System folders

About

A system folder is a special folder in your inventory which has several unique attributes:

• System folders can't be moved or modified. They always reside in the top-level of your inventory (shown in the My Inventory tab of the INVENTORY window, accessed by clicking the Inventory icon on the toolbar). You can't delete, rename, or edit any system folder properties. Like regular folders, you can put items inside of them.
  • Common usage is to create sub-folders inside of each folder. For example, "My Favorite Anims" inside the Animations folder.

• Inventory items you create are automatically sorted into an appropriate system folder. For example, in the INVENTORY window, if you choose the + > New Notecard menu, the notecard appears in the Notecards system folder.

  • Similar behavior is true when you get items. For example, if another Resident or an object gives you a notecard, it appears in your Notecards folder. If you create a landmark, it appears in your Landmarks folder. If you upload a texture, it appears in your Textures folder. And so on.

  • Snapshots appear in the Photo Album when you save them to your inventory via the Snapshot Preview. While they can be sorted independently, they're basically the same thing as textures.

  • Receiving a folder puts it in your inventory's top level, regardless of its contents.

• System folders appear by default on top of all other folders, but this can be changed. In the INVENTORY window, uncheck Sort System Folders to Top. This lets other top-level folders you've created to get mixed in by sort order.
• No inventory item type is restricted to a single system folder. For example, if you create a pair of pants in the Clothing folder, you're free to move it into another system folder, or to a folder within a folder in the Clothing folder.

Special cases:

• The Lost And Found and Trash folders are specifically for stuff you might throw away. You can right-click either folder and choose Empty Lost And Found or Empty Trash, respectively, to permanently delete everything inside the folder.
  • Lost And Found contains items that have been returned to you — for example, if you left a car on a parcel with autoreturn on and it got sent back — so you may want to sort it out before deleting.
• The Current Outfit and My Outfits folders are specifically about your avatar's appearance.
  • Current Outfit has links to everything you're wearing, and actually shows the same stuff as My Appearance - Wearing.
  • My Outfits contains individual folders, each with a icon and usually containing a complete avatar look. My Outfits' folders can contain original items if you intentionally move them in here, but otherwise they contain links. Outfit folders are not system folders; they can be moved outside of My Outfits.
  • When you create an outfit, body parts, clothing, and attached objects automatically get inventory links that refer to the original items.

What are the system folders?

• Animations
• Body Parts
• Calling Cards
• Clothing
• Current Outfit
• Gestures
• Landmarks
• Lost And Found
• My Outfits
• Notecards
• Objects
• Photo Album
• Scripts
• Settings
• Sounds
• Textures
• Trash

System folders are marked by a special folder icon with the Second Life hand logo visible.

Why can't I delete system folders?

As the name implies, the system depends on these folders to sort and help you organize your inventory. Deleting them can cause the viewer to become unstable, prevent login, or otherwise cause havoc. However, you can create additional folders, including sub-folders within system folders.

What about the Library?

The Library is a special case. While it can be considered a system folder in some ways, and it does appear in your inventory, you can't alter it or its contents at all. That's because it contains stock content provided by Linden Lab that isn't local to any one Resident's inventory. Think of it like accessing a read-only network hard drive you can browse, but can't modify.

How does the library work?

The Library folder in your inventory contains content provided by Linden Lab® for use by all Residents. The way this folder works is similar to a "shared drive" on your computer network. All Residents share the same content at any given time. You cannot use objects in the Library until you copy them to your own inventory. You can drag a copy onto the ground, your avatar, or another folder in your inventory.

From time to time, Linden Lab adds, edits or deletes content from the Library to ensure that it remains a useful resource for all Residents.

How do I retrieve an item that used to be in my Library?

To make sure that any changes to your Library cause a minimum amount of inconvenience, we've archived all of the content and made it available for you at any time at the following inworld location:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Stillman/136/75/23

Simply click on the wooden box that says 'Old Library Content' to retrieve a package containing all items that have been removed from the Library.

Last but not least, here are two video tutorials:

What is the Library?

What is the Library? from Torley on Vimeo.

Change your avatar with the Library

Change your avatar with the Library from Torley on Vimeo.

How do I hide the Library?

While you can't delete the Library, you can hide it:

1. Enable the Advanced menu.
2. Choose Advanced > Show Debug Settings.
3. Type noinventoryLibrary. It autocompletes.
4. Select TRUE.
5. Close the Debug Settings window and restart the Viewer.