Config XML (Advanced)

The RomVault3cfg.xml file contains all of the global, directory, and filter settings used by the application. The settings for ToSort directories are not stored in this XML. ToSort directory definitions are stored in the cache and are not editable outside of the RomVault UI.

Some RomVault settings are only enabled or configurable by directly editing the XML file, including:

Files Only Mode to prevent RomVault from scanning archive contents
Changing the cache file name and location if you do not want it stored in the RomVault directory
Forcing CHD version flag updates in the case where your cache file is missing CHD version info
Game launching and artwork display for certain collections like MAME

Do NOT edit this file directly unless you know exactly what you are doing. Any features accessible solely through direct configuration XML edits should be considered experimental.

Settings Summary

SETTING				DESCRIPTION	CONTROLLABLE IN UI
<Settings>				Top level grouping for all settings
	<FilesOnly>			Global setting to enable RV in files only mode	No
	<DatRoot>			Path to your folder containing DATs	Yes
	<CacheFile>			Path and name of your RomVault cache file	No
	<FixLevel>			The level used for fix operations, applied globally	Yes
	<DatRules>			Grouping for all DAT rules
		<DatRule>		Grouping of settings for an individual DAT rule
			<DirKey>	Directory key for the DAT rule based on where the DAT resides in the DATRoot	Auto-created
			<Compression>	Preferred archive format	Yes
			<CompressionOverrideDAT>	Force the preferred compression setting regardless of what is specified in the DAT	Yes
			<CompressionSub>	Preferred compression sub-type for the chosen archive format	Yes
			<ConvertWhileFixing>	Convert complete sets to the preferred compression sub-type during a fix	Yes
			<Merge>	Preferred set merging setting	Yes
			<Filter>	Filter for collecting ROMs, CHDs, or both	Yes
			<HeaderType>	Preferred ROM header type	Yes
			<MergeOverrideDAT>	Force the preferred merging type regardless of what is specified in the DAT	Yes
			<SingleArchive>	Group sets into a single archive	Yes
			<SubDirType>	Grouping option for Single Archive mode	Yes
			<MultiDATDirOverride>	Disable automatically creating subdirectories when multiple DATs share the same directory	Yes
			<UseDescriptionAsDirName>	Use the DAT `Description` value instead of `Name` value for automatic directory names	Yes
			<UseIdForName>	Prefix the set name with the ID attribute from the DAT (mainly for No-Intro)	Yes
			<CompleteOnly>	Keep complete sets only and move incomplete sets to Primary ToSort	Yes
			<IgnoreFiles>	Rules for files to ignore. Files are still scanned, but not removed if unneeded.	Yes
			<AddCategorySubDirs>	Use category values from the DAT as subdirectories (mainly for Redump)	Yes
			<CategoryOrder>	Priority order of category values (Mainly for No-Intro which can use multiple categories)	Yes
		</DatRule>
	</DatRules>
	<DirMappings>
		<DirMapping>
			<DirKey>	The DatRoot path for the directory mapping	Yes
			<DirPath>	The filesystem location the DatRoot path maps to	Yes
		</DirMapping>
	</DirMappings>
	<IgnoreFiles>			Rules for files to ignore. Files matching these rules are not scanned at all.	Yes
	<EInfo>			Grouping for all configured emulators
		<EmulatorInfo>		Grouping for all settings for an individual emulator
			<TreeDir>	Path in your RomRoot used for ROMs. Omit the “RomRoot” portion of the full path.	No
			<ExtraPath>	Path in your RomRoot used for Artwork. Omit the “RomRoot” portion of the full path.	No
			<WorkingDirectory>	Full path for the emulator working directory	No
			<ExeName>	Emulator executable in the working directory	No
			<CommandLine>	Commandline parameters to use when launching the game	No
		</EmulatorInfo>
	</EInfo>
	<DatVault>			Grouping for all DatVault settings
		<bUseDefaultMasterDirectories>		Preference to use Master Directories when adding DATs	Yes
		<bUseDefaultSubDirectories>		Preference to use Subdirectories when adding DATs	Yes
		<bImportNewDATsWithJsonSeeds>		Preference to use download DATs at the time of adding JSON seeds	Yes
	</DatVault>
	<DoubleCheckDelete>			Ensures RomVault does not delete files mistakenly due to an out of sync cache	Yes
	<DebugLogsEnabled>			Enables debugging logging	Yes
	<DetailedFixReporting>			Enables detailed fix reporting in the status window	Yes
	<CacheSaveTimerEnabled>			Enables auto-saving the cache at regular intervals during a scan or fix	Yes
	<CacheSaveTimePeriod>			Time in minutes between cache backups	Yes
	<chkBoxShowComplete>			Last game grid filter value for “Show Complete”	Yes
	<chkBoxShowPartial>			Last game grid filter value for “Show Partial”	Yes
	<chkBoxShowEmpty>			Last game grid filter value for “Show Empty”	Yes
	<chkBoxShowFixes>			Last game grid filter value for “Show Fixes”	Yes
	<chkBoxShowMIA>			Last game grid filter value for “Show MIA”	Yes
	<chkBoxShowMerged>			Last game grid filter value for “Show Merged / Deduped”	Yes
	<FixDatOutPath>			Last directory chosen when saving FixDATs	Yes
	<DATUpdateKey>			Your personal DATVault key - Keep this safe and do not share	Yes
	<MIAAnon>			Enables anonymous “MIA Found” reporting - Only relevant for DATVault users	Yes
	<MIACallback>			Enables “MIA Found” reporting back to the DatVault server	Yes
	<DoNotReportFeedback>			Disables crash reporting sent to GordonJ	Yes
	<DeleteOldCueFiles>			Automatically deletes old cue packs downloaded by DatVault	Yes
	<Darkness>			Enables Dark Mode	Yes
	<CheckCHDVersion>			Toggles re-verifying if CHD version info is missing from cache (default: false)	No
	<zstdCompCount>			Specifies the maximum number of zstd workers to spawn per compression stream	Yes
	<sevenZDefaultStruct>			Specifies the default 7z archive structure for archives that need to be repacked in ToSort	Yes
	<ParallelZipScan>			Enables parallel archive scanning (experimental)	No
</Settings>

