Project Structure

Understanding Your Project’s Anatomy

A Tabletop Creator project is more than just a .tcp file; it’s an ecosystem of directories and files that come together to form your complete project.

📁 Project Folder

📄 <ProjectName>.tcp

• This file is not the actual project but is crucial for accessing it. It does not contain any project data.
• Think of it as a key; double-clicking it launches your project within the application, just as you would open a picture or play a song.
• Feel free to rename this file if necessary, but make sure it stays at the root of the project directory and maintains the .tcp file extension for proper functionality.

📁  Assets

📁 Fonts

Place any .ttf or .otf font files that your project requires into this folder. While the system-installed fonts are accessible, including fonts in the project folder ensures your project remains consistent and fully portable across different computers.

📁  Icons

Import the .png images you wish to utilize as icons for icon panels into this folder. This ensures your icons are readily accessible and properly displayed within the project.

📁  Images

Transfer all project-related images into this folder. We support images in any file format for maximum flexibility. Feel free to organize your images into subfolders to keep your project tidy and navigable.

📁  Backups

• This folder is the safe haven for all automatic backups created by the software for your project. These backups ensure that your work is preserved and can be recovered in case of unexpected changes or issues.
• For details on how to restore a project from these backups, please follow the guidance provided in the Restoring a Backup article.

📁  Data

The heart of your project lies within this folder, containing all essential project data. These critical files are what get saved during a backup process, ensuring your project’s integrity and progress are preserved.

📁  Blueprints

Your project’s structural designs are stored here.

📁  Sets

Collections of items or elements used in your project.

📄 JSON Files

• Including export.json, project.json, variables.json, and workspace.json that store various project settings and states.

• About JSON Files: Tabletop Creator has adopted a JSON format that is notably more legible and user-friendly compared to previous standards, streamlining the manual editing process or manipulation through custom tools. Its compatibility with version control systems like Git enhances the tracking and collaborative aspects of project development.

• Element References: All references to project components, such as panel names or blueprint names, are consistently identified as strings. This ensures a smooth and intuitive referencing system within the project’s architecture.
• Chronology: All timestamps within these files adhere to UTC, providing a standardized timeline that remains consistent across all locales and sessions.
• Unified Data Management: As of the 2023.10.2 update and the introduction of JSON version 4, project data has become even more streamlined. Upon project load, data is compacted into a single JSON file for a comprehensive overview. For saving, however, individual files are used for each element—like blueprints and sets—to facilitate ease in transferring specifics between projects.

Embracing the latest JSON format not only increases the accessibility of project data but also empowers creators with the versatility to customize their projects, from simple tweaks to in-depth overhauls. This adaptability is key in a platform that encourages creativity and individuality in project design.

📁 Output

This is where all the exports you’ve created within Tabletop Creator are stored. For your convenience, each export is organized into its own subfolder, labeled with the exact date and time of the export in UTC. Should you need to free up space on your hard drive, you can safely delete any export files from here.

📁 Temp

📁  Logs

In the logs subfolder of ‘temp’, you’ll find all the log files associated with your project. These logs are essential for diagnosing issues. If you need to report a problem, please ensure that the project or the application is closed beforehand so that the logs are up-to-date.

Quip Tips

ℹ️ Feel free to clear out the output, backups, and temp folders as needed—don’t worry about losing anything important, as the app will automatically regenerate these folders next time they’re required.

ℹ️ Be cautious with the assets folder, though. While it can be deleted, doing so will remove any custom fonts, icons, and images you’ve added to your project. Before you decide to clear this folder, ensure that you’ve saved your assets elsewhere if you plan to use them again.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

❓ How to Duplicate a Project

1. Close the Project: Ensure the project is closed in Tabletop Creator before proceeding.
2. Copy and Paste: Navigate to the project’s root folder (where you’ll find assets, backups, data, output, temp folders, and the .tcp file). Right-click the folder and select “Copy,” then paste it into a new location on your computer.
3. Reload the Project: Open Tabletop Creator and load the project from its new location. You’re all set!

❓ How to Change the Project Save Location

1. Close the Project: Make sure the project is not open in the application.
2. Move the Folder: Simply drag the entire project folder to a new location on your computer.
3. Reopen the Project: Launch Tabletop Creator and open the project from its new home. Your project is now ready to go in its new location.

❓ How to Copy/Move a Blueprint Between Projects

1. Locate the Blueprint: In the data/blueprints folder of your original project, find the .json file for the blueprint you wish to transfer.
2. Copy or Move: Transfer this file to the data/blueprints folder of your target project.
3. Reload: Open the target project in Tabletop Creator to see the blueprint now included.

Note: If a blueprint of the same name exists, the system will automatically rename the duplicate upon loading the project. This could affect related sets, so be mindful of the names.

❓ How to Copy/Move a Set Between Projects

1. Select the Set: From the data/sets folder in your original project, choose the .json file you want to move.
2. Transfer: Copy or move this file to the data/sets folder of your destination project.
3. Refresh the Project: When you open the target project, the new set will appear.

Note

• If the blueprint linked to the set doesn’t exist in the target project, you’ll need to update the set’s blueprint to ensure the items display correctly. This situation occurs when the name of the blueprint assigned to the set is not found in the project you’re moving it to.
• Should there be a set with an identical name already in the project, the system will automatically rename the newly imported set during the project load. This automatic renaming helps avoid confusion but pay attention to ensure that your sets link to the correct blueprints.