep your VaM installation clean and organized.

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Getting Started

First Launch Setup

1. Download and extract VPM to any folder
2. Run VPM.exe
3. On first launch, you'll be prompted to select your VaM root folder (the folder containing VaM.exe)
4. VPM will scan your AddonPackages folder and build a cache of all your packages


Understanding the Interface

VPM's interface is divided into four main panels:

1. Left Panel - Filters: Filter your packages by various criteria
2. Center Panel - Package List: Your main package browser with search
3. Right Panel - Dependencies: View dependencies and dependents for selected packages
4. Far Right Panel - Image Preview: Visual preview of package contents

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Basic Tasks

Browsing Packages

The center panel displays all your packages in a scrollable list. Each package row shows:

• Package name and creator
• Content summary (scenes, looks, clothing, etc.)
• File size
• Status indicators: Favorite | A AutoInstall | Optimized | Old Version

Selecting Packages:

• Click to select a single package
• Ctrl+Click to add/remove from selection
• Shift+Click to select a range
• Drag to select multiple packages quickly

When you select packages, their preview images appear in the right-most panel, and their dependencies are shown in the Dependencies panel.

Searching and Filtering

Quick Search:
Use the search box above the package list to filter by name, description, or tags. The search is instant and updates as you type.


Filter Panel Options:

The left panel provides powerful filtering options:

• Date Filter - Filter by package date (Today, This Week, This Month, Custom Range)
• Status Filter - Filter by Loaded, Available, Missing, Duplicate, Old Version
• Content Types - Filter by content (Scenes, Looks, Clothing, Hair, Morphs, etc.)
• Creators - Filter by package creator
• License Type - Filter by license (CC BY, FC, PC, etc.)
• File Size - Filter by size (Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge)
• Subfolders - Filter by subfolder location
• Damaged - Show only damaged/corrupted packages

Linked Filters Mode:
Click the button to toggle between:

• Off (default) - Single selection mode, hides incompatible filter options
• On - Multiple selection mode, all options visible with counts

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Loading and Unloading Packages

VPM uses a non-destructive load/unload system. Packages are moved between your AddonPackages folder (loaded) and an AllPackages folder (unloaded).

Loading Packages

1. Select one or more packages with "Available" status
2. Click the Load button in the action bar
3. Packages are moved to AddonPackages and become active in VaM

Load +Deps: Use the Load +Deps button to load packages along with all their dependencies automatically.

Unloading Packages

1. Select one or more packages with "Loaded" status
2. Click the Unload button
3. Packages are moved to AllPackages and won't load in VaM


Status Colors:

• Green - Loaded (active in VaM)
• Blue - Available (can be loaded)
• Red - Missing (referenced but not found)
• Orange - Duplicate (multiple versions exist)

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Managing Dependencies

The Dependencies panel (right side) shows what packages depend on your selection and what your selection depends on.

Dependencies Tab
Shows packages that your selected package(s) require to work properly. Missing dependencies are highlighted in red.

Dependents Tab
Shows packages that depend on your selected package(s). Useful for understanding the impact of removing a package.


Dependency Graph

Right-click a package and select Show Dependency Graph to see a visual representation of the dependency tree. You can:

• View dependencies, dependents, or both
• Adjust the depth level
• Choose different layout algorithms (Grid, Tree, Circular)
• Zoom and pan the graph

Downloading Missing Dependencies

When viewing dependencies, missing packages are shown in red. If they're available on VaM Hub:
1. Select the missing dependencies
2. Click Download Missing
3. VPM will fetch them from the Hub automatically

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Optimizing Packages

VPM can significantly reduce package file sizes by optimizing textures and hair settings.

