title: Texture Links, how to create
author: Decker-cdunde

1) First you make sure, that the custom textures you want to make links to,
already exists in a game-directory.

Then in QuArK, you go into the texture-browser, and choose 'New main folder'.

<img>texturelinks_1.png</img>

2) This will bring up a dialog-box where QuArK asks you, in what .QRK file you
want to store the new texture-links.

If you have the textures in a special game-directory, like a TC/PC/MOD, I
suggest you choose the option 'In a new Add-on'.

If you already have some custom textures from before, you can choose 'In an
already registered Add-on', so you don't end up with multiple .QRK add-ons, but
for this tutorial we will select the 'In a new Add-on'.

<img>texturelinks_2.png</img>

3) Now that you have selected 'In a new Add-on', QuArK will ask you to name
the new .qrk file that will be created.
Keep the file in your QuArK main directory, along with the other .QRK files, so you
can always find it again. Also remember to save it before you uninstall QuArK for an
updated version in the future.

<img>texturelinks_3.png</img>

4) In the texture-browser tree-view, there will now be a new main folder, called
'New Folder'.

<img>texturelinks_4.png</img>

5) You can rename this folder (and others as well), by highlighting it and press
the F2 key (just like in Windows' File-explorer) or just click twice on it.

<img>texturelinks_5.png</img>

6) While still having selected the new main folder (now called 'Action Quake 2' for this example), click on the icon at the top, in the menu-bar, just to the left of the "Search" icon. The one where the
fly-over help is <i>'make links for a folder of Quake 2 / Heretic II textures
(.wal and .m8)'</i>. This also works for creating Half-Life texture-links, but
unfortunately not for Quake-1 (I don't know about Hexen-2, Sin and other games for sure.)

<img>texturelinks_6.png</img>

7) A click on the icon, brings the 'Texture File Finder...' dialog-box up. In this
you select the game-directory where your custom textures are located. In this
example, I'll choose to create texture links to whatever I have in my Action
Quake 2 game-directory. If the game does not use shader textures then uncheck the
"Shaderlist.txt" box. In the directory window above that, scroll down, select the
MAIN folder where your textures are and click Ok. This will save the Main folder
and all its sub-folders, along with their path names, in the new folder you crated
at the start and you will now be able to view all those textures in the Texture Browser
window to the right by just clicking on a sub-folder.

<img>texturelinks_7.png</img>

If you don't like the structure it has stored the texture links in, you can change it
as you like, by moving the links into a different <u>texture-list</u>, or
create new <u>sub-folders</u> which will contain texture-lists, etc. (almost
just like Windows' File-explorer.)

You create a 'new texture list' by using the 1st icon in the right-most set of icons of the menu (if
in doubt, always read the fly-over help). The 'new sub-folder' can be found in
the 'Folders' menu.

<img>texturelinks_8.png</img>

8) Once you saved the new .QRK file you have created in step 7 above and restart QuArK, it will
also add a red icon to the editors tree view near the top where you can select any of those
sub-folders to display a list of the textures in it unless they are in sub-folers already.
We will cover how to fix that further down.

<img>texturelinks_10.png</img>

<b>Remember to save your changes, before leaving QuArK completely! If you forget, all your
work will vanish, because your newly created .QRK Add-on has not been saved
properly.</b>

9) Now, close QuArK completely. As it shuts down you will see a message asking if you want to save the
changes to your new addon .QRK file, click "yes". Restart QuArK and you will see the newly added red
icon described in step 8 above. But, unless your textures are in a single folder, there are still a
few more steps to do before it will work properly.

<img>texturelinks_9.png</img>

10) Open the Texture Browser and click on the + sign next to the folder that contains all of your sub-folders.

<img>texturelinks_11.png</img>

11) Select all the sub-folders by clicking on the first one and hold down the Shift key as you click on the last one.

<img>texturelinks_12.png</img>

12) Now drag all of those folders into the Main folder above the one they are in now. Then <g>RMB</g> click on the
folder that is now empty that you just took them out of and select ' Cut ' to delete it.

<img>texturelinks_13.png</img>

13) Once again, just like in step 9 above, close QuArK completely and click "Yes" to save your changes.

<img>texturelinks_14.png</img>

14) Reopen QuArK and the red icon will now list all of your sub-folders and the textures in each of them
so when you select one to apply that texture, it will also give the sub-folder as part of its name.

<img>texturelinks_15.png</img>

If you look in QuArK's main folder you will also find your newly created textures .QRK file, which needs
to stay where it is or you will break the links. You will also notice that it is a very small file.
That is because it only contains the main path to where you actually have your texture folders and files.

Once again, <b> remember to save it before you uninstall QuArK for an updated version in the future.</b>
You should be able to use the same Addon .QRK file in the new version.



