(1.20.77.9) PackageManager & latest ReferenceVersion

[RandomVAMUser]

If you have any previous .var package version installed (same goes for files inside packagebuilder),
package manager doesn't recommend or lists as missing ".latest" referenced versions.
When searching for "missing referenced packages" it doesn't list latest version (or any updated version),
only if you use "scan for package with updates" it pops-up.

Spoiler: example

in this example latest referenced version atm is 2 and lobby scene has latest as reference/dependency.

-scan for missing packages

-scan for package updates

-loading scene with "no missing packages" error leads to missing texture errors

Should't "latest" mean like "most recent" version available or something?
The way this option works right now is "any" version (other than exact) is fine.
Now not ideal but alternative "fix" would be to use exact version as reference.

EDIT: maybe not a bug (but my ignorance), forgot there is minimum option inside packageBuilder (@Case thanks for reminder)

Btw i wouldn't notice this if it wasn't for this discussion thread.

 

[Case]

* Errrrh, I always figured that "latest" means "the package with the highest version-number found on this machine" - rather than "the latest hub-hosted version".
(Would also make sense to read "latest" in the context of the VaM client installation, rather than the wider Hub ecosystem - quite a few packages are not hub-hosted, for various reasons, yet Meshed has to make sure that VaM can also handle those).

' Wrt your desire to make sure VaM loads a version of the package with a minimum necessary version number:

Maybe it's not necessary to use exact references shudder - I've recently discovered that there's apparently another reference-flag besides exact (ie, integer version number) and "latest": .minInteger. Apparently you can now chose that in the package creator?

Seen that eg in one of AcidBubbles newer packs - or the latest version of Ridiculus' "Attic Ride"-scene:

"Ridiculous.AtticRide.3.var": [
"Roac.Modular_hairs.min1",
"ddaamm.Emily.min2",
"Spacedog.Import_Reloaded_Lite.min2",
"kemenate.Morphs.min10",
"kemenate.Decals.min5",
"Molmark.Cumpack.min2",
"Jackaroo.FreeGenNormals.min1",
"KAFAROS.Small_Attic.min1"
],

(That's output from a python script I picked up somewhere - it creates a .json file of all packages that have missing deps, and also list the deps in question. You can just check the dependencies page of the Attic-Ride scene to see the "min"-flags)

I haven't yet tried using that in a package myself - maybe ask Acid/ridiculous how they've done it?

 

[RandomVAMUser]

* Errrrh, I always figured that "latest" means "the package with the highest version-number found on this machine" - rather than "the latest hub-hosted version".
(Would also make sense to read "latest" in the context of the VaM client installation, rather than the wider Hub ecosystem - quite a few packages are not hub-hosted, for various reasons, yet Meshed has to make sure that VaM can also handle those).

From day one i had options set at default (latest & exact), completely forgot that minimum option even exists.
This makes more sense now, to focus on client (machine) latest version (highest) available.

No joke but after all this time i was convinced that there where only 2 options latest and exact.

Maybe it's not necessary to use exact references shudder - I've recently discovered that there's apparently another reference-flag besides exact (ie, integer version number) and "latest": .minInteger. Apparently you can now chose that in the package creator?

I haven't yet tried using that in a package myself - maybe ask Acid/ridiculous how they've done it?

after quick test, appears it's working as intended
only problem it doesn't search for v2 directly but .min2 instead (search for update option is still there to fix that)
also now it shows error if missing min.version, so it's easier to see if you need to update something or not

Spoiler

with v2 installed

Big Thanks for clearing that one out!

 

[Case]

From day one i had options set at default (latest & exact), completely forgot that minimum option even exists.
No joke but after all this time i was convinced that there where only 2 options latest and exact.

Well, you & me both. Doesn't seem we're alone in that, either - I have some eight or so packs that make use of the "min" option (amongst several thousand). Granted, the real number is probably higher than eight & the other "min packages" simply don't generate any output because all of their dependency requirements are met - but still ... I don't think there's more than a handful of people who use that option.

I only noticed the "min" flags (a few days ago) because of that python-script I'm using to help me (finally) clean up my installation. Never noticed them in VaM'S regular errormsg output.

Maybe it's a relatively recent addition to the packagemanager? I seem to remember that Meshed did some pretty heavy tinkering during that last round of updates in the 1.20.7.xx line?

after quick test, appears it's working as intended
only problem it doesn't search for v2 directly but .min2 instead (search for update option is still there to fix that)
also now it shows error if missing min.version, so it's easier to see if you need to update something or not
<...>
Big Thanks for clearing that one out!

Do I get this right that on the one hand, VaM's resource manager parses ".min1" literally when reporting that a suiteable asset is missing, but on the other hand, once a package with sufficiently high version number is present in the installation, it correctly considers the condition ("package with version number > 1") as satisfied?

P.S.: Thanks for publishing that testing run.

 

[RandomVAMUser]

Maybe it's a relatively recent addition to the packagemanager? I seem to remember that Meshed did some pretty heavy tinkering during that last round of updates in the 1.20.7.xx line?

With xx.77.2 there was addition of yellow indicator and some other tweaks, could be related...
that was my thought at first (but at that point like i said "forgot about minimun option").

Do I get this right that on the one hand, VaM's resource manager parses ".min1" literally when reporting that a suiteable asset is missing, but on the other hand, once a package with sufficiently high version number is present in the installation, it correctly considers the condition ("package with version number > 1") as satisfied?

yes, you got it on point.

latest = highest version available on client
(basically "any" version inside addonsPackage or addonsPackageBuilder)

min = "X" version or higher
(not the same as exact, so less duplicates, you can use most recent version and be fine)

exact = literally exact "X" version
(more duplicates, if you use latest version there will be yellow indicator inside packageManager for missing referenced version, but it "should" load stuff from other versions as alternative=didn't test that part)


EDIT:
after updating my scene to use "minimum" requirements it makes everything even worse,
since you can't use client hub to download dependency anymore (that are hub-hosted btw)

Scenes - VAM Lobby

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