FLDev Wishlist?

Cannon wrote:
Some slightly more serious suggestions:

• An infocard validity checker. Scans multiple infocards searching for malformed structure (i.e. missing tags) and non printable characters (like \n) in the xml. Also check for invalid characters like quotation types.

What about infocard updater? I forgot update the Infocard frequently when i done the Ship editing.

Sorry for my poor english FriendlyFire :P.

I just want a function in item edit unit to help me edit the IDS more easily.

Right now(FLDev_1.1b), just include a DLL editor like FL-IDS.exe, it’s enough but not easily to use. Because you need find out the IDS number and the Text yourself. My idea is add a Items Edit Function (like FLIniEditor) and move the DLL editor into it. A good way is make a editable “IDS Name” and “IDS Info” (maybe it too long) in Item ListView object so user can simply edit the name and info just by click the name and enter a new name for it.

I’m goting to install my english dictionary….

Many thanks for taking this up again FF.

My input to try to simplify your task:

Since FL-Dev could already show and edit string tables and infocards and open the next empty ones, and we can enter new data manually, then if we can also copy the data for them from another source (even Notepad, or ResHacker or FLEd-Ids) and then right-click… Paste into FL Dev string and infocard entries then I think that would be fine, instead of a full editor?

All the best pal.

I think what NeXoSE is getting at is:

Equipment validation, via matching IDS entry in the main few equipment ini’s to their infocards. There are only a few stats that users can see for each item, so the structures wouldn’t be too time consuming to construct I wouldn’t think. Have an option to batch auto-correct from ini -> infocard after review of discrepancies.

That would be a huge benefit to all these large mods with hundreds of ships and ph4t l3wt items. So many items fall by the wayside, and with new developments arriving, they tend to get forgotten easily.

I don’t deal with this stuff usually, just dealing with modeling mainly. But in nearly every mod I’ve visited it seems a common thread.

… talking about IDS:

A painless way to add all needed entries for a faction
to proper show in bribes and mission offers.

It would be lovely if hexadecimal numbers could be entered into the IDS field of the DLL Editor.

Im gonna second that faction IDS request

Magic numbers hurt my brain…

Don’t think that I’ll collect all I can say at once - so here’s the first portion, things that I remember firstly.

1. Way how FLDev works with file paths.

I’m somehow unable to store paths to files in the 1st tab of the program. Maybe it’s my local issue, but I found that copying FL installation onto its default location, and copying the mod files I want to edit (dll files in particular) to the same location is the most convenient workaround. But it’s not the most convenient thing to do…

2. Infocard import/export: error upon entering numbers that are too large.

Obviously, if you input a number that has 7 digits in it (didn’t do extensive testing of other ways to cause it), the program displays an error message. It should ignore values like that.

3. Infocard import/export: Checking integrity of the file that’s being imported

Right now, using ; is impossible, and it’s not very good since it’s needed for formatting. There are some other occasions, usually when the infocard import file is not “formatted” correctly, when the infocards are not processed properly. Since it’s impossible to check each one with hundreds of infocards imported, it would be great if FLDev could report which sections of the import file it cannot use (except for comments). And for what reason.

4. Infocard import/export: Reliability of import operation

I have a quad-core so I don’t experience -severe- performance problems, however, to ensure 100% correct import, one must leave the PC alone for the time of import and close all processes that utilize CPU/RAM/disc activity. If this is not done, some infocards are simply ommitted for reasons unknown, and some may be imported incorrectly.

There were cases when I used the very same file to import from, and yet it took several attempts to create a “complete” dll by FLDev. No errors etc. are reported, infocards are simply missing. This can be checked easily by Freelancer Companion after import.

Any chance you can fix those button positions when using FLDev in the non-standard window size (i.e. maximized/full-screen)?

Also, I’m all in favor of the import/export upgrades. I would much rather FLDev be slower but check every import for validity rather than worry if everything got imported right.

How are doing with this, FF old pal, is it shelved for now?