Project: Par5e

[Tel Arin]

Hi Irondrake

I also use Notepad++. When i copy&paste the pdf information, every word is in one line


Aid
2nd-*‐level
abjuration
Casting
Time:
1
action
Range:
25
feet
Duration:
8
hours
Your
prayer
calls
down
a
divine
blessing
of
toughness
and
resolve.
Choose
up
to
three
creatures
within
range
that
are
not
currently
affected
by
this
spell.
Each
target’s
hit
point
maximum
and
current
hit
points
increase
by
5
for
the
duration.
This
spell
has
no
effect
upon
undead
or
constructs.

So then i fix it with notepad++. You think the format of my text in the spells.txt is wrong? Where?

Ty

[S Ferguson]

I'm not sure, I note you have some bullets in your text file instead of converting them to the formatted text that the parser supports. Maybe that is throwing it off. You may also want to check for invalid characters. That was messing me up. I was using NotePad++ to create my input files. When I copied from PDF into NotePad++ it was creating a lot of badly formatted text. A space would turn out to be 5 spaces, but it didn't look off until I did a search and replace for it.

I find the same thing with Notepad++. Mind you it's a vanilla ASCII editor. For importing files I usually up the power to UltraEdit Pro, which catches a lot of the inconsistent spacing/tabbing in the text. Worse comes to worse. I use an the Liquid XML editor which *always* catches the spacing problems, they're blatantly obvious in the formatting.

Cheers,
SF

P.S. Keep up the good work on this parser Zeus, it's turning out to be one of the more wonderful catches of 2014.

[Irondrake]

I think I need to look into those other editors then because I had to do a lot of reformatting.

[Zeus]

@Tel Arin: The problem is hidden/invisible non-printable characters in your index section of the spells.txt file you posted. I removed them in Notepad++ using the Text Bundle 'Remove unprintable characters from selection'. I also noted that many of the lines have trailing spaces, you need to remove these. Once tidied up your spells will then parse correctly and the module outputted.

@S.Ferguson: Will do and thanks. I haven't prepared or planned for any other updates recently. Still awaiting WotC to see what will change at release. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

[Zeus]

@Tel Arin: here's a Perl one-liner that will replace all non-ascii characters in a text file with a substitute string allowing you to easily identify rogue characters that are PAR5E/FG unfriendly. The command will back up the original file (appends a .bak to the original file) so you can easily compare the document.

You will need to have Perl installed on your system, perl is already installed as part of OSX and Linux but you will need to install Perl for Windows platforms.


perl -i.bak -pe 's/[^[:ascii:]]/***NON_ASCII***/g;' textfilename

Where textfilename is the name of the text file you want to process. Once you have entered the above command you should have two files (one with a .bak extension, this is a backup of the original), the other file should contain ***NON_ASCII*** throughout the document where the original contained non-ASCII characters. You will need to search through for these and replace with the appropriate punctuation character.

[EDIT:Updated as per the correction post below. Thanks S.Ferguson]

[S Ferguson]

@Tel Arin: here's a Perl on-liner that will replace all non-ascii characters in a text file with a substitute string allowing you to easily identify rogue characters that are PAR5E/FG unfriendly. The command will back up the original file (appends a .bak to the original file) so you can easily compare the document.

You will need to have Perl installed on your system, perl is already installed as part of OSX and Linux but you will need to install Perl for Windows platforms.


perl -i.bk -pe 's/[^[:ascii:]]/***NON_ASCII***/g;' textfilename

Where textfilename is the name of the text file you want to process. Once you have entered the above command you should have two files (one with a .bak extension, this is a backup of the original), the other file should contain ***NON_ASCII*** throughout the document where the original contained non-ASCII characters. You will need to search through for these and replace with the appropriate punctuation character.


For the .bak extension it should read: perl -i.bak -pe 's/[^[:ascii:]]/***NON_ASCII***/g;' textfilename

Otherwise you'll see a .bk extension (it doesn't really make a difference). Just so everything's consistent in Zeus' explanation.

Cheers,
SF

[JamesManhattan]

Hey Zeus I just found something that may be helpful to you.

I was examining the new "Scourge of the Swordcoast" adventure which is encrypted and protected in Adobe Acrobat. What I found, which was really cool. If you have a "protected" pdf file, right-click on it, and open it using Google Chrome. Chrome has it's own built in pdf viewer, not officially Adobe. Then in the lower right hand corner press the "Print" button, not the "save" button. Then in the screen that comes up, for Destination choose "Save as PDF" which is their own converter, not any built in one your PC may have. When you create a new pdf file this way, all the "protection" is removed. So then you can fully edit it with Adobe Acrobat (pay version).

The next problem you'll face is not having the same fonts that were used. So sadly, you have to remove all the background pics, convert the whole thing to a TIFF file. Then combine those TIFF files back into a new pdf file. Then use the OCR to find all the text. Then convert to Word or Rich Text. It works pretty well actually, but cumbersome.

[Zeus]

@JamesManhatten: Thanks for the tips. I already have a method and home-brew tool for extracting text (whole) from PDFs. It even works on Scourge of the Swordcoast. Believe it or not, the reason why Chrome is able to (as you describe) do this is down to the design of Adobe's PDF, PDF relies 100% on the reading software to enforce the security of documents. Chrome and OSX Preview are a couple of examples of programs that do not fully enforce Adobe's intended security, hence the ability to overcome the encryption.

Its pretty trivial to code a tool to do the extraction for you, regardless of encryption, watermarking etc. etc. Google for an API in your favourite language (I use Java). I will refrain from providing the detail of the exact method and tool I use as technically it is generally considered a no no to break encryption in PDFs. Even if you don't distribute them after.

[JamesManhattan]

Is PDFBox the java library you use? or iText?

How cool would it be to write the java code that would read the pdf, parse it, instantly make the fantasy grounds modules? With no by-hand markup required.

[Zeus]

PDFBox. Its possible to write an all in-one tool but it wouldn't be a trivial effort and you would have to overcome several challenges including parsing unstructured text and dealing with inconsistent presentation of data. You would also still need to adapt the tool to support multiple game systems and FG rulesets.

[Trenloe]

PDFBox. Its possible to write an all in-one tool but it wouldn't be a trivial effort and you would have to overcome several challenges including parsing unstructured text and dealing with inconsistent presentation of data. You would also still need to adapt the tool to support multiple game systems and FG rulesets.
I started looking into this just for the Paizo Pathfinder PDFs, and even in the same company they didn't use a consistent structure for data within the PDF so it would have been virtually impossible to write a parser that would have been able to pick up the right data all of the time. I thought about having a 3 step process: read data, present samples to user who tags what type of data they are, parse based off user data tagging - but still didn't think that would be 100% accurate either as sometimes the data presentation changed within the same PDF!

[Zeus]

I started looking into this just for the Paizo Pathfinder PDFs, and even in the same company they didn't use a consistent structure for data within the PDF so it would have been virtually impossible to write a parser that would have been able to pick up the right data all of the time. I thought about having a 3 step process: read data, present samples to user who tags what type of data they are, parse based off user data tagging - but still didn't think that would be 100% accurate either as sometimes the data presentation changed within the same PDF!

Your right, its for this reason I opted to use syntax tags for PAR5E. You think Paizo are inconsistent, try WotC! Parsing natural language text that is often unstructured and inconsistent is indeed problematic. I too looked at a Wizard driven set of dialogs but again this proved pretty slow in practice the intention of PAR5E is really to provide a fast bulk data loading mechanism. I also experimented with commercial ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) tools like AbInitio, I got better results but then again you would expect to as the software costs over £25k per user license. Not very practical for the community.

[martel]

Hy,

For etl software free open source : "Talend Open Studio for Data Integration".

but my favorite software for transforming file it is "Altova MapForce" but really expensive price (but i use the both soft at work)

[Lawleslisa]

I have downloaded the latest Parse5e and am trying to make a npcs module for the D&D Next monsters. I cannot get a module to show up for me when I run the 5e rule set in FG. I tried to simplify just down to one monster to see if I could get it to work, but no dice. Here are some screenshots and my file of the one monster. Any advice and or help would be greatly appreciated. (I am a neophyte when it comes to computer languages, programming, etc.)

641364146415

[mattcolville]

For some reason (I literally don't know why) I have Microsoft OneNote on my PC. That is the best and simplest way I've found to get text out of a PDF. Works *aces*. If you drag a PDF onto it, it asks you "Insert link, or insert printout?" Insert printout, then right click on a page and select all text in document.

Then Notepad++ with the TextFX plugin will clean it up, strip trailing spaces, zap unprintable characters to ###. Super easy.

EDIT: The results tend to need a lot of love, as they're OCRed.

[Irondrake]

I actually don't see what is wrong with that NPC Lawleslisa. It appears that everything is correct...I'll look into the NPC file and see if I see anything that stands out there.

Edit: Actually, try removing "; see traits below" from the Hit Points section.

[Lawleslisa]

Yeah, I removed that before I posted, it didn't change anything -- thanks though.

[Trenloe]

The console screenshot you provided shows "module archive: failed" as the last step. Try running PAR5E as administrator - right click on PAR5E.exe and select "Run as Administrator". This might avoid any issues with copying files needed to produce the module.

[Lawleslisa]

Thanks for the suggestion, I had hopes that that would work. I ran PAR5E as an administrator and got the archive fixed but not the module. Here is a screen shot. I am running in Windows 8.1, if that matters.
6417
Here is a pic of the corrected text file I am using:
6418

[Trenloe]

That's good that the make archive data seems to have completed.

How are you checking that the module has been created for Fantasy Grounds? FG will only read the available modules when it starts up - so you need to close down FG and start the 5E campaign again to be able to see any new modules.

A quick check is to go the "Output" folder you configured on the "configuration" tab and see if the .mod file is present.

[Lawleslisa]

As per your suggestion, I tried renaming the mod file to Next Monsters and saving it to a new location before moving it to the FG2 modules folder.
6419
I then moved it to the FG 2 modules folder.
6420
I then opened up FG2 and went to the modules section and this is what I got:
6421

[Trenloe]

Open FG and on the first screen press the "Settings" button. Verify that the "Data Directory" entry in the settings screen is the same base directory that you use to copy the module to: <data directory>\modules

[Lawleslisa]

Here is what it has for that data director on the settings screen once I opened FG:
C:\Users\Lisa\AppData\Roaming\Fantasy Grounds II

Which is where my module is:
6422

I got my monster data from the Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle D&D Next module/PDF. This was produced and sold be Wizards of the Coast. Is it possible that there are invisible characters in their document/PDF that I cannot see? I copied from Adobe Acrobat Pro, exported to Word and then exported as a text document. I do not know how to see invisible characters or how to try to detect them. Could that be a reason why I am having issues? I saw in a previous post that Zeus told Tel Arin (page 26 of this post) that he had invisible characters in his txt document.

If this is the case how would I go about detecting and removing these invisible characters?

And thank you for your help and patience.

[Trenloe]

Please attached the module you have parsed here. We'll delete it immediately afterwards...

[Lawleslisa]

Here is the module file

[Trenloe]

Here is the module file
Yeah, this isn't a valid FG module file, all it has is a archive.db4o file that is zero length.

I have no idea what could be causing this - hopefully someone else might have some ideas, sorry.

[Trenloe]

Actually, I think I know what the issue is - you should have different directories for your temp path and output folder. Having the same directory could be causing the issues you are seeing.

Here is what I used:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39085830/Screenshots/Fantasy%20Grounds/Par5EConfig.jpg

You will need to create the \temp and \output directories.

[Trenloe]

I have downloaded the latest Parse5e and am trying to make a npcs module for the D&D Next monsters. I cannot get a module to show up for me when I run the 5e rule set in FG. I tried to simplify just down to one monster to see if I could get it to work, but no dice. Here are some screenshots and my file of the one monster. Any advice and or help would be greatly appreciated. (I am a neophyte when it comes to computer languages, programming, etc.)

641364146415
Oh, another thing - the [Animated Suit of Armor] in red means that it failed to parse the statblock. The problem is xP on the last line - make it XP and it should then parse the statblock.

[Lawleslisa]

YAY! Thank you, Trenloe -- it was the stupid xP not being XP. It works now :)

Big Hugs!

[Irondrake]

I did notice the monster failed to parse, but didn't see a problem with the file. Talk about case sensitivity...I didn't catch that. Good find Trenloe :)

[Zeus]

Sorry guys, been busy with RL. Thank you Trenloe for stepping in and assisting everyone, I owe you a beer. Looks like PAR5E could do with some better assisted error checking before kicking off the Parse routine. I'll also fix the case sensitivity for the XP line for NPCs so it doesn't trip up.

[Zeus]

BTW. If anyone wants access to the source for PAR5E so as to add additional ruleset library support, shout and I'll set up a repository over on GitHub.

[Rook]

I'm looking for someone to confirm the following.

When parsing Races, the last (sequentially speaking) race [##:xxxx] entry parses it's last sub-race [#s;xxxx] incorrectly.

Thanks,

Rook

[Zeus]

I'm looking for someone to confirm the following.

When parsing Races, the last (sequentially speaking) race [##:xxxx] entry parses it's last sub-race [#s;xxxx] incorrectly.

Thanks,

Rook

Thanks Rook, I'll add that to the fix list for the next release.

[Rook]

Thanks Rook, I'll add that to the fix list for the next release.

Howdy Zeus,

I believe the same exact problem applies also to the Feats function.

Many thanks for an excellent tool.

