Core Sidebar Buttons for 5e

[ChazC]

Moderator: No longer compatible with Classic or Unity so extension is retired

One of my players complained he couldn't make out the sidebar buttons very well on the 5e themes that are out there. While the Wizards theme has much more legible buttons, the rest of it is a bit... bland.

Anyway, thanks to inspiration from Nickademus (his ColoredSidebar.ext is still too hard to read for my player) and damned for pointing me in the direction of how to modify an .ext, I took the Core sidebar buttons which have great colour and contrast & made up the extra missing buttons in the same style so they can be used in 5e. I also darkened the top buttons (CT, light etc.).

I'm pretty sure I've got everything as it needs to be & it works fine on my copy of FG. Hope others find it as useful as my player with bad eyesight! :pirate:

{edit} File updated to v1.1: 21/5/20

MOD: See this post for file that is correctly zipped; https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?34939-Core-Sidebar-Buttons-for-5e&p=511873&viewfull=1#post511873

[Zacchaeus]

Good work.

[Trenloe]

Nice work! any chance of a screenshot to see what they look like?

[Zacchaeus]

Can you add it to the 5e extensions sticky please Trenloe, since I STILL can't edit that freeking post for whatever absurd reason :)

[Nickademus]

To be honest, the purpose of my extension wasn't to make the words easier to read, but rather to make the buttons colored so you didn't have to read them.

I'm curious why you used the Core buttons for this though. The 3.5e ruleset has all the buttons for 5e except the Backgrounds one.

[ChazC]

I'm away this weekend but I'll put up a screenshot when I get back Monday if no-one has done so by then. Basically it's identical to the Core (& 3.5 apparently!) set, it just has all the buttons for 5e.

I never even thought of looking at the 3.5 set Nickademus! I've only ever used the Core & 5e. Not to worry, it's done now & didn't take that long in any case. I meant no disrespect to your set, they looked a-ok, but as I say I have a player who struggles with contrast so needed something that popped a bit more that's all & the core set was ideal.

[Zacchaeus]

I added a screenshot to the first post.

[LordEntrails]

Thanks, I'll try this out and let you know what my players and I think :)

[Nickademus]

I never even thought of looking at the 3.5 set Nickademus! I've only ever used the Core & 5e. Not to worry, it's done now & didn't take that long in any case. I meant no disrespect to your set, they looked a-ok, but as I say I have a player who struggles with contrast so needed something that popped a bit more that's all & the core set was ideal.

No disrespect perceived. The buttons I made aren't that great, being just colored versions of the hard-to-read 5e buttons. I only did it because someone asked for it. Though now that you point it out, I would prefer the 3.5e/PF buttons in my 5e ruleset instead. I'm not that fond of the 5e leather look or the current themes. Thanks for the idea.

[ChazC]

No disrespect perceived. The buttons I made aren't that great, being just colored versions of the hard-to-read 5e buttons. I only did it because someone asked for it. Though now that you point it out, I would prefer the 3.5e/PF buttons in my 5e ruleset instead. I'm not that fond of the 5e leather look or the current themes. Thanks for the idea.

Yeah, I've found the 5e sets 'as-is' are just not quite right for my (or my players) tastes. I'm now using a mash-up of the More5eFun.ext with it's parchment style background but with the original 5e dice tower and now my sidebar set! The good thing about FG is that it lets you do all the mods and ext's in the first place and mix them all up (once you know how to do it obviously!) as you see fit - brilliant. :)

[Nickademus]

I grabbed the Wizards-theme dice tower and put it in the leather frame of the 5e ruleset. :D

[Gwydion]

One of my players complained he couldn't make out the sidebar buttons very well on the 5e themes that are out there. While the Wizards theme has much more legible buttons, the rest of it is a bit... bland.

Anyway, thanks to inspiration from Nickademus (his ColoredSidebar.ext is still too hard to read for my player) and damned for pointing me in the direction of how to modify an .ext, I took the Core sidebar buttons which have great colour and contrast & made up the extra missing buttons in the same style so they can be used in 5e. I also darkened the top buttons (CT, light etc.).

