tolsen64 on 27/7/2011 at 05:02
Ok, I'm trying to make sure everything will work when a game is added. Here's what I have for adding a ss2, t1, t2 game:
Inline Image:
http://boycot.no-ip.com/thief/images/TFMM_AddGameWizard.jpgIt checks the game setup when you select the executable. It only shows the options that need to be done. For example, if a RES folder exists, it won't show you the option for that.
You'll be able to uncheck any option you deem unnecessary. When the OK button is clicked, the checked options will be executed and the game will be added to the list. If the game is already in the list, you won't be able to select it again. If all 4 games are in the list, you won't even get to this screen.
fxdwg on 27/7/2011 at 12:34
I like it. It would even check a setup that has been in place for awhile for accuracy, especially the relative paths in the cfg files.
I personally have struggled through the numerous explanations of using Thief enhancement packs and getting the relative paths specified correctly.
tolsen64 on 8/8/2011 at 04:34
Just to let you know where i'm at with this project.
I've got it worked out how to load the ObjectListView. So far, it's text only. I'll figure out how to add graphics to it later.
I'm going to use text files to hold the data. That way everything is open and viewable. the user editable mission notes will be individual text files in a "notes" folder.
I'm currently re-working the code to parse the mission zip files for title, author, and game. I'm using regex instead of string comparison. Seems to be faster and more accurate doing it that way.
Although I'm now using the 7z.dll for unzipping, I don't think any mission authors should use 7z compression. In looking into it, I found that 7z is a solid archive. Which means I can't just go to a file within the archive. If I want to view a text file that's say the 100th file in the archive, it has to read the first 99 files before it can read the file I want. That makes getting the mission info from a 7z file time consuming to say the least. non-solid zip files should be the standard.
That's all i've got for now. Just letting you all know that i'm still working on it. trying to do it better than the first one knowing now what I didn't know then.
fxdwg on 12/8/2011 at 00:05
Thanks for the update.
Quote Posted by tolsen64
I've got it worked out how to load the ObjectListView. So far, it's text only. I'll figure out how to add graphics to it later.
I'm really looking forward to seeing and using your implementation of this. I never delved into the graphics capabilities of this control. I just hope you don't have any regrets using it and moving away from a working DataGridView.
Waiting patiently in the background...
scarykitties on 12/8/2011 at 03:37
Fantastic! Thank you for the hard work put in. I'm looking forward to the result!
tolsen64 on 17/8/2011 at 04:34
Here's a preview of what I have so far. It's getting there. Using a WPF Datagrid. You can do a LOT with this Datagrid as you can see from the screenshot. All columns are sortable. I also discovered a new windows API call for returning a formatted filesize string from a bytecount. Took a lot of the headache out of trying to make the column sortable _and_ displaying a decently readable filesize. This has been an eye-opening experience using XAML. I was afraid of it but now I'm beginning to love it.
I think, haven't confirmed it yet, that I might be able to display the mission text files (and user notes) in what's called a "row detail panel" inside the datagrid. I'll be working on that next. Anyhow, let me know if you have any comments on what you see.
Inline Image:
http://boycot.no-ip.com/thief/images/TFMM_Preview.jpgtolsen64 on 6/9/2011 at 03:23
I know it's been awhile. I've been on the road for the last 2 weeks and unable to do any work at all on the program. I was able to work on it this weekend a bit and have accomplished the following:
* I was going to use a CSV file for the mission list, but opted to use the SQLite database instead. It's much easier to update from the datagrid.
* I implemented "Drag and Drop" capability. In the setup screen, you can drop Fan Mission Folders and Game Executables into the window instead of browsing for them.
* You can also Drop files and folders into the main datagrid. If any are ZIP files, they will be parsed and added to the list. Non-mission zips will have the red exclamation point icon.
Still have a bit of work to do on it. I should be able to do a private beta on it in the next few weeks.
Thanks for the support and patience.
Inline Image:
http://boycot.no-ip.com/thief/images/tfmm_preview2.jpggnartsch on 6/9/2011 at 21:36
That looks and sound good !
Thanks for the update!
Seems like you added some good features that I was missing all the time in other loaders,
such as an easy way to add more missions without having to browse the disk.
Man, that is pretty much appreciated !
fxdwg on 7/9/2011 at 02:14
That does look good!
Drag n Drop will be a very much appreciated feature.
I have as of yet not finished a WPF successfully, and have not been able to get Drag n Drop to work on a WinForm.
tolsen64 on 14/9/2011 at 04:57
I believe I'm finally done with the main grid and can start work on the meat of the program now. That should go a lot faster since i'll be copying a lot of code from the old program to the new. This screenshot shows the "RowDetailsPanel" that will display all the documents contained within a mission file. Note the "User Notes" tab on the far left. That tab contains a textbox for you (the user) to enter any thoughts or notes about this particular mission. The notes are saved to the database and will be recalled for review and editing whenever the mission is selected.
Inline Image:
http://boycot.no-ip.com/thief/images/TFMM_Preview3.jpg