Global Settings

The following settings are controllable through the RomVault UI from the Settings > RomVault Settings menu.

XML Setting	UI Mapping	Accepted Values
DatRoot	DAT Root Directory	Any valid relative or absolute path
FixLevel	Fixing Level	`Level1`, `Level2`, or `Level3`
IgnoreFiles	Filenames not to remove from Dirs	Refer to Global Settings documentation
DoubleCheckDelete	Double Check Delete	`true` or `false`
CacheSaveTimerEnabled	Save Cache On Timer…	`true` or `false`
CacheSaveTimePeriod	…Every XX Minutes	Integer number greater than `5`
Darkness	Dark Mode (restart required)	`true` or `false`
zstdCompCount	Max ZSTD workers	`0 - 64`. A vaule of 0 is Auto which is detected CPU cores minus 2
sevenZDefaultStruct	Default 7Z type	`0 - 3`. 0 = LZMA Solid, 1 = LZMA Non-Solid, 2 = ZSTD Solid, 3 = ZSTD Non-Solid
MIACallback	Send Found MIA notifications	`true` or `false`
MIAAnon	Send anonymously	`true` or `false`
DeleteOldCueFiles	Delete previous cue file zips in ToSort	`true` or `false`
DetailedFixReporting	Detailed Fix Reporting	`true` or `false`
DebugLogsEnabled	Debug Logs Enabled	`true` or `false`
DoNoteReportFeedback	Do not report feedback	`true` or `false`

For additional information, refer to the Global Settings documentation.

DAT Rules

The following settings are controllable through the RomVault UI from the Settings > Directory DAT Rules menu.

XML Setting	UI Mapping	Accepted Values
DirKey	Rule Path	Auto-generated DATRoot path
Compression	Archive Type	`Dir`, `Zip`, `SevenZip`, or `FileOnly`
CompressionOverrideDAT	Archive Type Override DAT	`true` or `false`
CompressionSub	Compression Type	ZIP: `ZipTrrnt` or `ZipZSTD`, 7Z: `SevenZipSLZMA`, `SevenZipNLZMA`, `SevenZipSZSTD`, or `SevenZipNZSTD`, Else: `None`
ConvertWhileFixing	Convert when fixing	`true` or `false`
Merge	Merge Type	`None`, `Split`, `Merge`, or `NonMerged`
Filter	ROM/CHD Filter	`KeepAll`, `RomsOnly`, or `CHDsOnly`
HeaderType	Header Type	`Optional`, `Headered`, or `Headerless`
MergeOverrideDAT	Merge Type Override DAT	`true` or `false`
SingleArchive	Single Archive	`true` or `false`
SubDirType	Single Archive setting	`KeepAllSubDirs`, `RemoveAllSubDirs`, `RemoveAllIfNoConflicts`, `RemoveSubIfSingleFiles`, or `RemoveSubIfNameMatches`
MultiDATDirOverride	Don't auto add DAT directories	`true` or `false`
UseDescriptionAsDirName	Use description (instead of name) for auto added paths	`true` or `false`
AddCategorySubDirs	Add Category Sub Directories	`true` or `false`
CategoryOrder	Category Priority	Possible values are pre-defined based on Redump and No-Intro, can be customized with XML edits.
UseIdForName	Use ID for Numbered DAT Names (No-Intro DATs)	`true` or `false`
CompleteOnly	Only Keep Complete Sets	`true` or `false`
IgnoreFiles	Filenames not to remove from RomDirs	Refer to Directory Settings documentation

RomVault will process all descendent DATs and update the cache every time you update a Directory Rule in the UI. This can take a significant amount of time if you have a very large collection. If you need to make several changes you can edit the XML directly while RomVault is closed. If you take this approach to updating, be sure to Refresh All DATs to ensure all directory rules are processed.