I'm pretty sure I've got everything as it needs to be & it works fine on my copy of FG. Hope others find it as useful as my player with bad eyesight! :pirate:

Hey ChazC. I love this extension. Right now I'm using the FG-GAP theme with your coloredsidebar extension. Works great! Only nit I'd like to fix is that I always use Dulux-Oz's extensions (sound and location). I'm trying to figure out how to add these buttons myself and include the color in them, but I'm not sure I have enough talent for that! Any chance you can update the extension to include these additional buttons? If not, I completely understand. Thanks again for a great extension and Happy New Year!

[Nickademus]

Dulux's extensions are copyrighted. You'd have to ask him for buttons that match the CorePRG theme.

You could also make them yourself if you have Photoshop or a program that opens its files:
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6322&d=1395754215

[Gwydion]

Dulux's extensions are copyrighted. You'd have to ask him for buttons that match the CorePRG theme.

Makes sense. Dulux-Oz... Pretty please?? :)

[ChazC]

Hey, thanks for the kind words - glad you like them! As Nickademus pointed out, Dulux-Oz's stuff is all (c) but I've sent you a PM outlining how to get files in and out of the .ext's. Hope that's of some help.

[BringtheGame]

For those of you who would like a preview of the result before downloading and adding the extension, I took this screenshot with Gyazo after I tried it out. (Loving them!)

https://i.gyazo.com/c0becde909acda3ef9a4de4d5fc20bdc.png

[Alzarian Crimson]

Hey, I thought someone posted an extension for the sound button, etc. But now I can't find it. Was it taken down?

[Gwydion]

Hey Alzarian. I actually created the button but only use it for my own personal use games so you've probably seen it in my game. I'd love to distribute it but there are copyright issues in doing so which is why I haven't posted it. Its not too difficult to crack open the extension and update it yourself (its been a while so I don't recall exactly what I did!) if you want to do it for your own games.

[Nickademus]

*reply to removed post*

[Alzarian Crimson]

Okay. I can do that. Thanks for responding!

[spoonhead]

Should these side buttons work with all themes or am I missing something? If I load this extension with say Simple brown theme, all I get is the simple brown theme and the sidebar buttons are missing. It works with the default leather and dragon themes, but I'm not keen on either.

Do I have to create my own custom theme and join them together?

[LordEntrails]

Themes generally don't stack. So yea, you will probably have to create your own theme to combine them and resolve the conflicts.

[Talyn]

If you don't mind dipping into the XML, you could simply edit the extension.xml file, and immediately after the closing </ruleset> tag add:


<loadorder>40</loadorder>


I just picked 40 randomly; you can use any relatively high-ish number and it should load after any normal theme to supercede the sidebar icons.

[spoonhead]

24496

I did it!

[Talyn]

Also there's nothing 5E-specific about this extension. To use it in any other CoreRPG-based ruleset simply change the 5E to Any (yes, capital A) which it should be been all along.

[Halogenic]

This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for since I got FG!! Thanks a million!

[Houndy]

This is great, it seems to mostly work in FGU also :D.

The only thing is a few different buttons I guess, in particular the new assets button? Screenshot below.

32878

[ChazC]

This is great, it seems to mostly work in FGU also :D.

The only thing is a few different buttons I guess, in particular the new assets button? Screenshot below.

32878

Glad to hear it works in FGU. I hadn't tried it as yet.

If I get chance I'll have a look and see what extra buttons are needed and get the Photoshop template out and add them.

[Talyn]

Here're the Assets button names, @ChazC.


button_assets
button_assets_down

[ChazC]

Here're the Assets button names, @ChazC.


button_assets
button_assets_down

Cheers Talyn

[DGM]

Tested it in FGU and happy to know see it loads correctly.
This is one of my must have extension, I use it every time thank you @ChazC

[ChazC]

Tested it in FGU and happy to know see it loads correctly.
This is one of my must have extension, I use it every time thank you @ChazC

Cool - thanks!

Is the only new button in FGU 'Assets'?

[ChazC]

I've just uploaded a new version to the original post with the assets button & ruleset=any changes.

[Talyn]

Thanks for the <ruleset>Any</ruleset>! I had considered requesting that, but since most people only know D&D they tend to be hesitant.

