3.2 Chaining Tables, Multiple Columns and Story Result Question

[RCathcart]

I have a specific question about how FG outputs text from multi-column tables.

I'm a big fan of chaining tables. I set up a cool character generation scheme that really streamlined the process.

With 3.2, we can have table results displayed in chat, story or parcels, via templates. And that's awesome. I started to play with converting my table results into story entries. (By the way devs, I think you should include "notes" as an output option, but I digress).

So let me show what my problem is. Here is my "Backgrounds Table":

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You'll see that in columns 2 thru 5, they all make calls to other tables, such as this:

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I tested a story output to the Backgrounds Table with a simple template.

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When I generated a story result from the template, this is what I got:

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Now, the good news is that everything is there. All the results from the various table calls are there, but they look a bit of a mess. I was hoping for something more like this:

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Does anyone know if there is a way to remedy this? If not, I suggest that the devs add just a little functionality to the table calls. Instead of just [Table Name], they could have [Table Name, 2] for reference to the column (where the row would be determined by the roll).

Thanks!

EDIT: The plot thickens. See follow up post below.

[RCathcart]

So this is weird.

Playing around with this issue a little more, I discovered that I get a different text format result from a direct roll to a table versus a roll from a template.

See above for the Backgrounds Table I'm rolling on (see above pic "Backgrounds Table.png").

From the template, I get a messy text result (again, see above pic "Result.png").

From a direct roll to the table, I get a different text format that's much neater. Still could be better, but not nearly as messy:

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Kinda weird, huh?

[Zacchaeus]

You aren't going to get a satisfactory result from rolling on a multicolumn table. You can extract a single column from a multicolum table using [tablename|1] which will roll on the first column but [tablename|1] [tablename|2] will give you different results, since each roll will be made separately. In other words the second roll won't be for the same row on column two as was rolled for column one.

If you want the information on a template then you are going to have to design your tables to give you what you need. So in the case above you'll need a template for each background that might crop up with the idea, bond etc on separate rows calling each of the different ideal, bond etc tables.

Potentially you could have a master table which called a random template.

[RCathcart]

The whole [tablename|1] thing is pretty interesting. I didn't know about that. Shame it can't do a single call to the table for the array. But, it seems to me that it wouldn't take that much coding on the devs' part to make that happen.

Also, given that in template mode, the results spit out one way, and in direct roll mode, they spit out another, that tells me that there is not a lot of code between what is there and what I am looking for. But again, that would seem to require some dev tinkering. In any event, I think the fact that the results are displayed so differently in the first place should be of interest to the devs. Since this whole "template" thing is pretty new, I'm sure they will be looking for ways to polish it up. It's a powerful tool that has a lot of potential.

[Zacchaeus]

I'm sure there will be more tinkering. What, I think, would be the most useful feature is after a roll is made the result can then be applied to a number of different things. In your case you want to capture a roll and then use that to output a result across the same row in a multicolum table. Others have commented on similar problems where tables are nested and they want to use a result from a master table to then use that result on child and grandchild tables.

[RCathcart]

LOL.... I think we have to careful not to be too greedy. At some point, I'd image the devs saying "Use Exel."

[damned]

LOL.... I think we have to careful not to be too greedy. At some point, I'd image the devs saying "Use Exel."

Microsoft Office has around 50million lines of code in it....

[JimSocks]

I would love it even if THIS worked:

<Tablename|2>

Where it would reference the last result Tablename came up with, but only display the data from the second column.

[JimSocks]

By the way, I totally got it to work how the OP wanted in this post. If anyone is still interested in how, I can take screenshots.

The gist of it is: if your END RESULT is a link itself (so the actual flaw text is a link that’s titled as the flaw text), then the results will be links in your template, and links are automatically put on separate lines. Couple this with labeling the links in the PARENT table as the heading you want above each link result (but offsetting those parent table column titles to the left by one), and you get EXACTLY what the OP in this thread wanted. A list that looks like:

Folk Hero;

{link} i’m confident in my own abilities and do what I can to instill confidence in others;

Second trait;

{link} I miss use long words in an attempt to sound smarter ;

Ideal;

{link} Might. If I become strong, I can take what I want - what I deserve

Bond;

{link} I worked the land, I love the land, and I will protect the land

Etc, etc :)

[sedgetone]

By the way, I totally got it to work how the OP wanted in this post. If anyone is still interested in how, I can take screenshots.

