Character Sheet Phase 3 (Savage) - Revision history

Rob: /* The Template */

2009-02-09T00:32:33Z

The Template

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:32, 9 February 2009
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	We need a total of six portals in order to present all the information we selected for inclusion. The portals for showing the point cost and range will use a script that first checks the print-specific field and otherwise defaults to the normal field. The portal for duration will work the same way, with added handling for including any maintenance cost. The remaining portals will simply show the contents of an appropriate field.		We need a total of six portals in order to present all the information we selected for inclusion. The portals for showing the point cost and range will use a script that first checks the print-specific field and otherwise defaults to the normal field. The portal for duration will work the same way, with added handling for including any maintenance cost. The remaining portals will simply show the contents of an appropriate field.

	We'll put the name on the left and then align the four fields across the top line within columns. The summary text will be placed beneath the line of fields, spanning the same width as the fields. If the name is too large to fit, we'll allow it span two lines, since we already need at least two lines of output. If the name still doesn't fit, will use the built-in "sizetofit" target reference to have HL incrementally scale the font size downward until the name actually fits. We can then center the name vertically. Putting all this together yields the template shown below.		We'll put the name on the left and then align the four fields across the top line within columns. The summary text will be placed beneath the line of fields, spanning the same width as the fields, and it can be more than one line in height. If the name is too large to fit, we'll allow it span two lines, since we already need at least two lines of output. Our total height will be determined after we position everything. If the name still doesn't fit, will use the built-in "sizetofit" target reference to have HL incrementally scale the font size downward until the name actually fits. We can then center the name vertically. Putting all this together yields the template shown below.

	<pre>		<pre>
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	style="outPower">		style="outPower">
	<output_label		<output_label
	field="summary">		field="summary"
			ismultiline="yes">
	</output_label>		</output_label>
	</portal>		</portal>

	<position><![CDATA[		<position><![CDATA[
	~~~our height is based on the tallest portal on the top line plus our text area~~
	~~height = portal[name].height + portal[summary].height + 2~~
	~~if (issizing <> 0) then~~
	~~done~~
	~~endif~~

	~position all portals with the same baseline as the name; since they use a		~position all portals with the same baseline as the name; since they use a
	~smaller font, they will have a smaller height, so centering them will have		~smaller font, they will have a smaller height, so centering them will have
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	~size the trappings portal to whatever space is left		~size the trappings portal to whatever space is left
	portal[trapping].width = width - portal[trapping].left		portal[trapping].width = width - portal[trapping].left

	~~~size the name to fit the available space, then realign to baseline after shrink~~
	~~perform portal[name].sizetofit[36]~~
	~~perform portal[name].autoheight~~
	~~perform portal[name].centervert~~

	~size the summary portal to span the area excluding the name		~size the summary portal to span the area excluding the name
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	~position the summary portal beneath the other line of fields		~position the summary portal beneath the other line of fields
	perform portal[summary].alignrel[ttob,points,2]		perform portal[summary].alignrel[ttob,points,2]

			~our height is the base of the summary portal
			height = portal[summary].bottom

			~size the name to fit the available space, then re-center after shrink
			perform portal[name].sizetofit[36]
			perform portal[name].autoheight
			perform portal[name].centervert
	]]></position>		]]></position>

Rob at 19:36, 18 January 2009

2009-01-18T19:36:07Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:36, 18 January 2009
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	</portal>		</portal>
	</pre>		</pre>

	~~===Armor===~~

	~~===Weapons===~~

	~~===Adjustments===~~

	~~===Injuries and Health===~~

	~~===Gear===~~

Rob: /* Adding a Custom Header */

2009-01-18T19:35:14Z

Adding a Custom Header

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:35, 18 January 2009
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	====Adding a Custom Header====		====Adding a Custom Header====

	It's now time to add the custom header to the table portal. Our header needs to label each column of information within the table. In order to easily synchronize the positions of the column headers with the actual data being output, we'll make use of a dual-purpose ~~header~~. A dual-purpose ~~header~~ is when the same template is used for both the contents of the table and the header, and there are a number of details involved in making it all work.		It's now time to add the custom header to the table portal. Our header needs to label each column of information within the table. In order to easily synchronize the positions of the column headers with the actual data being output, we'll make use of a dual-purpose template. A dual-purpose template is when the same template is used for both the contents of the table and the header, and there are a number of details involved in making it all work.