However, now that you've done it, may I make more requests? :)

Savage Worlds has the following additional button definitions:


button_edges
button_edges_down
button_hindrances
button_hindrances_down
button_monstrousabilities
button_monstrousabilities_down
button_powers
button_powers_down
button_vehicles
button_vehicles_down
button_hq
button_hq_down


Starfinder has the following additional button definitions:


button_boons
button_boons_down
button_charstarships
button_charstarships_down
button_themes
button_themes_down
button_vehicles
button_vehicles_down
button_starshipitems
button_starshipitems_down
button_starships
button_starships_down
button_archetypes
button_archetypes_down
button_features
button_features_down
button_specialfeatures
button_specialfeatures_down


(The 'Vehicles' button is used in both, but repeated here just to point out the extra buttons that each has.)

[ChazC]

Jees - that’s a couple of lists! No promises but I’ll see what I can do as and when I get the chance.

More than happy to send you the .psd template I used if you want to do them yourself though?

[vaughnlannister]

I've just uploaded a new version to the original post with the assets button & ruleset=any changes.

Hey ChazC, I am still using your older version FGU, which I love! unfortunately I can't load the new extension in the latest version of FGU somehow.

[4wire]

Hey ChazC, I am still using your older version FGU, which I love! unfortunately I can't load the new extension in the latest version of FGU somehow.

I changed the
-<ruleset>

<name>Any</name>

</ruleset>

to


-<ruleset>

<name>5E</name>

</ruleset>

And I see it now.

[Talyn]

It should be


<ruleset>Any</ruleset>

'Any' must be capitalized or it's ignored. XML is case-sensitive.

[4wire]

It should be


<ruleset>Any</ruleset>

'Any' must be capitalized or it's ignored. XML is case-sensitive.

Lack of capitalization was my error. It was spelled "Any" originally but did not work in FGU. 5E works fine.

[vaughnlannister]

Thanks 4wire the change to 5E worked for me :)!

[GaryMon]

Just a question, has this been discontinued? I ask because the downloaded ext is empty. Or at least when I open it, windows says it is empty and will not open it up ( as a zip )

[4wire]

Just a question, has this been discontinued? I ask because the downloaded ext is empty. Or at least when I open it, windows says it is empty and will not open it up ( as a zip )

Just checked. It's not empty. Looks fine.

[GaryMon]

Thanks for the reply, I have downloaded it several times. Windows says it is invalid zip file when I change the ext to zip and try to unzip it. No biggie, was just gonna look at it but I went ahead and made my own.

[jhilahd]

So in my attempt to add more visually appealing extensions... I found this amazing one.
But... I'm using FGC and I cannot get it to load. It doesn't even show up in my options to load at the start.
Image below
https://imgur.com/wxBvKNv

Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong?

[Kelrugem]

So in my attempt to add more visually appealing extensions... I found this amazing one.
But... I'm using FGC and I cannot get it to load. It doesn't even show up in my options to load at the start.
Image below
https://imgur.com/wxBvKNv

Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong?

I just tried to help someone in the FG discord, and that person had also the problem that it can't be loaded in FGC anymore :) I tried to open the extension but I always get the message that it is empty; seemingly, it got zipped up wrongly :)

So, same problem as GaryMon; @4Wire, the reason why you might see it depends on how it got zipped up, you may have a similar zipping programme maybe? :) For FG being able to read the ext it is important that only the native Windows zipping is used :) (not Winrar for example)

[jhilahd]

Yeah, that was me Kelrugem.

I can get the extension to work with every other ruleset but 5e.
I've cleared out my extensions to just the bare minimum and it still doesn't show up.
Not sure what to do at this point. Not a deal breaker, just love the art and the way the bars show up so much nicer than the default.

[4wire]

Yeah, that was me Kelrugem.

I can get the extension to work with every other ruleset but 5e.
I've cleared out my extensions to just the bare minimum and it still doesn't show up.
Not sure what to do at this point. Not a deal breaker, just love the art and the way the bars show up so much nicer than the default.

Try forcing the ruleset to 5E as I did there: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?34939-Core-Sidebar-Buttons-for-5e&p=499860&viewfull=1#post499860

[jhilahd]

Well, ok... that worked. Forcing the 5e to 5E solved it.
Thank you for the help. I was all intimidated about messing with the *.ext files and then even the *.xml after I had a conflict with an add-on and a purchased mod.
Whew.

Thanks again!

