Directories | Files | Backup
Learn what directories and files Chatty creates/uses.
The settings directory by default is in your user home directory in a
subfolder called .chatty. If you use the -cd
commandline parameter, then the settings directory is the current Working
Directory.
You can use commandline parameters by creating a shortcut and setting the
target to something like javaw.exe -jar "D:\Chatty\Chatty.jar" -cd.
This directory is associated with Chatty when you start it. This is usually
the directory the program is started from. If you created a shortcut to start
Chatty with, this may point to the Java-executable instead of Chatty itself,
which can lead to errors. In Windows, you can change the Working Directory
in the shortcut settings by changing what is defined under Run in.
This is where the Chatty.jar is located and is used for loading libraries that Chatty uses.
You can use the /dir command in Chatty to output the settings
directory and the /wdir command for the working directory
(/openDir and /openWdir to open them in the standard filebrowser).
You can also check the settings dialog for the directory where the logs
are saved in and the directory where the sounds are loaded from.
There are several files that Chatty creates/changes when you run/close it.
| Type | Location | Files | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Settings | <settings> | login, favoritesAndHistory, settings | Setting Files |
| Debug Log | <settings> | debug.log, debug.log.x | Contains debug information from the last run |
| Chatlogs | <settings>/logs | <channel>.log | Chatlogs for every channel (if enabled) |
| Emoticons | <settings> | emoticons, emotesets, bttvemotes | Cached list of emoticons, emotesets, BTTV emotes (Cached for about one day) |
| Addressbook | <settings> | addressbook | List of names and associated categories |
| Backups | <settings>/logs | backup_<number>_<orig_filename> |
Files that Chatty only reads but doesn't modify.
| Type | Location | Files | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sounds | <working>/sounds | .wav files | Chatty loads the sounds from here |
| Images | <working>/img | .png files | Default location where images for custom usericons are loaded from |
| JIntellitype | <working> | JIntellitype.dll | If you have a version of Chatty with Hotkey support |
Chatty performs an automatic backup (enabled by default) everytime it is started (if at least the number of days as defined in the settings have passed, by default one). It copies the setting files (except login) to the backup folder in the settings directory, increasing the numbering of the files with every backup. It only makes as many backups as defined in the settings and then starts over with the first number, rotating the files.
This is supposed to make recovery of settings easier in case they are not read or written correctly and thus lost (which shouldn't usually happen). In that case you can manually copy/rename the lost files from a backup (just looks for the most recent one based on the change date that looks fine).
If some settings are important to you this can help, but you shouldn't rely on it. Always make your own backups, best on a different device!