Problem dragging links to images & maps?

[DimeLes]

Hi All...Creating my 1st campaign, so please bare with me. I have some custom images that I've placed in the appropriate campaign/images data folder...no problem there. However, whenever I drag any of the images from Volo's guide into the Images & Maps area, it doesn't work. The link shows up, but when you click on it, the window is empty (i.e. no image...just blank, gray space like if you were to create a new image).

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help!

[damned]

Welcome DimeLes

Mac or PC?
Can you type /console in the chat window and then move the window somewhere out of the way and then repeat the image drag.
Then Copy to Clipboard from the console and paste that back here.

[Zacchaeus]

The images in Volo (and other such publications) are locked and cannot be dragged into the images folder. You can only access them from the library or from the links in the individual NPCs (on the other tab), or from entries in the reference manual. You can still share such images by right clicking and selecting share.

[DimeLes]

Thanks for the quick response all...Sorry...Went to bed shortly after posting.
So this is for PC and I should have mentioned the following: I'm pretty sure this worked before I updated my Fantasy Grounds software. I actually had various Orc images from Volos within my Images&Maps window...but each one was labeled as 'New Drawing'. I wanted to clean some stuff up, delete some images I didn't want to use, rename, etc., so I cleared them all out and went to re-add only the ones I wanted with the appropriate name assigned to it. This is when I ran into the issue I described above.
I will go through the console process shortly and post the results...Thank you guys once again for the quick response.

[DimeLes]

Huh...Not sure what I'm doing wrong...
So I type /console in the chat window...Which launches the console screen. I moved it off to the side, but no matter what I do w/i FG, nothing logs in the console window...So there's nothing to copy to the clipboard.
I apologize guys...still learning this software.

Actually, the more I think about this, the more I think something is funky. In Images&Maps, I see all my base FG battle maps that are loaded...But I don't see anything from Volo's...even when Volo's is selected from the drop-down menu. And I still do have a Volo's map that I have loaded into my Images&Maps area that I'm now terrified to delete, for fear of not getting it back. That image works and has the little "Volo's" symbol next to it showing that it is from Volo's Guide...But anything else I drag into that window, doesn't have that little icon.

[Zacchaeus]

As I said above the images in Volo are locked and cannot now be dragged to your campaign folder. Previously they could and if you did then the link will still be there but it won't link to anything any more - all you'll get as you say is a blank image. The way images are presented in reference manuals was changed in the most recent patch. You can clean things up by deleting your moduledb file in the campaign data directory but that might also remove stuff you don't want removed. The images can therefore now only be accessed as noted above.

[DimeLes]

Ah...Gotcha...I was certainly wondering if this was patch related or not, due to the timing of the issue.
Do you know the underlying reason for changing this functionality? It seems to me you would want to centrally store all your images in one location rather than having to open various other areas?
Thank you once again for the follow-up...

[DimeLes]

And this sort of poses a new dilemma that I'm trying to figure out...How the hell do I edit the orc stronghold player map so that I may add grid, tokens, etc?

[Nickademus]

The way images are presented in reference manuals was changed in the most recent patch.

How so? Is this for the encrypted files or all reference manuals?

[DimeLes]

Ya...This is concerning (unless I'm missing something obvious, which is MORE than possible ;-)
So the only place I can reference the Volo's orc stronghold maps are in the library/module section (since they are no longer in Images&Maps). That being said, I can't drag the image anywhere and I can't edit it to add grids, tokens, etc.
I HAVE to be missing something here...

[Andraax]

You sure they're not in Images & Maps? They are probably in their own group...

And I don't have Volo's Guide, but I just tried with another 5E module (also encrypted), and it allowed me to unlock the maps and change the grid, place tokens, etc.

[DimeLes]

Hmmm...Well, I'm definitely sure they're not in their own group...
I have a group for 'All', 'New', and 'FG Battle Maps'...But no group for Volo's
Were you editing the map from within the library/module area or were you able to move it somewhere else and edit it?

[Andraax]

Just opened it from the module's group in "Images & Maps", hit the unlock, and deleted the grid, changed it to hex, turned the grid back on (with hex this time). Then added a few tokens.