[Kelrugem]

Well, ok... that worked. Forcing the 5e to 5E solved it.
Thank you for the help. I was all intimidated about messing with the *.ext files and then even the *.xml after I had a conflict with an add-on and a purchased mod.
Whew.

Thanks again!

ah, so you were able to open it? Good :) For me it is still empty :D Normally, "Any" should work, but that it doesn't work could be related to how it got zipped, but just assuming stuff :) It is certainly strange that it is empty for some users :)

You can also keep the any and add 5E separately, just in case you also want to use it in the other rulesets, too :)

[4wire]

ah, so you were able to open it? Good :) For me it is still empty :D Normally, "Any" should work, but that it doesn't work could be related to how it got zipped, but just assuming stuff :) It is certainly strange that it is empty for some users :)

You can also keep the any and add 5E separately, just in case you also want to use it in the other rulesets, too :)

Your problem really puzzles me. A zip is a zip. I opened the extension, freshly downloaded and it worked on a different PC. I think you are missing something. What zip tool are you using? I always use 7zip but again, all zips use the same algorithm. You seem to be computer literate so I don't want to insult you. What I do is this: download from first page, in download folder I right click, 7zip -> open archive (or extract).

The zip algorithm is defined in the file header so 7zip will auto-detect and do the right thing.

[Kelrugem]

Your problem really puzzles me. A zip is a zip. I opened the extension, freshly downloaded and it worked on a different PC. I think you are missing something. What zip tool are you using? I always use 7zip but again, all zips use the same algorithm. You seem to be computer literate so I don't want to insult you. What I do is this: download from first page, in download folder I right click, 7zip -> open archive (or extract).

The zip algorithm is defined in the file header so 7zip will auto-detect and do the right thing.

Yeah, I am puzzled, too, I download it, change the .ext to .zip and then right-click to extract all :) So, I do not use 7zip but the native version in Windows (10) :)

And this always worked except now; but I do know that FG has problems with several zipping programmes (not 7zip or the native one), for example some users were still using WinRar, and their extensions can't be read by FG for example (as far as I remember). When you search the forums then you can find several threads were the problem was the programme used for zipping (and I do not mean the problem that some users zipped the folder and not within it) :)

EDIT: Thence, I assume that here something similar happens; whether or not that this is the root cause I can't say :)

[4wire]

Yeah, I am puzzled, too, I download it, change the .ext to .zip and then right-click to extract all :) So, I do not use 7zip but the native version in Windows (10) :)

And this always worked except now; but I do know that FG has problems with several zipping programmes (not 7zip or the native one), for example some users were still using WinRar, and their extensions can't be read by FG for example (as far as I remember). When you search the forums then you can find several threads were the problem was the programme used for zipping (and I do not mean the problem that some users zipped the folder and not within it) :)

EDIT: Thence, I assume that here something similar happens; whether or not that this is the root cause I can't say :)

I looked at the ext in binary format to look at the compression header and here's what it says:

Rar!

So, yes, it is a Rar. It just needs to be recompressed with zip.

As a friend: get a better zip tool man ;)

[Kelrugem]

I looked at the ext in binary format to look at the compression header and here's what it says:

Rar!

So, yes, it is a Rar. It just needs to be recompressed with zip.

Ah, there we might have the cause :D


As a friend: get a better zip tool man ;)

Hehe, I see :D

[Talyn]

Not sure what's going on with the Unity client but (and this is verbatim what I suggested previously) if I change:



<ruleset>
<name>Any</name>
</ruleset>


to simply:



<ruleset>Any</ruleset>


it works like it's supposed to:

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34515&stc=1&d=1588099029

[GaryMon]

Just an FYI, after reading the post, 7Zip works fine on this extension. For some reason Windows Zip can not open it, shows to be corrupt. Everything works fine, except of coarse Windows Zip.

[Houndy]

Jees - that’s a couple of lists! No promises but I’ll see what I can do as and when I get the chance.

More than happy to send you the .psd template I used if you want to do them yourself though?

Hi ChazC, I noticed that the party button might also be new for FGU, sorry I didnt spot it before:

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34817&d=1588514054

Also, I use another extension called AudioOverseer and was hoping to get that button updated also! I have little to no experience in photoshop but if you send me the template, I could try give it a go.

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34818&d=1588514519

Thank you!

