Making Modules - Help!

[damned]

Im using 2.7.x and Castles&Crusades Ruleset.
Im trying to setup an encounter and I want to add a Paladin as a monster NPC. Earlier in the evening i dragged a Human from the Monster Manual into the Encounter and then opened the Human from the encounter and edited the details. I then had a Paladin in my Encounter and still had a Human in the Monster Manual. Now - I think Im doing it the same way - when I edit my Human it is also editing the Monster Manual. What have I done wrong?

Open Encounters ->
New Encounter ->
Rename Encounter ->
Open Monster Manual ->
Drag Human into Encounter ->
Open Human in Encounter and Edit

Thanks.
Damian

[Sorcerer]

This is not quite a bug, but an unexpected consequence of the way FG and the ruleset interact.

The first thing to say is that you definitely have not edited/altered the Module.
The module is a read only file that cannot be permanently changed from within FG.

What is in fact happening is that when you drag the Human (or any Monster) to the encounters window, you are not actually copying it across, you are only setting up a link between that encounters window and the manual.
changes made to the entry will be reflected in the data displayed in the manual with THIS campaign, as FG saves a copy of all edits to module data into the modulesdb files within your campaign (if you go to the campaign folder for this campaign you will see the modulesdb folder if you delete it or the specific file (monsters and treasure.xml) from within you will see the changes to the module and sadly also your paladin will disappear).

this kind of behavior is useful if you want to edit a bought adventure module, but maybe not so useful when trying to set up some encounters.
I will see how I can change the encounters for the next release so that you don't need to refer back to the module.

in the mean time the best thing to do (and maybe what you did previously), is to drop the human into the personalities box first, this will create an independent copy in the NPC window, where it can be edited without interfering with the manual.
Note: dropping from here to the encounters window still creates a link, so editing further will also edit the original in the personalities window.
Here the best thing to do when you want to create a second copy, is pick up the link of the NPC in the NPC window, but drop back into the NPC window again, this will create a second copy which can be edited independently before copying the link to the encounters window.

[damned]

thankyou sorceror for once again having the answers and for sharing them!
i must have done something like that.

i have just tested and that works. i have copied to NPC and then to Encounters and can safely Edit. I have also reverted my Monster Manual :)

Do you also know how i rename the Tabs? You know the little coloured penants in the bottom left corner of Story, Encounters, Images etc...?

[Sorcerer]

type it into the chat window, but don't press enter - then drag and drop onto the pennant.

actually you should be able to drag and drop from any dragable string field - such as the name at the top of one of the story or encounter entries.

[damned]

ha - so simple - and so unobvious!

[Sorcerer]

I have to admit I did not manage to work it out for myself either .
I read about it here on the forums.

[Sorcerer]

looking a bit closer into it, it seems that unlike most monster manuals

the monster node of the "the monsters and treasure module" has not been set to "static", meaning users can edit the contents (albeit only pseudo editing).
Probably this was an oversight on the part of the original Author. Had that been set, then you would not have encounters this problem, and would have been forced to drop into the Personalities window for editing.

we probably need to tie up this loophole (which also exists in the Monsters and treasures or Airhde Module).

[damned]

hi guys - trying to export module (not finished but i want to use what i have done in tonights game) - have done /export and filled in details but it doesnt seem to save anywhere! any ideas?

[Sorcerer]

if all is working correctly the module is exported to the modules folder, but you need to exit FG and restart in order for it to appear in the modules window list.

As well as the details in the top you need to tick the checkboxes of the database items you want to export (otherwise it will just create a blank module with nothing in it).

[damned]

i hadnt right-clicked to bring up the radial menu!
will you always be here, on hand, 24-7 to help me?
it certainly seems like it and is much appreciated!

[Sorcerer]

Glad you found that "hidden" control. Maybe we need to make that more visible.

I am not here 24-7, but since I had already replied in this thread I got the email notification of another post...

[damned]

there seem to be lots of hidden actions - they all make sense once you find them (or get pointed to them).

[Sorcerer]

I know how you feel, I certainly struggled in the beginning to find half of what was available, and in fact only found some stuff after I started tearing the code apart.

Making stuff easier to find is a goal of mine, but as we have spoken about before, the holy grail is just to document everything in a manual.

As you said, when you know its there its generally really simple. The hard part is knowing its there in the first place...

[NW_Salmon_Watcher]

Sorcerer,

You seem to know a bit about using the FG built-in "Export Module" feature, so perhaps you can help me out.

I am trying, as you noted in an earlier post, to set up modules for my adventures, as my Story & Image inventories are swelling to the point of being absurd. I have tried to follow Xorn's PDF file but am missing something important.

If I understand the Export Module system correctly, in the "Exported Data" window I can click on Story, Images & Maps, Encounters, etc. But doing so seems to copy all of the items on the top level list.

How does one export just a "Group" or Tab?

For example, if I make a Module called "Towns" and specify "Images & Maps" the new module will include all images/maps in my FG inventory. But to trim it to just towns and KEEP IT THAT WAY, would seem to mean I would need to "re-export" the module, but how can that be done without ending up with another whole-cloth copy of all images? How do I target JUST the module and not the original listing for export?