Like I said I don't have Volo's yet, so I can't test it with that module in particular, but I was using another WotC module to test.

[DimeLes]

Thanks for the feedback...And therein lies my issue...I can't drag anything from Volo's over to "Images & Maps". I had links from Volo's there prior to the patch, but now I can't put anything else from Volo's there. One of users in an earlier reply said functionality changed with the way images were able to be dragged and dropped and that made sense in accordance with what I was seeing. But what you said is intriguing as well. I'm wondering if it's a case of you already had those images in 'Images & Maps' prior to the new patch...Then I'm guessing they stay there and you can do what you like with them. But have you tried dragging a new image over from a library/module entry over to 'Images & Maps'?

[Zacchaeus]

It depends on whether you are opening a reference guide (such as Volo) or whether it's an adventure. For the latter all the images should appear in the images and maps folder within the campaign (as well as in the library). For reference material the only place to find the images is in the Library. In Volo you can still apply a grid and share the maps from the library. The thinking here is that in an adventure the DM needs (or at least wants) access to all of the images since all of the images are there for the purpose of the adventure. In a reference module it is less clear that all the images should clutter up the campaign folder. Such manuals tend to have all sorts of not very useful images such as page headers, cover images, logos etc. and a lot of what might be DM only type stuff which it is unlikely that the DM will ever need or want to share with the players. Additionally the images that the DM would want to share with the players such as an image of an NPC is handily linked to the NPC itself so that the DM need not hunt through the image folder to find the one they want to share. Since the vast bulk of the images in Volo (and the PHB, DMG and MM) are available as links in the item itself it seems unnecessary to have then cluttering up the campaign folder as well.

[Andraax]

Reset the module. Go to Library, then Modules, find Volo's, right click on the icon, select "reset".

[DimeLes]

That's interesting stuff, Zacc...Thank you...So it sounds like I can still do everything I want with the Orc stronghold map...I just have to do it from the reference document itself, correct?
And then I can drag the newly edited map link over to my Story area (along with the encounter link) which then stores my encounter documents centrally in one area.
Does that make sense?

[Zacchaeus]

In order to use the map in your campaign you'll need to have Volos guide open in your modules library. You can add a grid (there may already be one - I can't remember if I put grids on them - I suspect I didn't). You can then create an encounter and place the NPCs from that encounter on the map. You can then pin the encounter to the map. You can link the encounter to a story but you aren't going to be able to create a link to the map since it's locked. To use the map you'll need to find it in the library and share it with your players. You can then add the encounter to it as normal.

[LordEntrails]

Once you add the NPC tokens to the Volo's map from an encounter, if you use the add to CT button later to add the NPCs to the CT, can you just double click on the NPC portrait to get the map to open? I do that with maps of my own, don't know if it would work in this case though.

[damned]

Once you add the NPC tokens to the Volo's map from an encounter, if you use the add to CT button later to add the NPCs to the CT, can you just double click on the NPC portrait to get the map to open? I do that with maps of my own, don't know if it would work in this case though.

You can test this with images any reference - eg MM or PHB too. It doesnt seem to launch the image for me in this way.

[Andraax]

Works for me. Open image from PHB. Create encounter, place NPC in the encounter, place tokens from the encounter on the image. Close the encounter, tokens go away. Close the image. Open the encounter, click the "add" button at the bottom, NPCs are added to the CT. Double click on the token in the CT, image opens with the token placed but hidden.

[Zacchaeus]

Yes, works for me too. Only if the module that contains the map is open of course.

[DimeLes]

Thanks for all the help guys...So between your advice and 'playing', I think I finally got this.
Zacch...you actually can drag the map link from the library tab into the story tab...so it works nice. In my story tab, I have an 'Orc Stronghold' entry...and within that story entry are links to each encounter, as well as the Volo's orc stronghold map which is already filled out. I basically laid the grid down on the map, created the encounter, dragged the tokens from the encounter to their grid locations, and then added the baddies from the encounter to the CT to make sure the map tokens were associated with their corresponding counterparts in the CT.
A little different than how I first learned this a couple weeks back, but it seems to work...Hopefully it works while I'm playing!
Thanks again all!