Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

Lukas Kreator · 01/06/11 22:01

I decided to send a beta of the current state to some people, as I couldn't solve a XMLException problem. I will be sending the beta this week, and while you test it, I will be fixing this stupid error

If you receive the Beta, remember that it is very Beta, and many features are not implemented. As soon as I fix the errors with the XML, I will implement all of them at the same time.

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/07/11 00:01)

Lukas Kreator · 01/07/11 05:01

I decided to use my own XML Parsing Class.

Also, I decided a Public Beta will be available. You all always helped me and I should help everyone too...

EDIT: After trying several approaches on this question, I have decided that a Beta of this will take much time. So, I will develop a little every day, until I find the perfect solution... Sorry for delaying even more, but this is a complex question... Maybe it will be ready in less than a month, if I have a great idea and feel like coding the whole night... Thanks for waiting...

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/07/11 06:01)

Iritscen · 01/07/11 09:01

No need to push yourself too hard. I think all of our projects take longer to finish than we expect, so we're not going to hold you to some unreasonable standard Thanks for working on this, I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Dirk Gently · 01/07/11 12:01

if speed is an issue I believe you can write C/C++ plugins to RB. I believe a friend of mine does this for helping to parse some of the model/texture data in modding halo pc.

Iritscen is correct, I thought I would have my editor done by december, but I am still getting it off the ground.

Lukas Kreator · 01/07/11 18:01

Currently, my main problem is with Treeviews. RB has no Treeview Control, so I have to use a Listbox with hyerarchy, what sucks, because I have to implement a lot of code to display a sigle node... If someone could provide a better TreeView control, I will accept it

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/07/11 18:01)

Iritscen · 01/07/11 18:01

Do we definitely need a tree view? I'm not sure that it's necessary. PS, did you get my email?

Lukas Kreator · 01/08/11 00:01

Well, the Treeview was the most simple and best idea I had. What better way of getting user XML Singular Node Editing input? It is easy and clean. This seemed the best way... If you have suggestions, I would appreciate to hear them.

* I received you PM and I am happy you didn't see my message that way... Also, I'm now curious about what you said...

Iritscen · 01/08/11 09:01

Hmm, Lukas, I actually sent you an email after that. Maybe it ended up in Spam? I don't actually know exactly what RB's Treeview looks like. I assume you were thinking of the fact that various of our XML files have nested data that could be displayed as a tree, but you can display it a couple other ways. For instance, if an XML file contains a series of objects that each have their own set of elements, you can show one object (with its components) in the Viewer at a time, and place left/right arrows at the top of the window to see the prev/next objects in the file.

Lukas Kreator · 01/08/11 18:01

Thank you for the long E-Mail

The problem with the viewer tab seems to happen only at Macs, what it weird... But I am thinking on removing the tab... Oh, I just had an idea: I am thinking on letting the user select nodes from the actual XML Viewer, and then edit them... I just have to figure out if I can do this or if I will have to make a custom XML Viewer based on the default one. Anyway, I guess can do it. I will try this soon.

The reason why I would show a Treeview is because XMLs are made of nodes that can be in other nodes, so I needed a way to show all nodes to the user. A list wouldn't do, because it can show only one level of nodes... But I guess the nodes in the XMLs of ONI are almost at the same level... I would just have to make something so you could add more nodes in the nodes list easily.

Also, I plan to make something very cool to edit events in particles... Something like an event editor, with actions.

About the portuguese menus... I didn't see that...

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/08/11 18:01)

Iritscen · 01/08/11 18:01

I could be wrong, but I don't think Oni's data types usually have a lot of nesting. At the most, it's usually like:
-File-
>Object 1
>>Attribute 1
>>Attribute 2
>Object 2
>>Attribute 1
>>Attribute 2

So my suggestion was that you can probably set up the window with all the controls needed to edit one object's attributes, and just allow the user to choose which object they are looking at, one at a time. In practice, it will be a little more complex than that, but does that make sense?

Dirk Gently · 01/08/11 19:01

Unless you group them by class.

File
>TXMP
>>TXMP 1
>>>Attributes
>>TXMP 2
>>TXMP etc
>WEAP
>>etc

Iritscen · 01/08/11 20:01

Yes, but if his Editor is opening specific XML files, then it's only got a single TXMP file open, or a single ONWC file, etc.

Lukas Kreator · 01/08/11 21:01

Yes, the way you suggested is perfect. I already theorized everything, but I don't know it if the sub-nodes like this...

<Emitters>
<Emitter 1>
* Attributes *
</Emitter>
<Emitter 2>
* Attributes *
</Emitter>
</Emitters>

...will be edited separately or if they will be made of editboxes and stuff inside the main node ("Emitters", in this case). I also don't know if multiple XMLs will be edited at the same time... it was an idea, but I must first figure out the MDI structure of RB...

Dirk Gently · 01/08/11 21:01

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

now I see what you are saying.

