Overview of Libraries vs Sets

PERFLIGHT uses two different systems for organizing your addons: Libraries and Sets. Understanding the difference between them is key to getting the most out of the app.

Written By Jim Thompson

Last updated 2 months ago

Libraries: Where Your Addons Live

Libraries are physical folder locations on your computer where addons are stored. When you add a library to PERFLIGHT, you're pointing it to a folder on your hard drive (like D:\MSFS Addons\Scenery or E:\Flight Sim\Aircraft). PERFLIGHT scans these folders to discover the addons inside.

Think of libraries as your filing cabinet - they represent the actual storage locations of your addon files. Every addon in PERFLIGHT belongs to exactly one library, based on where it's physically installed.

Key points about Libraries:

  • Libraries are folder paths on your filesystem

  • Each addon belongs to one library only

  • The Libraries drawer lets you filter your view - showing or hiding addons from specific libraries

  • Toggling library visibility doesn't enable or disable addons, it just controls what you see on screen

  • Use libraries to organize where you store different types of addons

Sets: How You Group Your Addons

Sets are virtual collections of addons that you create for quick activation. Unlike libraries, Sets aren't tied to folder locations - they're custom groups you define based on how you want to use your addons together.

Think of Sets as playlists for your addons. You might create a Set called "Hawaii VFR" containing your Hawaiian scenery, a bush plane, and some weather enhancement addons. Or an "Airliner Ops" Set with your favorite airliners, airport scenery, and GSX profiles.

Key points about Sets:

  • Sets are virtual groupings you create

  • An addon can belong to multiple Sets

  • Activating a Set enables all the addons in that group

  • Deactivating a Set disables all its addons

  • Sets change the actual enabled/disabled state of your addons, affecting what loads in the simulator

The Critical Difference

Libraries

Sets

What they represent

Physical folder locations

Virtual addon groupings

Addon membership

One library per addon

Multiple Sets per addon

Drawer action

Show/Hide (filtering your view)

Activate/Deactivate (changing addon state)

Effect on simulator

None - view only

Direct - controls what's enabled

Visual indicator

Checkboxes

Toggle switches

When to Use Each

Use Libraries to:

  • Organize your addon storage by type, source, or drive

  • Filter your view when browsing a large collection

  • Keep track of where things are physically installed

Use Sets to:

  • Prepare for specific flight scenarios

  • Quickly switch between addon configurations

  • Group addons that you commonly use together

  • Manage which addons are active for your next flight

Working Together

Libraries and Sets complement each other. You might have your addons organized into libraries by category (Aircraft, Scenery, Utilities), but then create Sets that pull from multiple libraries for specific use cases.

For example:

  • Libraries: Aircraft, US Scenery, Europe Scenery, Utilities

  • Sets: "US Tour" (includes addons from Aircraft + US Scenery + Utilities), "European Ops" (includes addons from Aircraft + Europe Scenery + Utilities)

This gives you the best of both worlds - organized storage and flexible activation.