Rook

[VenomousFiligree]

So I've been attempting to copy and paste the pdf texr in preperstion to parse, however whenever I try to paste the text it comes out one word per line :(

[Irondrake]

Don't use adobe reader. Mine does that too. I have found some other PDF readers handle the text WAY better. Try Foxit Reader, Nitro PDF Reader....then you will still find your paragraphs will have too many line breaks in them. *sigh *. For this I put the text in NotePad++ and join the lines (ctrl+j). Then finally it's a matter of correcting errors and removing bad formatting. I wish there was an easier way. Maybe WotC will surprise us.

[Griogre]

Just wanted to mention that I believe formatted text fields in FG now have Ctrl-J functionality so if you copy and paste stuff in a paragraph at a time it might be easier to use Ctrl-J in FG for small amounts of data entry from a PDF, ie read aloud text, etc.

[VenomousFiligree]

Next problem....

(I'm on a Mac)

I've installed the latest version of Java, however PAR5E doesn't run.

If i type java -version in terminal i get:

java version "1.6.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_65-b14-462-11M4609)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.65-b04-462, mixed mode)

If I open the Java Control Panel from System Preferences, it reports that I have 1.7.0_60

[VenomousFiligree]

Hmm, Ok I've now got 1.8.0_05 reported by both methods above, however PAR5E is still not opening :(

[Zeus]

Next problem....

(I'm on a Mac)

I've installed the latest version of Java, however PAR5E doesn't run.

If i type java -version in terminal i get:

java version "1.6.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_65-b14-462-11M4609)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.65-b04-462, mixed mode)

If I open the Java Control Panel from System Preferences, it reports that I have 1.7.0_60

The Java VM your running from the terminal is more than likely the default Java JDK that is installed on Mac OSX (/System/Library/Java and /System/Library/Frameworks/Java.framework. There is a symbolic link from /usr/bin/java to the JDKs installed under the above system paths.

The Java VM your running when you access the System Preferences Java panel relates to the Java RTE Internet Plugin thats used to launch Java apps/applets from web pages.

In either case PAR5E was developed against RTE/SDK 1.7.0_10. I haven't tested PAR5E on any newer versions of Java as of yet as I prefer to let Apple first update Java under OSX releases. I'll add it to the to do list.

[EDIT]: I just tested the latest PAR5E build with Java SE Runtime Environment 1.8.0_05-b13, opens and works fine for me.

Make sure you have at least JRE 1.7 installed. You can grab the latest JRE/JDK for Mac from here (https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html).

[VenomousFiligree]

So what does that mean in layman's terms... :confused:

[Griogre]

Your looking at the Java add on to run stuff in your browser. You need to download and install the Java run time meant to run programs stand alone. Yes they are different and yes it is confusing - which is one of the reasons Java annoys me.

[VenomousFiligree]

I guess I did that and it didn't work (i downloaded the 1.7 that Zeus linked to in the PAR5E pdf). That was where i was at when I posted this (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?18123-Project-Par5e&p=177501&viewfull=1#post177501). Now that I've downloaed and installed 1.8 how can I revert?

[Zeus]

I guess I did that and it didn't work (i downloaded the 1.7 that Zeus linked to in the PAR5E pdf). That was where i was at when I posted this (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?18123-Project-Par5e&p=177501&viewfull=1#post177501). Now that I've downloaed and installed 1.8 how can I revert?

You don't need to revert if you running 1.8 SE SDK or RTE. As per my last post I tested the latest PAR5E build and it opens and executes fine. You can have multiple Java VMs installed on your machine. When you type java -version from the command line, it needs to come back as 1.7 as a minimum for PAR5E to run.

Here's a clearer link to the exact download you need for downloading the 'correct' RTE package: jre-8u5-macosx-x64.dmg (https://javascript<strong></strong>:%20void(0))

Download and install the package and then confirm all your paths are working correctly by opening a terminal and entering
java -version

You should get something similar to the following:

gandalf:Projects zeph$ java -version
java version "1.8.0_05"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_05-b13)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.5-b02, mixed mode)
gandalf:Projects zeph$


If so, fire up PAR5E you should be good to go. If not, post back the output from the following commands:


which java

/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/java -version

ls -la /usr/bin/java

[VenomousFiligree]

Thanks for taking the time with this Zeus.

I installed the package from post #291 (jdk-8u5-macosx-x64.dmg) then notice that the link from post #295 says jre-8u5-macosx-x64.dmg (which by the way doesn't link correctly for me) and have now installed that too.

Still nothing happens when I double click PAR5E


java -version

java version "1.8.0_05"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_05-b13)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.5-b02, mixed mode)


which java

/usr/bin/java


/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/java -version

java version "1.8.0_05"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_05-b13)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.5-b02, mixed mode)


ls -la /usr/bin/java
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 74 16 Jan 22:44 /usr/bin/java -> /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/java

[Zeus]

What happens if you try and launch PAR5E.app from the command line i.e. cd to the PAR5E folder and enter


open PAR5E.app

You should see a security pop up asking you permission to open the application. Click Open. What happens next?

If that fails you can cd into the following PAR5E.app/Contents/MacOS/ folder and enter:


open JavaAppLauncher

If this fails, I am at a loss. Something maybe misconfigured with your OSX Java configuration.

[VenomousFiligree]

I get the following error reported:


LSOpenURLsWithRole() failed with error -10810 for the file /Users/[username]/Downloads/PAR5E-mac/PAR5E.app.

[Zeus]

??? :) Sounds like the app has lost its execute permission set for the JavaAppLauncher file in the .app. How did you download the package and where have you installed the app? Check you have permission to read/write to the file. Also:

Open a Terminal, cd to where you installed PAR5E.app and enter:


chmod +x PAR5E.app/Contents/MacOS/JavaAppLauncher

If you get an error about not having the correct permission, enter:


sudo chmod +x PAR5E.app/Contents/MacOS/JavaAppLauncher

You will be prompted for the Administrator password.

Hopefully, it should now work for you.

[VenomousFiligree]

Thanks again Zeus, I'm only on my Mac at the weekends, so will resume testing/fault finding then.

Meanwhile I've been trying on windows, everything's fine so far (spells, npcs, skills) except for Races, I seem to keep getting the following even though everything appears ok in the source file.


Malformed XML! db.xml:613:7478: The element type "text" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "</text>".
Check module source files for correct markup and syntax.

[Zeus]

Open up the output db.xml file. Look at the content on line 613. At column 7484 there should be a closing </text> tag but there isn't (usually because of a syntax problem with the source text file). Match up the content thats being flagged to the source file and correct the syntax error.

You will find the db.xml PAR5E created during the run in the output folder you specified.

[VenomousFiligree]

Hi Zeus, if i look at position 7484 it looks like this (| showing the position):


</p>|</listlink></text>

Is it likely that </text> and </listlink> are the wrong way around, or is </listlink> erroneous, as I can't see a preceding <listlink>

[Zeus]

Yes, it looks like the <listlink> entry may be incorrect. This can happen if the source file contains incorrect syntax or hidden non-ASCII characters (side effect from the PDF cut n paste). Find the related entry in your source file and correct the syntax.

[VenomousFiligree]

Thanks. Does it matter what style of apostrophes, quotes, dashes, etc are used?

[VenomousFiligree]

??? :) Sounds like the app has lost its execute permission set for the JavaAppLauncher file in the .app. How did you download the package and where have you installed the app? Check you have permission to read/write to the file. Also:

Open a Terminal, cd to where you installed PAR5E.app and enter:


chmod +x PAR5E.app/Contents/MacOS/JavaAppLauncher


That did the trick, thanks! :)

[El Condoro]

Thanks again Zeus, I'm only on my Mac at the weekends, so will resume testing/fault finding then.

Meanwhile I've been trying on windows, everything's fine so far (spells, npcs, skills) except for Races, I seem to keep getting the following even though everything appears ok in the source file.


Malformed XML! db.xml:613:7478: The element type "text" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "</text>".
Check module source files for correct markup and syntax.

I am getting the same issue. Everything else seems to work fine, except Races. For a non-XML person finding the matching <text> and </text> is not easy. Since everything else seems OK, and I have used the same process each time, could it be something else?

[El Condoro]

When importing the Equipment tables everything comes in correctly (and the Parse report shows all green for each item) but the weight column (in all 3 tables) shows only "lb." and no numerical weight value.

Edit: on second glance, none of the numerical fields (AC, Speed and Weight) are drawing in any values - they are all either blank or 0 (zero).

[Unahim]

I keep getting the following with the JAVA version:

Write : module xml syntax .................................................. ................ [Mal Formed]

Happens even on .txt files other people already prepared and used successfully, so that can't be it. Also, do you still have to choose host, client or normal type with this version? Can't find options for it.

[Zeus]

I am getting the same issue. Everything else seems to work fine, except Races. For a non-XML person finding the matching <text> and </text> is not easy. Since everything else seems OK, and I have used the same process each time, could it be something else?

When you see this error (malformed xml) it means the input text you used was not in the correct syntax format that PAR5E requires and as a consequence when PAR5E attempts to build the XML it falls over. You need to review your source files and check them for any problems. If you are convinced you have used the correct format and cannot see anything obvious its probably a hidden non-ASCII character or sequence of characters thats causing the problem. These non-ASCII chars can become embedded in your source text especially if if you cut n pasted the original data from a PDF.

I usually use a command from UNIX called tr (translate characters) to clean my source files. This usually removes all non-ASCII printables and allows for a clean PAR5E.

1. Backup your sources files.
2. If your on a UNIX/OSX platform open a terminal window and type:

tr -cd '\11\12\15\40-\176' < file-with-nonascii-chars > clean-file
Where file-with-nonascii-chars is the name of the source file. clean-file can of course be renamed to anything you like.

Windows users will need to grab the GNU Utils package for Windows as tr isn't included in Windows. tr is included along with a number of other useful UNIX commands.

If your still having problems, upload your rogue source file and I'll see if I can find the problem for you.

[Zeus]

I keep getting the following with the JAVA version:

Write : module xml syntax .................................................. ................ [Mal Formed]

Happens even on .txt files other people already prepared and used successfully, so that can't be it. Also, do you still have to choose host, client or normal type with this version? Can't find options for it.

Thats odd. Especially if its working for others but not you and your using the same source files? Word of warning, you shouldn't really be sharing the content.

Regardless, take a look at the previous posts on suggestions for troubleshooting. If your still unable to get anything to parse, send me the source file ([email protected]).

[El Condoro]

I have created a completely clean and simple races.txt to test the parsing. I put it in a PDF and linked it below.

You can see the issue. I'd be happy if you can explain what I'm doing wrong.

Simple races text and effect (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16283408/Images/Races.pdf)

Also, any idea why the numerical fields I mentioned in a prior post (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?18123-Project-Par5e&p=179298&viewfull=1#post179298) would return zero values?Cheers

[El Condoro]

Through trial and error I discovered why the parser was not importing the weights, speeds and AC of armor.

It's a bit picky! When imported I had [data]; # lb. (for a weight). It didn't work until I removed the space between the semi-colon and the number. I went through and removed all those dratted spaces and now they import and work when dragging onto a character sheet. Woohoo.

[YAKO SOMEDAKY]

This is what transforms parse information programming language modules for fantasy grounds?
I know a lot of programming language has some easier way to do this?

[Zeus]

All - apologies I have been a little side tracked with another project. I'll carve out some time this weekend to tweak the latest requested fixes. In the interim I'm not coming empty handed, if anyone is interested in developing additional ruleset support or wants to look at improving the tool. Feel free, you can clone the project source (Netbeans Java) over at GitHub and create a new branch. Once any new branches are developed and new functionality fully tested, we can look to merge back in with the master branch.

https://github.com/drzeuss/PAR5E

[Irondrake]

I've been working on parsing the Basic D&D PDF, got the backgrounds, races, classes (though all are showing red...wonder if its because there is only one subclass?), skills, equipment...that all parses and creates a module. I just finished the spells this morning and managed to get them to all show up as good, but when I try to get it it to create the module, it just sits there. I'm not really sure what may be causing the hangup. I fixed the errors that I found in the spell source file, and any that were reported. Checking db.xml, there was no spell data in it. Here's my output window...

6929

[Irondrake]

Nevermind my previous post, I figured it out. It was the difference between "Level 1 Spells" and "1st Level" in the spell index. Had to change them all for the parser to recognize it.

[El Condoro]

Can you confirm that your races have parsed correctly, please? I have done Dwarf as a test and all the traits come in for the main race but the subraces have nothing in them when I click on the link. I have checked and double-checked the text file and it seems OK. Cheers

[Edit] Making progress - When I paste the text straight out of the PDF there is an extra colon in the subraces paragraph. Delete that and the links work, however...

The links have the name of the subrace for each trait, so if there are 3 traits the name of the subrace appears 3 times.

[Edit] I'm still not sure what I did but they all work now! When I drop a race onto a character sheet, I am asked to choose a subrace and it populates the sheet with all the relavant details (speed, traits, size). Brilliant!!

[Irondrake]

Everything so far has parsed correctly except the classes appear to be bad, but they look fine in the finished module. Now I'm trying to make a reference manual out some of the rest of the pdf, I haven't done that before so I'm going through some...issues ;)

[El Condoro]

With classes, should dragging and dropping them onto a character sheet pull in things like Divine Domain features? I have parsed Cleric and everything seems OK but when I drag and drop the link onto a character sheet (and select from the list of skills) only the top level features are included - the Divine Domain (Life) features are not included but they can be dragged off the link to them. Just wondering if this is intended to be automatic like it is with races and subraces?

[Irondrake]

I've had to add subclasses and their features manually for some time now.

[El Condoro]

OK, thanks. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't parsing incorrectly again and missing that functionality.

