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Ilive Reader : Requests

Started by ilive, March 07, 2010, 11:10:49 AM

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Meastro444

Friend of the Certified Drama Queen :)

Infixo

I believe lots of people are using it for lots and not only  ;D

Few suggestions.

1. Compatibility with new_properties.xml from PIM-X - it would be best to just have one .xml, no sync problems, easier to update, etc.

2. Decode the values that are described as OPTION in the above file. As for now - some of them are decoded, but not ALL of them. Maybe it's just a matter of the file used...

3. Make it easier to edit a property in cases such as above, e.g. a list of available values, checkboxes, etc. Something similar to the way X-Tool implemented it.

Regards

G.
Grzegorz, GG #354873

superhands

Wow :o the Legend himself has returned :)  Thanks for the fantastic tool that really opened the game up &apls


-Dave

Shadow Assassin

Quote
1. Compatibility with new_properties.xml from PIM-X - it would be best to just have one .xml, no sync problems, easier to update, etc.

You can update the .xml in the current version of the Reader you know.


And welcome back, ilive - your program is still the definitive modding tool for SC4... especially since it's so flexible - I prefer the current version as it is though there may be some things that need to be tweaked to improve productivity.

Also, I was wondering if it is at all possible to export this to other platforms such as Linux?
New Horizons Productions
Berethor ♦ beskhu3epnm ♦ blade2k5 ♦ dedgren ♦ dmscopio ♦ Ennedi
emilin ♦ Heblem ♦ jplumbley ♦ moganite ♦ M4346 ♦ papab2000
Shadow Assassin ♦ Tarkus ♦ wouanagaine
See my uploads on the LEX!

Stray Cat

We are in the presence of original greatness!!!   &apls &apls

Welcome back to the game and the community!

Cheers!

Scott
Just a stray wandering through life heading to the big litter-box in the sky...

null45

Quote from: Shadow AssassinAlso, I was wondering if it is at all possible to export this to other platforms such as Linux?

It already runs fine on Linux using Wine, although you have to install the Visual C++ 6.0 run-time.

Looking forward to the new version.  :thumbsup:

Shadow Assassin

Quote
It already runs fine on Linux using Wine, although you have to install the Visual C++ 6.0 run-time.

I've had problems getting the Reader to run on Wine... that's probably why it doesn't work - I don't think I have the C++ 6.0 runtime...
New Horizons Productions
Berethor ♦ beskhu3epnm ♦ blade2k5 ♦ dedgren ♦ dmscopio ♦ Ennedi
emilin ♦ Heblem ♦ jplumbley ♦ moganite ♦ M4346 ♦ papab2000
Shadow Assassin ♦ Tarkus ♦ wouanagaine
See my uploads on the LEX!

Jonathan

I'd be more than happy to test it when you are ready :)
Personally I think you should keep the ribbon UI. I think it works better than the menu tbh.

3 what I imagine are little requests but really I have no idea:
Increase the length of text that can be edited in RUL files. They are so big now that modifying them we have to export them, edit them and then import them back in.
When Exported a file (Saving a subfile) can you put a Save file dialog, so we choose where to put them instead of it saving them in the last used folder, which is not always obvious.
And possibly could add a button to the FSH window which lets users export the FSH as a PNG?

Thanks again for coming back :)

Jonathan

Tarkus

Quote from: Jonathan on March 07, 2010, 11:50:50 PM
Increase the length of text that can be edited in RUL files. They are so big now that modifying them we have to export them, edit them and then import them back in.

I'd second that one, and to add to that, I was wondering if perhaps a Find/Replace option for the RUL editor would be feasible.

-Alex

mightygoose

NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

SimNation

I use reader religiously next to its 2 cousins sc4 tool and the infant of the pack SC4PIM. Glade to see you gonna update reader.I will miss the old look of it though since I have grown so accustom to it. 6 years a long time of no sc4...but then again the stuff out then was no where near as abundant as what is out now so I can see how you were not tempted to play every now and again. Nice to see you return.

ilive

thanks for all posts and for your support  &apls

I'm trying to add as many requests I can...

cogeo > I changed the way to handle the main list as you described and it's really great ! displaying data is much quicker. Thanks for this tip.
About  SDI/MDI in the Reader: the project was initially built on SDI at beginning (due to lack of time to fully understand MDI way). Then I tried to add multiple documents through the outlook bar because it was too late to switch to MDI. But  the size of this bar should be keep in memory ; so if you reduce it , the next time you run the tool, it should stay at the previous defined width.
On the new version, you can open multiple "entries" of the same dat file in the same workspace (this is the tabs called PNG2, Exemplar4 ... in the first screen). At the moment, if you select an another dat, the workspace is reset ; I will to try to not reset it and let "entries" opened (but I don't know how to display on the tab the owner (dat file) of the entry  as I don't have a lot of space)
About the "fill the list", it was requested due to the long time to fill the large simcity_x.dat (computer was slower 6 years ago :) ).
About S3D, I made it (and I also used external code for 3DS functions). I have the code (I don't even remember why it is outside the Reader project). Send my your mail through PM and I will send you back the code.

