Config/INI Diff Tool

Config/INI Diff Tool

Module: Tech · Category: Workflow · Tool ID: ConfigINIDiffTool

Compares a project’s DefaultEngine.ini (and other config files) against engine defaults. Per-key diff: which values are overridden, which are added, which are missing relative to a recommended template. Supports built-in templates for common scenarios (Mobile, Shipping, Multiplayer, etc.) and inline value editing with save-to-disk.

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When to use it

• Auditing what’s been customized vs engine defaults
• Applying a known-good config template (Mobile / Shipping / Multiplayer) in one click
• Diff-style review of config changes before commit
• Finding “what did I change last week?” via revert-detection

When not to use it

• Don’t use this for runtime config — it edits .ini files in <Project>/Config/
• Don’t expect this to handle plugin configs — focused on engine + project configs

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Opening the tool

1. Open the EQLabs Hub and search for Config or INI (or browse to Tech → Workflow)
2. Click the tool card
3. Pick the config file, optionally pick a template, click Scan

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Interface tour

Section	What it does	Default
Selected Config combo	Which .ini to diff	DefaultEngine.ini
Template combo	Optional — built-in template to compare against	None (full diff)
Filter combo	All / Overridden / Added / Default / Missing / Dirty
Search	Substring filter on key/value
Scan	Runs the diff
Apply All Template	Applies all template recommendations
Save Changes	Writes dirty edits back to the .ini
Copy Results	Plain-text dump
Stats	Overridden / Added / Default / Missing / Dirty counts
Diff list	Per-key row: section, key, default value, project value, recommended value, description, override flags, dirty flag

Built-in templates

Templates ship with EQLabs covering common scenarios. Each template is a (section, key, recommended-value, description) quadruple list, applied to the selected config file.

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Workflow

Audit current config

1. Pick DefaultEngine.ini
2. Leave Template = None
3. Click Scan
4. Filter to Overridden to see what’s customized

Apply a template

1. Pick a template (e.g., Mobile)
2. Click Scan — Recommended column populates
3. Per-row: click Apply Recommended to set values one at a time, OR click Apply All Template for bulk
4. Click Save Changes to write the .ini

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Settings reference

Field	Default
Selected Config	DefaultEngine.ini
Filter	All

Settings file: [Project]/Saved/EQLabs/Settings/ConfigINIDiffTool.json

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Output

• Modified .ini files — Save Changes writes back to <Project>/Config/
• Clipboard — Copy Results
• No project metadata changes — only config files

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Tips & gotchas

• Save Changes is final — there’s no undo for INI edits. Commit your config to source control before bulk applying
• Templates are starting points — Mobile template is conservative; tune for your specific platform
• Dirty flag tracks unsaved edits — the Dirty filter shows just the pending edits before save

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Related tools

• Console Variable Browser — for runtime CVar manipulation
• Project Doctor Suite — broader project audit including config

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