The gist of it is: if your END RESULT is a link itself (so the actual flaw text is a link that’s titled as the flaw text), then the results will be links in your template, and links are automatically put on separate lines. Couple this with labeling the links in the PARENT table as the heading you want above each link result (but offsetting those parent table column titles to the left by one), and you get EXACTLY what the OP in this thread wanted. A list that looks like:

Folk Hero;

{link} i’m confident in my own abilities and do what I can to instill confidence in others;

Second trait;

{link} I miss use long words in an attempt to sound smarter ;

Ideal;

{link} Might. If I become strong, I can take what I want - what I deserve

Bond;

{link} I worked the land, I love the land, and I will protect the land

Etc, etc :)


I know this is an old thread but I'm actually struggling with this. Although I've used nested tables to throw output into Chat without issue, for the life of me I can't get this to work with Story Templates. Could you post an example of how you've achieved it please?

[LordEntrails]

I know this is an old thread but I'm actually struggling with this. Although I've used nested tables to throw output into Chat without issue, for the life of me I can't get this to work with Story Templates. Could you post an example of how you've achieved it please?
Story templates have no mechanism to export to chat. They only create new story entries. Those stories can then be shared or have chat bubbles that get sent to chat, but the template itself can not go straight to chat.

[sedgetone]

No what I meant was chaining tables execute fine straight into chat. My issue is using a Story Template to generate a Story -not chat- using the same master table that rolls on various sub tables, like the OP. Can you explain how to get just the sub table results with the mention of the table being rolled on.

[LordEntrails]

Oh sorry. I couldn't tell you, but hopefully you'll get a useful answer soon.

[Zacchaeus]

See video twenty two here which might help https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?55797-How-do-I-in-Unity

[sedgetone]

Hi unfortunately that video doesn’t cover nested tables.

[Laerun]

Hi unfortunately that video doesn’t cover nested tables.

It takes a bit to understand exactly how the logic works and links using the story template pro feature. The person that helped Smiteworks enhance its functionality made some earlier videos explaining how his nested tables interact. Asking for results is hard because we do not have all of your needs or parameters on hand. The content used to be a separate extension, but now it's incorporated into FGU. The videos are not too old yet.

Needed for context:
Video One: https://youtu.be/Uq9iy3OOiR8
Video Two: https://youtu.be/N3_Y7odDGZI

Using cross-template references and column references: https://youtu.be/p122r1bSEkY

[sedgetone]

I thought what might be helpful to illustrate the issue is a little Core RPG module:

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There are three templates, the first two do hidden rolls on single column tables, these return results as expected. The third template rolls on a multi column table where some of the row entries will trigger rolls on the two first mentioned tables. If the result on the multi column table results in a text field being returned, then it works as expected. If your result triggers a roll on a reference table, then you get back all the results as if not hidden and then the reference calls shows the table and it's result.

1, So it would seem that hidden results are broken if you result rolls on a secondary table.
2, There doesn't seem to be a way to reference a chained tables results any more... Yes I've reviewed all videos... I've tried every thing to make this work.

So why do I want this to work? Well for Fall Out 2D20 Games Master Toolkit and Mutant Year Zero, both contain lots of useful tables for building random location and encounters. The FG youtube clip showing the GM Toolkit illustrated the problem with just rolling into the chat; it that it takes a while to get all the results as you have to wait for the dice animations to finish. Triggering these things through a story template will bypass this issue but unfortunately this issue is a bit of a show stopper.

[Zacchaeus]

I'm not sure that you are able to roll on a sub table and get anything like an expected result. Having said that I haven't explored the intricacies of the additions to the story templates because I can't understand what little documentation exists. It may be that you'll need to call one template from another and there is a little documentation in the wiki about cross template calls https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/996640973/Using+Story+Templates+to+Create+Random+Stories#Int roduction

However as I said I don't know for sure since the documentation is sparse.

[sedgetone]

Even without being able to get just the result from the sub table, there seems to be a bug where it then stops the hidden table from working. If this is an officially supported feature I would hope that at least that would be resolved.