What does the XML File do?

[TJ_on_Launchbox]

Hello Everybody,

what is the purpose of the XML File?

What happens when i delete an existing XML File?

Pretty simple questions. I have found out, that this File seems to be important but i didn´t find out what this File is doing.

Thanks

[neil9000]

Which one and where?

[Lordmonkus]

In simple terms xml files are the configuration files that tells LB/BB what and how to display all the data, images and games.

Deleting them will essentially break LB/BB.

[neil9000]

Unless the ones in the Launchbox/Data folder, they wont break Launchbox, but will delete everything you thought you had built. Programs do not create files or folders that are not needed.

This is a strange question overall, its a bit like why do i need to double click the launchbox.exe to start launchbox, answer, cause thats how it works.

[Lordmonkus]

This is why I said "essentially break", Launchbox will still function but you will lose any platforms you had imported or reset a bunch of stuff.

[TJ_on_Launchbox]

So the XML File has stored the lists of the Platforms, the Games and which Image belongs to which Game if i understood correctly.

I was wondering because i had the following situation:

For example Purpose:

1. I saved 20 Games and 20 Clear Logo Images in my Folders.

2. I imported all the 20 Games

3. Launchbox only Displayed 12 Images.

4. I copied and paste the XML File into the Data Folder. The XML File was created by the original creator of these 20 Games and 20 Images and came with the Games and Images.

5. Launchbox then Displayed every 20 Images in my Overview.

I was wondering why Launchbox didn´t displayed the Images already correctly without the XML File.

[Retro808]

Could have been a naming issue. When you imported the games the name LB imported them with could have slightly differed from the names of the images you manually added. The person you got that data from could have fixed the naming therefore that other xml would have had the correct names to match the images.

To be honest though we rarely offer troubleshooting to downloaded LB builds/data due to this issue you are seeing. We have no way of knowing what that person did with their build and we end up chasing out tales trying to figure it out.