Browse ports interactively in DSAS

Use this when someone wants to look at a ported character's animations by hand. For pictures, use the batch mode instead.

Status partial: the two command-line features below were read from the code. The browse folder setup and the remaining dialog are team notes from 2026-11-07 and were not re-tested. Do not start DSAS for Stan unless he asks.

What the code gives you

The `dsas://` open link

Any command-line argument that starts with dsas:// is handled at startup. The form is:

dsas://open?t=chr&ani=<anibnd path>&chr=<chrbnd path>&suppress_prompts=1&anim=<id>

Part	Meaning
`open`	The only action.
`t=chr`	Open a character: `ani` is the anibnd, `chr` the chrbnd.
`t=parts`	Open a parts binder: `part=<partsbnd path>` and `ani_id=<bind id>`.
`t=obj`	Open an object binder: `obj=<objbnd path>` and `ani_id=<bind id>`.
`suppress_prompts`	Present with any value: skips the game folder prompt and the model override prompt for this open.
`anim`	Optional. Jumps to this animation after loading. `a` and `_` are stripped, so `a000_003000` and `3000` both work.
no `t`	Opens the first entry of the recent files list.

Paths must be URL-escaped (the batch mode builds the same link with Uri.EscapeDataString).

`--use-workspace`

Normally DSAS shows the "Setup Workspace" folder picker when it opens a file from a new place. With --use-workspace on the command line, the picker is skipped when both are true:

_DSAS_WORKSPACE.json exists in the same folder as the opened file;
its GameDirectory is not empty.

If the file is missing, the picker shows as usual.

Steps

Make a browse folder that is its own mod root. DSAS resolves /chr/<id>.anibnd.dcx through ModEngineDirectory, not through the file you opened. So the folder needs its own chr\ with the character files.
- Use real copies of the anibnds, not links into a release. A DSAS save rewrites the anibnd.
- Team note: S:\_modding\dsas-eclipse-0082 is such a folder for the 0.0.82 ports. Its workspace file exists (chr\_DSAS_WORKSPACE.json) and points ModEngineDirectory at the folder itself.
Put _DSAS_WORKSPACE.json in the chr\ folder, next to the anibnds. Fields: GameDirectory (the NR Game folder), ModEngineDirectory (the browse folder), LoadLooseParams, LoadUnpackedGameFiles, DisableInterrootDCX.

Start DSAS with the link and the switch:

"DS ANIM STUDIO.exe" "dsas://open?t=chr&ani=<escaped anibnd path>&chr=<escaped chrbnd path>&suppress_prompts=1" --use-workspace

A "Choose Character Model" dialog may still show. Team note (2026-11-07): suppress_prompts did not skip it, and the launch script clicked its OK button. In the code, suppress_prompts does set the flag that this prompt checks, so this may differ by character. Not re-tested.

How to tell it worked

The character shows in the viewport with its animation list on the left. On load the fork's camera fits the narrower side of the viewport with a 1.6 margin, so the whole character with its weapon is in view.

What goes wrong

The folder picker shows anyway. The workspace file is not next to the file you opened, or GameDirectory is empty.
The wrong files load. ModEngineDirectory points somewhere else than the browse folder.
Animations do not play until the window is clicked. DSAS stops updating when it is not focused. The setting is "Stop Updating When Window Not Focused" in the Toolbox window. Team note: it was switched off in the saved config on 2026-11-07.
A batch run changed the window layout. See the last item in Take batch screenshots.