[RedCon-One]

Hi All. I'm having a little trouble with this file. My FG Classic still does not see it. I've read through this thread and tried doing what other people have found successful but I still have no luck. He's what I've tried so far.
-downloaded the file; opened it up with Notepad++ and confirmed that it was encoded as Rar!
-extracted the files
-renamed the line in the .xml from "5e" to "5E". Note I've tried leaving it alone too.
-recompiling it as a .zip encoding using 7zip
-Renaming the zip file with it's original name and an .ext extension (I think his where I'm breaking it as I'm not sure if this is the correct way to create the .ext file. I haven't found anything on the internet on how to correctly do this part)

Any help will be appreciated.

[damned]

dont zip the parent folder - just the contents.

[RedCon-One]

dont zip the parent folder - just the contents.

Been messing with this thing for the past couple days trying different combinations but still no luck. When I extract it, I get the 3 files below
-Notes.txt
-extensions.xml
-graphics folder; sub folder sidebar; the individual button .png files
I don't get a parent folder that all three of these are wrapped up in... or should I? If I try just zipping these 3 up in a file called 'CoreButtonsFor5e.ext' it still doesn't work for me.

Not sure whats going on. Any chance one of you guys could give it a shot and repost the .ext encoded with zip instead of rar. For some reason, it's just not working for me. Anyone else have this problem?

[GaryMon]

Been messing with this thing for the past couple days trying different combinations but still no luck. When I extract it, I get the 3 files below
-Notes.txt
-extensions.xml
-graphics folder; sub folder sidebar; the individual button .png files
I don't get a parent folder that all three of these are wrapped up in... or should I? If I try just zipping these 3 up in a file called 'CoreButtonsFor5e.ext' it still doesn't work for me.

Not sure whats going on. Any chance one of you guys could give it a shot and repost the .ext encoded with zip instead of rar. For some reason, it's just not working for me. Anyone else have this problem?


Well. I was gonna send you the one I use but I can not figure out how to attach a file to the message.
I had to extract it with 7zip. I changed 5E to <ruleset><name>Any</name></ruleset>, I then used windows default zip to zip it back up. Loads and works fine, but I do not use it anymore.

My process for it: Go into the parent folder ( CoreButtonsFor5E ), shift select graphics folder, extension.xml and notes.txt. Right click, select Send To; Compressed Folder. Rename the zipped file to CoreButtonsFor5E.ext.

Hope it helps.

[schreibrephorm]

Any chance one of you guys could give it a shot and repost the .ext encoded with zip instead of rar.

This version works fine for me.
Hope this helps. :)

[RedCon-One]

This version works fine for me.
Hope this helps. :)
YES! It did work for me. :D
Much thanks schreibrephorm. I'd just about given up trying to get it to work. Still not sure what was going on on my end.

[Tyrannosaurus VeX]

This version works fine for me.
Hope this helps. :)

Thanks. I was running into the same problem. The most current version wasn't even showing up in the list to select. Not sure what's going on there.

[TXCBoy36]

I tried to install this .ext file but it does not appear to be working. Lord Entrails feels that it is not working properly and for me to post this report on the extensions thread. Here is a screen shot showing what I installed and where....thanks!

36171

[LordEntrails]

Zachaeus said the file would not unzip for him. Can others verify the extension is working for them?

[RedCon-One]

While this is not a fix, it may help others with troubleshooting your issue.

Open your CoreButtonsFor5e.ext file with Notepad (or better yet, Notepad++) and look at the first few characters.
-If it starts with "RAR!..." the .ext file was created using RAR compression. This is the problem the tripped me up and FG Classic wouldn't even recognize the file in the extensions directory.
-If it starts with "PK..." it was created using a ZIP compression. This is what you're looking for.

The one on the first page of this forum wasn't working for me because it was a RAR compressed but schreibrephorm above posted one for me that was ZIP compressed and it work for me.
Not sure why exactly but try the one schreibrephorm posted and let us know if that worked for you too.

[TXCBoy36]

While this is not a fix, it may help others with troubleshooting your issue.

Open your CoreButtonsFor5e.ext file with Notepad (or better yet, Notepad++) and look at the first few characters.
-If it starts with "RAR!..." the .ext file was created using RAR compression. This is the problem the tripped me up and FG Classic wouldn't even recognize the file in the extensions directory.
-If it starts with "PK..." it was created using a ZIP compression. This is what you're looking for.


