If true, that's most unfortunate. The current export/import system really is much too clunky to be the long-term solution for inter-realm information sharing within the same Realm Works account. Additionally, there's no good reason for it to be - if Realm Works can marshal the information and write it to a file, and then import that file, there is no reason why that external file step can't be skipped. The program should be able to directly take that info from one realm to another without the intermediate external file. In the process, since the information would never leave the program, secure information should be able to be shared between realms.

I think the current import/export was used because their original method proved unfeasible as KBS666 says. However, now that the CM is out, they can start planning on improving the import/export methods to maybe take out that intermediate step within the same RealmWorks account.

Import/Export features definitely need improvements...A lot.

I agree 100%
Import/Export is far from ideal for exchaging material between realms within RW account.
And the possibility to move secure content between realms of the same account would greatly increase its value...
I think this should be a priority.

Don't you mean after Calendars? :-)

(I thought I would get that in first.)

What he (Farling) said...!!!

To borrow from the old AD&D Core Rules 2 Expansion toolset, selective content import is a well-used feature of that toolset.

Of course, they didn't have the concept of "secure" imports... but still, you could open an import file and view the contents. It would show what items would conflict with what was in your DB and allow you to either select everything, or just the items you wanted.

VERY handy when you have a large export for archival purposes, but only want to grab a few things from it for a particular encounter set.

This is still a use case I employ today in that tool.

-=Janrith

There has certainly been discussion about selective import in the past (several years ago).

It took about 35 or 40 minutes to import the NPC Codex this evening. Then I had to turn around and delete 90% of the content I imported, as I didn't need it. There has to be a better way...

I guess I'm one of the misunderstood mentalities. I thought that what we got from the CM we would be able to add a few things from it to an already created realm.

Basically, I see the realm (the adventure) as an organized three-ring binder. My impression was that I could buy the Bestiary, take three "pages" that have the monsters I need to for my game from that binder/realm, and add them to my adventure binder/realm. Apparently not.

So why should I bother buying reference and rulebook materials if I can't take "pages" and add it to my current realm? Those reference and rulebook materials are a waste of my money because I still have to 1) create my own reference in my realm or 2) have access to the internet to look it up or 3) have the actual reference books and rulebooks next to my computer. It would be different if we could have more than one realm open. Then we could link to the content in another realm.