I am not sure if .NET would support this, but if it does use an xmlhttp request(this was done in JavaScript):

more information can be found here: http://jibbering.com/2002/4/httprequest.html

Can the Autoupdater be controled by a user customizable INI file. So if the person put the map mod into their own custom folder, they can edit the INI file for the Locatoin of the Maps folder.

the updater is run from wherever your custom directory is so that the files will always be in the right place. and then once it finishes downloading it launches EQ2.exe from 2 directory levels lower.

More updates, i couldnt get it to look exactly how i wanted because visual studio doesnt let you change the style of the scrollbar, and for some reason text boxes can't have a background image (but of course almost everything else can, like labels, buttons, ect.) :mad: so it just made a frame to go around the text box and set the text box's background to a better color.

Still, it's SO beautiful. I might suggest moving the main EQ2MAP logo down about 7 or 8 pixels so there's the same space from elft edge to logo as there is from top to logo and so the space between the logo and progress bar is about the same distance as from progress bar to the "New or Updated Zones" label; but that's just me nitpicking.

I rethought it over, and how you have it set up now is probably best. Throw it in custom UI folder, it downloads stuff to an eq2map subfolder, launches EQ2 sounds perfect.

Quib

Is that better? :)
I also added the border thing around the scrollbar and it makes the scrollbar look like it actually belongs there :eek:

I think that looks much nicer (the scrollbar change). Don't hurt me, but I found a graphical oddity; circled it really clearly.

Quib

Looks awesome, and eliminates the need for any INI modificaiton putting it in the users Custom Mod folder. This is going to be awesome. :)

We could use probably a controlled release to test it. Taco, post it on the website and just use a username check to view the page if you'd like.

hehe, I just thought of a (probably bad) idea for the updator.

OnUpdateClick
if user has submitted a POI in the last 15 days.
>Download new POI files.
else
>Delete all POI files and send them to the submit page.


lol, just a thought

Very Very impressive!

When will this be available for download?
 

This looks great!

When will this be available for download?

When it gets finished, tested, and proved to work.
Should be within a week.

eloa/quib, right now it only downloads the map icon files, should it be downloading anything else liek a eq2ui_mainhud_map.xml file or will that be seperate so that people can change it?

This tool looks great taco-man! The only suggestion I have right now is perhaps a checkbox to disable launching EQ2. I personally prefer to launch via the launchpad, and some people (such as us involved with the mod) might be updating quite a bit, without actually wanting to go play EQ2 right then.

I've been debating this.

Whenever we add a new zone users will need to download a new map DDS and eq2ui_mainhud_map.xml, so I think having them NOT auto-update is best (if eq2ui_mainhud_map.xml auto-updated and they were missing the new DDS files when they entered the zone, it'd be a big ugly solid color block where the map should be).

What about this: If I add an entry to the eq2ui_mainhud_map.xml file that's a "version number" (just a plain number, incremented by 1 each time we update the file, with an upper limit of like 1000000) could we have the auto-updater check the eq2ui_mainhud_map.xml for this version number, then compare it to version number saved somewhere at maps.eq2interface.com and if they don't match, send them to a download page?

Quib

Couldn't the auto-updater update the images directory as well?

i have already done this, i just havent posted a new picture of it yet :) because i still need to change the background.

yes it could do this. i was thinking of if we do this to have a checkbox for only download POI files.

the easiest way is to just make a way for you to upload the file to the eq2map website and then just treat it like all the other files.

Well, this'd mean an even longer file scan time, and the DDS's should rarely change, just get new ones every once in a while.

The icon page XMLs are auto-generated while eq2ui_mainhud_map.xml, all XMLs that aren't icons_*.xml, and the DDS files are human made. This means we'd all need upload access to wherever at maps.eq2interface.com.

So either there'd be a burden for taco-man and/or Eloa to keep newest data uploaded or tell me where/how I can upload.

What do you two think (taco-man and Eloa)? Automate the whole mod updating; instead of having a mod download, people JUST download the auto-updater.

Not sure how maps.eq2interface.com would generate MD5s for the non-autogenerated stuff, and we'd need a special case for the window_*.xml files to be an exists/doesn't-exist check where they're only downloaded if they aren't there, since these will be user modded.

I think, since the updater seems about ready for it's first test drives, it just handle the icon page XML updates for now. If taco-man's is up to setting it up to download everything, it's his call.

Quib

It shouldnt be too hard to make a thing for you to upload the new versions of the files, to the website through a php script that generates the md5s. also if the scan time becomes too long for the dds files it could always just only download it if the file exists. and then have a checkbox for "Complete File Check" or something.

You are right though, we should probably just test it how it is now and then work on adding the rest of the stuff in.

The neverending storm of ideas, hehe.

I agree, it should be tested now, and then we can brainstorm further after taco-man knows it works for everyone.

Every idea here sounds good. But I think I agree. Leave it like it is and test it a day or two. Do a full official release. Then on the next release we can just have everything handled by the updater.

The only currently functioning check box is the one for wether to autolaunch eq or not, the other 2 are disabled because i havent written the code for them yet. I will Pm Eloa and Quib the information on how to download it and they can decide wether it should be a limited release or an open beta. I probably wont be able to work on this again until wednesday at the earliest because i have to get together with some people from school and write a huge electrical technical report :eek: which will leave me no time on the weekdays until the report is finished.

Here is what the First Release will look like: