Task: Map/mod install tool

chlue · Post by **chlue** » 12 May 2007, 14:01

Ok there a two things in this thread. The stuff started by Tobi; he said:

It should be really minimalistic IMHO:

Trepans approach should be good for this. This would work with a lot of mods and probably all maps.

The other thing is to provide inexperienced users (os and/or spring) with an easy and consistent way to (un-)install all kind off addons for spring. I am sure this would be very helpfull for new users, but probably means a lot of work.
It don't think to say: "If a mod is released as .zip, then it's the modders problem" is a god way. Any serious mod/ai should contain at least a readme and a changelog. So you need to distribute at least three files. A consistent way to get access to this files would be very helpfull for normal users.
Unfortunate I have no idea how to write a crossplatform gui-application (apart of java)

AF · Post by AF » 12 May 2007, 15:16

As I said a cross platform GUI app controlling installation and packaging is already due in aflobby.

If in doubt add the installpath tag to the modinfo.tdf file of an archive and itll be installed correctly in future. If it isnt present then itll use the if(map) move here else if (mod) move there.

LOrDo · Post by **LOrDo** » 13 May 2007, 02:48

IF we make one, it definatly shouldn't be dependent on another program. Including lobbys, 7zip, or whatever.

AF · Post by AF » 13 May 2007, 15:57

Read up the thread Lordo

Caydr · Post by **Caydr** » 14 May 2007, 01:15

Why do we need this? :-/ Anyone too dumb to figure out copy/paste shouldn't be playing RTS. Nay, anyone who can't figure out copy/paste should be sterilized for the sake of future generations.

kuqa · Post by **kuqa** » 14 May 2007, 01:59

Caydr wrote:Why do we need this? :-/ Anyone too dumb to figure out copy/paste shouldn't be playing RTS. Nay, anyone who can't figure out copy/paste should be sterilized for the sake of future generations.

no multicolored text please - mod

Tobi · Post by **Tobi** » 14 May 2007, 10:16

It doesn't take, you give.

AF · Post by AF » 14 May 2007, 13:40

Can we please stop removing kuqas posts and just remove the coloured formatting tags instead?

FLOZi · Post by **FLOZi** » 14 May 2007, 13:44

AF wrote:Can we please stop removing kuqas posts and just remove the coloured formatting tags instead?

That would take much longer, I don't see why mods should waste their time.

AF · Post by AF » 14 May 2007, 13:50

select->copy->edit post->paste

Hey presto tags removed. No need to manually remove each and every tag by hand.

There's also

editpost->check 'disable BBCode in this post'

Tobi · Post by **Tobi** » 14 May 2007, 13:55

If someone intentionally wastes his time coloring his posts he should have more then enough time to rewrite them.

Now back on topic please.

zizu · Post by **zizu** » 14 May 2007, 14:08

I like spring and I have some free time today that I need to waste, so you can consider it done.

kuqa · Post by **kuqa** » 14 May 2007, 15:29

Tobi wrote:If someone intentionally wastes his time coloring his posts he should have more then enough time to rewrite them.

Now back on topic please.

I dont see you deleting smoths reign of terror...

But back on topic:

As i said in the last post: i think there should be a way of fixing this without being forced to give sdz and sd7 to spring. Maybe introduce spring content extension that is file-wise exactly the same as currently, you just rename all files to be used with spring to .scf (spring content file) or something similar.

This way we would only give ovnership to a custom extension that is not used anywhere else, and it would require minimal work (batch process rename files on UF for instance)

AF · Post by AF » 14 May 2007, 15:46

scf is already taken.

Also sd7 and sdz are spring data 7zip and spring data zip for a reason, namely because thats how spring tells zip archives apart ffrom zip archives.

There's no reason to abandon that system at all.

And as it is we do have ownership of a custom file extension not used anywhere else, sdz and sd7.

As it is the current system does everything we need all we have to do is add the Installpath tag

Tobi · Post by **Tobi** » 14 May 2007, 16:17

Yes, .sd7 and .sdz are already used solely by Spring, so I see no problem with using those.

If it's up to me the tool would be optional (but enabled by default) in the installer anyway, so if you really want to associate whatever other tool with .sdz/.sd7 you can just uncheck it.

zizu · Post by **zizu** » 17 May 2007, 01:52

I have now finished my version of the map\mod installation tool.
The implementation is loosely based on trepan├óÔé¼Ôäós code.
http://www.mediafire.com/?3pzsx19nyls

Spring definitely needs to improve on usability to attract new users, and easier installation of mods and maps will help to improve the situation.

Build instructions:

Add the files in ├óÔé¼┼ô%SVN_Root%/rts/lib/7zip├óÔé¼┬Ø and ├óÔé¼┼ô%SVN_Root%/rts/lib/minizip├óÔé¼┬Ø to the project.
Also add ├óÔé¼┼ô_SZ_ONE_DIRECTORY├óÔé¼┬Ø to the projects preprocessor defines.

Download and install Boost 1.34, if you don't want to install everything add the files in ├óÔé¼┼ô%Boost_Root%/libs/filesystem/src├óÔé¼┬Ø to the project and define ├óÔé¼┼ôBOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_LIB├óÔé¼┬Ø.

You can use the precompiled zlib from ├óÔé¼┼ôspring-vclibs├óÔé¼┬Ø or you can download zlib and use the source directly.
If you use the precompiled version add ├óÔé¼┼ôZLIB_WINAPI├óÔé¼┬Ø to the projects preprocessor defines.

Tobi · Post by **Tobi** » 19 May 2007, 12:04

Thanks zizu, I'll look at it ASAP.

hughperkins · Post by **hughperkins** » 19 May 2007, 16:25

That sounds really cool!

Random remark, the other day I was downloading maps and so on and... none of them appeared in the lobby menus. The lobby chat wasnt much use, I mostly got called a newbie etc.

Anyway, eventually I tried opening them with 7zip and they failed. Turned out they were corrupted somehow, because downloading new ones from a different site worked.

Soo... it might be useful, if its not already implicit in the tool, to have some way of checking that maps etc are valid and giving an informative message if they're not, like, "This map seems to have been corrupted. You may want to try downloading it again, possibly from a different download site".

Caydr · Post by **Caydr** » 19 May 2007, 17:28

So how does a mod/map maker make his mod/map compatible with this mod/map installer? Anything to add to the modinfo... anything like that...?

Tobi · Post by **Tobi** » 19 May 2007, 22:20

hughperkins wrote:Soo... it might be useful, if its not already implicit in the tool, to have some way of checking that maps etc are valid and giving an informative message if they're not, like, "This map seems to have been corrupted. You may want to try downloading it again, possibly from a different download site".

Sounds like a great idea!

Caydr wrote:So how does a mod/map maker make his mod/map compatible with this mod/map installer? Anything to add to the modinfo... anything like that...?

Nothing. The idea is that it uses the same information Spring and the Lobby use to make out whether some archive is a mod or a map archive. (ie. if it contains an .smf or .sm3 file it's a map, else if it contains a modinfo.tdf it's a mod, otherwise it's unknown and won't be moved.)

Spring RTS Engine

Task: Map/mod install tool