[chillybilly]

I am having trouble getting Par5e to give me a finished product. I made a simple txt file with the large snake provided in the user's manual and then parsed but the only output I got was a db and definition file along with folders for tokens and images in my designated Temp folder. Nothing was added to my Output file. How do I get Par5e to give me a module that I can use in FG2?

Sorry to be such a newb but at least I figured out that I had to manually type in the name of the txt file on the first page of the Par5e program.

[El Condoro]

I made sure the folders (Temp, esp Input) existed and pointed each of the browse paths to them, including an icon image. Make sure type is 5E and that the format of the npcs.txt file is correct and in the right folder (input\npcs.text). The main issue is getting the format of the parse text correct but the 5E user guide is good for this. Make sure the module folder is the game module folder and then go into Library (in FG) and open the module that is created by PAR5E to use it. And don't give up - the end result is worth it, even in the pre-final D&D PAR5E. Cheers

[El Condoro]

Sorry to be such a newb but at least I figured out that I had to manually type in the name of the txt file on the first page of the Par5e program.

You don't need to do that. The key is that the input folder is set up correctly and that the text file is in it and named correctly (npcs.txt). All you need to do once that is set is to make sure input\npcs.txt is ticked on.

A good idea is also to save the configuration file - I have one for each of my DMG/PHB and MM modules so that I don't have to re-enter the settings each time.

[chillybilly]

El Condoro: You figured it out. I needed to include an icon image. As soon as I created one, put it in the Input folder and then pointed Par5e to it, I got my module output.

Thank you!

Now on to actually trying to parse the spells.

Edit: Turns out I really suck at this parsing stuff. I know there were folks that had parsed Pathfinder stuff and you could download their modules to save the rest of us technologically impaired folk. Will that be happening in 5E?

[bdf1992]

I'm having some trouble with this at the moment.

I'm trying to create a reference manual of some text but whenever I click on the reference manual in FG it gives me this error, no matter what I try creating or opening it in.


Runtime Error: desktop: Unable to create window with invalid class (reference_manual):referenceTB1.refmanualindex@Too lbox)


TB1 is the module ID and Toolbox is the name of the module.

So I moved on to trying tables, but where is my table located? I don't see any module books or anything like that.

EDIT:

Nevermind, found the tables in FG, never used them before, cool :)

[damned]

3min video on Tables: Tables (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-wxTx_NDo8&list=PLsgd1zJLdiKUrEd85Dqr6UcaaLvD7YlJd&index=8)

Also you originally posted the error as:


"Runtime Error: desktop: Unable to create window with invalid class (reference_manual):referenceTB1.refmanualindex@Too box)

Which firstly suggested a typo @Toobox vs @Toolbox but that has been corrected.

[bdf1992]

That was just an error in writing down the error, can't copy/paste it, I double checked and everything is ok.

Going to try again just to make sure.

[Irondrake]

Depends on how Wizards of the Coast views sharing of data, Chilly. I have the Basic PDF parsed and I'm using it in my games now. Well, the parts of it that are important to my group anyway ;) I don't know the legality of sharing that module though, so I'm holding onto it until I hear its ok to share or not.

[Trenloe]

I don't know the legality of sharing that module though, so I'm holding onto it until I hear its ok to share or not.
There's a pretty clear copyright notice on the first page of the Basic D&D PDF:

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast.

[chillybilly]

C'est la vie. Frustrating that WoTC would inhibit the popularity of their own free rules that they "want in as many hands as possible."

I'll keep at the parsing but Pathfinder is looking more and more accessible.

[Griogre]

Pathfinder to a certain extent has the same problem in they won't license their AP stuff to Smiteworks. They are better with an SRD-like license for their rules. Ultimately, the parser would not be as necessary if people were not trying to avoid legal hassles distributing modules.

[bdf1992]

So Syrinscape is able to work out quite a few deals with pathfinder (The are making official sound tracks for their adventures) but not fantasy grounds for modules.

Sadness.

Hopefully 5e works out to have a bit more freedom.

[Griogre]

It's likely because Paizo is doing their own VTT and don't want to license stuff to other competing VTTs.

[damned]

C'est la vie. Frustrating that WoTC would inhibit the popularity of their own free rules that they "want in as many hands as possible."

I'll keep at the parsing but Pathfinder is looking more and more accessible.

Wizards want it freely available - but on their terms, in their format... :)


So Syrinscape is able to work out quite a few deals with pathfinder (The are making official sound tracks for their adventures) but not fantasy grounds for modules.

Sadness.

Hopefully 5e works out to have a bit more freedom.

Syrinscape isnt repackaging up PF material they are writing additional material. Anyone can do this. What is not allowed is packaging up copyright material without the right permissions.

[Trenloe]

So Syrinscape is able to work out quite a few deals with pathfinder (The are making official sound tracks for their adventures) but not fantasy grounds for modules.
As damned mentioned - Syrinscape is quite different. Syrinscape is creating a new product for Paizo that enhances their current products and isn't in competition with a product they already own/are developing. Fantasy Grounds converting Paizo's already produced scenarios would expand their sales a little bit, but would be in direct competition of their own VTT currently being developed (if it ever sees the light of day).


Hopefully 5e works out to have a bit more freedom.
It probably won't in terms of an OGL (at least based off current details of 5e) so community produced modules might be very limited - hence the need for Project Par5e. It might have more freedom in terms of WotC working out deals with VTT companies. But, traditionally, WotC hasn't done this. I'm hoping it will be different this time. We'll see...

[El Condoro]

It's not that I'm excited by picking up my Starter Kit today but, um, any hint on when the PAR5E and/or 5E ruleset might be released? :)

[ShadeRaven]

Finally dove into this, and after a little bit of a learning curve, got it rolling. Very awesome stuff!

Right now, I am working on races. I did note a couple of minor issues that I'd like to bring to attention if there's still work being done here even while we wait for 5E's more complete releases.

1) For some reason, the last subrace doesn't work when parsed. I'll get a blank subrace despite it being complete and in the right format. To verify this, all I have to do is add a dummy race to follow, without any further changes, and all the information will be there. For now, I am using the "Gnome" from the sample file to hold the pace so that everything is added correctly.

2) The subraces' features/traits are getting titled as the subrace name. So, for example, a High Elf subrace (tab) can be opened, and it'll show all the text, flavor above, but when it lists the four traits for High Elf, they'll all be titled High Elf. It's not a big problem, because opening up each will show the appropriate title and information (Ability Score Increase, Elf Weapon Training, etc), but if it's a simple fix, the actual titles would be nice.

I will say that the rest is awesome. The ability to take DWARF and drag it onto a character sheet and get the tab added to race and all the traits added to the abilities tab was amazing.

It came in quite handy tonight when we saw a rather gruesome end come to one of the premades (Human Defensive Fighter) and a new character needed to be generated.

[Talen]

Sorry for the basic question, but I'm trying to tackle the parser with much apprehension- I never did figure out tenians tool and hoping I've grown more intelligent in the last few years........doubt it......

How are people bringing the text over for editing? Are you going straight from the basic rules and copying into an editor like notepad++? I seem to be getting a lot of character errors....

[El Condoro]

I copy the text across into Word first - it has very useful search and replace functions (including formatting) - and then copy and paste into Notepad. I found I was getting a lot of errors in Notepad++, too, but it may have had more to do with how much I had manipulated the text before it got to it, though.

Side bar: the other day I nearly threw my keyboard at the screen when using the parser - I checked and triple-checked, deleted, reinstated line by line, an NPC monster entry that I'd hand-typed off the Starter Set page (ogre, I think). It wouldn't work for anything and I had no idea why not. And then I changed "humanoid" to "Humanoid" and voila, it worked!! I wasn't sure whether to be happy or angry. :)

Edit: and what Shaderaven says above is correct. Being able to drag and drop race, class and backgrounds onto a PC sheet and fill in all the details is amazing. I couldn't get it to work with a PC of higher than 1st level, though - it still only added the 1st level stuff but the next iteration of the parser may fix that.

[Irondrake]

As you can see by the previous 33 pages...its a learning experience for a lot of us :) 5E was the first ruleset where I spent any serious time trying parse the data myself and figuring out the little nuances of what worked and what did not work was an interesting little endeavor. ;) Now we all get to do it again once these next big updates roll out. I'm hoping its just a few tweaks to the text I've already got prepared but who knows?

I use Notepad++ but I've found that some Wizards of the Coast PDFs have a lot of extra little hidden gems in there that really screw things up. Search and Replace is your friend and Notepad++'s join lines utility has made it easier for the playtest documents. If you are parsing the Basic PDF, make sure you have the Print Ready PDF and not the other one. The Print Ready PDF is basically a straight word document converted PDF and the text copies and pastes out of it back into word with relative ease. The PDF with the background in it is all sorts of messed up.

[Talen]

I think I have an understanding of the tagging and markup after reading the user guides- but I know the export from the 5e basic document is tripping me up. For those that have had relatively pain free cut and paste success- What free/inexpensive programs have you used? Right now I am cutting the text from adobe pdf and pasting into notepad ++ - but it looks ugly.

[El Condoro]

That's why I use Word - I can search for a paragraph mark and replace it with a space. Otherwise, I just use Notepad/Notepad++. I'm not sure if Notepad++ has the same search/replace function though. Perhaps OpenOffice word processor?

[Talen]

I have Word - but had thought there would be hidden characters and carriage returns with it. I originally went to Word, and then I pasted into notepad++.....that didn't seem to work well. Ill try again and post directly into Word and parse from there and see how it goes (having issues with subraces in my first attempt at parsing races.)

[Griogre]

I'd use Notepad++ then after you paste from the PDF press Cntrl-J to join the lines and strip the CRs.

[Irondrake]

I've been doing it the way Griogre has for all the playtest material. With the Basic PDF, I copied and pasted it into Word. It seemed to flow easier for me that way. The Print-Ready PDF was easy to remove the columns and then cut out some of the extra carriage returns.

[Griogre]

I just wanted to thank you, Irondrake, for that tip on copy and pasting from the Print Friendly version. I had been working with the other one and it was a pain.

[Irondrake]

Always glad to help!

[Talen]

Sorry for the next round of questions in advance, but appreciate any help:

1. Im running version 0.0.6-b7 on Par5e. The User guide indicates there should be an action menu with a validation option, but Im not seeing it - I just see File and Action menus.
2. Related to the above I know my path directories need to be relative, but I must be making a mistake. Im creating a parser folder, putting my races.txt file and image.png file in that folder, and then Im creating separate folders inside the parser folder named module source, temp and output for the required path directories. When I parse, I get blue indicators for engine build, ruleset library, module, ruleset and folder structure - but the parse says I have an invalid path.....what did I do wrong.


(I had somehow managed to get it to go through in an earlier attempt - but the subraces were not parsing, so I tried again and now Im stuck in the beginning.

[Irondrake]

Inside the folder where par5e resides, you need to have different folders for the module source, the temp path, you need a thumbnail.png (that's the filename I chose) and you need to set your output folder. Also create a folder called "input" and place your text files in there.

Then set each item you're attempting to parse in the lower section. It should look something like "input\backgrounds.txt" and check Ref or Cmp as appropriate.

Here's a screenshot of how I have mine set up, maybe it will be helpful.

7030

[Talen]

Irondrake, that was a BIG help. Thank you. I was making 2 mistakes that your explanation and pic identified.

1. I was creating a separate folder for module source path rather than just pointing to the folder PAR5E was in.
2. I made the same error with the thumbnail file.

I can get a parsed mod now. I'm still formatting something wrong as the subraces are not parsing - and when I eliminate those (for the Dwarf) I am getting large portions of the description cut off. Here's the image of my mark up and the output in FG. I'm assuming I need to start a new line for each trait identified with a colon? (For example, Alignment:, (new line), Size: (New line), Speed: (new line)....?
7031

[Irondrake]

I see the problem :) Its an "Old vs. New" thing actually. The Basic PDF uses a format that isn't quite in line with how Par5E was set up originally (for the playtest material). So you'll have to modify the format of your text file to match what Par5E understands until the updates are out. Here's a brief example of what I mean....

7033

Compare this to what you have and I think you'll be golden.

[Talen]

That is freaking awesome!!!!! Thanks Irondrake - that is the first time Ive ever made a parser work that wasn't Trenloe's and I would never have done it without your help. The races work perfectly!. Now I just have to figure out how to get the text for the starter set npc's and monsters. Are people just OCR'ing them? That seems like a whole never level of issues, but still better than hand entry.

[Griogre]

If you have OneNote it has a pretty good OCR, but yeah OCR always makes mistakes. :p

[Irondrake]

I just put the NPCs in Fantasy Grounds one at a time since there were not so many of them and the fields are so different right now. Once the new parser and updates to ruleset come out, I'll probably try to scan some in with OCR and give it a shot so I can keep it up. I know in August we'll probably get NPCs in a PDF.

[Tel Arin]

I didn't have succes creating any module with the parser. It's like my texts didn't work. I'm frustrasted of all the tries I've done. Could you send, for god sake, a .txt with a template of how to write the text? That it works with the parser. I will need one for monsters, other for races, etc..

It will be very appreciated. Thank you in advance.

(I try to use the document template's, but they didn'st work)

[El Condoro]

What have you tried so far? Could you upload a sample of a monster entry and perhaps someone here can say why it won't work. It can be frustrating sometimes but it's worth it in the end. There is also a new version coming out soon.

[Irondrake]

It may be worthwhile to wait for the update, however if you show us a sample of what you're using, we may be able to help.

[Talen]

Working on class parse now and have some more questions:


I'm not sure how to distinguish between what should be a Feature (#fe) as opposed to an Ability (#ab). Whats the distinguishing characteristic for each?
Tables aren't working as anticipated either. Any observations on where I went wrong with the attached?

