Because I can't find anything in mine... It's so busy that I don't know what's for what. Is there any free app that can sort content by character/theme?

So far as organization goes...

You have 2 options that can help you with organizing and being able to find things:

1.  Create sub folders inside the library folders.

I recommend this method for new users until you become accustomed to the types of file extensions and their locations.

This is the preferred method for many. It uses one single runtime with lots and lots of sub folders within the main library folders, in order to organize the content.  The learning curve is minimal. If you can right click and create a new folder and drag and drop, you can do this.  The learning curve is knowing what folders you can move files around in and what folders not to touch.

You can move around the files inside the library sub folders. 

Don't move, touch or rename files or folders  in the top level of the library folder that carry the name of the merchants, or the "Morph" or the !DAZ  folder because those are morphs and need to stay where they are.

Just work with the standard ones inside the Library folder such as camera, faces, hand, pose, props, hair, lighting, character. 

Leave the files inside the geometries and texture folders alone.

Right now you have a hodge podge of files for various figures in each folder plus props, poses, lights etc.

Open the character folder and create sub folders for each of your figures IE: V3, V4, M3, D3, Aiko, Apollo etc.  Do the same for each of the other library sub folders.  You can also create other folders too, such as "Poses" or "Props" or "Backgrounds" or "Hair" etc.

Then go through your files in each of the library subfolders and move them into the appropriate folder for the figure they belong.

Things like lights, and poses and hair and props are universal items really, and can be used across figure, so I like to have those separated instead of filed by "figure" because I often use V3 poses on Aiko and hair for Posette on V3 etc.

You will run into a problem for items that are for more than one figure. Like where do you file those?  For exxample an outfit that is for V3 and M3 and Aiko and SP3: where do you file them? If you put them in the V3 folder, then you forget that they can be used for M3 and Aiko and SP3 too. It was this complication that prompted me to move onto using external runtimes (described below).

I did it this way at one time and it worked well enough,well except for items that could be used on a few figures like I described above.   I decided I wanted even more organization, and I didn't like having one huge runtime because it was impossible to really burn it to a CD/DVD without having to break it into bits and pieces.  Plus it took Poser forever to load because the runtime was so big.  So I tried option 2 below.

2. Multiple External Runtimes 

Many find this method difficult to learn. It does have a  learning curve and you must be familiar with runtime structure, the files and where they belong, but once mastered many like myself wouldn't use any other method to organize their content.
**
It's important to understand that a runtime is a runtime is a runtime no matter where on your hard drive or external hard drive it sits. **

All an external runtime is, is a runtime that is not inside the Poser folder.

All "multiple external runtimes" mean is that you have more than one runtime sitting outside the Poser folder. They all have the same folder structure as the main runtime in your Poser folder.  I have 42 at last count and I  know exactly what is inside each one and I know where to look for files.

I've noticed that some people get confused  by this and think that every single thing they install has to be its own runtime IE: buy a  dress and turn it into it's own runtime instead of putting it into a runtime that contains other clothing items. So in effect what they end up with is hundreds of itsy bitsy runtimes that have 1 single item in it IE: a pair of shoes in one, a dress in another, a hair in another, a character addon in yet another.   That's not what the purpose of an external runtime is for.  You treat it exactly like you do if you were using the main poser runtime.....install multiple items into each external runtime that you create.  For example... one runtime for all of your V4 stuff, or make it into 2 runtimes. One for V4 characters and one for V4 clothing.

A nice thing about external runtimes is that you can have specialty runtimes for various holidays such as Christmas or Halloween or different themes that you like to use sometimes but not everyday. The benefit of this is that the runtime is often small enough that you can burn it to a couple CD's or a DVD and save yourself some hard drive space instead of having stuff on your hard drive that you only use once or twice a year.

The following is the link where I learned to create and use external runtimes. When I was trying to do it I was really confused about the concept but I eventually caught on and now I won't ever go back to using just one runtime.

http://forum.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=9060&highlight=runtime

Here is another link to a tutorial on creating external runtimes.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2750159

I"ve attached a zip file to this post that you can use as a template.  Simply save it and delete the .txt extension.  Unzip it.  Inside the "My Runtimes" you will see a basic example of a runtime setup.  Just make as many copies as you want and rename each one to what you want your runtimes to be named.  Then just install your items into the appropriate one.

Some of the runtimes that I have are:

V3 Character addons (includes the V3 figure and her morphs)
V3 Clothing
M3 Character Addons (includes the M3 figure and his morphs)
M3 Clothing
Aiko
Christmas
Halloween
Angels and Faeries
Mermaids
Millennium Kids
Backgrounds and Environments
Props
Poses
Hair
Lighting
etc. etc. etc.

I like knowing that when I want to add some hair, that all I have to do is go to my "Hair" runtime and all of my hair files are inside. If I want a prop, then I go to the "Props" folder.

If I want to make a mermaid, I go to my "V3 Character" runtime and load V3, apply a MAT POSE and morphs. Go to "Hair" runtime and find a hair figure/prop that I want to use. Go to "Mermaids" folder and load up my mermaid tail and textures and anything else mermaid related including mermaid poses. Go to "Lights" and find a nice set of lights that fit my scene and then render. 

