New Persona Window + UIBuilder News
 

I've recently revamped the Persona window to include many more combat-related stats. The new window is live on beta if you'd like to check it out.

Also, I didn't realize until a few days ago when attempting to run UIBuilder from home, that the version shipped with the EQ2 Client is a few versions out of date. We've made some modifications that I feel make UIBuilder much more user-friendly.

Here are some highlights from what I can remember.

- Selecting elements in the UI window is much more reliable, and actually picks the element you'd expect it to pick.
- Hitting escape deselects everything in the ui window
- Selecting/deselecting multiple elements now works like selecting multiple files in Windows Explorer. Holding Control and clicking an element toggles its selection on and off. You no longer have to use shift to add elements and control to remove elements.
- You can select multiple elements at a time by holding control and clicking their names in the treeview.
- The handles in the selection rectangles are easier to see, and you can now tell the last selected element from the rest of the selected elements. This is helpful for the alignment buttons, as everything will align with the last selected element.
- Asset tags that appear in front of text are no longer displayed in the ui window which tends to make things much easier to read.
- We've added "Abut" buttons at the top of the UI Builder window. This allows you to select multiple controls and adjoin them top-to-bottom or edge-to-edge.

There may be more I'm missing here...

I apologize for not noticing this sooner, but I will get the new version of UIBuilder pushed out asap. I'm also planning on making a few more updates to it as soon as I get the time.

If any of you have some ideas for making UIBuilder better, please let me know. Feedback is always welcome.

Interesting, we had all given up on that one (I don't think anyone is still using UIbuilder really), thanks for looking into it.

Issues we have that you have not addressed:

• UIbuilder is not fully UTF-8 compliant and breaks encoding of non-ASCII characters
• UIbuilder sometimes breaks encoding of special characters, turning e.g. an ' into an ' (according to lordebon below this may already have been fixed - haven't used UIbuilder in a while myself)
• It would be immensly helpful to be able to just save a specific window and not "vomit" (as I think Faetyl aptly put it) all files at once
• I assume that "asset tags" are the localization :f: tags? If those are filtered automatically you could stop saving all the redundant LocalText, LocalTooltip etc. tags to the files, making files smaller.
• If the ability to reload graphics within UIbuilder could be fixed that would be very helpful indeed
• Generally alignment within UIbuilder is often not like within the game. But I assume this cannot be helped as it is probably an issue of the UIengine itself (e.g. US server align differently than localized servers...)
• I personally would love to be able to write a complete uisettings.ini file from within UIbuilder, based on the layout I made there.

And a suggestion outside of UIbuilder that I recently though about: Every other update a window gets added/renamed in the Default UI, "breaking" all mods that include module files (e.g. eq2ui_mainhud.xml). The problem is that we need to use the default module files to add our windows since the game has those hardcoded and will not display module files we add. If we could get a new file hardcoded just for UImods that would be great, i.e. a eq2ui_custom.xml root module that will always be read, where modders can add their own windows and which will be copied to root._HUD during runtime so it will be displayed.

Apart from that get rid of hardcoding, add more DynamicData and fix existing ones, give us string manipulation operators, allow us to work with UTF-8 characters from within the UI so we can mod for international users and we will all be happy. :)

Erm, not helpful if you don't get me in beta first. :p

Wow, that's great news Rothgar!

We're still using the UIBuilder from 2005, version 1.3.0.0, and been complaining about it for at least that long. :p

Maybe you could put the updated things on the test server when test update 40 goes there. I don't think anyone else can give out beta information or files without breaking the NDA.

I think my biggest complaint is that there isn't a way to just save one file, so the UIBuilder just saves a huge number of files that you don't want it to making a huge mess. Currently I do all my editing with Notepad++ and only use the UIBuilder to visualize things, test some scripts, and double check links between objects.

The other bug that used to hit me was when using the image SourceRect selection window it would often blue screen crash my computer. I've been really careful with it so it hasn't happened recently.

I always send /bug reports for any UI bugs that I find. If you don't have all those already I'm sure we can put together a list for you. I guess it gets a little disheartening to report bugs all the time and wait months or years and never see them fixed.