	The first step is to revise our table portal properly. We need to add a new "headertemplate" attribute that references the same template used as a the show template. We also need to eliminate the "headertitle" element, since we'll be defining our own header. This yields the following new portal.		The first step is to revise our table portal properly. We need to add a new "headertemplate" attribute that references the same template used as a the show template. We also need to eliminate the "headertitle" element, since we'll be defining our own header. This yields the following new portal.

Rob: /* Adding a Custom Header */

2009-01-18T12:43:27Z

Adding a Custom Header

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:43, 18 January 2009
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	<output_label>		<output_label>
	<labeltext><![CDATA[		<labeltext><![CDATA[
	@text = "Arcane Powers (" & #~~resmax~~[~~resPowers~~] & " Points)"		@text = "Arcane Powers (" & #trkmax[trkPower] & " Points)"
	]]></labeltext>		]]></labeltext>
	</output_label>		</output_label>

Rob: /* Adding a Custom Header */

2009-01-18T10:15:23Z

Adding a Custom Header

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:15, 18 January 2009
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	</pre>		</pre>

	Next up is adding the appropriate portals to the template that will be used for the header. We need one portal for the banner that will span the full width of the table portal. We also need four additional portals for the various labels at the top of each column. This results in the following new portal definitions.		Next up is adding the appropriate portals to the template that will be used for the header. We need one portal for the banner that will span the full width of the table portal. We also need four additional portals for the various labels at the top of each column. For the column headers, the Skeleton files provide the "outHeader" style that is generally an excellent choice. However, we're using a much smaller font for the various fields themselves, so we should use a similar font for the headers. This results in the following new portal definitions.

	<pre>		<pre>
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	<portal		<portal
	id="~~hdrcost"~~		id="hdrpoints
	style="~~outHeader~~"		style="outTiny"
	isheader="yes">		isheader="yes">
	<output_label		<output_label
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	<portal		<portal
	id="hdrrange"		id="hdrrange"
	style="~~outHeader~~"		style="outTiny"
	isheader="yes">		isheader="yes">
	<output_label		<output_label
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	<portal		<portal
	id="hdrlength"		id="hdrlength"
	style="~~outHeader~~"		style="outTiny"
	isheader="yes">		isheader="yes">
	<output_label		<output_label
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	<portal		<portal
	id="hdrtrap"		id="hdrtrap"
	style="~~outHeader~~"		style="outTiny"
	isheader="yes">		isheader="yes">
	<output_label		<output_label
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	</pre>		</pre>

			The final step is to define a Header script via the "header" element. This script is similar to the Position script, except that it's intended for positioning the various portals within the header. It is invoked after the normal Position script, which allows it to retrieve the positions of the various normal portals for the template and easily position the header portals in relation to them. Consequently, we can position each of the labels directly where they belong without any special hoop jumping. This yields the Header script below.

			<pre>
			<header><![CDATA[
			~our header height is the title plus a gap plus the header text
			height = portal[hdrtitle].height + 2 + portal[hdrpoints].height
			if (issizing <> 0) then
			done
			endif

			~our title spans the entire width of the template
			portal[hdrtitle].width = width

			~each of our header labels has the same width as the corresponding data beneath
			portal[hdrpoints].width = portal[points].width
			portal[hdrrange].width = portal[range].width
			portal[hdrlength].width = portal[duration].width
			portal[hdrtrap].width = portal[trapping].width

			~center each header label on the corresponding data beneath
			perform portal[hdrpoints].centeron[horz,points]
			perform portal[hdrrange].centeron[horz,range]
			perform portal[hdrlength].centeron[horz,duration]
			perform portal[hdrtrap].centeron[horz,trapping]

			~align all header labels at the bottom of the header region
			perform portal[hdrpoints].alignedge[bottom,0]
			perform portal[hdrrange].alignedge[bottom,0]
			perform portal[hdrlength].alignedge[bottom,0]
			perform portal[hdrtrap].alignedge[bottom,0]
			]]></header>
			</pre>

			We can now reload the files and see how our header looks. It looks great, although we should probably include the total number of arcane power points possessed by the character within the title. That way, the total power points is conveniently grouped next to all the powers for the users. We can accomplish this by changing the "hdrtitle" portal to use a script and synthesize the appropriate information via the script. The revised portal should look similar to the one below.