I've attached the cleric markup I used (saved as xml here since I cant upload a .txt extension)

[nordren]

there re any modules avaliable ??

[Trenloe]

there re any modules avaliable ??
No, because D&D 5th edition is covered by copyright - there is no Open Gaming License (OGL) like there is with D&D 3.x and Pathfinder.

Hence the need for Par5e to help people make modules from their own material for personal use, as modules containing 5e material cannot be shared without breaking copyright.

[Irondrake]

Talen, your tables need a semi-colon delimiter between each column. Here's the header for mine to show you what it should look like for each row:


#th;Level;Proficiency;Features;Cantrips Known;1st;2nd;3rd;4th;5th;6th;7th;8th;9th
#tr;1st;+2;Spellcasting, Divine Domain;3;2;—;—;—;—;—;—;—;—

As far as what is a Feature and what is an Ability, each item that any cleric gets should be a Feature, such as Spellcasting.

I.E. #fe;Spellcasting;1

Abilities are your subclasses basically. Setting up subclasses were tricky for me at first...

Set your ability header (#abh) to Divine Domains for clerics (#abh;Divine Domain), then each subclass to #ab, such as #ab;Life, then each feature for life would be #abf;Feature Name (#abf;Life Domain Spells;1) followed by its descriptive text on the next line.

Hope that helps.

[VenomousFiligree]

As soon a the new test version of the ruleset is released, I'll release the updated version of PAR5E.
*waits expectantly* :)

[S Ferguson]

You won't have to wait too long. The "boxed set" is already out and the PHB, DM's Guide and the MM will be released after Gen-Con (so they say).

[Talen]

Talen, your tables need a semi-colon delimiter between each column. Here's the header for mine to show you what it should look like for each row:
.....

Set your ability header (#abh) to Divine Domains for clerics (#abh;Divine Domain), then each subclass to #ab, such as #ab;Life, then each feature for life would be #abf;Feature Name (#abf;Life Domain Spells;1) followed by its descriptive text on the next line.

Hope that helps.

That does help thank you. I'm close enough where I can now get a class module parsed - but the console shows the Cleric as red, so it appears I still have an error somewhere (already found the problem with including "spell slots per level" as part of the table header). I'm not finding it....

[Irondrake]

All my classes show red, I believe this is because there's only one subclass in the Basic PDF. If the module parses and the data can be read correctly inside Fantasy Grounds, you're good to go.

[Talen]

Things are proceeding much more smoothly - I just added backgrounds and equipment. A few points I think I picked up:

1. For equipment, the table and description appears to be case sensitive. For example, Chain Mail in the table will not link to the description for Chain mail.
2. The examples in the documentation (page 9 for Armor and Weapon) - the mark up for ARMOR and WEAPON shows as #h; .....shouldn't that be a #th; like it is for ADVENTURING GEAR?

[El Condoro]

All my classes show red, I believe this is because there's only one subclass in the Basic PDF. If the module parses and the data can be read correctly inside Fantasy Grounds, you're good to go.

None of my classes in classes.txt are red - I have the 4 from the Basic Rules plus those from the play test. Something else must be causing the red. I sent my Cleric text to Talen - hopefully it worked for him.

[Irondrake]

All of mine are red but it parses fine, all of the data is there, but I am not mixing playtest and release data. We cannot get an accurate record of what is working and what is not if we do that. All of my playtest information parsed without a hitch just fine and its in a separate file :)

Talen, only Adventuring Gear's table header uses #th. Armor and Weapons but use #h just as the documentation states. I'm not sure why it is, but I do know that if you don't have it this way, your equipment won't parse :)

[El Condoro]

but I am not mixing playtest and release data. We cannot get an accurate record of what is working and what is not if we do that.

I don't understand why not. I can drag and drop from either a druid from the test rules or a cleric from the Basic Rules and both work fine.

The test I used to determine if it was working as intended - and I used to get red on all classes and they seemed to be OK - is if a dialog box pops up when dragging a class onto the PC sheet asking which skills I want to take. In my experience that didn't occur until the class was parsing correctly.

[Irondrake]

The structure of information may have changed between the playtest document and the release versions. That's why I am not mixing them in the same file. I have separate files, and if I want to utilize them both, I still can. I have a feeling Investigation is the cause of some of the issues, but I still have a 100% completely working module even if the class name shows up red in PAR5E. :)

[ShadeRaven]

Races are done and look very good indeed (except for the oddity on how subrace features are listed as the name of the subrace). I am not entering into the realm of Backgrounds.

Here, though, I have immediately hit some hurdles. I'll look at the first as an example.

Acolyte markups well enough with the ##, and of course descriptive text and the like is all there to read easily. However, once we approach the meat of the background (the traits), the parser starts to balk. It did Skill Proficiencies fine, but Languages showed up as a Header, Traits squeezed in between Skills and Languages, and nothing else was to be found (despite it all being there in the file).

The DD5E Guide doesn't show any other markups necessary for Background, but clearly I am missing something because just dropping the information in there and parsing isn't working.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'd love to hear where I am going wrong. :)

As always, thanks in advance!
SR

PS: By the way, in the most minor of issues, I do need to comment that if you close the Parser, if you actually select [No] when prompted about whether or not you really want to close the program, it still closes it anyway. :D

[EDIT] BTW: If I changed the following -
Languages: Two of your choice
(to)
Language(s): Two of your choice

It would then appear as a normal bolded output:
Language(s): Two of your choice

Instead of having it appear as a header with no related text like it was before.

[ShadeRaven]

Background is still showing Traits without any detail, so not sure what I need to do there, but changing languages to language(s) at least let me put in the rest of the information. I can't drag and drop the feature onto the character sheet (since I could only just add it as a text header to the background details), but at least all the info is in there.

However, while I can get the tables for generating random traits (personality, bond, etc) into the parser, I am unsure as to how I could link them to a background library entry. I did notice that some have commented on links here, but haven't seen the formatting necessary to accomplish as much.

Suggestions (again)?

[El Condoro]

Until the next iteration of PAR5E is released, any help might be redundant for the old PAR5E. I am happy to share my text files (if that's not a breach of copyright) but, as I say, they will probably change when the new PAR5E comes out.

[ShadeRaven]

I actually considered that a very real possibility, but I expect that when it comes to formatting and things like markups, Zeus will do his best to maintain a level of compatibility to everything that's come before. There certainly are times where you have no choice but to discard grandfathering in favor of progress, but without knowing him (Zeus) personally, everything I have seen in his efforts and work prior has given me a very strong impression of professionalism on his part. Thus, I have hopes that he'll make transitioning from this early work to later editions as smooth as possible. :)

[ShadeRaven]

I am happy to share my textI'd love to take you up on that offer!

You don't have to risk copyright, though, if you could simply give me a generic format on how you got it to work. For example:

I have a table called Acolyte: Random Personality.

If I knew that I could then assign a line such as:
<linklist>
<link class="reference_tablelist" recordname="refpowerlists5EPHB.AcolyteRandomPersonality@5E PHB">Personality Table</link>
</linklist>

And that would work, I'd be a happy clam.

So any direction you could give would be great!

[El Condoro]

Ah, sorry to disappoint but that kind of thing is not what I've done yet! :( But there is a #zl; tag at the end of the documentation that might help.

I have done classes, races, spells and NPCs but not with links that I established myself.

[ShadeRaven]

Ah! #zl might be what I am looking for indeed! You are brilliant, El C! I am 180 from disappointed. I'll see what I mess I can make of what I find there. ;)

Thanks again!

[Trenloe]

I am happy to share my text files (if that's not a breach of copyright)...
If there is any copyright material in your text files then sharing the files would be a breach of copyright.

[damned]

If there is any copyright material in your text files then sharing the files would be a breach of copyright.

copyright does allow for limited sharing/copying/reproducing.
i think that the sharing of a single properly formatted critter in this situation would constitute fair use..

four factors determining fair use:
What is the use of the copied material - in this case personal
what is the nature of the work being copied - it is widely published material
how much of the work will you reproduce - this is a "small" piece of the total work
what effect would your reproduction of this small piece of text have on the market - none - you are reproducing a small part of a product that is distributed for free, and in the case of the full/commercial product it is useless or nearly so with out the rest of the much larger body of work...

so... im not a lawyer but very limited reproduction in this context is unlikely to fall foul of copyright law...

[Trenloe]

From the first page of the D&D 5e Basic rules:


This material is protected Under the copyright laws of the United States of America. any unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast.

Would WotC pursue if someone reproduced one creature/item or whatever in a text file as an example? More then likely not. But be aware that it could still be viewed as a breach of copyright.

When I read El Condoro's post that said "share text files" (plural) I assumed that meant a number of files with a number of entries in each, not just "sharing of a single ... Critter".

[El Condoro]

In any case, I am very aware of the need for there to be complete discretion and integrity in the sharing of possibly copyrighted materials and so I would only send a text file that has sample data (perhaps not even from a real critter). I haven't sent anything beyond a sample cleric to date. The last thing I want is for breaching copyright to become an issue when so much good will and positivity surrounds 5E. Cheers.

[VenomousFiligree]

*waits expectantly* :)


You won't have to wait too long. The "boxed set" is already out and the PHB, DM's Guide and the MM will be released after Gen-Con (so they say).

I was referring to PAR5E....

[ShadeRaven]

So, I got the link to work after some effort and trial with plenty of error.

For anyone else interested, here's what it looked like:

When I made my table, it was created as such within the TABLE.TXT file:


#@;PHB-Background Tables
##;Acolyte: Personality Table
#!;Random Acolyte Personality Table
Results for random acolyte personality rolls
column;Result
row;1;1;This is personality trait 1.
row;2;2;This is personality trait 2.
row;3;3;etc...
row;8;8;This is personality trait 8.

And in the BACKGROUNDS.TXT file, I had this:


##;Acolyte
You have spent your life ...

Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Religion
Language(s): Two of your choice
Equipment: A holy symbol (a gift to you when you entered the priesthood), a prayer book or prayer wheel, and other stuff.

#h;Feature: Shelter of the Faithful
As an acolyte, you command the respect ...

#zls;
#zl;table;Acolyte: Personality Table
#zl;table;Acolyte: Ideal Table
#zle;

It is #zls to #zle stuff at the end that is the link to the table(s). Some key notes on this:

It is the title given in the ##; line of your table that is called upon to be matched. Thus, it was "Acotyle: Personality Table" that I needed to use in the #zl;table; line.
You can put all your links in a row this way by adding additional #zl; entries between the #zls; and #zle;
This should also work with the other linkables like Race, Class, Etc.
And, yes, those semicolons at the end of #zls and #zle are important.

Hope that helps someone else!
SR

[ShadeRaven]

Ah ha! Something else learned... So I am adjusting the above post to reflect this, but just in case someone copied it before I made the alterations...

It is important to note that this first tag of the Table is used for Table Grouping. So if you don't want all your tables to be given separate tabs, use a common name that they can all share.

So for the above, original I had my TABLE.TXT entry start with #@;Acolyte-Random Personality Table but I have since changed it to #@;PHB-Background Tables.

Edit PS: I am still not sure why I get an empty TRAITS header at the end of each Background entry, but that's hardly noteworthy at this point.

[ShadeRaven]

Equipment:

So far, so good (although there's a minor typo in your PDF for it that's easily spotted - for both ARMOR and WEAPON, the column header bar has #h instead of #th so when I cut and paste for example, they failed until I realized where the problem was).

Man, I hope I don't come across as obnoxious here, but I have a couple of minor (and I mean minor) requests for future implementation.
1) Is it possible to have the default setting for items created through the parser as IDENTIFIED for those of us who use the Identify Items option?
2) Similarly, can the default for items non-identified name be that which is in the item name field.

It saves just a little bit of time, but it's clearly not critical or problematic when it comes to item use in the parser. It may very well be that it's not possible to do either of the above, but I thought I'd ask if there in case it was simple, easy to implement features.

As always, thanks for all the hard work!
SR

[ShadeRaven]

Equipment, Part 2:

Everything went in well, including adding Equipment Packs, Armor, Weapons, Gear, etc. There was one issue that I did note, though, that had some effect:

Items with parenthetic parts did not actually parse with their parenthesis additions.

Example: In your PDF, you have:
Acid (flask);25 gp;1 lb.

When it gets parsed, whether to the Campaign or to the Reference Library, it will show up as:
Acid / 25 gp / 1 lb.

(flask) gets lost. It also meant that having a descriptive/data for the item of:
Acid (flask): As an action, you can splash the contents....

That didn't match the item entry, thus never got attached to the appropriate item.

[Talen]

Shaderaven (or others) - how are you handling equipment subtypes (#st;) that aren't immediately followed by another subtype? For example, When the light armor subtype is followed by the medium armor subtype, the markup makes sense.....but in tools - the Artisans tool subtype is not immediately followed by another subtype - so disguise jit and forgery kit are included in the Artisans tool subtype.

I have a quick fix of converting the artisans tools entry into a standard entry with asterisks - but is there a better way?

[Irondrake]

That's a great idea ShadeRaven! I think I will convert mine to use the tables in such a way. I put the text in both places.

Talen, I just grouped all my subtypes together at the end. I also removed the (flask) entries and such from both locations, the table and description so it all matched up again.

[Irondrake]

The empty TRAIT header is because you set up your Shelter of the Faithful as a Feature, PAR5E expects it as a TRAIT. If you set it up as a trait though, it will not open correctly because the latest version of the ruleset isn't going to support it that way I believe.

