Outdated configs & updating config mods
Every time Phantom Brigade releases an update (such as update 2.2), your mods need to be updated as well. Since mod export relies on comparing the Configs folder in your mod project folder to the canonical Configs folder in the SDK, your mod exports might not work as expected after the SDK is updated.
As a quick example, let's say you created a mod on PB 2.0. The SDK copied 2.0 Configs folder into your mod project folder and you started working in it, perhaps adding 3 new pilot traits. Then, PB 2.1 is released, with fixes to 10 different pilot traits. If you update the SDK, as far as export method is concerned, you have 13 altered traits not matching the base game: and your exported mod might revert everything patched by 2.1 alongside your additions.
To catch these situations and facilitate updating your mods, the SDK includes a few tools. These tools rely on you having an exported mod before you update the SDK. We strongly recommend frequently using the Export to user button in the mod manager. Aside from letting you test the mod in the game, this is a useful form of backup, as you will see further down.
When you update the SDK and there is a change to the SDK Configs folder, the mod manager will warn you that your Configs folder is now outdated. This warning will look like this:
To start the upgrade process, back up your mod project folder (if you aren't sure where the mod is located, press the small button with the folder icon next to Project path field, above the metadata). Once the everything is backed up, select Reset all configs under Utilities:
With that operation complete, your mod project now has an exact copy of the Configs folder from the SDK. All that's left is to reapply your changes on top. That's where previous exports come in handy. Click the Import from mod button under Utilities and choose the root folder of your last mod export. The project folder of your mod will have ConfigOverrides and other subfolders copied to exported mods, so it can be used here, but if you have a standalone export folder under AppData/Local/PhantomBrigade/Mods, all the better:
The import process will ask you to make a few choices depending on the subfolders it discovers. In most cases, you'll want to agree to applying every change (config overrides, config edits, text edits etc.).
We very strongly recommend using version control (e.g. Git) for your mods, as it can greatly simplify the upgrade process and guarantee that every change gets tracked. Refer to External projects to learn how to set up and external mod project folder. Using Git or other forms of version control will let you see what changed in the Configs folder with each Phantom Brigade update, allow you to recover your changes even if you never exported your mod, allow you to manually merge the changes from your mod without using the export/import workflow etc.