	~~add power points to the header~~		<pre>
			<portal
			id="hdrtitle"
			style="outTitle"
			isheader="yes">
			<output_label>
			<labeltext><![CDATA[
			@text = "Arcane Powers (" & #resmax[resPowers] & " Points)"
			]]></labeltext>
			</output_label>
			</portal>
			</pre>

	===Armor===		===Armor===

Rob: /* Adding a Custom Header */

2009-01-18T09:51:40Z

Adding a Custom Header

@@ Line 342: / Line 342: @@
      varyheight="yes">
      </output_table>
    </portal>
 </pre>

Rob: /* Adding a Header */

2009-01-18T09:47:14Z

Adding a Header

@@ Line 326: / Line 326: @@
 This looks very clear and readable. The amount of space available for showing the trappings of a power are small, but it's enough if the user is succinct with his descriptions of the trappings. So we're good to go for showing the powers.
-====Adding a Header====
+====Adding a Custom Header====
 ===Armor===

Rob: /* Table Portal */

2009-01-18T09:40:04Z

Table Portal

@@ Line 121: / Line 121: @@
      </output_table>
    </portal>
 </pre>

Rob at 09:36, 18 January 2009

2009-01-18T09:36:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:36, 18 January 2009
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	There is a great deal of information that should ideally be output for arcane powers. In fact, there's so much information that it would be ridiculous to try and squeeze it all into a single line. We need to show the name, point cost, range, duration, maintenance, trappings, and description for each power. However, we're striving to keep everything on a single sheet, so we have to keep things as compact as possible. In order to achieve that goal, we're going to need our starting information to be more compact. The contents of each field that we've entered for display to the user within the UI are too large to fit in a compact space.		There is a great deal of information that should ideally be output for arcane powers. In fact, there's so much information that it would be ridiculous to try and squeeze it all into a single line. We need to show the name, point cost, range, duration, maintenance, trappings, and description for each power. However, we're striving to keep everything on a single sheet, so we have to keep things as compact as possible. In order to achieve that goal, we're going to need our starting information to be more compact. The contents of each field that we've entered for display to the user within the UI are too large to fit in a compact space.

			====Fields for Output====

	The first thing we need to do is define a new set of fields for powers that will contain shortened versions for display on the character sheet. If these fields are non-empty, we'll use the contents, else we'll use the standard field, assuming that it's already short enough for our purposes. We'll need new fields for the point cost, range, duration, and maintenance. Open the file "miscellaneous.str" and locate the "Power" component. Copy the four existing fields for this information and give them new ids to indicate they are for use with printing. When you're done, the new fields should look similar to those below.		The first thing we need to do is define a new set of fields for powers that will contain shortened versions for display on the character sheet. If these fields are non-empty, we'll use the contents, else we'll use the standard field, assuming that it's already short enough for our purposes. We'll need new fields for the point cost, range, duration, and maintenance. Open the file "miscellaneous.str" and locate the "Power" component. Copy the four existing fields for this information and give them new ids to indicate they are for use with printing. When you're done, the new fields should look similar to those below.
Line 95:		Line 97:

	Now open the file "thing_arcane.dat" and go through all of the powers. Any time you see one of the four fields with lengthy contents, define the corresponding new field with a suitably shortened version. Keep it all as brief as possible so that we can fit it all into the table for display on the character sheet.		Now open the file "thing_arcane.dat" and go through all of the powers. Any time you see one of the four fields with lengthy contents, define the corresponding new field with a suitably shortened version. Keep it all as brief as possible so that we can fit it all into the table for display on the character sheet.