I don't forget other requests  ;)

RippleJet

Quote from: ilive on March 08, 2010, 01:28:13 PM
I don't forget other requests  ;)

Good to know... :)   Then let me add one more... ::)

Lots of models are now in megapacks/proppacks (up to and sometimes above 10 MB in size).
These packs contain several S3D models and their FSH materials.
However, Reader is currently unable to show them correctly.
As we know, only the IID of the FSH files are saved in the MATS section of the S3D file.

In the game, SC4 is looking for S3D Materials (FSH files) having only either of two Group ID's:

   1. A material having a Group ID of 0x1ABE787D
   2. A material having the same Group ID as the S3D file

In step 2, Reader currently loads the first FSH file it finds in the same file (megapack) having correct IID (regardless of the Group ID).

mrbisonm

Quelle surprise!
Nice to have you back working on the Reader. I am very handy with computer programs and especially these SC4 files, but the Reader made it possible for me to handle soem adjustmments to the files. It is the ONLY SC4 program that I can understand in some ways. I have tried to use other programs, but they simply don't either work with my computer or with me. ;)
Hearing about you to improve the Reader, automatically gave me hope that we might sometimes have a program that can extract (and create an independant) modelfile form a datfile. I know how to to extract the datfile, but this datfile always stays an independency for the descfile and besides it is always a painstaking processus to do so.
Sometimes you have dozens and dozens of files inside a datfile and when I want only one of them, I will have to keep the whole file, so extracting and creating one of the included modelfiles would be very fun to have.
I don't know if something like this could be added to the ilive Reader, but I thought I'd bring it up the same, just in case my dream could be realized.
It is good to see you again btw,

Bon retour

Fred


....Uploading the MFP 1.... (.........Finishing the MFP1)

cogeo

Just remembered a few more things to be improved:
- Property Editor: allow to enter SINT64 properties in decimal format (now this is allowed for byte, UINT32 etc, ie for all other types but not for SINT64).
- Parent Cohort property: allow copy/paste, just like for all other properties.
- Main list: the columns (at least the ones with a fixed length like the T, G and I IDs) should be initially as wide as to accomodate the text length exactly.

dragonshardz


tamorr

Wow, almost never thought there would be more work on this great program. Quite useful throughout all the modding that I do. It is nice that you have returned to work on it again to improve such a useful program. :) ()stsfd()
  "It is wiser to think about your actions before doing them, but be warned One must act quickly before another takes action for you."
  "Knowledge may be Power, but it is how you use that Knowledge that makes One Powerful."
  "I am a Philosopher, Punnist, Poet, and Rambler so keep in mind I think ahead and backwards to point where communication is sometimes not completely understood, even if Enlish is my primary language, it doesn't mean I know it well N proper."
  "Always do your best to acheive your goals and Dreams one at a time."
"Patience is a virtue."

Une_ame

Ilive, je ne savais pas que tu existais et pensait que le Reader avait été pondu par une boite comme Maxi.

Je vais faire comme les autres : bienvenue même s'il semble que tu étais là avant moi (février 2007 qd même !!!!!).

Translation : Welcome back !!!!!
babuloziwad / adj Above perfection in SC4; Dude, this MOD is ~ !

Infixo

Quote from: Shadow Assassin on March 07, 2010, 07:03:14 PM
You can update the .xml in the current version of the Reader you know.

Theoretically yes - but I couldn't. I tried to add a file in Options/XML Properties File, and it doesn't work  :( How did You?
Grzegorz, GG #354873

gizmo28

Hi Ilive, I heard you were back. I'm happy you decided to work on this program again. I was wondering if you plan on leaving the effects.dir part in, even though it was not editable, it made looking at the numbers pretty handy when I tried to make new effects, I had to give up when the old reader stopped working correctly for me. I just hope i still retained the knowledge, since no one else ever persued that file besides me after Red decoded most of it. Just the simple viewer as it was would be good enough for me to try practice again. If it can be made editable with a way to have the header column names pulled from a editable file, so that unknowns can be edited and named later on that would be great, since I did find out what some of them were a few years ago. Thanks and Welcome Back.