I know some don't like to go runtime to runtime, but I find that having so many runtimes that each one isn't gargantuan and doesn't take very long to load. And  as I said I love to know where I can find things directly without having to search through unrelated stuff. If I am looking for V3 clothing, that's all I want to see. I don't want to wade through M3 and Aiko things or Poses and Hair etc.

Setting up an external runtime is easy.

1. Create a new folder;
2. Name it whatever you like IE: V3 Character Addons;
3. Open folder;
4. Create new folder called "Runtime";
5. Right click and create a new text file. Change the name to "Poser.exe". Accept the warning that changing the file format etc.  You want to change it.
6. Create a new folder called "Readmes". Use this to place all of your readme files for easy reference.
7. Create a new folder called "Templates". If you do texturing you can place the  texture templates that come with some packages in there. Or you can just delete them if texturing is not you thing. In that case you won't need a "templates" folder.
8. Open "Runtime"
9. Create the following folders inside "Runtime"

• Geometries
• Libraries
• Reflection Maps
• Textures

That's it, your done.  Copy this structure for as many runtimes as you want to create and rename them to whatever you want your runtimes to be called.

Your runtime paths will then be something like this:

Runtime Folders V3 Clothing Runtime
Runtime Folders M3 Characters Runtime
Runtime Folders Halloween Runtime
Runtime Folders Christmas Runtime

You can place your runtimes anywhere you like. On my old computer I had them inside "My Documents" on my C Drive in a folder called "My Runtimes".

On my new computer I have them on my partitioned D Drive in a folder called "Poser Runtimes", and I back them up on my G External Drive..

You might also read my post in the following thread on how to further organize your multiple runtimes using naming continuity so that you know what belongs with what as you go from folder to folder in your library.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2704637&page=1#message_3024920

there are...answers are coming. I use something called P3DO, from yarp at senosoft. It will show you the pics in Poser for each item, so you can at least flip through what you already have. There's a free version there.

Aside from that, check freebies, then utilities here; that's where we put a lot of this stuff.

DANG ACADIA!...;) too fast for me. Just ignore this and pay attention to her...;)

Quote - there are...answers are coming. I use something called P3DO, from yarp at senosoft. It will show you the pics in Poser for each item, so you can at least flip through what you already have. There's a free version there.

Aside from that, check freebies, then utilities here; that's where we put a lot of this stuff.

DANG ACADIA!...;) too fast for me. Just ignore this and pay attention to her...;)

LOL

No don't ignore him!  Some of those utilities really work.  However, me personally when I redid my runtimes, I did them all by hand. I scrapped the existing runtime that I had, and dug out each .exe and .zip file again and went through the labouring process of installing each item one by one. Took weeks and weeks and weeks. But I can tell you exactly where to find anything in anyone of my runtimes because I have them so highly organized.
The only confusion can be when a character comes with a complete outfit and/or props.  Those are in my character addon runtime and I rarely think to look in there for clothing and shoes and jewelery, so I often miss using some things that I have.

My philosophy is 'If you're not going to need it or use it soon then don't install is".  In all seriousness, I have several Runtimes but I limit the content amount.  If, indeed, I have no immediate use, the content is catalogued and stored for future consideration.

Truthfully speaking, I probably have a lot less content than you guys do. Does the "collections" tool help at all?

Edit: And gals.

The Collection Library will help organize your content in a relational aspect.  For example, create a folder entitled 'Beach', and as you navigate through your regular library you can select content to be placed into your 'Beach' folder.  Open your folder under the Collection tab and you will find all your selected content present regardless where they are located on your HD.  I haven't used it myself yet but it is convenient if you use particular items on a regular basis.

So... I could in theory (hopefully in practice as well) create a folder for Near_Me, patterned like a runtime in that it would have subdivisions for poses, character files, and so on, without copies of the items in my runtime except for wherever necessary?

 Hi, Sarte and everyone! I am pretty sure you can organize your Runtime by creating new folders (at least I had to recently, to get Poser 7 working again after a move to a new computer) within the "Character", "Pose", "Face", etc., if you want to. Just be very careful not to move "!" files or vendor's files (as pointed out above). I'd take the advice of the people who already posted, I'm just adding on.

Hope this helped (everyone posted faster than me! :) ),
White Raven

IIRC, the Collection library folders will contain all the content you assign to it; it will not breakdown into categories like your runtime.  As the example I have giving in a previous post, you can create your Near_Me Collection Folder, add whatever content you desire (clothing, props, additional characters).  Then when you enter the Collection Library, open your Near_Me folder and you should find all your selected items under one roof, so to speak. 

Now you could create an external runtime folder entitled Near_Me and install all your content there.  That is relative easy.  Just examine your zipped content for correct hierarchy order as your runtime and install.  In your Poser library, go to the highest level by double-clicking the top left folder, then click on the '+' button on the library bottom to add your new runtime folder.