The one on the first page of this forum wasn't working for me because it was a RAR compressed but schreibrephorm above posted one for me that was ZIP compressed and it work for me.
Not sure why exactly but try the one schreibrephorm posted and let us know if that worked for you too.


That one worked!!! Thanks!

[ChazC]

Sorry guys - for some reason I haven’t been getting email notifications for additions to this thread and as I’m not playing anything at the moment I haven’t been back to the forums.

I’ll have a look at some of the requests for the extra buttons and see what’s going on with the .rar and post an update at some point in the near future all being well.

[TXCBoy36]

Does this extension work with FGU also?

[SieferSeesSomething]

Hi ChazC, I noticed that the party button might also be new for FGU, sorry I didnt spot it before:

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34817&d=1588514054

Also, I use another extension called AudioOverseer and was hoping to get that button updated also! I have little to no experience in photoshop but if you send me the template, I could try give it a go.

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34818&d=1588514519

Thank you!

Hey Houndy, I also use Audio Overseer. Were you or someone else ever able to create a stylized version of that button like these ones? I know we can't make them match every extension, but these buttons look so good I can't help but ask.

[RedCon-One]

Yup, it does work for FGU. I've been using it for a little while now. Cheers

[pico]

With today's update the Core Sidebar for 5e extension seems to not be working. I have no console errors, but no sidebar. If this is no longer being supported by the writer, I'll have to look into it, I really liked this extension.

[RedCon-One]

Yup. I just checked and can confirm what pico above has found as well. The sidebar buttons are still functional, just digressing to their default images. So not a game breaker but I do very much prefer the look of the Core Sidebar ones.
Since this update just happened today, give the Core Sidebar dev(s) some time to examine the code and come up with a fix. I'm sure they'll have one as soon as they get time.
This is not the only mod/ ext I see not working so far. Death Indicator mod is not working as well at first glance. I'll post an announcement on their thread as well just to let them know assuming someone hasn't done that already.

[Moon Wizard]

All rulesets based on CoreRPG have been deliberately moved to textual buttons; to more easily support ruleset creation, theming, adding new record types, and more. While the visual buttons looked nice, they created a lot of overhead for development of new content.

Most likely, this extension will either have to be rewritten to do a whole lot more; or it may need to be retired.

Regards,
JPG

[ChazC]

All rulesets based on CoreRPG have been deliberately moved to textual buttons; to more easily support ruleset creation, theming, adding new record types, and more. While the visual buttons looked nice, they created a lot of overhead for development of new content.

Most likely, this extension will either have to be rewritten to do a whole lot more; or it may need to be retired.

Regards,
JPG

Yes, I’m afraid as far as I’m concerned it’ll have to be retired as I’m not actively gaming at the moment. I’m glad so many of you liked the extension and got use out of it though. It was pretty cool seeing them pop up in various FG YouTube videos!

I’ve had a look and I can’t find the original .psd files so I can’t even pass those on I’m afraid (though what use they’d be now with the change to the base coding of the buttons I don’t know).

Thanks for all the kind words over the years and sorry if I didn’t catch all the requests - the notifications to the thread were a bit hit and miss! :)

Stay safe.

[DGM]

Rest is peace CoreSideButtons and Thanks ChazC for all the good times

[srbongo]

All rulesets based on CoreRPG have been deliberately moved to textual buttons; to more easily support ruleset creation, theming, adding new record types
Regards,
JPG
When I've built themes, Sidebar buttons always took longer than the rest of the project combined. While pretty, they were a headache and I heard players complain they took too much space as well (Coming from Pathfinder 1e).

[pico]

It was a good extension. Thanks ChazC.

[RedCon-One]

Well it was great while it lasted. Thanks ChazC. Your creation was my favorite aesthetic upgrades.

[Three of Swords]

I'm glad the sidebar buttons went text-based. Saves a lot of screen real-estate. But while they were large icons, this was one of my favorite extensions. Thank you for effort in creating it.

[Tearstone]

Um, from an Accessibility standpoint this is a VERY bad move, Smiteworks.