[ShadeRaven]

@Irondrake: Hrm. I thought I exhausted different attempts at using TRAIT for the Backgrounds. Perhaps I missed some combination. Working on all this from 2am to 5am may not be the best times after all. :P

@Talen: For me, I actually used all the subtypes anyway. So things like Arcane Focus, Equipment Packs, Ammunition, got their own... however, for Tools, I had to take it slightly further. I used Tools for the general list of them all, and also had a #st;Artisan's Tools (as well as one for Gaming Sets and Musical Instruments). They all got their own breakouts.

[Irondrake]

This will allow it to parse correctly and will show the trait header, but the window reference is missing, so it cannot be opened and the description is missing. Once the latest version of PAR5E comes out, it will likely be corrected to the new window reference and set up as a background feature.

7056

[ShadeRaven]

Gotcha. Thanks again! I toy around with that format to see how it looks :)

[Talen]

I'm continuing to work through these and appreciate everyone's help - but I've run into another obstacle that I cant find my way out of on my own. 2 of my 5 backgrounds have parsed correctly, but 2 others have not (criminal and folk hero) and the soldier isn't even showing in the console. Any guidance on where Im going wrong would be appreciated.


##;Folk Hero
You come from a humble social rank,...
#b;Defining Event: You previously pursued a simple profession among the peasantry,...
#b;Suggested Characteristics: A folk hero is one of the common people, for better ...
Trait - Rustic Hospitality
Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find ...
Proficiencies
Skills: Animal Handling, Survival
Tools: One type of artisan’s tools, vehicles, land
Equipment
A set of artisan’s tools-one of your choice, a shovel, an iron pot, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp

##;Soldier
War has been your life for as long as you ....
When you select this background, work with your DM to...
#b;Specialty: During your time as a soldier, you had a specific role to play in your unit or army. See Basic Rules chart on page 41.
#b;Suggested Characteristics: The horrors of war combined with the rigid discipline ...
Trait - Military Rank
You have a military rank from your career as a soldier....
Proficiencies
Skills: Athletics, Intimidation
Tools: One type of gaming set, vehicles, land
Equipment
An insignia of rank, a trophy taken from a fallen enemy, ...

[ShadeRaven]

I kind of hit the wall, but I will show you what I have for the two after I get some rest and maybe we can figure out where the differences are, assuming no one else rectifies this between now and then. :)

[ShadeRaven]

Okay, this is what my Soldier looks like:
https://home.comcast.net/~bretwd/FG/Soldier.jpg
I made a few decisions based on the help I got from Irondrake concerning the Traits issue.

1) I decided to make the Features and Traits button redundant for the time being (while the Traits lookup is broken).
2) I used Tables for my Characteristics information (Personality, Ideal, etc) as well as for the Specialty information.

As long as the Trait - Soldier came last, everything else layout as I wanted. Here's what the code looks like more or less:


##;Soldier
War has been your life for as long as you care to remember. You ... (rest of the text)

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, vehicles (land)
Equipment: An insignia of rank, a trophy taken from a fallen enemy (a dagger, broken blade, or piece of a banner), and more stuff

#h;Specialty
During your time as a soldier, you had a specific role to play in your unit or army. Roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below to determine your role:
To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below.
#zls;
#zl;table;Soldier: Specialty Table
#zle;

#h;Feature: Military Rank
You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers loyal to ... (rest of Military Rank text)

#h;Suggested Characteristics
The horrors of war combined with the ... (more text)
#zls;
#zl;table;Soldier: Personality Table
#zl;table;Soldier: Ideal Table
#zl;table;Soldier: Bond Table
#zl;table;Soldier: Flaw Table
#zle;

Trait - Military Rank
You have a military rank from ... (rest of the text that's currently not being displayed)

For starters, I'd say move the Trait - Military Rank down to the bottom. When I had stuff after it, it would mess up my formatting for some stuff and get completely lost for other items. See what that does for you.

For how tables work, see previous posts on that subject should you want to approach that task.

Hope this helps in some way!
SR

[Irondrake]

I was out last night, looks like you have a suitable fix here :) By the way, anything before a colon ( : ) will be parsed as bold, so you don't have to use the #b; tag as well.

[ShadeRaven]

Equipment: Just wanted to note that any equipment that's under 1 lb gets stored as blank (effectively zero) pounds.

[PhilFischer]

Howdy, a few quick questions. Does Par5E parse 5e text, like perhaps from the upcoming adventure, or does it parse from 3.5e/4e or from some 5e Character Creator which I can't find. I downloaded Par5E but wasn't really sure what I was to do with it. Did I miss the help file?

[Trenloe]

Howdy, a few quick questions. Does Par5E parse 5e text, like perhaps from the upcoming adventure, or does it parse from 3.5e/4e or from some 5e Character Creator which I can't find. I downloaded Par5E but wasn't really sure what I was to do with it. Did I miss the help file?
There's a docs directory in the zip file you downloaded that contains some PDF documents.

[ShadeRaven]

A bit off topic, but not all that much for those of us who remember DDI and Tenian's efforts (as well as others, I am sure).

Do we know if there is going to be any DDI style knowledge base for 5th Edition like we got with 4th? Even without the Scraper, the ease in which it was possible to look up powers, skills, references, etc., kept me active as a subscriber.

[Griogre]

Maybe there will be something with Codename: Morningstar - https://www.codenamemorningstar.com/

WotC licensed them: https://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/news/morningstar

[ShadeRaven]

Yeah, I saw that. Wasn't sure if it was just going to be a Character Creation app and/or if it would be free. Certainly looks promising, though!

[Galdrin]

Sorry if I'm asking something with an obvious answer but I just came back to this program and I'm trying to prepare some GM-ing in 5E environment. I think I have understood how the parser works and I'm slowly creating the things I need to run some campaigns but I've encountered an error I can't understand and wonder if anyone could help me?

The error says: "Runtime Error: desktop: Unable to create window with invalid class (image : image.teleporttable@5ECore)"

I've parsed a lot of spell and thought I'd try and link a few images to the spell descriptions so I added a .png file to the input/images library and checked that the image is copied into the .mod file by Par5e.
Output from the db.xml says:
<imagedata>
<img_teleporttable_png>
<name type="string">teleporttable</name>
<image type="image">
<bitmap type="string">images/teleporttable.png</bitmap>
</image>
</img_teleporttable_png>
</imagedata>

and my linking is this:
#zls;
#zl;image;teleporttable
#zle;

I tried using a .jpg instead as sugested in the manual but that made my parser to freeze right after creating the folders in the output directory.

I guess I'm just spelling something wrong but after looking at it for a couple of hours I just can't see the misstake :)

[El Condoro]

Has there been any news on when the next PAR5E will be available after the latest 5E ruleset update? Cheers

[ShadeRaven]

Wish I could help there, Tony, but I haven't tackled images much yet. Hopefully, someone has your answer here.

What exactly are you trying to do, out of curiosity? A link list of images?

In the documentation, it indicates you need an Image Folder where it will pick up the relevant .jpg files.

So I would think all you need is a folder called images (within your input\ folder) with files something along the lines of TELTABLE1.jpg, then parsed. This would allow something like:
#zls;
#zl;image;TELETABLE1
#zle;

Keep in mind, I am only whipping this off the top of my head, but I think that's generally close to what you need to do. I am almost certain this will get your image added to the .MOD, but the lookup aspects I am not sure.

I'd start by including a Cmp check to see that images are being added to the mod (this I have done, and know it works).

Hopefully, this gets you on the right track!
SR

[ShadeRaven]

Okay, so curiosity got the best of me....

I set up the above, more or less, and gave it a run. The images do appear in an appropriate tab under Images in game. Great. The lookup list isn't working, though. I got the following error:
Runtime Error: desktop: Unable to create window with invalid class (image : image.ez1@5E PHB)

Now there is an EZ1 (.jpg) in the 5E PHB tab of Images, so I know that the image did come across in the parsing. I am just not sure why the simple #zl;image;EZ1 image link isn't working. It may be that we are doing it right, but the kinks haven't been worked out yet. Zeus is definitely whipping up an updated version of Par5E, so we may just have to await that release for some of the minor fixes we have need for.

In the meantime, maybe someone has a work around, but at worst, you can add all the appropriate images to the MOD and just reference them individually.

Good luck!
SR

[Galdrin]

But you managed to run the parser with an .jpg file in the input\images directory? When ever I try that the parser reports completed directly after it has created the folder structure. It never gets to the step "Parsing: image ...". If I use a .png file instead it parses it successfully and delivers the image to the .mod file but I can't access it from inside Fantasy Grounds.

I think logs would help me but I haven't found any and neither does the different debug levels give me anything, or more likely I don't know where to look for the info, any seggestions?

[Galdrin]

Strange. Looks like it's just having trouble with that one jpg. With Another jpg it parses as it should.

[ShadeRaven]

Yes, the images go into my .mod without any issue.

When you look inside your /temp folder, do you see an Images Folder with the images you are trying to get over in there? They should be (they are for me).

Let me see if I can show you what I have in a little more detail through screenshots. Maybe that'll help.

Here's what my Pars5E Configuration looks like currently:
7091

You will note that I have Cmp checked for Images. This will mean on your in-game images, you should have a TAB named after your module that contains whatever images you placed in your Images Folder (I have them all as .jpg because I think that's the expected format).

Once you parse, move the output mod over to your FG2 Modules folder, you should be able to see them in game as such:
7092

You should have that blue tab where your parser images are now stored.

Let me know if that helps :)
SR

[PhilFischer]

Thanks much for info regarding PDFs, sorry I missed that!

To verify I understand, if I want to be parsing 5e data for 5e campaigns and such, I would use the 'PAR5E DD5E User Guide' over the 'PAR5E CoreRPG Guide', since they are generally the same thing. The 'PAR5E User Guide' is used to learn how to use the actual parser tool itself.

I need to create my text files that will be parsed. Totally Awesome. Perhaps the best part is that if I do a bunch of content, and then some of the rules change later... I can just edit the original text files adding the functionality and have an upgraded whatever much easier.

Also someone (else) could write a parser to read 4E stat blocks and write them to the PAR5E format, thus importing them into 4E. Very Cool!

Is it possible that someone's out there could email me some text so that I could practice importing data into 5E? My email is PhilFischer @ yahoo dot com

Phil

[ShadeRaven]

Phil, you have the right of it when it comes to the PDFs. DD5E is the one you want to use as a reference to how to use the parser itself after it's installed and you are ready to push data into it.

As far as a parser that reads 4E stat blocks and applies it to a 5E format, that's unlikely at best. 4E is too dissimilar from 5E to make any sort of conversion possible in my opinion. Although, there are those far smarter than I that might find a way to get it to work.

As far as TEXT to import into 5E, honestly, the best TEXT out there is the DnDBasicRules(PrinterFriendly).pdf that's freely available from WotC. You can cut and paste from it very easily and the parser commands needed to get it in the right format is in that PAR5E DD5E User Guide, as well as plenty of examples in this thread of how people have gotten various input formats to work.

[Bumamgar]

The word 'null' gets removed from spell descriptions, causing, for example, "nullify" to be output as "ify". How do I prevent this?

[Bumamgar]

Is Zeuss or someone working on an updated parser now that the Basic PDF is out?

[Bumamgar]

It would be nice if there were a tag to denote 'preformatted' text that PAR5E wouldn't attempt to format. For example, if I want to embed some HTML directly, and don't want PAR5E to wrap it in <p> tags or whatever, I should be able to put something like this:


#prs;
<table><tr><td><p><b>Dungeon Master (DM):</b> After passing through the craggy ...</p>
<p><b>Phillip (playing Gareth):</b> I want to look ...</p>
<p><b>Amy (playing Riva):</b> The drawbridge ...</p></td></tr></table>
#pre;
The #prs; (preformatted start) and #pre; (preformatted end) tags tell PAR5E not to apply any HTML tags to the block between them.

I dunno, just finding it annoying to find whole chunks of text bolded because there is a : embedded somewhere, and having trouble formatting blocks of text in a pleasing way for some of the bits in the Basic Rules...

[ShadeRaven]

Zeus is working very hard on this... certainly harder than any of us :) There will be a lot of changes and many already made .. but can't blame anyone for wanting to wait til the PHB comes out before finalizing anything release.

[Bumamgar]

I hadn't realized there had been any sort of communication that he was waiting on the PHB to come out. It makes sense, of course.

That being said, is the source code available anywhere? I'd be happy to fix a few bugs and submit patches, etc.

[S Ferguson]

Don't forget that when the MM comes out there will probably be additional changes. There might even be changes after the DM's guide. It's all up in the air as only the Starter Box has been released.

[Irondrake]

The source code is available at Dr. Z's site, I believe he said. Check the first post.

[Bumamgar]

No source code, just installers and binaries.

Google to the rescue! Code is available here: https://github.com/drzeuss/PAR5E

Well, v0.0.6-b1 is there... Apparently Dr. Z hasn't been very diligent about checking in his updates :(

[ShadeRaven]

I was fortunately enough to catch Z recently and get the "low down", at least a bit of it. Source code is available, but not what he's working on. He's trying to get prepped with what looks like the needs to come, but really doesn't want to put out something half-ready for release, especially in light of the PHB not being far off.

I don't think he minds sharing the source, but like most of us, doesn't want to put out something that's partial if he thinks patience will allow him to offer something that's a better reflection of the hard work he's put into it (and all these projects) over the years.

[El Condoro]

Thanks for the update, ShadeRaven. Makes sense - the drip-feeding of 5E is good in many ways but it does mean we can't be 100% certain of what is coming. A polished final PAR5E is better. Cheers

[Bumamgar]

Makes sense. I've generally been able to figure out a work-around for most of my issues. Basically I just put in whatever makes sense to get the parse to complete, and then go into the db.xml that is generated and fix broken links etc as needed so that the module is complete and functional. I then make a .diff file so if I need to reparse, I can simply patch in my fixes.

