Creating new automated infocards

StarTrader

Well as far as I am aware, the FLMM scripting facility can do exactly this, although I don’t use it because I prefer to have total control on where my infocards go.

There are at least a couple of tutorials on how to do that, here’s a copy of Yin’s…

Freelancer QuickMod XML Tutorial
Author: Yin
Contact: http://sssinc.no-ip.org
Email to: [email protected]

Tools needed for XML scripting:
Windows Notepad/Wordpad
XML Scripter 2 (get from LancersReactor, optional)
An empty XML script (you can download the full spare .dll, .ini and .xml from my website)

XML is widely used for mods as it is useful for displaying mod information, easy to add files/change files around with
and most importantly is used by the universal freelancer modding program called Freelancer Mod Manager.
The XML script-make sure it is named: script
is combined with whatever files you are going to use for your mod and using WinRar or a similar compression/decompression
select “Add to archive” and make sure that the file extension is .zip.flmod (so that FLMM picks it up and zips it for you)

(end of script)

Types of ways to change/modify files
1. Appending (adding onto a file)
How to:
Add this after the end of your mod header but anywhere before the end of your script:
<data file="DATA(folder that you wish to append to for your .ini file)(file.ini =file that you are appending to)>the section you want to add onto e.g [SectionName]

<source>
the data that you want to add onto the section <source> the start of your new files to copy to e.g [name of entry] then following with the data that you wish to add. </source> </data> 2. Section Appending (adding onto a particular section of a file) How to: Add this after the end of your mod header but anywhere before the end of your script: <data file=" data\equipment\market_misc.ini"=“” method=“sectionappend” numtimes=“0”></data>

3. Section Replacing (replacing a particular section of a file with another)
Add this after the end of your mod header but anywhere before the end of your script:
<data file=“data\folder\filetobechanged.ini” method=“sectionreplace”>the section that you want to replace an entry in e.g [SectionName]

<dest>then precise entry you want to replace e.g. entry= entry to replace</dest>
<source>
the precise entry that you want to replace the entry with</data>

4. Rename file
Add this after the end of your mod header but anywhere before the end of your script:
<data file=“DATA\name of file to change name to” method=“renamefile” newfilename=“DATA\file that you want to rename to”></data>

5. Section Delete (delete sections that you dont want)
How to:
Add this after the end of your mod header but anywhere before the end of your script:
<data file=“data\dir\file.ext” method=“sectiondelete”>precise entry that you want to delete</data>

6. File Copy
How to:
Add this after the end of your mod header but anywhere before the end of your script:
<data file=“data\directory\file.ext” method=“copyfile” sourcefile=“data\directory\file.ext” scanfile=“False”></data>

7. XML IDS Generation
Add this after the end of your mod header but anywhere before the end of your script and use for
new equipment/ships/commodities:
ids_name = 0 ;GENERATESTRRES(“name of new thing”)
ids_info = 0 ;GENERATESTRRES(“Description of the thing”)
–---------------------------------------------------------
To properly control the scripting of the XML (e.g add fonts, paragraphing etc.) add this to the end of: ids_info =0 ;
GENERATEXMLRES(“<rdl><push><tra data=“1” mask=“1” def=”-2"><just loc=“center”><text>Name of your equipment</text><para><para><tra data=“0” mask=“1” def=“-1”><just loc=“left”><text>The text of your equpment</text><para></para></just></tra></para></para></just></tra></push></rdl>")

Note that the <just loc=“left”>can be changed to right or center for alignment of your text.
To add paragraphs, simply write <para>for a new paragraph and</para> for the end of it.</just>

adoxa

oZed hasn’t yet jumped back in, but I got the impression he wanted dynamic infocards - that is, it changes in the game. For example, the Eagle normally has an armor value of 9900, but if he has, say, a 15% armor upgrade, it should show as 11385. That’s an entirely different process to what has been mentioned. I’ve already mentioned (somewhere in the JFLP thread) that dynamic ship infocards are just too fiddly, but a specific value like that might be doable. Still quite awkward, though, and I’m not sure I’ll bother, sorry.

oZed

Yes, thank you adoxa for clearing that up, this was more a curiosity than something i had as a goal. I’m not going to pursue this since it seems to be a little above me. Thanks for all your help.

Ozed.

Qi__

I am definitely going to see how I can automate infocard making for Freeworlds-tow

Thanks for your info, StarTrader!!

FriendlyFire

FLDev also has facilities for automating DLL modification, if that helps.

Terratec

has anyone with DLL limit with ids found xml generation? unfortunately still no answer!

StarTrader

You’re very welcome QI__

FriendlyFire wrote:
FLDev also has facilities for automating DLL modification, if that helps.

Still waiting for my single-core implementation, old friend! I do love it but can’t use it, doesn’t that justify you giving it some TLC for me and those others who don’t have dual-core?

FriendlyFire

You didn’t know? I’m an Intel shill, working silently in the background to get people to drop ancient single-core machines for dual or quad-core CPUs. Nobody knows about it.

Oh wait.

StarTrader

Sniffff…. snnnifff!! Aaaaaa…chhhooooooo!!

LancerSolurus

This would be a very nice feature to have, I have a ton of info cards that need repair and it would be nice simply to set the ids_info to 1 and it generate it’s own like the weps do.