The Core Sidebar extension was a life saver and eye saver for me, who is visually challenged. I could locate buttons by color first and do so rapidly, which equated to a lot less eyestrain and a lot easier use.

Thus continues a long history of having no or minimal support for those of us that need dark themes and an interface that is much more easily accessed by those of us with visual challenges.

[spoonhead]

A very good point. Too many times we overlook the issues of accessibility. I also find the new text buttons too small. I realise I might be in the minority using a 4k monitor, but some of these changes are a backward step IMO.


Um, from an Accessibility standpoint this is a VERY bad move, Smiteworks.

The Core Sidebar extension was a life saver and eye saver for me, who is visually challenged. I could locate buttons by color first and do so rapidly, which equated to a lot less eyestrain and a lot easier use.

Thus continues a long history of having no or minimal support for those of us that need dark themes and an interface that is much more easily accessed by those of us with visual challenges.

[ChazC]

Um, from an Accessibility standpoint this is a VERY bad move, Smiteworks.

The Core Sidebar extension was a life saver and eye saver for me, who is visually challenged. I could locate buttons by color first and do so rapidly, which equated to a lot less eyestrain and a lot easier use.

Thus continues a long history of having no or minimal support for those of us that need dark themes and an interface that is much more easily accessed by those of us with visual challenges.

This is exactly why I designed the extension in the first place. We had a player who couldn’t decipher the default buttons. I have to agree it’s a pretty disappointing move from an accessibility point of view.

[Tearstone]

You were a godsend. Thank you so much for your efforts. You're a hero in my book.

[Oberoten]

Um, from an Accessibility standpoint this is a VERY bad move, Smiteworks.

The Core Sidebar extension was a life saver and eye saver for me, who is visually challenged. I could locate buttons by color first and do so rapidly, which equated to a lot less eyestrain and a lot easier use.

Thus continues a long history of having no or minimal support for those of us that need dark themes and an interface that is much more easily accessed by those of us with visual challenges.

With accessability and inclusiveness becoming more and more of a concern for the RPG community as a whole, I feel that moving away from it might be a bad choice.

[pico]

I have not had much extra time to look into how the sidebar is now coded.
But, being "just text" probably doesn't do it justice. I would guess (and it's just a guess) that the text is able to be styled. And, themes could address the hi-contrast/hi-visibility issues needed.

[RickSaada]

Sigh. I made the mistake of upgrading to try and fix a problem someone had with my Descent Into Avernus theme, and now I'm stuck without the lovely icon buttons! Is there anyway to back out a version? I'd rather keep the buttons and not upgrade from now until we finish our campaign.

[RedCon-One]

Actually, I'd be interested in the whether you can roll back an upgrade, and if so how, also.
I did a quick forum and google search but didn't find any related threads. I'm going to assume no but I just want to make sure.
If anything, I'd just like to know for future upgrades that may nuke some existing mods/ ext that I may be currently using. I'd like to have a contingency plan to roll back until those devs have a chance to upgrade thier mods/ ext or to find another solution to what I'm already using.

[RedCon-One]

Nevermind. It never fails. I can spend time searching for something and not find an answer. But as soon as I post the question on the forum. Then very next thing I find is the solution.
So apparently you can roll back. Trenloe posted the solution on the thread linked below. Just look for his response.
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?59267-Todays-update-made-Fantasy-Grounds-unity-Unplayable

[RickSaada]

Nevermind. It never fails. I can spend time searching for something and not find an answer. But as soon as I post the question on the forum. Then very next thing I find is the solution.
So apparently you can roll back. Trenloe posted the solution on the thread linked below. Just look for his response.
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?59267-Todays-update-made-Fantasy-Grounds-unity-Unplayable

Well that works for Unity, but the Settings dialog for Classic doesn't have this.

[RedCon-One]

Ah, good to know. Thanks RickSaada

[Zionmatrix]

I'm sooo disappointed almost mad. I LOVED the colored sidebar buttons. it was the BEST mod out there, and best looking theme anywhere.

[SieferSeesSomething]

Damn I'm going to miss this extension.

Does anyone know a good alternative extension for changing 5e sidebar buttons to be more distinctive? Like, for accessibility reasons?

[Zacchaeus]

There's this one https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?66302-FGU-Sidebar-quot-Text-Based-quot-buttons