External folder handling for files

[Void2258]

Models, Vaes, nodes setups, inputs, outputs, etc. are currently stored in the ComfyUI folder in predetermined locations. Any files not part of the install itself should be able to be moved another location, separate from the install folder. This has 2 key advantages:

• It allows you to put these files on a separate drive/device if needed for space (due to the large sizes that can be involved) or technology (SSD vs HDD, NAS use, separating data and programs across different drives) reasons without resorting to symlinks.
• It separates these files from the install so that, in the event something goes wrong that warrants a full delete and reinstall, the files that are not part of the install itself are not inside the folder structure of the install, leading to them also being deleted unless the user remembers to manually move each and every relevant file/folder, which is likely to result in accidental deletion of at least some files.

[jn-jairo]

Quoting the README file.

Config file to set the search paths for models.

[Void2258]

I have tried to use this, but nothing I try entering into this file will work. Comfy fails to load with errors if the file is not inactivated (extension changed from .yaml). I also meant this to suggest this be something you can set in options.

[jn-jairo]

I have tried to use this, but nothing I try entering into this file will work. Comfy fails to load with errors if the file is not inactivated (extension changed from .yaml). I also meant this to suggest this be something you can set in options.

If you provide the yaml file and errors we can try to help you.

[Void2258]

Yaml file can't be posted to github comments.

File contents:

#Rename this to extra_model_paths.yaml and ComfyUI will load it

#config for a1111 ui
#all you have to do is change the base_path to where yours is installed
#a111:
#    base_path: path/to/stable-diffusion-webui/
#
#    checkpoints: models/Stable-diffusion
#    configs: models/Stable-diffusion
#    vae: models/VAE
#    loras: |
#         models/Lora
#         models/LyCORIS
#    upscale_models: |
#                  models/ESRGAN
#                  models/RealESRGAN
#                  models/SwinIR
#    embeddings: embeddings
#    hypernetworks: models/hypernetworks
#    controlnet: models/ControlNet

#other_ui:
#    base_path: path/to/ui
    checkpoints: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\Stable_diffusion_models
    vae: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\VAE
    loras: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\loras
    embeddings: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\embeddings
    controlnet: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\controlnet
#    gligen: models/gligen
#    custom_nodes: path/custom_nodes

Error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "H:\ComfyUI_windows_portable\ComfyUI\main.py", line 158, in <module>
    load_extra_path_config(extra_model_paths_config_path)
  File "H:\ComfyUI_windows_portable\ComfyUI\main.py", line 134, in load_extra_path_config
    for y in conf[x].split("\n"):
TypeError: string indices must be integers

H:\ComfyUI_windows_portable>pause

Note that I don't see anything here for moving input and output folders. I probably also need to make a custom nodes folder at some point but just trying to make it not crash and actually register things right now.

[jn-jairo]

You need to uncomment the other_ui line:

other_ui:
    checkpoints: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\Stable_diffusion_models
    vae: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\VAE
    loras: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\loras
    embeddings: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\embeddings
    controlnet: H:\Stable_diffusion_files\controlnet

About the output folder there is the option --output-directory to set it, but the option to set the input directory is missing so I made a PR #1666 to add it.

[Void2258]

Wow suddenly works. It is not clear that line is a command and not an actual comment.

Tried changing the output but it didn't work.

It would be nice if the path for output was a variable on the node, since it's not guaranteed you want everything to go to the same place the entire time you are working. Having to exit, edit a text file, and restart in order to change folders is a bit awkward. The text file could hold the default for that field.

[jn-jairo]

The output directory is not added to the yaml file, it is a command option when you start like python main.py --output-directory "/path/to/output_directory"

[Void2258]

I am using the windows portable version so I just click run_nvidia_gpu. And in any case having control of the output location is something that is mostly useful if it has some level of persistence, so a command option is not ideal.

[jn-jairo]

I am using the windows portable version so I just click run_nvidia_gpu. And in any case having control of the output location is something that is mostly useful if it has some level of persistence, so a command option is not ideal.

I didn't even know there was a portable version, now your feature requests makes more sense.

[Void2258]

I got it from this github repo. It's the only windows version I even see.