For additional information, refer to the DAT Rules documentation.

Directory Mappings

The following settings are controllable through the RomVault UI from the Settings > Directory Mappings menu.

XML Setting	UI Mapping	Accepted Values
DirKey	Rule Path	Auto-generated DATRoot path
DirPath	Dir Location	Directory location on your filesystem, can be absolute or relative to RomVault exe.

DatVault Settings

The following settings are controllable through the DatVault UI from the Update DATs > DatVault Update menu.

XML Setting	UI Mapping	Accepted Values
DATUpdateKey	Login	Valid DATVault key
bUseDefaultMasterDirectories	Add Selected > Use Default Master Directories	`true` or `false`
bUseDefaultSubDirectories	Add Selected > Use Default Sub Directories	`true` or `false`
bImportNewDATsWithJsonSeeds	Add Selected > Import new DATs with JSON Seeds	`true` or `false`

Game List Filters

The following filters are controllable through the RomVault UI in the upper right corner of the Info Panel.

XML Setting	UI Mapping	Accepted Values
chkBoxShowComplete	Show Complete	`true` or `false`
chkBoxShowPartial	Show Partial	`true` or `false`
chkBoxShowMissing	Show Missing	`true` or `false`
chkBoxShowFixes	Show Fixes	`true` or `false`
chkBoxShowMIA	Show MIA	`true` or `false`
chkBoxShowMerged	Show Merged / Deduped	`true` or `false`

XML-Only Settings

FilesOnly

DO NOT CHANGE THIS SETTING IF ANY FILES WERE SCANNED. This setting should ONLY be changed with a new instance of RomVault before a cache file is created. Changing this setting after files have been scanned will result in unintended behavior and is not supported in any way.

This flag is used to enable RomVault in “Files Only” mode which treats all archives as files

Normal mode (Default):
```
<FilesOnly>false</FilesOnly>
```
Files Only mode:
```
<FilesOnly>true</FilesOnly>
```

When this setting is set to “true” then RomVault will not read the contents of any archives. Instead it will scan the 7z or zip archive as a single file. This is useful if you would like to run a separate instance of RomVault just for managing DATs that treat archives as files. Because this setting applies globally, its advised to set this with a clean instance of RomVault before any files are scanned.

CacheFile

This is the name and location of the RomVault cache file

Standard name and location (Default):

<CacheFile>RomVault3_1.Cache</CacheFile>

Example alternate name and location:

<CacheFile>X:\RomVault-Cache\RomVault3_1.Cache</CacheFile>

Although you can change the location of the cache file, its advised to choose a location on a fast SSD or NVME drive to ensure the best performance. This setting can be useful if you want to store your cache file in a different directory which is periodically backed up with a sync program of your choice.

CheckCHDVersion

This is a special flag to force RomVault to recheck any CHDs that are missing version info. This is disabled by default because it could result in a significant amount of decompressing and rehashing of CHD files. Only use if you cache file is missing CHD version info and you would like this info to appear in the ROM Details Grid.

Normal mode (default):

<CheckCHDVersion>false</CheckCHDVersion>

Force recheck mode:
```
<CheckCHDVersion>true</CheckCHDVersion>
```

EInfo

This section is used to configure viewing MAME artwork and launching MAME ROMs directly from the RomVault UI. Configuration settings should be nested into a node called EmulatorInfo as shown in the example. The following settings are configurable:

TreeDir: The path in your RomRoot used for MAME ROMs. Omit the “RomRoot” portion of the full path.
ExtraPath: The path in your RomRoot used for MAME Extras. Omit the “RomRoot” portion of the full path.
WorkingDirectory: The full path for the emulator working directory.
ExeName: The emulator executable in the working directory you would like to use for launching games.
CommandLine: The commandline parameters to use when launching the game.

The following tokens can be used with the CommandLine setting:

{gamename}: The game file name without the extension
{gamefilename}: The game file name with extension
{gamedirectory}: The game directory

Feature disabled (Default):
```
</EInfo>
```

Featured enabled example:

<EInfo>
  <EmulatorInfo>
    <TreeDir>Arcade\Various\MAME</TreeDir>
    <ExtraPath>Artwork\MAME Extras</ExtraPath>
    <WorkingDirectory>C:\Emulators\MAME</WorkingDirectory>
    <ExeName>mame.exe</ExeName>
    <CommandLine>{gamename}</CommandLine>
  </EmulatorInfo>
</EInfo>

This feature currently only works with MAME ROMs and the MAME Extras set.

(Dark mode enabled using the Accessible graphics pack)

Table of Contents