			====Design the Table====

	Returning to the character sheet, we need to determine how the contents are going to look for each power. We already decided that we won't be able to squeeze everything into a single line. Now the question is whether we can limit ourselves to two lines or if we need more. So we should probably grab a piece of paper and sketch out how everything will look.		Returning to the character sheet, we need to determine how the contents are going to look for each power. We already decided that we won't be able to squeeze everything into a single line. Now the question is whether we can limit ourselves to two lines or if we need more. So we should probably grab a piece of paper and sketch out how everything will look.

	After sketching out various ideas, we'll settle on one that is compact and also includes all the most important details for each power. We'll put the name on the left in a moderate size font. We'll have a line of information that provides the point cost, range, duration, maintenance cost, and trappings. Beneath that line, we'll provide the summary information about how the power works. If a character has a dozen powers, this approach will consume a good amount of space. However, most characters with powers only have a handful of them, so this should generally work out quite well.		After sketching out various ideas, we'll settle on one that is compact and also includes all the most important details for each power. We'll put the name on the left in a moderate size font. We'll have a line of information that provides the point cost, range, duration, maintenance cost, and trappings. Beneath that line, we'll provide the summary information about how the power works. If a character has a dozen powers, this approach will consume a good amount of space. However, most characters with powers only have a handful of them, so this should generally work out quite well.

			====Table Portal====

	With the layout mapped out, the next step is to create a new table portal for our powers. This portal should look like many of the ones we've already defined. The key distinction is that the summary may end up being more than one line in length for some powers. As such, we need to designate the table as containing variable height items. The resulting portal should look like the following.		With the layout mapped out, the next step is to create a new table portal for our powers. This portal should look like many of the ones we've already defined. The key distinction is that the summary may end up being more than one line in length for some powers. As such, we need to designate the table as containing variable height items. The resulting portal should look like the following.
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	</portal>		</portal>
	</pre>		</pre>

			====New Styles Required====

	We now shift our focus to the template used to display each individual power. In order to fit all the information we plan, we're going to need to use a rather small font. Looking through the various styles provided in the file "styles_output.aug", there aren't any that will serve our needs. So we'll need to create a new style that uses a small font. We'll actually need two new styles, with one centering the text and the other aligning the text to the left. This means we need to define the font separately for use by both styles. These new definition should look like the ones below.		We now shift our focus to the template used to display each individual power. In order to fit all the information we plan, we're going to need to use a rather small font. Looking through the various styles provided in the file "styles_output.aug", there aren't any that will serve our needs. So we'll need to create a new style that uses a small font. We'll actually need two new styles, with one centering the text and the other aligning the text to the left. This means we need to define the font separately for use by both styles. These new definition should look like the ones below.
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	</style>		</style>
	</pre>		</pre>

			====The Template====

	We need a total of six portals in order to present all the information we selected for inclusion. The portals for showing the point cost and range will use a script that first checks the print-specific field and otherwise defaults to the normal field. The portal for duration will work the same way, with added handling for including any maintenance cost. The remaining portals will simply show the contents of an appropriate field.		We need a total of six portals in order to present all the information we selected for inclusion. The portals for showing the point cost and range will use a script that first checks the print-specific field and otherwise defaults to the normal field. The portal for duration will work the same way, with added handling for including any maintenance cost. The remaining portals will simply show the contents of an appropriate field.
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	This looks very clear and readable. The amount of space available for showing the trappings of a power are small, but it's enough if the user is succinct with his descriptions of the trappings. So we're good to go for showing the powers.		This looks very clear and readable. The amount of space available for showing the trappings of a power are small, but it's enough if the user is succinct with his descriptions of the trappings. So we're good to go for showing the powers.

	===Adding a Header ~~to Powers~~===		====Adding a Header====

	===Armor===		===Armor===

Rob: /* Armor */

2009-01-18T09:32:38Z

Armor

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:32, 18 January 2009
Line 295:		Line 295:

	This looks very clear and readable. The amount of space available for showing the trappings of a power are small, but it's enough if the user is succinct with his descriptions of the trappings. So we're good to go for showing the powers.		This looks very clear and readable. The amount of space available for showing the trappings of a power are small, but it's enough if the user is succinct with his descriptions of the trappings. So we're good to go for showing the powers.

			===Adding a Header to Powers===

	===Armor===		===Armor===