[Zeus]

Hey everyone. New version of PAR5E uploaded to my personal site.

A few changes from the previous builds, most notable is support for the latest 5E ruleset build and support for the latest syntax from the Starter Set and Basic Rules. Please make sure to read the 5E User Guide (included in the ZIPs) which detail a number of changes to markup tag format including formattedtext tags before attempting to parse any content.

Also and before anyone commits any serious time to parsing 5E content using PAR5E, a friendly heads up. There is a distinct possibility that in the not too distant future Smiteworks may be including official 5E content along with the 5E ruleset, therefore please consider this carefully before expending any effort.

Links in post #1. Summary changelog notes:

v0.0.7-b15



5E: npcs - added experimental support for additional stat block formats
5E: referencelinks - fixed bug which linked campaign items to reference items by mistake


v0.0.6-b50



5E: Updated tables to include result reference links. Rolled result text can now be dragged from the chat window.
5E: Updated backgrounds, classes,equipment, races, and spells to match content from D&D Basic Rules
5E: Updated npcs to match content from D&D Starter Set Appendix B
Engine: Set output encoding to match FG (ISO-8859-1)
Engine: Updated cleanXML routines to include additional unicode char conversion
GUI: Added radio button group for selecting module output type: GM Only (db.xml), GM/Player (client.xml) and Common (common.xml)

[El Condoro]

Wow. I'm excited, especially about the 'distinct possibility'. That would be great if it happens. Cheers and thanks for your work on this.

[khersheyjr]

Oh? I eagerly await this possibility for official support.

[Dershem]

This would be truly epic!

[ShadeRaven]

That is awesome!

I am a bit of a tinkerer, though, so don't mind continuing to do things.

First, it actually helps me understand and absorb the rules.
Second, having my own DB/Mod allows me to expand or customize to suit my campaign.

[ShadeRaven]

Backgrounds: d(n) Title tables do not seem to be working.

I replaced my tables from the Table.txt file, but when I use the given example, all I get is a blank table in them mod without a traits list or a die roll associated.

[ShadeRaven]

Tables: I have tried tweaking things all over. Adding, subtracting, reformatting. Just can't figure out what's missing here. Tables were changed from the format that was working in version 0.6, but adding in the dice;{dicetype} line isn't working.

Here's what I have:

#@;PHB-Background Tables
##;Acolyte: Personality Table
#!;Random Acolyte Personality Table
Results for random acolyte personality rolls
column;Result
dice;d8
row;1;1;I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly ...
row;2;2;I can find common ground between the fiercest enemies, ...
row;3;3;I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to ...
row;4;4;Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude.
row;5;5;I quote (or misquote) sacred texts and proverbs ...
row;6;6;I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other faiths and respect ...
row;7;7;I’ve enjoyed fine food, drink, and high society ...
row;8;8;I’ve spent so long in the temple that I have little ...


Incidentally, cut-n-paste the examples from the PDF don't work either. :(

Anyone know what the correct format is? Found out how to get tables to work in the latest version? :)

[ShadeRaven]

In just a cosmetic adjustment, the Parser interface itself has a small error.

When you select 5E (ruleset), on the line item Ruleset Data Items, there is the list of .txt files associated with each Data Item (category). When we reach quests, it shows it associated with input\skills.txt. From that point on, everything is showing the wrong Relative Source File/Folder Path. The last two both show input\tokens as associated with them (tables and tokens).

I do not believe this has any bearing on any of the above problems as the data sets are compiling as appropriate.

[ShadeRaven]

Hrm. Classes aren't working either. Some pertinent information:

1) I am using the Windows version.
2) Version is PAR5E v0.0.7-b15
3) I have toyed around with dm only, dm/player, and common. No changes there mattered.
4) I have had a parse go to completion (backgrounds with no working tables), so it will complete and build a .mod file that FG will recognize.
5) I have not messed with Debug Level yet.


I would suggest that anyone else giving this a go should back everything up (always a wise move) before moving into the next Alpha/Beta version.

I fully acknowledge the possibility that it's errors on my side. I'll keep investigating until I can figure out what's making most of the previously working data now uncompilable.

As always, great (!!) appreciation for what Dr. Zeus does for us out here.

[El Condoro]

I have the same issue with backgrounds. Used the same example as in the docs (Acolyte), checked and double-checked and each time most of the details are OK but the tables do not work (they open as empty tables) and the text associated with Suggested Characteristics ("Acolytes are shaped by...") is missing altogether.

[Zeus]

All, Backgrounds, Tables and Classes all definitely work as I have successfully parsed both Basic Rules and Lost Mine of Phandelver. One point I did forget to mention is that old config files will not work with this version (this is because I introduced support for a new Data item type, Quests). Its probably best to start a new configuration rather than import configs from previous versions of PAR5E. Apologies for this but it was unavoidable.

Some redacted examples for reference.

Tables


#@;DD Basic Rules
##;Trinkets
#!;Trinkets Table
When you make your character, you can roll once on the Trinkets table to gain a trinket, a simple item lightly touched by mystery. The DM might also use this table. It can help stock a room in a dungeon or fill a creature's pockets.
dice;d%
column;Trinket
row;1;1;A mummified goblin hand
row;2;2;A piece of crystal that faintly glows in the moonlight
row;3;3;A gold coin minted in an unknown land
row;4;4;A diary written in a language you don't know
row;5;5;A brass ring that never tarnishes ....

Try removing the colon from the Table name.

Background


##;Acolyte
You have spent ...
Choose a god, a pantheon ...
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, ...
Languages: Two of your ...
Equipment: A holy symbol ...
Feature: Shelter of the Faithful
As an acolyte, you command the respect ...
Suggested Characteristics
Acolytes are shaped by their experience in temples or other religious communities. ...

d8 Personality Trait
1 I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and ...
2 I can find common ground between the ...
3 I see omens in every event and action. ...
4 Nothing can shake my optimistic ...
5 I quote (or misquote) sacred texts ...
6 I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other...
7 I've enjoyed fine food, drink, and ...
8 I’ve spent so long in the temple that ...

d6 Ideal
1 Tradition. The ancient traditions of ...
2 Charity. I always try to help those in need,...
3 Change. We must help bring ...
4 Power. I hope to one day rise ...
5 Faith. I trust that my deity ...
6 Aspiration. I seek to prove ...

d6 Bond
1 I would die to recover an ancient ...
2 I will someday get revenge on the...
3 I owe my life to the priest who took ...
4 Everything I do is for ...
5 I will do anything to protect the temple ...
6 I seek to preserve a sacred text...

d6 Flaw
1 I judge others harshly, and myself ...
2 I put too much trust in those who wield ...
3 My piety sometimes leads me to blindly ...
4 I am inflexible ...
5 I am suspicious of..
6 Once I pick a goal, ...

Class


##;Cleric
#h;Cleric
Arms and eyes upraised ...
#h;Healers and Warriors
Divine magic, as the name ...
Clerics combine the helpful ...
#h;Divine Agents
Not every acolyte or ...
#h;Creating a Cleric
As you create a cleric, the ...
Check with your DM to...
#h;Quick Build
You can make a cleric ...
#h;The Cleric
#ts;
#th;Level;Proficiency;...
#tr;1st;+2;Spellcasting...
#tr;2nd;+2;Channel ...;
...
#tr;19th;+6;Ability ...
#tr;20th;+6;Divine Intervention...
#te;
#h;Spell Slots per Spell Level
#ts;
#th;Level;Cantrips;1st;2nd;3rd;4th;...;
#tr;1st;3;2;—;...
#tr;2nd;3;3;—;—...
...
#tr;20th;5;4;3;3;3;3;2;2;1;1;
#te;
#h;Class Features
As a cleric, you ...
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per ...
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + ....
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) ....
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, ...
Weapons: All ...
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose ...
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, ...:
#ls;
#li;(a) a mace or (b) a ...
#li;(a) scale mail, (b) leather armor, ...
#li;(a) a light crossbow and ...
#li;(a) a priest's pack or (b) an explorer's ...
#le;
#fe;Spellcasting;1
As a conduit for divine power, you can cast ...
#bp;Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of ...
#bp;Preparing and Casting Spells
The Cleric table shows ...
#bp;Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for...
#bp;Ritual Casting
You can cast a cleric spell as ...
#bp;Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy ...
#fe;Divine Domain;2,6,8,17
Choose one domain related to ...
Your choice grants you domain spells and other ...
#bp;Domain Spells
Each domain has a list of spells-its ...
If you have a domain spell that doesn't appear on ...
#fe;Channel Divinity;2,6,18
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to channel ...
...
#abh;Divine Domains
In a pantheon, every ...
...
#ab;Life Domain
The Life domain focuses ..
energy-one of the fundamental ...
#bp;Life Domain Spells
#ts;
#th;Cleric Level;Spells;
#tr;1st;bless, ....
#tr;3rd;lesser restoration, ...
#tr;5th;beacon of hope,...
#tr;7th;death ward,...
#tr;9th;mass cure ...
#te;
#abf;Bonus Proficiency
When you choose ....
#abf;Disciple of Life
Also starting at 1st level, ...
#abf;Channel Divinity: Preserve Life;2
Starting at 2nd level, you can ...\
...

[Bumamgar]

With some hair pulling I was able to get everything working last night. One thing I noticed were various discrepancies in the documentation and examples. I don't have a list handy, but there are several points where the examples in the docs are inaccurate.

[Zeus]

With some hair pulling I was able to get everything working last night. One thing I noticed were various discrepancies in the documentation and examples. I don't have a list handy, but there are several points where the examples in the docs are inaccurate.

Oh blast I thought I had updated all the documentation, apologies if I have missed anything. If you are able for recall the discrepancies please point them out and I'll correct.

[ShadeRaven]

Thanks a ton, Z. I'll check it out later and give it a thorough (CPU sweat inducing) workout later.

Much love for your efforts to keep this rolling even knowing it may not (strictly) be necessary in the future.

[Bumamgar]

The new equipment tables don't quite work right (Mounts / Tack etc). Basically, only the subtypes seem to work, the rest of the equipment table is blank. I tried defining a #st;Standard at the top of each table and that didn't fix it either.

Also, the {classlist} linkage seems to be broken, or at least doesn't work the way it appears from the docs:


#zls;
#zl;mountanodotheranimalslist;Mounts and Other Animals
#zl;drawnvehicleslist;Tack, Harness, and Drawn Vehicles
#zl;waterbournevehicleslist;Waterborne Vehicles
#zle;

All produce broken lists.

[Zeus]

The new equipment tables don't quite work right (Mounts / Tack etc). Basically, only the subtypes seem to work, the rest of the equipment table is blank. I tried defining a #st;Standard at the top of each table and that didn't fix it either.

Also, the {classlist} linkage seems to be broken, or at least doesn't work the way it appears from the docs:


#zls;
#zl;mountanodotheranimalslist;Mounts and Other Animals
#zl;drawnvehicleslist;Tack, Harness, and Drawn Vehicles
#zl;waterbournevehicleslist;Waterborne Vehicles
#zle;

All produce broken lists.

Equipment tables are working for me. Here's a sample table:


#@;MOUNTS AND OTHER ANIMALS
#th;Item;Cost;Speed;Carrying Capacity
#st;Mounts & Animals
Camel;50 gp;...
Donkey or mule;...
Elephant;200...
Horse, draft;...
Horse, riding;75 gp;..

For linking here's what I am using:


#zl;mountsandotheranimalslist;Mounts & Other Animals Table
#zl;drawnvehicleslist;Tack, Harness, And Drawn Vehicles Table
#zl;waterbournevehicleslist;Waterbourne Vehicles Table

Once, parsed the above tables are available under the library and Equipment. Links from reference text also work correctly for me.

[Zeus]

Thanks a ton, Z. I'll check it out later and give it a thorough (CPU sweat inducing) workout later.

Much love for your efforts to keep this rolling even knowing it may not (strictly) be necessary in the future.

Thanks. PAR5E is intended as a generic ruleset tool, it currently supports CoreRPG as well as 5E but it can be easily adapted to support other rulesets. It will continue to be developed and supported as its the primary tool I use for the creation of modules (even official ones).

[Bumamgar]

Thanks Zeus, that fixed it. It's also another area where the documentation could be more clear, as it's pretty obvious there are some specific hard-coded strings the parser is looking for with regards to subtypes and table names, and the docs don't mention them:


#th;Name;Cost;Damage;Weight;Properties
#st;Simple Melee Weapons
Club;1 sp;1d4 bludgeoning;2 lb.;Light
Dagger;2 gp;1d4 piercing;1 lb.;Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)
#st;Simple Ranged Weapons
Crossbow, light;25 gp;1d8 piercing;5 lb.;Ammunition (range 80/320), loading, two-handed
Dart;5 cp each;1d4 piercing;1/4 lb.;Finesse, thrown (range 20/60)

#@;MOUNTS AND OTHER ANIMALS
…
#@;TACK, HARNESS, AND DRAWN VEHICLES
…
#@;WATERBOURNE VEHICLES

Should have the proper #th; and #st; bits documented as well.


[#zl;{classlist};{name of list to link to}\n]
#zle;\n !w!here {classlist} can be one of: abilitylist
adventuringgearlist
armorlist
backgroundlist
classlist
drawnvehicleslist
featlist
featurelist
npclist
magicitemlist
mountanodotheranimalslist
skilllist
specialitylist
spelllist
toolslist
traplist
waterbournevehicleslist

Should provide the specific 'name of list to link to' that these links are looking for (and also have the proper 'mountsandotheranimalslist' vs 'mountanodotheranimalslist'). Also, it seems a bit redundant to specify {classlist} and {nameoflist} when they are both the same and strictly enforced. Might be easier to just have #zl;{classlist} and let your parser fill in the name from the list itself.

[El Condoro]

I am still trying to get the Acolyte to show up correctly with tables! Maybe I'm just not understanding what should happen. When I parse the background, should the tables appear in the tables list and be linked to the background record? I get the links and the titles are Personality Trait etc. but the table is blank. I also don't get the text associated with the Suggested Characteristics. I have checked the text and it's identical in appearance to the ones presented in this thread and in the documentation. Please help - my sanity is ebbing away. :) (I know I could wait a couple of weeks and it might all be done for me, but I want to understand why this thing won't work!)

[Zeus]

Thanks Zeus, that fixed it. It's also another area where the documentation could be more clear, as it's pretty obvious there are some specific hard-coded strings the parser is looking for with regards to subtypes and table names, and the docs don't mention them:


#th;Name;Cost;Damage;Weight;Properties
#st;Simple Melee Weapons
Club;1 sp;1d4 bludgeoning;2 lb.;Light
Dagger;2 gp;1d4 piercing;1 lb.;Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)
#st;Simple Ranged Weapons
Crossbow, light;25 gp;1d8 piercing;5 lb.;Ammunition (range 80/320), loading, two-handed
Dart;5 cp each;1d4 piercing;1/4 lb.;Finesse, thrown (range 20/60)

#@;MOUNTS AND OTHER ANIMALS
…
#@;TACK, HARNESS, AND DRAWN VEHICLES
…
#@;WATERBOURNE VEHICLES

Should have the proper #th; and #st; bits documented as well.


[#zl;{classlist};{name of list to link to}\n]
#zle;\n !w!here {classlist} can be one of: abilitylist
adventuringgearlist
armorlist
backgroundlist
classlist
drawnvehicleslist
featlist
featurelist
npclist
magicitemlist
mountanodotheranimalslist
skilllist
specialitylist
spelllist
toolslist
traplist
waterbournevehicleslist

Should provide the specific 'name of list to link to' that these links are looking for (and also have the proper 'mountsandotheranimalslist' vs 'mountanodotheranimalslist'). Also, it seems a bit redundant to specify {classlist} and {nameoflist} when they are both the same and strictly enforced. Might be easier to just have #zl;{classlist} and let your parser fill in the name from the list itself.

Thanks for the feedback. I got lazy when adding in the the link classes for the new equipment tables - given I am using the same link code it was simpler to just call for the {class list};{name of list} again. I'll see if I can optimise it moving forward.

Once I have all the missing documentation identified, I'll update and re-issue. Thanks for spotting.

[Zeus]

I am still trying to get the Acolyte to show up correctly with tables! Maybe I'm just not understanding what should happen. When I parse the background, should the tables appear in the tables list and be linked to the background record? I get the links and the titles are Personality Trait etc. but the table is blank. I also don't get the text associated with the Suggested Characteristics. I have checked the text and it's identical in appearance to the ones presented in this thread and in the documentation. Please help - my sanity is ebbing away. :) (I know I could wait a couple of weeks and it might all be done for me, but I want to understand why this thing won't work!)

If you follow the example I posted up a few posts back you should end up with links in the Background to both Features and Characteristics Rollable Tables (also should be listed in Campaign Tables). PM me your backgrounds.txt and I'll see if I can figure out whats going wrong for you.

[Zeus]

To all those parsing 5E content, specifically Backgrounds, make sure to also check Tables in the PAR5E config to ensure embedded rollable table data is included in the module output. I'll add a fix to auto-output any tables if Backgrounds is selected but for now you'll have to manually ensure Tables is checked.

[Talen]

When using parse for an adventure, must each section be parsed separately? In other words, must I parse the story, then the NPCs and then the items? That appears to be the case since the source files seem to require specific names.

[Bumamgar]

When parsing encounters, for creatures of less than 1 CR, how should it be entered?

[Zeus]

CR 1/8 XP <number>
CR 1/4 XP <number>
CR 1/2 XP <number>

are all supported.

[Zeus]

When using parse for an adventure, must each section be parsed separately? In other words, must I parse the story, then the NPCs and then the items? That appears to be the case since the source files seem to require specific names.

I'm not sure I understand the question, Talen.

PAR5E will step through the list of the library's data items, reading and parsing each file sequentially if the entry is checked in the config pane. Once completed it then steps through the list of data items again and writes out the data to the module XML file, again only if the entry is checked. It does not matter which data item you start with. For example, you may prefer to begin the process with NPCs, Encounters (and perhaps Maps), since these would be the bare minimum required to run the adventure under FG, once completed and time allowing, you could then revisit the module and add in Story entries, Rollable Tables perhaps for Random Events and then cross-link everything for quicker reference during play. Alternatively (if your a completist) you might prefer to parse in the content in the specific order as laid out in the source PDF, its entirely up to you. Bare in mind that creating links to, yet to be parsed, content are still created however when clicked on they will simply not open any data (as the linked data doesn't exist in the module).

[Bumamgar]

CR 1/8 XP <number>
CR 1/4 XP <number>
CR 1/2 XP <number>

are all supported.

Not parsing npcs, parsing encounters?

#@;Lost Mine of Phandelver
##;P1-1: Goblin Ambush
Level 1 XP 200
4 Goblin Level 1/4

##;P1-2: 2. Goblin Blind
Level 1 XP 100
2 Goblin Level 1/4

Doesn't work...

[Zeus]

This is what I'm using:


#@;LMoP - Part 1

##;Goblin Ambush
CR 1/4 XP 200
4;Goblin;

##;2. Goblin Blind
CR 1/4 XP 100
2;Goblin;Cragmaw Hideout (Player);472,580;506,580;

Replace the Word Level with CR

The 2nd encounter in my example shows the syntax to use if your want to pre-place tokens for the NPCs on a map.

[El Condoro]

I've started parsing NPCs - successfully for the most part (and a welcome change) - but notice that the Armor Class field does not support the armor type included in the Starter Kit stat blocks. For example, Armor Class 15 (natural armor). It's not shown in the NPC documentation, either, although there is a field for it on the NPC sheet in FG.

[Zeus]

I've started parsing NPCs - successfully for the most part (and a welcome change) - but notice that the Armor Class field does not support the armor type included in the Starter Kit stat blocks. For example, Armor Class 15 (natural armor). It's not shown in the NPC documentation, either, although there is a field for it on the NPC sheet in FG.

Well spotted El Condoro! Thats definitely a bug. Added to fix list. I'll aim for another release update on Sunday evening. Planning on adding support for pregen characters in the next release too.

[PhilFischer]

Dr Zeuss, is the parser able to write to PFRPG Stories yet? Any idea when it might be?

'

[Zeus]

Dr Zeuss, is the parser able to write to PFRPG Stories yet? Any idea when it might be?

'

I haven't added a library to support PFRPG but it can be done. What data items would you require, just Story?

[El Condoro]

Can someone confirm for me that the components entries of spells are parsing correctly, please?

I have parsed all the spells into a module and they all appear and open as they should. There were no red letter errors in the parsing. However, there are no components in any of the spells. Before I spend too much time on finding the reason, can someone please confirm that they are working for them? Cheers

[El Condoro]

Again, I'm not sure if this is an error on my part or the parser. When I parse in armor, everything appears and acts as it should except for the Strength column (Chain mail, Splint and Plate). First, the column heading is Speed instead of Strength (a throw-back to D&D Next?) and no values appear in that column even though they are in the equipment.txt file. Anyone else getting this or is it an error with me?

[ShadeRaven]

It's not just you :)

I do not think it's the parser, though. If you look in the XML you can see the Strength field has given values for Chain Mail, etc. Probably just something that needs to be worked out with the latest version of 5E ruleset. I even tried changing them from STR 15 (for example) to just 15 in that field, in case it's a formatting issue, but no go.

A minor fix that I am sure Moon will take care of in the near enough future, when he's finally got some time again.

[Zeus]

Thanks guys. I'll take a look at Spells for Components. For equipment I'll tweak the ruleset and add fixes to the next test release.

[PhilFischer]

I haven't added a library to support PFRPG but it can be done. What data items would you require, just Story?

My order of request would be:
1) Story
2) Notes (not sure this even exists)
3) NPC
4) Encounter

I'm not sure what RefenceMaterial is, where it shows up from etc.

[El Condoro]

Sorry. Can't get Races to work at all.

I started a text file from scratch to eliminate the hidden character possibility. This is the text I entered:

##;Dwarf
Dwarf descriptive text
#!;Trait 1. Description of trait one.
#!;Trait 2. Description of trait two.
#s;Subrace 1
This subrace is number 1
#!;Subrace trait 1. More on this trait
#!;Subrace trait 2. Even more.

I get the following error. It is the same error when I parse the complete Dwarf race entry from the PDF or a part of the race entry from the PDF. Can't get past it - sorry for the pun. :)

Malformed XML! db.xml:5706:155: The element type "text" must be terminated by the matching end-tag "</text>".
Check module source files for correct markup and syntax.

Edit: It's amazing to me how many times I have posted on this forum and then solved my issue within 10 minutes! This is one such occasion. In my main races.txt file I had the heading Traits - and it didn't work. I changed that to Dwarf Traits, Elf Traits etc. and thought 'No way - that won't help' and yet it fixed the problem. Oh well, is fix, is good. Cheers.

[El Condoro]

Dragging and dropping classes onto the PC sheet simulates level advancement - drop Rogue 3 times will make the PC 3rd level Rogue with all the abilities etc of the class. I did this as an experiment and got to 5th level and decided to see how multiclassing works. I dragged Fighter on 3 times and it seemed OK but when I dropped Fighter on a 4th time he got Indomitable, which a fighter doesn't get until 9th level. The PC sheet is adding the Rogue level 5 to the Fighter level 4 and adding the abilities for the total levels (9). Is that supposed to be how it works in 5E? p. 56 of the Basic rules seem to imply it should be for the class level, rather than the total level.

Will also post on the 5E beta thread, too.

[El Condoro]

Dragging and dropping the race is not adding the size to the PC sheet. Is it supposed to?

[ShadeRaven]

Nice work, EC :)

I don't think the Size field on the Character Sheet is a field with an association with it as of now. Probably an easy request to ask for.

I had not considered the possibility of dragging and dropping for level advancement, so I find that very cool even before you hunting down a potential issue with multiclassing! But you are right, most features are tied to class and that class' level. Off the top of my head, the only thing I can think of that's Character Level based is Proficiency Bonus.

[Griogre]

Dragging and dropping classes onto the PC sheet simulates level advancement - drop Rogue 3 times will make the PC 3rd level Rogue with all the abilities etc of the class. I did this as an experiment and got to 5th level and decided to see how multiclassing works. I dragged Fighter on 3 times and it seemed OK but when I dropped Fighter on a 4th time he got Indomitable, which a fighter doesn't get until 9th level. The PC sheet is adding the Rogue level 5 to the Fighter level 4 and adding the abilities for the total levels (9). Is that supposed to be how it works in 5E? p. 56 of the Basic rules seem to imply it should be for the class level, rather than the total level.

From the basic rules it's not clear exactly how multiclassing is suppose to work other than its an optional rule in the PH. Have they released anything in the PH sneak peeks on multiclassing? The PH releases to prefered stores in a few days.

[Zeus]

From a an advanced glimpse of the PHB:

- when advancing in level, you have the choice of as to which multi-class you want to level up
- your character level is based upon the total combined levels of all classes in you multiclass
- when you level up you are entitled to some of the Proficiencies of that class level, entitlement is detailed in a new multi class table
- when you level up you are entitled to the Features the Class level provides, exceptions include Channel Divinity, Unarmored Defence and Spellcasting
- hit dice are pooled per class; or you can pool them together if the hit dice for each class are the same
- experience point cost for levelling up is based upon total character level, not individual class levels.

[El Condoro]

From a an advanced glimpse of the PHB:

- when you level up you are entitled to the Features the Class level provides, exceptions include Channel Divinity, Unarmored Defence and Spellcasting


Yeah, this is the one I was thinking of. The "Class level" is the key rather than the total level for features.

[El Condoro]

There is no reference on how to mark up a quests text file in the documentation. What is the syntax etc? Cheers

[Zeus]

Oops, I'll add to the docs for tomorrow's update. In the meantime, the format is very simple:


##;Quest Name
CR 1 XP 100
Zeus has heard stories from prospectors ....
If the party pursues this quest, see "Encounter".
#zl;story;Encounter;Encounter

Repeat for each Quest.

You can also add a link back to the associated Story entry which will make it easier to back reference Quests to story lines from the Partysheet.

[El Condoro]

Perfect. Thank you.

[Edit] I can get the quests to work well and the link to appear but I can't get the link to actually link to the story entry I want. The issue, I think, is that the story I want to link to is in a module in the campaign. Can that be done? The reason I want to do this is that the campaign is where the party sheet entries are stored and quests are in that. I want to drag the quests out of a "DMG" module that I have parsed into the campaign party sheet for quests that are part of a module.

A work-around is to create the quest with a link that acts as a placeholder. Drag it onto the party sheet and go into edit mode and then drag the correct story link onto it.

[Zeus]

Perfect. Thank you.

[Edit] I can get the quests to work well and the link to appear but I can't get the link to actually link to the story entry I want. The issue, I think, is that the story I want to link to is in a module in the campaign. Can that be done? The reason I want to do this is that the campaign is where the party sheet entries are stored and quests are in that. I want to drag the quests out of a "DMG" module that I have parsed into the campaign party sheet for quests that are part of a module.