I think that's fixed. I still use UIBuilder for some things, mostly because I've noticed it doesn't seem to do that any more. It's easier (IMHO) to change parameters of an object in UIBuilder so long as they are single lines. Anything multi-line I just save a placeholder and replace it in my text editor. I also use it for getting an idea of where something will align, so the abut command will be quite useful, IMHO =)

Hooray for getting a new version soon =)

lordebon, that's possible, I haven't used UIbuilder anymore for a long time.

Actually in particular for new windows /bug and /feedback when done from Test always work pretty well I feel, but I agree we could put together a long list of other issues that have been around for a long time.

Awesome news. I still use UIBuilder all the time and I'm sure others do as well.

I use UIBuilder religiously, especially with my inventory window. I use Notepad++ as well. Now about that persona window....we'd have to be in beta first ;)


drago.

As GM9 stated, it would help to be in beta:)

Me thinks we must needs buy EQUINOX magazine for beta entry first. :rolleyes:

Actually you needed to pre-order so we're screwed now.


drago.

If you aren't in beta, don't worry I'm sure the update will go to the test server in advance like with other updates. As far as getting in beta, still put in an application if you haven't already, we are opening it up to more people each week.

I know we fixed many of the encoding problems in UI builder. I noticed last night in the old version it took my "<" character and changed it to &gt. It won't do that sort of thing anymore. Its also more friendly about whitespace and when writing out files, it will indent the xml properly.

Having UI Builder save a single file is something I've wanted as well but just haven't gotten around to doing. I'll be sure to add that before I push out the latest version.

We thank you Rothgar for your work. By the way you should post here more often, you guys have been doing it more frequently and we like that (it gets us excited)!

thanks
drago.

If you make it save whitespace AND allow you to export single files... you will be my UI Hero /grin

I swear I might just have to like bake cookies or something and send them to all the Devs for thanksgiving or something, hehe. You guys do some seriously awesome work, and I know how you guys must feel during that expansion crunch.

Oh, one other thing I've wondered about was did you ever implement the texture atlas system Silverfrost was talking about here?
http://www.eq2interface.com/forums/s...ead.php?t=7911

After reading the NVIDIA whitepaper and the Gamasutra article it sounds like the UI textures could be assembled into a large texture or a volume texture to reduce render-state changes. Would this be done in a pre-processing step or by the game client itself?

I just finished making UI Builder save a single file. So now you'll have "Save" and "Save All" options from the file command. Save All saves the entire project, while Save just saves the file associated with the currently selected object and all of its children objects. So if the file you're working on has includes, those files will be saved as well.

I think the latest version already saves whitespace as well.

As far as the atlas stuff, I'd have to check with Silverfrost on that.

This is has been possible forever.. Go to the onEvent edit box and enter the first line. Then double-click the onEvent label to the left of edit box and a properties editor window will open up that allows you to enter multiple line scripts.

You can double-click on a lot of the labels and interesting stuff happens :P

For example double clicking on an RStyle label will bring you to the rectangle defintion. Clicking on an image label will bring you to the imagestyle etc..

ROFL, I'm a noob! :nana:

yeah you are a :nana: (dancing banana)


drago.

I assume that the new version will still convert them if it encounters them in the XML file? I know the current version of the UI Builder will not convert &#xA;, witch is the result of Attribute-value normalization of chars #10 or #13 in most XML parsers today. I haven't tested it EQ2 yet to see if it can or not.

If it is not to much trouble having the game and the UI Builder being able to convert &#xA; and really it prob would be best if it was able to convert all these types of converstions.

Great news on these UIBuilder changes! I'm uber-nooba-new so I guess I need to find out where to go sign up for the beta :D

Most of my work has been based on Zonx's fetish UI core and I guess what I'm doing is "polishing". I'm not as familiar with xml as I'd like to be, though I am able to script (python, php, etc) so actually it not a huge leap. But as a visual tool UIBuilder is just wonderful.

What I'd like to see is a way to copy/paste elements from one running copy of UIBuilder to another. Right now I'm working on 2 themes of the same UI and if I come up with an idea in one, I'd like to mirror it to the other. Right now I just weed through the code, copy, paste in my text editor.

I should clarify about the encoding. UIBuilder does still encode symbols like greater-than, less-than, apostrophe, ampersand etc. But the old version would sometimes double encode things leaving the values messed up. For example, it would encode "<" into "&lt;" but then for some odd reason it would encode the ampersand leaving it "&amp;lt;". This bug has been fixed.

When the new version is patched down, let me know if you notice any other encoding issues.