Lukas Kreator · 01/08/11 21:01

I don't really know... I must think what method will be better and easier to implement at the same time... I have some options:

- Select a node from the XML Viewer and edit it. Must think on how to add or delete nodes, and I have no idea on how to detect on what node you click;
- Select nodes from a simple List, similar to the representation Iritscen used. Seems to be the simplest. However, I must think on how to edit sub-nodes;
- Transform the XML into a Treeview. Lot of work.

Please, suggest what is better.

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/08/11 21:01)

Lukas Kreator · 01/11/11 00:01

Once people suggest the best system, I will "begin to finish" the editor. I need the suggestion, or you could not like the final result. Please, tell what is better, according to the post above.

Iritscen · 01/11/11 09:01

That's not usually the way things work, though, Lukas. People prefer to wait until you do it the way they didn't want it, and then complain But maybe others are just having trouble visualizing those three options so they don't know which they would prefer.

I would recommend going with the simplest option, which is to just let the user cycle forward/back through one node at a time. I'm not sure which tags have lots of sub-nodes, but maybe you can just focus on one tag at a time and worry about sub-nodes when you get there. There are a number of tags that serve the purpose of pointing to other tags (http://wiki.oni2.net/AKEV), so that might be one area that you need to devote some thought to.

But some tags are very simple and easy to edit, so if you want, you can pick a simple tag first and do whatever is needed to make the Editor work with it. Then, when you encounter a more complex tag, you may have to add a feature to the Editor to support the format of that tag. I don't think you will ever have to re-work your entire interface just because you come across a more complex tag, so maybe just start simple and worry about the complexities later.

Dirk Gently · 01/11/11 10:01

Just a suggestion, draw up plans for us and some of the more experienced designers here could have a look to see what would work best for functionality and use.

Lukas Kreator · 01/11/11 10:01

Iritscen wrote:

That's not usually the way things work, though, Lukas. People prefer to wait until you do it the way they didn't want it, and then complain

Unfortunatelly...

Dirk Gently wrote:

Just a suggestion, draw up plans for us and some of the more experienced designers here could have a look to see what would work best for functionality and use.

I usually don't draw plans for things anyway...

Well, I will try some things about the 'type standard files' and see what works best... I will also focus on the list option, wich you suggested. However, I don't know if I'll change much after the final release...

EDIT: I just have to figure some RegEx stuff and I'm 99% done. I can, by now, read files with nodes and values in different lines, like this:

<node>
value
</node>

But nodes like this...

<node>value</node>

..aren't working. But I just have to figure some things and add a credits tab, and I'm finished with this Beta. Maybe I also work on the comparator... It does very few, by now.

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/12/11 02:01)

Lukas Kreator · 01/18/11 18:01

Check this demonstration of the editor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKfhxpHeCBQ
Sorry for the Portuguese menus and dialogs, the blinking, wich isn't normal, and the also anormal lame combat
It's not complete, but it already works.

By January 29th, it'll be released mostly complete.

PS: It's AudioSwapped because it had no sound anyway.

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/18/11 19:01)

s10k · 01/18/11 18:01

Looks good.

Lukas Kreator · 01/18/11 18:01

Thanks.

Gumby · 01/18/11 18:01

Pardon my bluntness, but that looks very clunky. I don't like how you navigate between tags, and editing a tag shouldn't hide the main window.

Lukas Kreator · 01/18/11 19:01

Sorry, but about navigation, that's the best way I found. I tried two lists with default nesting, but some ONI files had different nesting stuff. Even if that worked, how would you edit nested properties inside other nesting and so on?

About the window hiding, well, that's temporary I guess, I just wanted to prevent multiple node editing, but I am sure I can do it another way. Also, it may seem that the editor didn't really make XML editing easier, but after I implement ONI file editing, it will be just changing values and installing AE again. Also, editing large files will also be easier using this editor. You won't even have to use the Oni Split, because it will be called by the editor, making it very faster to edit XML.

About the clunkyness, I just felt somewhat locked to the default process because it won't handle errors yet, because I am concentrated on other features (of course the handling will be added soon), and so I didn't want it to crash while I was recording...

Last edited by Lukas Kreator (01/18/11 19:01)

Dirk Gently · 01/18/11 19:01

Perhaps break off some things onto separate floating toolbars. That would allow the user to move them out of the way if they want but also have full access at all times.

Oni Central Forum

#26 01/06/11 22:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#27 01/07/11 05:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#28 01/07/11 09:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#29 01/07/11 12:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#30 01/07/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#31 01/07/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#32 01/08/11 00:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#33 01/08/11 09:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#34 01/08/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#35 01/08/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#36 01/08/11 19:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#37 01/08/11 20:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#38 01/08/11 21:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#39 01/08/11 21:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#40 01/08/11 21:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#41 01/11/11 00:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#42 01/11/11 09:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#43 01/11/11 10:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#44 01/11/11 10:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#45 01/18/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#46 01/18/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#47 01/18/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#48 01/18/11 18:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#49 01/18/11 19:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

#50 01/18/11 19:01

Re: Lukas Kreator's XML Editor - Demo Video!

Board footer