How to Optimize

1. Select one or more packages
2. Click the Optimize button
3. A detailed optimization window opens showing:
- Textures that can be compressed (PNG → JPG, resize large textures)
- Hair settings that can be optimized
- Estimated size savings

4. Review and select which optimizations to apply
5. Click Apply to create optimized versions


Important Notes:

• Original packages are preserved in ArchivedPackages folder
• Optimized packages replace the originals in AddonPackages
• The package description is updated to note the optimization
• Optimized packages show the indicator

What Gets Optimized

Textures:

• Convert lossless PNG to efficient JPG (configurable quality)
• Resize oversized textures (4K → 2K, etc.)
• Skip normal maps and other technical textures

Hair:

• Reduce hair strand count
• Optimize hair physics settings
• Adjust LOD settings

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Favorites and AutoInstall

Favorites

Mark packages you love for easy access:
1. Select packages
2. Click Favorite (left-click to add, right-click to remove)
3. Filter by "Favorites" in the Status filter to see only your favorites

Favorites are synced with var_browser native Favorites.txt file.

AutoInstall

Mark packages for automatic installation:
1. Select packages
2. Click A AutoInstall
3. These packages will be prioritized and marked in VaM

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VaM Hub Integration

VPM includes a built-in Hub browser for discovering and downloading new content.

Opening the Hub Browser

Access the Hub browser from the Dependencies panel when you have missing dependencies, or through the download features.

Features:

• Search the Hub catalog
• Filter by creator, tags, and categories
• View package details and previews
• Download packages and their dependencies
• Queue multiple downloads
• Check for updates to installed packages

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Content Modes

Use the mode dropdown in the top-left to switch between:

Packages Mode
Browse and manage .var packages (default mode)

Custom Mode
Browse presets, looks, poses, and other custom atom content stored in your Saves folder. Includes:

• Appearance presets
• Pose presets
• Plugin presets
• Animation presets
• And more...

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Managing Old Versions and Duplicates

Archiving Old Versions

When you have multiple versions of the same package:
1. Old versions show the indicator
2. Select old version packages
3. Click Archive to move them to ArchivedPackages
4. Or use Menu → File Operations → Archive Old Versions to archive all at once

Fixing Duplicates

When the same package exists in multiple locations:
1. Duplicates show in orange with "Duplicate" status
2. Select duplicates and click Fix Duplicates
3. Choose which copy to keep
4. VPM removes the redundant copies

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Settings and Customization

Access settings through the ☰ Menu button:

Display Settings

• Theme - Choose Dark, Light, or System theme
• Hide Archived Packages - Toggle visibility of archived packages

Cache & Storage

• Open Cache Folder - Access VPM's cache directory
• Clear All Metadata Cache - Force a fresh scan of all packages

File Operations

• Select Root Folder - Change your VaM installation path
• Refresh Packages - Rescan for new/changed packages
• Archive Old Versions - Bulk archive outdated packages

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Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+F - Focus search box
• Ctrl+A - Select all visible packages
• Delete - Discard selected packages
• Enter - Load/Unload selected packages
• Escape - Clear selection
• Arrow Keys - Navigate package list

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Tips and Tricks

• Right-click packages for context menu options (Open in Explorer, Copy Name, Dependency Graph, Discard)
• Scroll on the Sort button to quickly cycle through sort options
• Drag filter panel dividers to resize sections
• Double-click a package to toggle its load state
• Use the image panel to quickly preview package contents before loading
• Filter by "Missing" to find broken dependencies across your collection

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Troubleshooting

Packages not showing up?

• Click the Refresh button
• Check that your VaM folder path is correct (Menu → Select Root Folder)
• Try clearing the metadata cache (Menu → Cache & Storage → Clear All Metadata Cache)

Images not loading?

• Some packages don't include preview images
• Damaged .var files may not display images
• Try selecting a different package to refresh the image panel

Performance issues with large collections?

• VPM caches metadata for fast loading - first scan may take longer
• Use filters to reduce the visible package count
• The image panel uses virtualization for smooth scrolling

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System Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• .NET 10.0 Runtime (included or auto-installed)
• Recommended: SSD for faster package scanning

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Download

Latest version can be found on github

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Contributors Welcome!

VPM is a passion project and I'd love help from the community!

Ways to contribute:

• Bug Reports - Found something broken? Report it with steps to reproduce
• Feature Suggestions - Have ideas for improvements? I'm all ears
• Testing - Try the app with your collection and share feedback
• Code Contributions - VPM is built with C#/WPF. Pull requests are welcome!
• Documentation - Help improve guides and tutorials
• Translations - Help make VPM accessible to more users

VPM is free and open source. Enjoy!