+++
title = 'Investigating a FoundryVTT Install'
date = 2024-07-30T09:00:00Z
draft = false
summary="Layout of a new Foundry Install"
categories = ['Technical', 'Game Master', 'FoundryVTT']
prev = ['/post/setup-a-local-foundryvtt/']
+++

In the [previous post]({{< ref "/post/setup-a-local-foundryvtt" >}}) we installed FoundryVTT using Docker (if you used another method then you will need to locate the `data` directory for your installation). In this article we will take a quick tour of the filesystem created and some of the Foundry VTT user interface (UI).

If you left your Foundry instance running then skip this step, but if not we should restart it. Assuming you used Docker simply

```bash
cd ~/foundryvtt
docker compose up -d
```

To restart the Foundry server. (To stop the server `docker compose stop` in that same directory. Stopping the server like this will not lose any data.)

Move in to the `data` directory and look at the files Foundry has created.

```bash
cd data
tree
.
├── Config
│   ├── admin.txt
│   ├── license.json
│   ├── options.json
│   └── options.json.lock
├── Data
│   ├── modules
│   │   └── README.txt
│   ├── systems
│   │   └── README.txt
│   └── worlds
│       └── README.txt
├── Logs
│   ├── debug.log
│   ├── diagnostics.json
│   ├── error.log
│   └── news.json
└── container_cache
    └── foundryvtt-11.315.zip

9 directories, 11 files
```

As mentioned in the last post the `container_cache` is used by the Docker image and is not part of Foundry itself. The other directories are though.

In `Config/admin.txt` you will find a long string of characters, this is an encrypted form of the `foundry_admin_key` we set in `docker-compose.yaml`. On a normal installation you can reset your administrator password by deletind this file. On a Docker installation like ours you can look in `vttsecrets.json` to see the password, or simply change the password in `vttsecrets.json`, then delete `Config/admin.txt`, and restart Foundry using `docker compose restart`.

In ` Config/license.json` is, unsuprisingly, your license.

In `Config/options.json` are Foundry server options. We will take a look at these one day, for now just note they are here. The `Config/options.json.lock` is an empty directory used internally by Foundry, ignore it for now.

Various log files live under `Logs`. These can be useful if we have issues and we may need to supply these to developers, so it is as well to know they are here. The `Logs/news.json` is actually displayed on the right side of the Foundry setup screen.

The directory we are most interested in is `Data`.

## Data

Under `Data` we have three top-level directories.


1. `modules`---Contains all of the extension/add-on modules we insstall.
2. `systems`---Contains all the game systems we install.
3. `worlds`---Contains the worlds we create and install.

Currently each of these contains only a `README.txt` file that explains what the directory is for.

We will be revisiting the `Data` directory often.

## Foundry VTT Setup

Switching our attention now to Foundry VTT. Fire up your browser and visit [http://localhost](http://localhost). Depending on where you left off previously you may need to accept the license etc. but assuming you are continuing on from the previous post you should be looking at the Foundry Setup Screen.

![Foundry Setup Screen](foundry-setup-1.png)

### Installing the D&D 5e game system
Before anything else let's tell Foundry we want the D&D5e system installed. If it is not already selected click on `Game Systems`. Then click `Install System` to open the `Install System` dialog.

![Install System Dialog](install-system-dialog-1.png)

Into the search bar at the top, enter `dnd5e`. This will filter the list of available game systems (when I did this I ended up with just one, the one we want). Find `Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition` and click the `Install` button on the right.

![Install DnD System Dialog](install-system-dialog-2.png)


Close the `Install System` dialog (click `Close` in the top right of the dialog).

Foundry will move you on to installing a `Game World`, but click back to `Game System` and you should see the D&D Fifth Edition game system.

![Installed DnD System](install-system-3.png)


Jump back to look at the file system. Under `Data/systems`, in addition to the `README.txt` we now have a `dnd5e` directory. Under this `dnd5e` directory are many files and directories that contain details of the D&D5e game system along with helpful assets and content from the D&D Standard Reference Document made easily accessible within Foundry.

In order to check out this game system we need a "world", so let's set one up now.

### Creating a world
Click on the `Game Worlds` header of the Foundry Setup screen and then click `Create World`

![Game Worlds](create-world-1.png)

This will open the `Create World` dialog.

![Create Game World](create-world-2.png)

We will do the minimum setup for now. Just enter a `World Title` "TEST" and select `Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition` from the `Game System` dropdown. (**Note** that the `Data Path` is set to a default name---lowercase version of the `World Title`---under the `/Data/worlds` directory. We could change this, but don't.)

![Create TEST Game World](create-world-3.png)

Click the large `CREATE WORLD` button.

You will now see your new `TEST` world listed on the `Game Worlds` tab of the Foundry Setup screen.

![Game Worleds](create-world-4.png)

Skip back and look at the file system. Under `/Data/worlds` you now see `test`. This directory holds all the data specific to the `TEST` world. We will revisit this later.

What about modules? We will circle back to modules later but for now this is all we need to finally investigate Foundry VTT itself. We begin this in our next session.

For help with this post please use the [Discord channel](https://discord.com/channels/1226222567292145786/1267486648011329576) and be sure to refer to this post's link ({{< permalink >}})