Persona Changes
 

Bought the magazine but still haven't gotten my beta invite. :(

I'm really interested in what has been added to the Persona window. Will this mean no one will want mine any more? But the thing I really want to know is if they've added Game Data for things like Riposte or Home City.

As for the UIBuilder I would just like it to not add extra "/" slashes that I have to remove with a text editor.

If you pre-ordered the magazine, log into the SOE forums and you should be able to see the Beta forums. If not, make sure you've signed the NDA by going to apply for it. If still not, theres a sticky somewhere with them telling you who to PM for access.

Because all FF attendees and Equinox preorders were automatically flagged, you didn't go through the normal beta acceptance routine and so emails were never sent out. Your account was just automatically flagged.

Just checked in game for &#xA; and its a no go.

If I add a button with OnPress="say Hello&#xA;say there"

I get this in game

Hello & #xA
there


For more info on &#xA and other encodes you can check out www.w3.orc
http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/WD-xml-c14...19.html#syntax
and
http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/WD-xml-c14...l#charescaping

You guys probably use a inhouse parsers but for the sake of us people making applications that do not have access to your parser, it would be nice if your parser recognized some transformations on white-space that we have to deal with.

More than escaping I would just like to be able to pass commands in international characters. Currently e.g. a simple /mood なし cannot be modded... (unless it was ninja fixed, did not check in a month or two).

yeah and is it possible to add a function like "x turns white if y is yellow"?

That's pretty easy to do now with scripting. The real question is when would you like to trigger this script?

In addition to saving individual files, our xml parser now encodes and decodes attribute whitespace into their proper entity references (#xD, #xA, #x9).

Unfortunately I'm not in the office today due to the fires raging in San Diego so I'm limited as to how well I can test these changes. But as soon as I get them thoroughly tested, I'll have a new UIBuilder.zip patched down.

A big thanks for that! :nana:

And if you ever need beta testers for your changes, you know where to find them. ;)

Rothgar you have single handily changed my opinion of SOE DEVS.

If I wasn't at work and being blocked from image shack, I'ed give you a ROCK STAR award right NOW!

Thank you, its the thought that counts anyway! :)

Unfortunately I'm having to pack up and evacuate my house now. Hopefully this will all blow over very quickly so we can get back to work!

Get back to work? I rather hope for you the fire doesn't cause any damage so you can get back home. :)

Anyway, while Landiin can't do it, here's your award (not sure if that is what he had in mind, just the first thing that came up in google ;)):

Yeah Rothgar, are now the official SOE Rock Star.

You changed my opinion as well.


drago.

I hope everything goes allright for you and the other Dev's. ((Although it makes me a little bit more glad to be on the east coast where I don't have to worry about that, but it's small consolation for being so far away from so many things ;) ))

I've just been able to test my changes and confirm everything is working properly. In addition to the changes I've mentioned previously, you will also see a new "Custom" module, eq2ui_custom.xml that you can add your windows to. This should all go live with our next update, which also happens to correspond with the expansion.

Keep your ideas for UI Builder coming!

Where the heck are you working from Rothgar? Don't you need to evacuate stat?!

What does this custom module thing do anyways? ....Oh, and this sounds like much but is there a way make a circular window and edit all the dead space out of the ends, instead of it being square always?

Rothgar, you bring tears of joy to my eyes. Now you've earned an award from me too. :nana:

PS: Drago, I requested this in the second post of the thread.

I'm sorry I never look at your posts....

Ok I do but I did not remember reading that....lol sorry let me go back and rewind :)

drago.

EDIT: Ok I got it now :)

I'm working from the office at the moment. And good news, they just listed the mandatory evacuation from my neighborhood, so my wife is returning home now with our 2 dogs. :)

The custom module doesn't really do anything, it just acts as a container for your windows so you don't have to add them to MainHUD, Inventory, etc.

Some weird stuff can happen when you add windows to the other modules, besides the fact that you now have to ship out your own version of the module's xml file which causes players to not get updates when we add new windows.

Another thing you guys should keep in mind is that you should not create a new window with the same name as another window, even if its in a different module. Yes, this sounds goofy, and I agree. We can eventually fix this with code on our end, but for now I would make sure your window names are unique.

So for example, don't make a Custom.Inventory window... call it Custom.Profit_Inventory or something like that.