SimpleConfigExclude User Manual

Supported Unreal Engine versions: 5.2–5.8

Visually manage which configuration files (.ini) are included or excluded when packaging an Unreal Engine project.

Location: Editor > Project Settings > Plugins > Simple Config Exclude

• Default: Enabled
• Function: Hide DefaultSimpleConfigExclude.ini from the configuration list
• Purpose: Prevent accidental exclusion of the plugin’s own settings

• Default: Enabled
• Function: Delete the target Config folder before copying excluded files
• Purpose: Ensure the target directory contains only the latest excluded files

• Default: /Windows
• Function: Target directory for copying excluded configuration files
• Path format: Relative to the project directory, such as /Windows or /Build/Output
• Cross-platform: Supports Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Directory structure: Preserves the original structure (TargetDir/ProjectName/Config/xxx.ini)
• Copy button: Copies all Disallowed configuration files to the target directory

Three-state selectors for .ini files in all Config folders:

Click to rescan Config folders. Useful when:

• Adding configuration files
• Deleting configuration files
• The list is out of sync with actual files

If DefaultDebugSettings.ini contains debug hotkeys that should not ship in a release:

1. Open Project Settings > Plugins > Simple Config Exclude
2. Find Config/DefaultDebugSettings.ini in the list
3. Select “Disallowed”
4. Package the project — the file is excluded

If DefaultCustomSettings.ini must be packaged:

1. Open the plugin settings
2. Find Config/DefaultCustomSettings.ini
3. Select “Allowed”
4. Package the project — the file is forcibly included

After packaging, you may want to add excluded configuration manually:

1. Set “Copy Target Directory” to the packaging output path, such as /Windows
2. Set the configuration to exclude to “Disallowed”
3. Package the project
4. Click “Copy”
5. Files are copied to Windows/YourProject/Config/xxx.ini

All configuration files initially use “Default,” following UE’s default packaging behavior. UE decides by file type; engine.ini, game.ini, and input.ini are packaged.

The plugin hides DefaultSimpleConfigExclude.ini by default because:

• It contains the plugin’s own settings
• Excluding it may cause plugin malfunction
• Uncheck “Hide Plugin Config” to display it

• Plugin settings are stored in DefaultSimpleConfigExclude.ini
• Exclusion rules are stored in the [Staging] section of DefaultGame.ini
• Both files should be committed to version control

After rule changes, the plugin writes DefaultGame.ini and reloads configuration so the settings panel corresponds to disk contents. Writing involves version-control checkout or read-only file handling; check checkout status and final file differences.

When “Clean Config Before Copy” is enabled:

• Delete TargetDir/ProjectName/Config/ before copying
• Copy only currently Disallowed files
• Ensure the target directory reflects the current state

1. Click “Refresh Config List”
2. Ensure the file is in Config or a subfolder
3. Ensure the extension is .ini

1. Check that DefaultGame.ini contains a [Staging] section
2. Try clicking “Refresh Config List”
3. Restart the editor and package again

Check “Hide Plugin Config” and enable it to hide DefaultSimpleConfigExclude.ini

Enable “Clean Config Before Copy” to clean the target Config folder before copying

Q: Does this affect the game at runtime? A: No. This is an editor-only plugin affecting only packaging.

Q: Are subfolders supported? A: Yes. The plugin recursively scans Config and all subfolders, preserving directory structure during copying.

Q: Can copied excluded configuration be used? A: It depends on the configuration type. Runtime configuration such as Input can be used; configuration baked at compile time, such as rendering settings, cannot.

Open Edit → Project Settings, go to SimpleConfigExclude settings, and set Language to English or Chinese. English is the default. User-facing interfaces, prompts, notifications, and functional logs update immediately without restarting the editor; public API names and module startup/shutdown logs always remain in English.

For usage questions or collaboration inquiries, visit the contact page.

• Contact: Contact and Collaboration

Choose inclusion/exclusion states for configuration files in project settings and copy excluded files as needed.

The plugin offers three states for each configuration file:

Each .ini file has a three-state control (SSegmentedControl) beside it in project settings; click to switch states.

The plugin’s workflow is fully automated:

1. At editor startup, automatically scan all .ini files under Config
2. Read existing rules from the [Staging] section in DefaultGame.ini
3. Generate the configuration list in the settings panel
4. Changes take effect immediately: switching a state writes to DefaultGame.ini at once

State changes write back to configuration files and handle the relevant files’ writable state.

Excluded configuration files do not appear in the packaged directory. Some scenarios require adding files manually after packaging, such as deployment to different environments.

The plugin provides one-click copying:

• Configure the target directory (default: /Windows)
• Click Copy
• All configuration files marked Disallowed are copied to the target directory
• Optionally clean the target Config folder before copying

Copying can supplement deployment with configuration files for different environments.

• Hide the plugin’s own configuration: Hide DefaultSimpleConfigExclude.ini by default to prevent accidental loss of plugin configuration
• Source control integration: Automatically check out DefaultGame.ini before modifying it, supporting Perforce/Git
• Read-only protection: Automatically remove the read-only attribute when source control is not used

Copy the plugin folder into your project’s Plugins directory and restart the editor.

Path: Edit > Project Settings > Plugins > Simple Config Exclude

The panel has three areas:

1. Settings: General settings, including hiding plugin configuration and cleaning the target directory before copying
2. Copy: Copy excluded files to the target directory
3. Config Exclude Rules: Configuration file list and three-state selectors

1. Find the configuration file to exclude
2. Click Disallowed to exclude it
3. Click Allowed for forced inclusion
4. Changes take effect immediately; no additional save is needed

Package the project normally and check its Config output folder to confirm excluded files are absent.

The project has DefaultDebug.ini storing debug parameters that production does not need:

DefaultDebug.ini → Disallowed

1. Mark test-environment configuration as Disallowed
2. Package a clean base version
3. Use Copy to copy excluded configuration to the test deployment directory
4. Production uses the packaged default configuration

DefaultEncryption.ini → Disallowed  // 密钥配置不随包发布
DefaultServer.ini → Disallowed      // 服务器配置通过运维单独部署

Changing configuration states writes to DefaultGame.ini. When copying excluded files, check the target directory and whether cleanup before copying is enabled.