Possible?
 

Probably going to need to use your thinking caps on this one.

I want to come up with a way to modify the raid/group windows to display an icon next to the person who is talking on ventrillo/teamspeak.

This is very difficult since it involves interaction with an external program. This definately needs an application to handshake between the voice chat software and eq2, that part is easy.

Im wondering if anyone here has any ideas on how to change the color of an icon or some indicator from an outside data source. Chances are this is not possible using the UI system as is, but maybe someone here knows a way :)

Of course there is always the method of injecting custom code into the EQ2 memory space, but thats not really maintainable or friendly.

Thanks in advance for any ideas :)

Acid1789

BTW: I am well aware there are directx overlays that do this already, I want something more game specific.

That part is also against the EULA.

There is no way within the EULA to inject dynamic data or events into a running EQ2 UI. There simply aren't any load functions for this.

Im well aware that its not doable using the traditional methods. Im looking for options here.

Is is possible to convince the UI system to reload a texture every 500ms or something? Is it possible to reload an xml file. Is it possible to have it read any kind of changing data.

Nope. Even if you <include> a text file, then change it during the game, you'd have to use /loadui to refresh it... and that usually ends up crashing the game, and hides any extra hotbars and chat windows you may have open even if it doesn't.

That's our point though, there are no options :)

The only viable thing is an OpenGL overlay thing like TSoverlay for teamspeak.

Well your hurdle is going to be the refresh of the UI files. I am working on a work around for that right now. As for the rest, its easy.

Take a look at my bag code for a working example. First you would have your go between program edit the settings file. All it would need to do is put a data source saying something like.

and when no one is talking say

Next you need to have the eq2 UI reload, that's the hurdle.

Next you would use conditional statments in each window

if the names are the same (you would have to have your go between match the names) then the icon will show. If not it will not.
You can add an effector in there to play a sound or even just show the icon for a few seconds. see how I used the randomness page with a 1 second delay to execute code 1 second after I told the program to execute it.

you could also have it activate a button that has more complex code in it, such as re arrangment of the windows and such, sky is the limit.

As for the current hurdle, I have a few ideas, this weekend i'll be disecting mother's mail window that can include text from a text file. Also the mail window and friends window alters none xml text, may be able to work around with that as well.

Well, I don't think anything in the mail will help you.

I'm getting pretty good at pulling together data within the game, but there's no way to get data into the UI from outside. The only thing that can dynamically pull data in-game is the HTML window and I don't think that even supports a refresh tag.

So, best of luck, but I doubt anything I've written will help much.

It's an impassible barrier. You can NOT load data from outside the game (except at initial UI load) without violating the EULA by doing it through a 3rd party app.

What he wants is simply not possible through the UI without violating the EULA.

Just a thought likes...

I use CSM and that updates a txt file within the eq2 folder after every encounter to log dps etc etc and I can access that updated txt file via a button in the UI and have it paste the results into a chat window... So whilst it is not a "reload" of the UI it is an update within of info in the form of a txt file..

That maybe of some help to you guys and maybe not either lol .. but just thought I would mention it anyways :p

The Windows Clipboard isn't going to help here. :p

What UI piece are you using to interface with CSM? And what version of CSM? I know he had been working on one before the site suddenly disappeared. I only have the old one.

But my impression of CSM was that its only communication into the game was via the clipboard as Deathbane said above. If I'm wrong, I'd love to see it, could make interesting things possible.

I used this xml interface from combat stats. It was basicaly a always on top window that looked like it was an EQ2 window (same style/theme). It was not an interface piece though so would not be usefull here. It would be just like the TS overlay. The G-15 has a great addon that accomplishes this, but for those without the keyboard. . . .