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guru-files

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About .guru files

.guru files provide a convenient way to package, distribute, and install batches of related files in Unify, e.g., patch libraries, sample collections, etc.

A .guru file is simply a renamed .zip file, whose contents (files and folders) are set up to unzip into Unify's main data folder. Getting the folder structure right is the trickiest part of making your own .guru files.

Example .guru file

The following example .guru file was created in support of a new video about the Patch Variations feature in Unify v1.6.0:

unify_step_curves.zip

Click the link above to download this .guru file, and note that it has been re-zipped, i.e., you will have to unzip it after downloading. The software powering this online manual does not support the .guru file type, so it was necessary to zip it again before uploading. This is a common limitation of online file-hosting tools.

This particular .guru file has the following folder structure:

  • file: Unify Step Curves.guru
    • folder: Libraries
      • folder: User Library
        • folder: Media
          • file: Intro_Verse_Chorus.txt
        • folder: Patches
          • file: 3 Parts Song Switcher.unify
    • folder: Presets
      • folder: Macro Link Curves
        • 18 .curve files

When this .guru file is dropped into the Unify GUI, Unify will unzip its contents into the main data folder. Hence, everything inside the Libraries folder in the .guru file will go into the Libraries folder in the main Unify data folder, and everything inside the Presets folder will go into Presets.

What happens is exactly the same as if you put the .guru file itself into the main Unify data folder, and unzipped its contents using the “extract here” option. (Different systems may use different wording to describe this, but the effect is the same, as described in the next section.)

How Unify unzips the .guru file

Any folders present in the .guru file, which don't yet exist in the corresponding locations under the main Unify data folder, will get created automatically. This is why it is VERY important to get the folders inside your .guru files just right, or files and folders will go into the wrong places, and anyone to whom you send your .guru file will end up with a mess to clean up.

Individual Files present in the .guru file will be created if they don't already exist, but if a file by the same name does exist in that location, it will be overwritten with the new file. This is another reason to be very careful when setting up .guru files.

If the .guru file contains any patch files (i.e., files which go into the Patches sub-folder of any Library folder), Unify will take note of the library name (i.e., the name of the parent folder of the Patches folder containing the patch file) and trigger the patch database to rebuild only for that library (or libraries, if more than one are present).

Limitations of .guru files

When Unify unzips the contents of a .guru file, it can only add or overwrite files (and folders as required). It cannot delete files. Some capability to do this may be added to Unify in the future, but there is none at the moment.

Creating a .guru file

Suppose you have created a new library called My Awesome Library in Unify, and you'd like to make a .guru file to help others install it quickly. Here are the steps:

  1. Start by creating an empty “working folder” somewhere, preferably not under the main Unify data folder.
  2. Open your working folder, and also the main Unify data folder, in Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.
    • To quickly open the main Unify data folder, click the “gear” icon to go to the Settings view, and click the “Open…” button there.
  3. In the window representing your working folder:
    • Create an empty Libraries folder, and open it
  4. In the main Unify data folder window:
    • Navigate into the Libraries folder
    • Locate the folder for your library (in this case My Awesome Library)
  5. Copy the entire My Awesome Library folder to the empty Libraries sub-folder of your working folder
  6. In your working-folder window, navigate back up to where you started (where you see the Libraries folder you made at step 3).
  7. Select the Libraries folder, and zip it, using whatever mechanism your computer provides to make .zip files, e.g.:
    • On a Mac, right-click the Libraries folder and choose “compress”
    • On a Windows PC with 7-zip installed, right-click the Libraries folder and choose “add to … .zip” (the name will be the name of your working folder).
  8. Rename the resulting .zip file to whatever you want, and change the extension from .zip to .guru.
    • Your operating system will pop up some kind of message asking you to confirm that you really want to change the extension to .guru.
    • Click “OK” or respond in whatever is the appropriate way, to confirm that you want to change the extension.

At this point, assuming you followed the above steps precisely, you will have a valid .guru file, which others can now use to install My Awesome Library quickly.

If you want to upload your .guru file to some kind of file-sharing service, attach to an email, etc., it's usually best to re-zip the .guru file, and share/attach the resulting .zip file. Advise recipients that they must unzip it, then drag/drop the resulting .guru file into the Unify GUI, or use the Select .guru file… button in the Settings view and select it that way.

guru-files.1630702608.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/05/08 18:59 (external edit)