According to the Wiki, the maximum file size that can be uploaded is 2 gig.
Is the expansion manager limited to 100 meg therefore as I'd assumed that it was just redirecting to the file on the wiki?
Very likely these limits are due to configuration.
I cannot imagine anyone would still be using a filesystem where the max filesize is 2 GB. More interesting is the total size of all the files as that's limited by the hosting contract. Someone's paying for that.
I also don't know about the in game expansions manager. OoliteStarter for sure does not introduce size limitations.
Following the meltdown of the old site, the new method of putting OXZs on the Expansion Manager is now just to upload the file to the Wiki and as long as the file is properly set up with a manifest.plist then oolite.space automatically detects the file on the Wiki and adds the OXZ to the list on the Expansion Manager. This worked when I updated the Galactic Almanac OXZ a few months ago. Once I'd uploaded the OXZ to the wiki, I didn't have to do anything else; the new version auto-magically appeared on the Expansion Manager.
I'm I right in thinking therefore that as long as the file is not too big to upload to the Wiki (and contextual jukebox and povey planets would both be within the Wiki's file limit), if they were uploaded in .oxz format with manifest.plists then they would automatically be added to the Expansion Manager and Oolite Starter?
OXPS : The Assassins Guild, Asteroid Storm, The Bank of the Black Monks, Random Hits, The Galactic Almanac, Renegade Pirates can be downloaded from the Elite Wiki here.
Following the meltdown of the old site, the new method of putting OXZs on the Expansion Manager is now just to upload the file to the Wiki and as long as the file is properly set up with a manifest.plist then oolite.space automatically detects the file on the Wiki and adds the OXZ to the list on the Expansion Manager. This worked when I updated the Galactic Almanac OXZ a few months ago. Once I'd uploaded the OXZ to the wiki, I didn't have to do anything else; the new version auto-magically appeared on the Expansion Manager.
I'm I right in thinking therefore that as long as the file is not too big to upload to the Wiki (and contextual jukebox and povey planets would both be within the Wiki's file limit), if they were uploaded in .oxz format with manifest.plists then they would automatically be added to the Expansion Manager and Oolite Starter?
I do not question your observation, but the conclusion is wrong. Just an OXZ uploaded to the wiki does not end up on the expansion manager. It is the same as uploading an OXZ to any other webserver on the internet.
So what do you need to do?
1) Make your OXP downloadable for anyone. That means you put it on the internet. The wiki is one possibility, as is Dropbox, Google Drive or your private webserver if you so wish. Once you uploaded the file, you also know how it can be downloaded: you have a download URL.
2) Add the download URL to the catalog. It needs to go in here: https://github.com/OoliteProject/oolite ... onUrls.txt
To get the URL into that list (or remove a no longer valid URL), create an issue: https://github.com/OoliteProject/oolite ... new/choose
But how does this explain what you saw?
The file on the wiki had existed before. It's URL was already part of the catalog. All you did was to overwrite the file with new content. For a moment users choosing the expansion would see the old entry but download the newer file. To catch such situations, the catalog is rebuilt on any change of the URL file and on a monthly base. And that is the reason why your changes were picked up by the catalog and later displayed by the website, the in-game expansion manager and OoliteStarter.
Ah, right I see! It was only because I was updating an existing OXZ already on the catalogue that it did it automatically.
However, if I was adding a new OXZ and added the download link to the catalogue, would it cause a problem if the file was over 100Meg ?
OXPS : The Assassins Guild, Asteroid Storm, The Bank of the Black Monks, Random Hits, The Galactic Almanac, Renegade Pirates can be downloaded from the Elite Wiki here.
However, if I was adding a new OXZ and added the download link to the catalogue, would it cause a problem if the file was over 100Meg ?
At some point it would. The bigger the file the more likely a download error could happen. Plus when generating the catalog all OXZs get downloaded which today sums up to roughly 5 GB. And the disk of the build server is for sure limited. But I never checked these limits - we should still have a few GBs to go before that.
Coming back to your question: there is no limitation on 100 MB. Even if you went to 200 I would not expect things to break.
So the catalog would generate well. And if it breaks let's learn and fix it.
If it is possible for the Contextual Jukebox to go on the Expansion Manager, then the only thing standing in the way is my attention span. I've got a lot of things going on and for some reason reading up on how to do the final steps of prep to make CJ ready and then upload it to the appropriate location is just beyond my capacity at the moment (and has been for a long time).
If someone can look at what I have in the OXZ package and tell me in words of 2 syllables or less exactly what I need to do to make it ready, that's step 1 down.
Here is my YouTube channel, where I play poorly: Arquebus X
If someone can look at what I have in the OXZ package and tell me in words of 2 syllables or less exactly what I need to do to make it ready, that's step 1 down.
I tested what is on the wiki and liked it.
And I know the missing steps for publishing. The only thing that keeps me from doing it is that I'd like to hear some opinions, or your approval.
I just tested the OXP from https://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Conte ... ukebox_OXP
It ran fine on my installation, and it made playing a lot more interesting. Now I recall I had heard the music in Arquaebus' videos already.
+1 to push it to the expansions manager
Once in the expansions manager, we should think of which flavor to add this in, too.
Two comments:
The manifest should contain a link to the wiki page.
And if Library OXP is required, that dependency should also be placed in the manifest.
I am still convinced of this expansion. Checked again and it has a license that allows sharing. Rather than a reference I'd prefer to have a copy for the royalty free music. The dependency is already part of the manifest. So all I would add is a link to the wiki page like so:
With that change in the manifest.plist just zip up this OXP directory and name the file as .oxz with the version number in it. Here is a Linux command:
I just tested the OXP from https://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Conte ... ukebox_OXP
It ran fine on my installation, and it made playing a lot more interesting. Now I recall I had heard the music in Arquaebus' videos already.
+1 to push it to the expansions manager
Once in the expansions manager, we should think of which flavor to add this in, too.
Two comments:
The manifest should contain a link to the wiki page.
And if Library OXP is required, that dependency should also be placed in the manifest.
I am still convinced of this expansion. Checked again and it has a license that allows sharing. Rather than a reference I'd prefer to have a copy for the royalty free music. The dependency is already part of the manifest. So all I would add is a link to the wiki page like so:
With that change in the manifest.plist just zip up this OXP directory and name the file as .oxz with the version number in it. Here is a Linux command: