Joined: 19 Aug 2009 Location: Moscow State University
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:46 pm Post subject:
A plan for the ultimate ini editor
While all editors limit users to the few designed boxes to fill, I thought of how real human do the INI works. The regular way of notepad edit is just copying&pasting some existing ini blocks and create links between them.
The plan was finished some time ago, when I told LH_Mouse, the answer is "will take about a month if I have the time for it". Dcoder told me 3 months or 6.
Joined: 19 Aug 2009 Location: Moscow State University
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:10 pm Post subject:
First of all it is a visual editor, which might be the hardest part. Drag in blocks to create ini modules, click or draw line to create links.
INI modules would be first prepared. For example, a default unit would be a conscript copy, a default weapon is MissileLauincher copy, a default projectile is AAHeatSeeker, a default Warhead is HE
Then it is super flexible,we should be able to change its link rules by editing config files.
We first setup a link rule:unit-weapon link uses Primary= tag.
It means your editor does not know INI rules. You should teach it how to link different modules.
So we do the weapon->projectile,weapon->warhead rules.
Then you drag in a unit module and a weapon module, and link them together. While most code are not links, they should be in a normal txt editor window. When you select a module you can also change its name.
Setup another link rule: Projectile->weapon uses ShrapnelWeapon=, and an additional tag ShrapnelCount.
Then drag in another weapon module and link the previous weapon with it. You create a shrapnel system like that.
When you draw all needed code, click an output buttom to write them into different inis or into a whole file. When you hit it, run a name check.
That is the basic working way of it.
There are also other additional,detailed designs of it, I will translate later
1.jpg
Description:
imaginational UI-a mixture of photoshop and 3dsmax
If there is alternative link methods, use the first one as default.
[WarheadType]
Link1=AnimationType,AnimList
Link2=AnimationType,Temporal.WarpAway
Location:rulesmd,[Warheads]
You can add other links by editing the config file.
the location tag defines which ini file and where it should go to.All big types should have this.
when you put them to use, every single line except the type= will be directly copied. You can change the default settings by editing them. When you create links the default link will be overwritten.
Or the default modules should come without link tags. _________________ Tired of grabbing my random SHP conversions? Why not learn to create SHPs for yourself? QUICK_EDIT
So a basic superweapon module should include the basic recharge,power,etc etc, use additional modules to define what it exactly is.
The same use can be for spawned missiles,for shake screen tags or anything of the user's idea.
Joined: 10 Dec 2012 Location: I'm too busy conquering the world!
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:16 pm Post subject:
10/10. Actually 11/10 because you just made my day.
Sounds like good plan, looking forward to visual ini.editor as it might make it easier to edit instead of scrolling down to find the tag and edit it at different places. _________________ Mod Leader and founder of World Domination
Joined: 22 Nov 2010 Location: Iszkaszentgyorgy, Hungary
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:17 pm Post subject:
Honestly, while I see the point... it would be a haywire to code in. _________________ "If you didn't get angry and mad and frustrated, that means you don't care about the end result, and are doing something wrong." - Greg Kroah-Hartman
=======================
Past C&C projects: Attacque Supérior (2010-2019); Valiant Shades (2019-2021)
=======================
WeiDU mods: Random Graion Tweaks | Graion's Soundsets
Maintainance: Extra Expanded Enhanced Encounters! | BGEESpawn
Contributions: EE Fixpack | Enhanced Edition Trilogy | DSotSC (Trilogy) | UB_IWD | SotSC & a lot more... QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 19 Aug 2009 Location: Moscow State University
Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:05 am Post subject:
it is a well prepared clipboard ,and auto links modules.
and if you use notepad, the scrolling up and down, trying to remember the link between modules is painful.
Not sure how this is really useful. If you wanted you could put the code together in Notepad, have the weapons just after the unit entry. No more scrolling like a mad modder. QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 22 Nov 2010 Location: Iszkaszentgyorgy, Hungary
Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:27 pm Post subject:
Ctrl-F. _________________ "If you didn't get angry and mad and frustrated, that means you don't care about the end result, and are doing something wrong." - Greg Kroah-Hartman
=======================
Past C&C projects: Attacque Supérior (2010-2019); Valiant Shades (2019-2021)
=======================
WeiDU mods: Random Graion Tweaks | Graion's Soundsets
Maintainance: Extra Expanded Enhanced Encounters! | BGEESpawn
Contributions: EE Fixpack | Enhanced Edition Trilogy | DSotSC (Trilogy) | UB_IWD | SotSC & a lot more... QUICK_EDIT
kenosis, nice plan, and very detailed explained. However, it will take while until it got finished. Maybe when Ares 0.8 comes out. _________________ PPM Halloween Season 2021 QUICK_EDIT
It reminds me a lot like Kismet in UDK. At least in the manner described.
I know I am living in a dream world. but as far the visual modding, I'd imagine well a far-fetched but like a Proving ground like set up. it would be like mapping, with in-game like quality, "optimized" for real-time testing.