I feel like I am not expressing this question/dilemma well. If so, I apologize. I am not proficient with XML so going to the level of editing modules is not (yet) something I am able to do. Any thoughts?

PS: I have spent hours in the Forums and many of the tutorial links left by Xorn and other gurus seem to be dead; few work at all and of the working ones, most seem to be based on pre-2.8 rulesets, which could be different than what we're seeing now with 2.8 - I don't know...

[Dakadin]

You will need to create a new campaign to use as a source for the module. Add only the items that you want to be included in the module to this campaign. Then when you export the campaign to a module, it will only contain the items you want in the module. You can then load them into your original campaign. Be sure to keep the campaign you are use to make your module just in case you want to make any changes to the module in the future.

[Sorcerer]

Unfortunately the current export system does not allow you to choose which category tabs are exported it is only capable of exporting the entire list.

I have not found any way to manipulate the category tabs problematically, which means that we are stuck with the default system for now.

I know you said that you do not feel up to editing the modules manually at the moment, but that is definitely the easiest way currently available.

You do not have to know a lot about xml to be able to do it, but you should make a backup first.

if you rename the module as a zip file and open it you wll see the db.xml (or client.xml or common.xml if you exported as one of those module types).

opening this file in any text editor (I recommend notepad++) you will see the database tree.

Scroll down until you find the part you want to edit (story is called encounter in the d20_JPG ruleset, whilst encounters are battle).

under that database child you will find all the image(or whatever elements) listed ordered in their categories

find the category name you don't want in the module and scroll down until you find the next closing category tab delete everything between the the opening category tab (with the name) and the ending one </category>
[this is easy in notepad++ because you can collapse and expand these category tabs, with standard notepad you will have to do alot of scrolling]

once deleted, save and exit, rename the zip as a mod and load it up, the unwanted category and listings should be gone (assuming you have loaded it in a different campaign - i.e. not the original one where the data still exists in the campaign DB)


<image>
<category name="Images" mergeid="" baseicon="0" decalicon="0">
<id-00001>
<image type="image">
<bitmap>Malforten to Botkinburg.jpg</bitmap>
</image>
<name type="string">Malforten to Botkinburg</name>
</id-00001>
<id-00004>
<image type="image">
<bitmap>RK_Cover.jpg</bitmap>
</image>
<name type="string">RK_Cover</name>
</id-00004>
<id-00005>
<image type="image">
<bitmap>RK_Thumbnail.jpg</bitmap>
</image>
<name type="string">RK_Thumbnail</name>
</id-00005>
<id-00006>
<image type="image">
<bitmap>Names.jpg</bitmap>
</image>
<name type="string">Names</name>
</id-00006>
</category>

the only other thing I can think of is to take a backup of the full campaign folder, and put it somewhere same. and then open up the campaign in FG, delete all the entries from within the interface that you don't want to export and then export what you have left to module.
you can then (if you want), swap the original full campaign with the cut down version.

I know neither of these is perfect, but as far as I know thats all we have at the moment.

I standby for someone more knowledgeable to to correct me...

[damned]

Yeah - i was going to suggest that method:

take a backup of the full campaign folder, and put it somewhere same. and then open up the campaign in FG, delete all the entries from within the interface that you don't want to export and then export what you have left to module.
you can then (if you want), swap the original full campaign with the cut down version.

Close FG. Backup your Campaign to a ZIP. Also back it up to another location. Open it up and delete EVERYTHING that you dont want in module A.
Export it as Module A.
Test Module A in a new campaign.
Copy your backup back into the main Campaign and repeat the process this time for Module B.
Once you are done exporting your Module(s) delete all the Story, Character, Item, Images etc from your main campaign and just activate the one or two required modules.

[NW_Salmon_Watcher]

I thank you both for your suggestions and specific recommendations. I will have to investigate the Notepad ++ that Sorcerer recommends. Hopefully it's free shareware.

One more question, if I may. Since I started experimenting I have ended up with some bogus modules I don't really need/want. Can I simply delete them from the Apps Modules subdirectory and that will be the end of them, or does FG keep track of them somehow and will they continue to be a problem?

In other words, what's the best method for purging unwanted Modules? Thanks again.

[Sorcerer]

notepad++ is free you can get it here

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v5.9.3.html

yes, simply delete the modules from the modules directory and that should be the end of it. I have never encountered problems doing that.

[NW_Salmon_Watcher]

Perfect.

I have already downloaded and tried Notepad ++ (I like it! :) ) and now will start experimenting with module deletion.

Per your recommendation (and that of Damned) I have already backed up my whole FG app directory to a portable hard drive. I guess it's safe to play now.

Thanks again. Happy gaming, all.

[NW_Salmon_Watcher]

if you rename the module as a zip file and open it you wll see the db.xml (or client.xml or common.xml if you exported as one of those module types).


NEVERMIND - I have it now...