Folders and Storage

A program keeps its files in host folders, and a setting chooses each folder. The app.* settings hold the folders of the program itself, and the title.* settings hold the folders of the game files. The filesystem then mounts the game folders under guest paths such as game:.

App Folders

The app.* settings are kStartupOnly, so they are fixed once the systems start.

Setting	Default	Holds
app.root	The app folder	The files of the program.
app.config_file	{app.root}/{app.name}.toml	The config file.
app.log_root	{app.root}/logs	The log files.
app.user_root	{app.root}/user	Saves, content packages and profile data.
app.cache_root	Empty	The shader and pipeline caches. Empty keeps no cache.

A default in braces refers to another setting and takes its value. Because the config file, the logs and the user folder default to paths under {app.root}, changing app.root moves all three. app.name holds the name that the program passes to the App constructor, and it is never saved to the config file.

App declares app.root and app.log_root. PathSettings, which REX_PATHS() returns, declares app.config_file, app.user_root and app.cache_root.

App Folder

The app folder is the folder of the executable. The app uses the user config folder instead when it cannot write to the executable folder, or when it runs as a packaged app. The user config folder is a folder named after the app:

Platform	User config folder	Packaged when
Windows	Under %APPDATA%	Never
macOS	Under ~/Library/Application Support	It runs from an app bundle
Linux	Under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME, or ~/.config when that is unset	It runs as an AppImage

When there is no user config folder, such as with no home folder, the app folder stays the executable folder.

Single Instance

app.single_instance holds the name of a lock that only one running copy of the program can hold. A second copy with the same lock name fails to start. Empty means no lock.

Game Folders

The title.* settings are kUntilLaunch, so they are fixed when the game launches.

Setting	Command line option	Default	Holds
title.game_root	--game_data_root	Empty	The game files, mounted as game:.
title.game_writable	None	false	Whether game: is writable.
title.update_root	--update_data_root	Empty	The title update files, mounted as update:.
title.metadata_root	--metadata_root	{app.root}/metadata	The achievement metadata.
title.entry	None	default.xex	The executable under game: that TitleRuntime::Load runs.
title.imports	None	Empty	Other files under game: that the executable can import from, separated by \|.

TitleApp::LaunchTitle fails when title.game_root is empty or is not a folder. A relative title.game_root or title.update_root is relative to the working directory.

Metadata

The runtime reads the achievement metadata from a file named achievements.toml. When title.metadata_root is set in any layer, the runtime looks for the file only in that folder. While the setting keeps its default, the runtime ignores the default value and tries three places in order:

1. The metadata folder in title.game_root.
2. A metadata folder next to title.game_root.
3. title.game_root itself.

Saves and Content

XAM stores the saves, the downloaded content and the profile data of the game under app.user_root. See Storage Paths for the path of each item.

A content package is a save or a piece of downloaded content. The path of a package holds three IDs, written in uppercase hexadecimal:

• The XUID, the 16 digit ID of the profile that the package belongs to.
• The title ID of the game, 8 digits.
• The content type, 8 digits, such as 00000001 for a saved game.

The default profile has the name User and the XUID B13EBABEBABEBABE.

When a folder exists whose name differs from a content package or achievement path only in case, the SDK uses that folder. A relative app.user_root is relative to the working directory for content packages and profile data. Achievement state and the console overlay history use the path as written.

Content Mounts

When the game opens a content package, XAM mounts it in the filesystem and links the root name that the game chose, such as save:, to the mount. The first package opened is mounted at \Device\Content\1, the second at \Device\Content\2, and the number counts up with each open.

• A package stored as a folder is a writable host directory mount.
• A package stored as a file is a read only STFS mount.

Shader Cache

The Xenos graphics drivers keep the guest shaders and the pipeline descriptions of a game under app.cache_root, one set of files for each title ID, and translate them again when the next run starts. With an empty app.cache_root, or with gpu.xenos.store_shaders off, they keep none.

The pipeline file name holds a variant, the render target path that the driver uses, so each path keeps its own file. The Direct3D 12 variant is rov or rtv, and the Vulkan variant is fsi or fbo. See Storage Paths for the file names.

gpu.xenos.dump_shaders sets a separate folder where the driver writes the shaders it translates, for debugging.