It'd have a small plane of a basic map, simple tiles, land,rock, water etc,, allowing the user to scroll through the rules, then generate a unit of their choosing and of course options to copy or spawn other technotypes to test weapons, its art, movement, it would all display on the fly. art tags could have a browser that looks up mix files in real time, like XCC and pull up appropriate graphics, voxels, .shps and display them as in game.
For debugging it would have a panel that brought up the malfunction code, perhaps have a flow chart of the units settings to pin point where the issues lie, like the except.ini but of course with the layman in mind, highlight in large fancy red comic sans font, were typos, missing links and any code with potential to cause IE?... Granted if this existed might as well make the whole damn engine out of it, haha. or hell a mind-reading UI that makestuffsup=true.
Anyways didn't mean to spam,derail but find awe and novelty in the project. Good Luck. _________________ Delirium.. QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 22 Nov 2010 Location: Iszkaszentgyorgy, Hungary
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:40 am Post subject:
Honestly Kenosis.
This sounds good in design, but it would be a nightmare to code. Also it's not Ares-related, it shouldn't be a blueprint then. _________________ "If you didn't get angry and mad and frustrated, that means you don't care about the end result, and are doing something wrong." - Greg Kroah-Hartman
=======================
Past C&C projects: Attacque Supérior (2010-2019); Valiant Shades (2019-2021)
=======================
WeiDU mods: Random Graion Tweaks | Graion's Soundsets
Maintainance: Extra Expanded Enhanced Encounters! | BGEESpawn
Contributions: EE Fixpack | Enhanced Edition Trilogy | DSotSC (Trilogy) | UB_IWD | SotSC & a lot more... QUICK_EDIT
instead of reinventing the wheel how about just polishing up the few remaining flaws of the tool the community already got. _________________ Free Tibed!
EA for worst company of the decade! QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 22 Nov 2010 Location: Iszkaszentgyorgy, Hungary
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:13 am Post subject:
Polishing up. Yea, with the Uninstall button. _________________ "If you didn't get angry and mad and frustrated, that means you don't care about the end result, and are doing something wrong." - Greg Kroah-Hartman
=======================
Past C&C projects: Attacque Supérior (2010-2019); Valiant Shades (2019-2021)
=======================
WeiDU mods: Random Graion Tweaks | Graion's Soundsets
Maintainance: Extra Expanded Enhanced Encounters! | BGEESpawn
Contributions: EE Fixpack | Enhanced Edition Trilogy | DSotSC (Trilogy) | UB_IWD | SotSC & a lot more... QUICK_EDIT
Joined: 22 Nov 2010 Location: Iszkaszentgyorgy, Hungary
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:22 pm Post subject:
Everyone here got what you mean.
However from a coder's POV, it's complicated and timeconsuming to code such. _________________ "If you didn't get angry and mad and frustrated, that means you don't care about the end result, and are doing something wrong." - Greg Kroah-Hartman
=======================
Past C&C projects: Attacque Supérior (2010-2019); Valiant Shades (2019-2021)
=======================
WeiDU mods: Random Graion Tweaks | Graion's Soundsets
Maintainance: Extra Expanded Enhanced Encounters! | BGEESpawn
Contributions: EE Fixpack | Enhanced Edition Trilogy | DSotSC (Trilogy) | UB_IWD | SotSC & a lot more... QUICK_EDIT
Everyone (except one 5 posts above) here got what you mean.
fixed.
A graphical editor would be interesting, but as GD said, such a thing isn't trivial to code.
A few things to consider:
-user settings like the layout (position, size) of the ini-section-tables need to be stored (best in a separate file next to the actual ini file)
-the windows kernel32 functions Get- and WritePrivateProfileString ignore automatically any comments. So using these is not possible and you have to write you own functions to handle the ini format. (those kernel32 functions also can't handle comments behind a key, only when written as a separate line)
-an automatic arrangement of the ini sections as graphical "tables" in a well ordered way isn't trivial too. Surely some recursive dependency checking and realignment function is necessary to accomplish that. (e.g. you don't want the weapons listed above a unit, as these are some sub-level section)
-you have to write a good graphical interface and there are no .NET functions for such a new way of interface. So all/many of the buttons, forms and usercontrols need to be coded from scratch. (e.g. new control for the ini-section, a control for the line-connectors from section to section, the main graphical canvas in which you draw the controls)
btw, the particle flow editor has a similar layout too (it even exists longer than the new material editor layout)
_________________ SHP Artist of Twisted Insurrection: Nod buildings
Joined: 19 Aug 2009 Location: Moscow State University
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:15 pm Post subject:
LH_Mouse says:
Don't use ini, use xml
Throw away M$'s xxProfileString APIs and get a better thing instead as MSDN also marked these APIs as deprecated(oh yes they recommend you should [use] the registry and it is completely a mess). There do exist a number of open source softwares that use XML documents to save preferences. You'd consider about it.
I cannot get his idea because I know nothing about programming.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
A plan for the ultimate ini editor
