Guide: Chatty directories and files

Files/Directory structure | Backup

Learn what directories and files Chatty creates/uses.

Files/Directory structure

Settings Directory

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.

Use the command /dir to display and /openDir to open the Settings Directory.

<settings directory>
|-- backup [Folder]
|   |- backup_x_<filename> Setting backups
|   |- backup_meta Backups meta (last backup, numbering)
|-- cache [Folder]
|   |- <various cache files> Cached emotes/image files
|-- debuglogs [Folder] Files intended to be read by the user
|   |- debug_session.log.x Last session debug log (overwritten every run)
|   |- debugx.log.x Rotating debug log
|   |- debug_ircx.log.x Rotating raw IRC log (only if enabled)
|-- exported [Folder] Files intended to be read by the user
|   |- stream_highlights.txt Recorded stream highlights
|-- logs [Folder]
|   |- <channel>.log Chat log files
|- addressbook [Settings] Addressbook entries
|- login [Settings] Your login data (keep this secure)
|- favoritesAndHistory [Settings] Channel History/Favorites
|- settings [Settings] Main Settings File
|- statusPresets [Settings] Stream Title/Game presets (Admin Dialog)

Working Directory

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. Make sure this points to the same folder the Chatty.jar is in (or something else if you want to customize it, just make sure the files you need are there).

Use the command /wdir to display and /openWdir to open the Working Directory.

<working directory>
|-- sounds [Folder] Sound files
|   |- <sound>.wav .wav files
|-- img [Folder] Image files for custom usericons
|   |- <various images> .png files
|- JIntellitype.dll DLL for global hotkey support

JAR Location

This is where the Chatty.jar is located and is used for loading libraries that Chatty uses.

Backup

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!

Restore backup

If you lost your setting files (or some of them) but still have a backup, you can manually copy the backup to restore it.

  1. Prepare & Locate Backup Folder
  2. Find latest backup and rename
  3. Move renamed files
  4. After you are done, start Chatty again and the settings should be restored.