A work-around is to create the quest with a link that acts as a placeholder. Drag it onto the party sheet and go into edit mode and then drag the correct story link onto it.

At the moment the #zls; tag in PAR5E will only link to content in the same module. I'd have to open up support for external links. I didn't do this for the current version as its not generally good practice to cross-link module data to other modules or campaign data, simply because it will force a requirement to have all modules open during play. Modules in my opinion should be self contained thus eliminating the need for additional modules to be open during campaign play.

Still, if you really want to, you can always embed manual markup to include a link, PAR5E supports all FG formattedtext markup:, here the syntax to use:


<listlink>
<link class="encounter" recordname="encounter.enc_[encounter name]@[module name]">[link title]</link>
....
</listlink>
where [encounter name] is the name of the story page - remember to use lowercase and replace all non alphanumeric characters with a _
where [module name] is the name of the module
where [link title] is the text for the link you want displayed
.... repeat if required

[El Condoro]

Modules in my opinion should be self contained thus eliminating the need for additional modules to be open during campaign play.

This is OT but I thought the way I am setting up my campaign was the intended way: I have a campaign module that is used to store the PC records and all the Party Sheet and Combat Tracker information. As players go to places or dungeons etc. I have a separate module for each of those that I open and close as they are needed. So a module for a town I will open in the campaign module, play the adventure and record XP etc etc in the Party Sheet (stored in the campaign module), then close the adventure module when it's completed and move on to the next one. All the time the Party Sheet and Combat Tracker data is kept up to date. I can't put quests into the Party Sheet in the adventure module because they are stored in the main campaign module. Or am I missing something? Cheers

[Trenloe]

My order of request would be:
1) Story
2) Notes (not sure this even exists)
3) NPC
4) Encounter
I know it's not an all in one module maker but, in case you weren't aware, PF NPC modules can be created directly from Paizo standard statblocks using the PFRPG Creature Parser available here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20522-Pathfinder-Creature-Parser-V2-Beta-Version

[PhilFischer]

I know it's not an all in one module maker but, in case you weren't aware, PF NPC modules can be created directly from Paizo standard statblocks using the PFRPG Creature Parser available here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20522-Pathfinder-Creature-Parser-V2-Beta-Version

Thanks Trenloe, I am aware of it and have used it. Am looking for a one-stop shopping center where maybe someday it can be converted to 5e (from Pathfinder).

[PhilFischer]

My order of request would be:
1) Story
2) Notes (not sure this even exists)
3) Map
4) NPC
5) Encounter

I'm not sure what RefenceMaterial is, where it shows up from etc.

Dr Zuess, any idea about a possible date for a PFRPG module?
And is there a way to write to the Notes section in FGII using your parser?
I edited my preferred order above (added Map as #3).

Phil

[Zeus]

Dr Zuess, any idea about a possible date for a PFRPG module?
And is there a way to write to the Notes section in FGII using your parser?
I edited my preferred order above (added Map as #3).

Phil

Phil, I am just finishing up some changes to 5E and PAR5E after which I was planning to take the (compatible) 5E routines and port them to a PFRPG library. In truth, Story, Map and Encounter are pretty much already supported as PAR5E already supports CoreRPG which PFRPG is layered upon. In fact, you could try this as an interim solution until a PFRPG library is released. Open PAR5E, set it to CoreRPG, add your Story, Maps/Images, Encounter and then parse. When PAR5E has finished, open the resulting .mod file with WinZIP and edit the definition.xml and set the ruleset tag to PFRPG (it will be set to CoreRPG). Re-Zip and rename to a .mod file and fire up FG. You should now in theory be able to access the Story, Images and Encounters from within a PFRPG campaign.

No promises but I'll try an target a PFRPG release for next week.

[PhilFischer]

Phil, I am just finishing up some changes to 5E and PAR5E after which I was planning to take the (compatible) 5E routines and port them to a PFRPG library. In truth, Story, Map and Encounter are pretty much already supported as PAR5E already supports CoreRPG which PFRPG is layered upon. In fact, you could try this as an interim solution until a PFRPG library is released. Open PAR5E, set it to CoreRPG, add your Story, Maps/Images, Encounter and then parse. When PAR5E has finished, open the resulting .mod file with WinZIP and edit the definition.xml and set the ruleset tag to PFRPG (it will be set to CoreRPG). Re-Zip and rename to a .mod file and fire up FG. You should now in theory be able to access the Story, Images and Encounters from within a PFRPG campaign.

No promises but I'll try an target a PFRPG release for next week.

Sounds exciting, I'll try it tonight!
Thanks for info.
Phil

[Zeus]

Latest build uploaded. See post number 1 for more information.

Note: Changes for Spells, Equipment as well as the new Pregen characters and Quests require some changes be applied to 5E, some of which have yet to be pushed to the current test slot. Please bare with me and we'll do our best to get these updated as soon as possible.

[El Condoro]

Thanks for your efforts with this. The documentation is looking really good and the red text does help to differentiate keywords. Great stuff.

[Bumamgar]

Yes, the documentation updates are awesome. I didn't notice any actual parser markup changes and the changelog doesn't mention anything specifically. Are there any markup updates that we should be aware of?

Also, I haven't tried yet, but has anyone found any issues parsing the stat blocks from the online WotDQ supplement? (https://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/HoardDragonQueen_Supplement1_PF.pdf)

[Bumamgar]

Right off the bat, I notice that they have added back in the type, rarity, attributes portion of magic items (something missing from the starter set).

For example:



Staff of Fire
Staff, very rare, requires attunement
You must be a bard, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard to become attuned to this staff.
While you hold this staff, you have resistance t...

Bag of Holding
Wondrous item, uncommon
This cloth sack, roughly 2 feet in di...
Placing an object in the bag follow...

Dagger of Venom
Weapon (dagger), rare
You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls ...
Once per day, you can use an action ...

[Zeus]

Yes, the documentation updates are awesome. I didn't notice any actual parser markup changes and the changelog doesn't mention anything specifically. Are there any markup updates that we should be aware of?

Also, I haven't tried yet, but has anyone found any issues parsing the stat blocks from the online WotDQ supplement? (https://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/HoardDragonQueen_Supplement1_PF.pdf)

Nope, no markup changes to existing data items so as to speak. I did add Quests and Pregen Characters which of course use new markup but the rest of the changes were mainly bug fixes and documentation updates.

As for the stat blocks in the PDF you referenced, the bulk look ok and should parse. Those NPCs with Legendary Actions will require a small update (unless you merge Legendary Actions under regular actions).

[Zeus]

Right off the bat, I notice that they have added back in the type, rarity, attributes portion of magic items (something missing from the starter set).

For example:



Staff of Fire
Staff, very rare, requires attunement
You must be a bard, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard to become attuned to this staff.
While you hold this staff, you have resistance t...

Bag of Holding
Wondrous item, uncommon
This cloth sack, roughly 2 feet in di...
Placing an object in the bag follow...

Dagger of Venom
Weapon (dagger), rare
You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls ...
Once per day, you can use an action ...


Bugger. The play test data had rarity which I have just removed to meet the new stat for magic items in BR. Oh well. Looks like I might have to add it back in again. Think I will wait for the DMG, as that should contain a more definitive stat block.

[Bumamgar]

But the DMG is still several months away!

There will be an update to the Basic Rules early next week, presumably that will have magic items in it, so maybe once that has come out, you can make some decisions on what format to support.

[ShadeRaven]

Checking it out now, Zeus :)

Starting with Backgrounds.

[ShadeRaven]

Backgrounds look great except I am getting one oddity.. Folk Hero : Defining Event

Here's the code:


#h;Defining Event
You previously pursued a simple profession among the peasantry, perhaps as a farmer, miner, servant, shepherd, woodcutter, or gravedigger. But something happened that set you on a different path and marked you for greater things. Choose or randomly determine a defining event that marked you as a hero of the people.

d10 Defining Event
1 I stood up to a tyrant’s agents.
2 I saved people during a natural disaster.
3 I stood alone against a terrible monster.
4 I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor.
5 I led a militia to fight off an invading army.
6 I broke into a tyrant’s castle and stole weapons to arm the people.
7 I trained the peasantry to use farm implements as weapons against a tyrant’s soldiers.
8 A lord rescinded an unpopular decree after I led a symbolic act of protest against it.
9 A celestial, fey, or similar creature gave me a blessing or revealed my secret origin.
10 Recruited into a lord’s army, I rose to leadership and was commended for my heroism.


Oddly, the table goes from 1 to 9, rolls a D10, but the tenth entry is left as text beyond the table in the description (text) box. When a 10 is rolled on the die, it gives the result for 9 ("A celestial, fey, ...")

[El Condoro]

When I copied and pasted an NPC from the Dragon Hoard supplement, it seemed to parse correctly (green text) but didn't appear in my monsters until I changed "Actions" to "ACTIONS". In case anyone else has this issue...

[ShadeRaven]

For some reason, I am not getting Race to work, even cutting and pasting the example from the DD5E User Guide.

Has anyone run into race parsing issues and possibly knows where I might be going wrong with this version?

BTW: When looking at the Configuration setup, the "Ruleset Data Items" do not line up after Parcels. Pregens is listed with the source being races.txt, etc... offset by one from there until tables.ext gets both Story and Tables as the source.

[ShadeRaven]

UPDATE: Just noticed that it may actually be the weird ruleset data items glitch that shows up sometimes... I reset everything so that the fields line up correctly (races to races.txt, quests to quests.txt, etc).... and it parses great.

What I am not sure of is how it got the data set and sources messed up to begin with. I'll see if I can't replicate once I get the library built for the gaming we are doing this weekend.

[ShadeRaven]

Feats: As I add feats, I've noticed that the last one isn't showing up after compiling. Probably easily solved with a dummy feat at the end (##;zzz) but it seems to hold true for each type of feat I have added (regardless of if they have a list or just are paragraph entries, etc).

[mattcolville]

I tried to use PAR5E but I had no idea what I was doing, it seemed like there were several different READ ME files and I was never able to figure it out. I spent hours just trying to figure out how to get the text out of the PDFs.

Whereas Valeros' tool, like his 4E tool, you just point this thing at your PDF, and it works. Joy!

[Zeus]

Guys, because I added Pregens and Quests to the latest release, you will need to create a new config file. DO NOT USE EXISTING CONFIG FILES as it will cause the issue you are seeing.

[Zeus]

But the DMG is still several months away!

There will be an update to the Basic Rules early next week, presumably that will have magic items in it, so maybe once that has come out, you can make some decisions on what format to support.

From what I understand, Wizards are planning to release a 2nd BR PDF, this one containing info for the DM with content drawn from the up and coming DMG. This doesn't necessarily mean the format used in BR will be consistent with formats used in DMG but yes we can begin to base the formats on what gets released next week.

[Zeus]

Just uploaded a new maintenance build which addresses a bug reported by Xorn with classes. The last entry's Ability header was not being displayed correctly. Now fixed. See first post for details.

[Zeus]

I tried to use PAR5E but I had no idea what I was doing, it seemed like there were several different READ ME files and I was never able to figure it out. I spent hours just trying to figure out how to get the text out of the PDFs.

Whereas Valeros' tool, like his 4E tool, you just point this thing at your PDF, and it works. Joy!

mattcolville - I understand. PAR5E is a lot more complicated to use but in fairness its a lot more powerful too :) If you require a functional module with NPCs, Spells, Items, etc. to support your games, Valeros's tools are the way to go - as you say nice and very easy to use. If on the other hand you also want images/maps/tokens, reference manual text, story/encounter entries, parcels, pre-placed tokens on maps, quests, tables and lots more, all cross linked, formatted and indexed OR if you want to use it for any CoreRPG ruleset or run it on Linux/Mac this is where PAR5E can be used.

[Tidomann]

God damnit Zeus. I'm going to have to sit down and try PAR5E again. I might as well try to consolidate all the noob advice while I'm reading through.

[Dershem]

May I suggest a video... for the love of us technologically challenged folks?

[ShadeRaven]

As always great stuff, Z.

Still having to use a dummy feat to get the last to appear, btw.

Clarification Question: For EQUIPMENT, is there just the Original 3 (WEAPON | ARMOR | ADVENTURING GEAR) plus now:

TOOLS
MOUNTS AND OTHER ANIMALS
TACK, HARNESS, AND DRAWN VEHICLES
WATERBOURNE VEHICLES


I tried to put in Food, Drink, and Lodging as such:


#@;FOOD
#th;Item;Cost;-
#st;Food, Drink, and Lodging
Banquet, per person;10 gp;-
Bread, loaf;2 cp;-
Cheese, hunk;1 sp;-

etc...


But I get: Runtime Error: desktop: Unable to create window with invalid class (reference_foodtable : reference5EPHB.equipmentlists.foodtable@5E PHB)

When I try to access it. Also note, that if I tried to do #th;Item;Cost (just using a two header field) it ignores the entire section when compiling.

[EDIT:] Cosmetic - While x4 does show up for Cost, the x2 for weight on Barding shows up in FG2 as " lb."

[Zeus]

Yeah, I didn't add these items as I didn't think they would factor heavily on character sheets and the like. I can add support for it in the next build if you like.

And, I forgot about Feats. I'll fix for the next release.

[Spikenog]

Having an issue with parsing. Working on getting items in from Hoard of the Dragon Queen...when I parse the npcs they don't show up in Fantasy Grounds though Par5e says everything went fine. Perhaps I am doing something wrong?

I am copying the npcs from a pdf onto a txt file, saving that as npcs.text and then parsing.

Any insight?