First Things First
Quick Reference
Beginner Tutorials
Settings
DATVault
Advanced Options
Usage Examples
Archive Types
The Future
Other Tools
First Things First
Quick Reference
Beginner Tutorials
Settings
DATVault
Advanced Options
Usage Examples
Archive Types
The Future
Other Tools
This quick guide will show you how to configure RomVault to update your DATs using DATVault. Initial setup may take a few minutes or more depending on how many DATs you plan on monitoring with DATVault.
If you have any questions feel free to ask on the ROMVault Discord. There are many active members who would be happy to assist.
The DATRoot folder in the ROMVault executable directory is the default location for storing your DATs. Before downloading any DATs you should plan out how you want your DATs organized, which will also outline how you want your ROMs organized. For now just try a simple example to gain a better understanding of how the system works.
ROMVault comes packaged with an example DATRoot to start with. This starter DATRoot includes DATVault JSON files for MAME ROMs, CHDS, and Software Lists. These JSON files contain information about DATs you want to collect and manage with DATVault. Let's take a closer look:
Now that you have a better understanding of how DATVault works, you can enter your DATVault key and add any new DATs you are interested in.
Anyone can use DATVault with ROMVault 3.4 and above, but it is limited to official MAME “listxml” DATs without an access key. Patreon supporters get full access to the entire DAT repository and will receive a unique access key after signing up. For more information about this, first read the What is DATVault? section.
DATVault is still very new, and a work in progress. The current process to get your access key is a bit manual:
Once you have your key, enter it in the DATVault UI:
If your key was properly imported you should see the Group filters on the left side update and a list of available DATs populate in the grid.
ⓘ NOTE: If the key changes to a value of “Invalid” then the key you provided either has a typo or has not been provisioned. If this occurs please contact me (GordonJ) on Discord. |
New DATs can be added directly from the DATVault UI in a few simple steps:
⚠ CAUTION: DATVault does not match any existing DATs you may have managed yourself in the DATRoot. Its suggested you remove any manually managed DATs before configuring DATVault to manage those respective DATs. |
cues
folder in your Primary ToSort directory.💡 TIP: You can download several DATVault JSON files to a temporary location and move them around as you see fit with your file explorer. Once complete you can use the refresh button to update the paths. |
Occasionally DATs may be removed or renamed at the source. When this happens, the DATs will be flagged with a discontinued status. The discontinued status means the DATs are no longer managed under that name in the DATVault repository. To remove these DATs:
ⓘ NOTE: When DATVault removes discontinued DATs it only removes the current DAT and associated JSON file from the DATRoot. Any old DATs and directories are not deleted. If you would like to remove these you can do so manually. |
Now that you are able to add, update, and remove DATs using DATVault, here are some additional resources to help learn more about the DATs supported: