How to export a character?

[Dalton Calford]

Since the FGU does not have a manage characters button, and there is no option to export characters in the PC screen, how do you export a character from one campaign into another?

[pollux]

Since the FGU does not have a manage characters button, and there is no option to export characters in the PC screen, how do you export a character from one campaign into another?

From memory, I believe you can now just open the campaign you want to import INTO... click import... and characters from every campaign will be available.

[Neovirtus]

From memory, I believe you can now just open the campaign you want to import INTO... click import... and characters from every campaign will be available.

Assuming you are the GM for both campaigns, I believe this is correct. If you are a player looking to export, while in the relevant campaign go into the characters menu, hit the edit button on the bottom right of the window, then click the export button on the character.

[Zacchaeus]

Indeed, click edit in character selection and then the blue down arrow. Or type /exportchar <name> in chat.

[Felderburg]

Indeed, click edit in character selection and then the blue down arrow. Or type /exportchar <name> in chat.

Neither of these options work for me. In the character selection, I have three options: character wizard, import character, and new character. My GM has "edit list" apparently. The /exportchar just gave me a list of slash commands available to me (I did rename the character to a single word, just in case spaces or whatever messed it up).

[Trenloe]

Neither of these options work for me. In the character selection, I have three options: character wizard, import character, and new character. My GM has "edit list" apparently. The /exportchar just gave me a list of slash commands available to me (I did rename the character to a single word, just in case spaces or whatever messed it up).
Welcome to the FG forums. Only the person running the campaign (the GM) can export characters from the campaign.

If you’re using FGU you can start up a campaign (use it just for PCs) and have access to PCs you’ve used in that ruleset in other games you’ve joined from that computer.

[Felderburg]

Thanks for the reply. In FG classic, I was able to use the "manage characters" button and just download from what I assume was the local cache or whatever. But now, I have to create a whole campaign to download my own character's xml? Is there no way to just access the xml somewhere, or to download with in an easier method? Because this was a pretty annoying workaround.

[Moon Wizard]

The Manage Characters button in FGC does essentially the same thing as loading a campaign; except that the Manage Characters had some limitations that always ended up causing issues due to limited access. By accessing in a full campaign, everything is available to use after importing your character. It's really just a different set of steps; and roughly the same amount of steps.

Regards,
JPG

[Felderburg]

I suppose what I'm getting at is this: why can't I just download my character's xml from right within the campaign? That would be much easier for me as a user.

[Trenloe]

why can't I just download my character's xml from right within the campaign?
Right from within the GM's campaign when you're connected to them? This would require a major change to the architecture as players don't have direct access to the FG database to do things like that. Hence why you need to load up your own campaign infrastructure - Manage Characters in FGC or load a "character management" campaign in FGU. This has the advantage of allowing you to access your character XML even when the GM's campaign isn't running. In FGU it allows you to access *all* of your characters for a specific ruleset in one single campaign. You're actually getting more functionality in FGU, for the slightly "annoying" thing of having to take a few seconds to load a campaign in FGU.

[LordEntrails]

I suppose what I'm getting at is this: why can't I just download my character's xml from right within the campaign? That would be much easier for me as a user.
To do what?

What do you want to do with the xml outside of FG?

[Felderburg]

It's mostly to have a back up, just in case, but in the event I wanted to add skills/powers/whatever in the XML, or see how things I've added work in the backend, it can be useful.

It was also useful to see how a character (didn't) change after my GM ported the campaign from classic to unity.

I also think going back to a "manage characters" would be better than creating a whole campaign, because I have campaigns under multiple rulesets/games (call of cthulhu and dnd, for example). So I have to create a separate campaign for every ruleset? At least with manage characters, everything was under a single, intuitively labeled button. Creating a campaign just to download an xml backup is counterintuitive and adds junk files I don't need. Not to mention it's a step that basic users might not understand; I have a player in my group who consistently needs help with FG, and if they wanted to have a backup of their character, how would they go about doing it without the more intuitively labeled "manage characters" button?

I guess I don't understand the resistance to just letting players click a single button to download a backup of their character, just in case.

[LordEntrails]

Manage Characters effectively required a second branch of logic that the developers had to maintain. So instead of making an enhancement in pone place, they had to make it in at least 2.

Yes creating Management campaigns is an extra step, but once you have created those campaigns (such as "Characters 5E", "Characters PF", "Characters CoreRPG") you don't have to make those campaigns again. And instead of going Manage Characters then select the campaign you want to access the characters from (i.e. 2 steps) you know select the campaign for the ruleset and opening that (one step, sort of).

In short, it's a different workflow, but really not different capabilities, and one that makes it easier for the developers to maintain the code, though admittedly I can see how it might impact some users negatively (though again, I don't see most casual users wanting or needing it).

But, as always, the devs do listen, add the suggestion to the Wish List and if there is enough interest, I'm sure its something they will reconsider.

[Trenloe]

...I have campaigns under multiple rulesets/games (call of cthulhu and dnd, for example).
FYI - Manage Characters didn't work 100% with the Call of Cthulhu ruleset (among others). So, in FGU you actually get full functionality for character maintenance with Call of Cthulhu, whereas in FGC you had less functionality for Call of Cthulhu in Manage Characters.

This is what Moon Wizard and LordEntrails have mentioned above - there were issues with maintaining full Manage Characters functionality across all rulesets. Hence the move to allowing all PCs used on the local computer in FGU campaigns to be loaded into a campaign for that ruleset. Create a campaigns "Characters - Call of Cthulhu", for example, once then use that all the time to access all PCs you've used on that computer.

This is actually more functionality than you had in FGC with Manage Characters - if you wanted to do anything other than read-only access to a previously used PC you had to load up that "cached" campaign in Manage Characters, export the PC to XML, exit the cached campaign, load up the base ruleset in Manage Characters (pretty much the same as loading a campaign), and then import the exported XML. If you want to do that in FGU you load up a "Characters" campaign and open the PC from the cached campaign - which loads it into the campaign (no need to manually export to XML then import the XML). Quicker, simpler, much less steps.

From what I'm seeing in this thread and others, the perceived "difficulty" with FGU is purely based off learning a slightly different process. Similar functionality to FGC's Manage Characters is still there, with so much more.

[Felderburg]

Are the characters kept updated in my personal campaign? Or will I have to manually import them every time I make changes in my GM's campaign?

I guess my problem is that I don't know how the character data are stored, or where they're stored. Apparently there's some sort of local cache or something that my computer pulls from (either in Manage Characters in FGC or to pull from when creating a campaign in FGU) because I am able to get info on my characters even when my GM's server is not connected to the internet. So why can't I just pull from that local cache to create a backup xml file? Or is that now how it's done? I don't need to edit the character, I simply want to download an xml so I have a backup.

Edit: If I understand more about the technical stuff, that may help my frustration. I just don't currently understand why the program doesn't say "hey, you have a character, click this button to download an xml"; instead, I have to go through all these extra steps that apparently serve to convert the cache into an xml. Why do those steps exist?

Edit 2: Also, when I say it's not "intuitive" to backup the character in FGU, I mean that even though the end result may be the same number of steps, actually knowing how took *much* longer. In FGC, there was a manage characters button, which is self-evident and easy. In FGU, I had to do a lot of internet searching and trial and error before I found out I had to create my own campaign.

[LordEntrails]

When you import a character into a second campaign, it is a copy, not a link to the original. So if you change the character in the second campaign, you will have to re-import it back to the first campaign.

Architecture and storage, when a client connects to a host, a cache file is created local to the client. This is stored in the <FG Data> / cache /<campaign name>. In that cache you will have 2 directories and one file. The modules folder will contain cache data for any module data you have from the host (GM). The usersettings folder will contain hotkey files for the characters you have owned. The root level file is campaign.dat, and contains your character(s) and the campaign data that has been shared with you (stories, npcs, images, etc).

It's important that this cache architecture be used, otherwise every time you wanted to open and image or story or anything else, you would have to make a request back tot he host, slowing down your computer and theirs.

When you do an import, you are extracting the character data from the campaign.dat file in one folder and importing it to another.

If all you want is a backup, just backup the cache. Do be aware though, if you release your character or the GM cleans ownership from you, the character will no longer reside as a copy in your cache (since technically you are no longer authorized to access it).

I suspect the reason that their is no export your character button for a player is that the use case for such is expected to be minimal (unlike FGC when you had to export characters if you wanted to move them from one campaign to the next).

I don't think anyone disagrees that the steps to make an external backup is more extensive, I think it's just that the need for such is perhaps seen as minimal.

As always, you can always add a request to the wish list, perhaps the desire is not so minimal and many other users will agree with you and vote for the idea.

https://fg2app.idea.informer.com/

[Trenloe]

I've made a video the "manage characters" functionality in FGU: https://youtu.be/30o7jjJpLoo

EDIT: Video has an addendum at 04:58 to cover character XML import/export.

[Dragonid]

[
I don't think anyone disagrees that the steps to make an external backup is more extensive, I think it's just that the need for such is perhaps seen as minimal.]

In my experience with electronic data systems, it is foolish not to have backups. I might remember a lot about my character, but after months or years of play there is guaranteed to be plenty of minutia I haven't memorized.

[Trenloe]

I don't think anyone disagrees that the steps to make an external backup is more extensive...
Count me as one person who disagrees... To backup a single PC from a campaign cache there are slightly more steps in FGU than doing it in FGC's Manage Characters if you haven't already created your character management campaign, the effort to create that campaign is the typing of the new campaign name once. If you've already created your character management campaign then there is only one additional step - import the PC from the campaign cache into the character campaign. Then export to XML (this final step is exactly the same as FGC). So, to be perfectly honest, the difference is minimal when exporting the XML characters from a single campaign cache

However, if you want to backup all of the PCs you've used in the last few games (different GMs and/or campaigns) then FGU is much more efficient - load up the character campaign, import each PC one-by-one into the campaign and then either export the XML per PC or do a single XML export (/exportchar) to export all PCs in one XML file. If you needed to do this in FGC you'd need to load each campaign cache individually, exporting the PCs only available in that cache, then close that campaign cache and load another, export, close, load another, export, close, and so on... Way, way, way, less efficient than using FGU.

Like I said earlier, the resistance I see is really down to users not knowing how to use this in FGU and just assuming that because things aren't exactly the same as before then they are worse. I see this again and again around this issue - hence why I made the video. Hopefully it will help people take the step from FGC to FGU and realise that they're not losing any functionality and are actually gaining more.

EDIT: Screenshot added below. This is the additional step needed in FGU, compared to manage characters in FGC, to be able to export the PC XML from a campaign cache - go to the import character screen and click the green "Add Character" button- takes all of 2 seconds. And, if you want to do two PCs from different campaign caches (bob from "ext" and My Tester from "5E Test" in this screenshot) you can do that all at once without having to exit one campaign cache and load another, which is what you'd have to do in FGC's Manage Characters.

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40562

[LordEntrails]

If it's about backup, then why bother exporting? Should you be backing up your entire FG Data folder anyway? Or at least the campaigns subfolder? And you know, doing a proper off site backup?

Just exporting the xml to another folder/file on the same computer hard drive is buying you very little.

[LordEntrails]

Note, a new character export option has just been added;



[CoreRPG/5E/4E/3.5E/PFRPG/Cypher/Fate/13A/CoC/CnC/d20Mod] Add export radial menu option to PC records.


https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?54466-FGU-Early-Access-Updates&p=552747&viewfull=1#post552747

[Felderburg]

If it's about backup, then why bother exporting? Should you be backing up your entire FG Data folder anyway? Or at least the campaigns subfolder? And you know, doing a proper off site backup?

Just exporting the xml to another folder/file on the same computer hard drive is buying you very little.

Fair enough. But there are also a number of things I found earlier when looking at how to do stuff that involve editing a character's xml. It's useful to have the raw xml not only to manually edit for upload, but also just to see how a character works, or see how actual powers work so you can build a homebrew ability or whatever yourself. And since the character xml is the only thing I actually care about backing up or doing this with (since I'm not a GM so I don't have other items I need) it feels like there's a lot of unnecessary work for me to just get an xml file.

There's also the fact that creating a campaign adds a lot of unnecessary stuff to my FG folder. Like, it's not much, not even 1MB, but it's superfluous for anyone who wants to backup characters, as XML or not.

And again, the fact that FGC has a single "manage characters" button when compared to the improved character functionality in FGU being hidden in creating multiple campaigns (one for every ruleset!!) for your own characters is annoying, and won't be obvious—which is especially problematic for a user who may not visit the forums. I get that "just google it" is easy, but FGC has a single, obvious button that immediately lets me know where to go to do what I want. In FGU, we have to find this forum post, or watch the video.* "Create campaign" is VERY different from "manage characters".

...actually, thinking about it, I would honestly be ok with a "manage characters" button that just did the exact same thing as "create campaign" (maybe with LAN defaulted). I mean, it would be nice if the interface maybe had something like "choose the ruleset that has characters you want to backup", but just the addition of a button labeled "manage characters" even if it has the same functionality would probably go a long way to assist any more casual user who wants to backup characters.



*It's a good video, and I appreciate the addition of the XML bit.

[LordEntrails]

As of today, all you need to do is right click to access the brand new Character Export :)

[Felderburg]

As of today, all you need to do is right click to access the brand new Character Export :)

Where is that? I've right clicked in the main menu and my GM's campaign in various places/character portraits, so I assume it's on the campaign we have to make for our own characters?

[LordEntrails]

Where is that? I've right clicked in the main menu and my GM's campaign in various places/character portraits, so I assume it's on the campaign we have to make for our own characters?
Right click on an open field of the character sheet itself, select the Export option;
41157

[Felderburg]

Well I might not have had the update when I last looked, this is fantastic! Thank you!

[jrobinson2710]

I know I'm a little late to the conversation but I really wanted to comment on this. I will need to check out the right click, export thing. but I agree with you 100%. The fact that I cant get on right now and try it because my GM doesn't have the campaign launched, is the problem. And I think its the root problem of all these issues. The way its setup you don't really have ownership of your character. The only reason you have access to it is because your GM permits it. I really wish that on your personal account, you can make a character and import them into any game you want. Or export as xml. This would open up the door to a lot of possibilities, I think. I know other vtt applications already do this but it would be nice to be able to use FG as a digital character sheet in an in person game. My group sometimes play in person and sometimes on FG. When I'm in person I really prefer to have pen and paper. So it would be nice to just click print and your updated character sheet prints out in a user friendly format. I really do think that FG has it about 95% right, but this character issue is a really big deal and it makes using FG kind of difficult for me.

[Trenloe]

I know I'm a little late to the conversation...
Welcome to the FG forums!


I really wish that on your personal account, you can make a character and import them into any game you want. Or export as xml.
You can. See my video linked in post #17. There is a common misconception that you can't do what you request - hence why I created the video to help explain the options available.

[1066]

Here are instructions after playing around Exporting a character from a current campaign so I can view it offline.

Instructions to Export your Character file from your current FGU game to View Offline in FGU
In your current game, right on your Character sheet and select the "Export Record" icon.
Save to a directory on your PC (sorry I don't have Mac instructions but it can't be much different).
The filename will default to MySaveFile.xml Change it to your character name or not and Save.

Right click and "Exit FG session" - select "Return to Launcher"

In the FG Launcher window, you'll Create your own Campaign.
You aren't going to do anything other than view the character here so don't worry about actually making a campaign environment.

Create Campaign
- Give it a name.
- Select your game ruleset ruleset
- Select *Private on the Server List give it a password
- Hit Start

Once in your own Campaign:
- Select "Characters" button
from the Character Selection window, click the blue up arrow to "Import Character"
- This opens a Import Character window. Click the blue up arrow again "Import Character File"
- A window will open to navigate to where you saved your Exported MySaveFile.xml
Once you find and open the .xml it will now be in the "Character Selection" window (from the Characters button).

The next time you want to view the same Character or load a new version of the same one or a new character after it's killed, you'll click the "Load Campaign" button and just select your previously Created Campaign.

I've created test characters in Pathfinder 1e and D&D 5e and they import into each environments without a problem as well as tested several dummy characters to import and export between 1e and 5e and didn't have a problem.

[Trenloe]

@1066 - you don’t need to export the character to XML. All characters used within FG campaigns on your computer are available to import when you open an offline campaign for the same ruleset. See the video linked in post #17.

[FundPirate]

I am a GM for two campaigns and bought a new computer. How do I transfer characters and NPC characters I've created to the new computer?

[Zacchaeus]

I am a GM for two campaigns and bought a new computer. How do I transfer characters and NPC characters I've created to the new computer?

You can copy over the campaigns in the campaigns folder of the old computer into the new one. You can export the NPCs in the old campaigns to modules and copy those over to the new computer. For characters you can export those from the campaigns and import into new campaigns on the new computer.

Easiest method is just to copy over your campaigns from the old to the new.

[Hank Rearden]

My issue is (using free version) saving via /save seems to create a new version of the character from the load screen. Same with renaming the character. I am able to export the character to my PC, but I've created two characters total but have probably 8+ listed. A DM is going to clean it up (its a character creation server) but I'd like to know if I'm missing something I need to do before saving etc.

[zlives]

@1066 - you don’t need to export the character to XML. All characters used within FG campaigns on your computer are available to import when you open an offline campaign for the same ruleset. See the video linked in post #17.

hey just wanted to say the video made it pretty clear what the actual process is. the fact that you have an automatic local copy is cool.
just a secondary question once you reconnect to the gm campaign, the local copy gets updated? ie
GM campaign has fighter lev1 named Fighter
local copy has Fighter
reconnect to GM and update fighter to level 2 in campaign. name is still Fighter
local copy has fighter updated?

[Zacchaeus]

Yes. Your local copy is a copy of the character as it was when you last played in that campaign. What won't get updated in the campaign is if you make changes to the character whilst not connected to the GM. In that case you'll need to re-import your amended character into the GM's campaign when you next join it.