Categories (tabs), modules and merge ids in 1.05
The 1.05 patch will allow you to drag tooltip text onto category tabs in the various books where you have them available. At that time, each tab will have three distinct parameters that will identify and separate it from the others: the tooltip text, the base tab color, and the icon used on the tab.
There's also a fourth, hidden parameter for each tab that we call the merge id. The merge id is basically a text string, and it is used to group data you import from a module in an intelligent and flexible way. As it is prior to 1.05, all data imported from modules will be dropped into the first available category, which basically... sucks. After 1.05, modules can create their own tabs, and several modules that belong to a distinct set (such as several adventures taking place in a common campaign setting) can share tabs so that monsters in adventure module A will go into the same tab as monsters in adventure module B, while still having their own tabs for the story elements of the adventure.
Each module you export will use the user name selected when starting up the program as the merge id. The tabs for the data of the campaign (i.e. data that was created specifically for the campaign and not imported from a module) is always assumed to use the active user name of the GM as the merge id of all the non-imported tabs.
What happens whenever a module is imported, is all four of these parameters mentioned for any category in the module are compared with all of the existing categories in the campaign, including any from other imported modules. If a match is found, that particular category is merged with the matching category active in the campaign. If a match is not found, a new tab will be created and the records put into this tab.
Old modules, created prior to 1.05, will always use an empty string as the merge id, and will, therefore, match each other but not the active campaign. Thus, a new category will be created for them, but the data for all of them will share this same category.
Please note that if the GM changes any of the three visible parameters (tooltip, base color, icon) of an imported tab and imports another module that was designed to match the first, the merge operation will fail because the parameters no longer match, and a new category will be created.
We think the end result of this change will make using modules a lot more convenient for everyone, even if getting to terms with the system might be hard at first. One of the best things about this is, the GM who only wants to import modules and start playing, won't really have to worry about all this, he'll just see the tabs pop up and the merges take place.
Please don't hesitate to ask about anything related to this issue, I'll do my best to elaborate.
