Another Character Sheet Tab

[danielhalond]

Hi!

I would like to know if it is possible to create another tab that opens another window in the character sheet, below the notes tab. That tab would be like the Main tab, one that you can add a list with values etc. If it is possible, how can I do it? I know it must be annoying having someone that know almost nothing about programing asking that kind of thing but I would really really really appreciate if someone could help me here ((((((:

thanks guys

[dulux-oz]

Hi daniel,

Yes, it can be done. You do need to know XML, LUA (ie be able to code/program at a "talented amateur" level, or be willing to learn) and also be competent in manipulating images in a program such as Paint.net or Photoshop (if you want things looking "shmeck"). Its not something that you should tackle thinking it'll only take a few minutes - there is real work involved and it will take some time - but yes, as I said, it is possible.

If you're OK with coding then I suggest take a look at a simple Extension (such as my Alternate ColourGizmo Extension) to see the type of coding required to make a simple change (like I did when I added the ability to enter a Hexadecimal ColourCode into the ColourGizmo) - that should give you a good idea of what you're in for.

And ask questions - there's lots of professional coders and other ICT people on these boards who can and will help

Cheers

[damned]

Have a look at the MoreCore extension. It adds an extra Tab to the Character sheet (and a few other things).
Ive applied quite a lot of comments - never enough though!
Use the Find in Files feature of notepad++ to see how each thing you are doing is usually made up of 2 or more components in 2 or more files.

Good luck!

[danielhalond]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm wiling to learn for sure! I'll check the simple extension then. Image manipulation isn't a problem at least. I tried MoreCore already, it won't work for me because I already did some changes in the core ruleset such as the main tab, the npc now has the exact char sheet as the players so when I run it all those things are gone, because it replaces it. But I believe I can have a look at it to see how things are done, something like that. Like I said, I know almost nothing about coding.

So, how can I start learning whats required? Is there something that you can say for sure "Well, you certainly need 'that thing' to start".

thanks again for your attention (((:

[dulux-oz]

If you know nothing about coding then I suggest the best thing to do is find a beginners coding tutorial (an interactive one) on the web and start there. There are some good ones, but you'll have to look.

A 1st year beginners university course (again, free on the web if you look) will also be helpful.

Apart from that, look at the code of other people's Extensions and Rulesets and try to figure out what's going on.

In terms of software, grab Notepad++ from the web - all of the (good) coders use it - or something similar - to code with.

Cheers

[Nylanfs]

I like using jEdit

[Trenloe]

So, how can I start learning whats required? Is there something that you can say for sure "Well, you certainly need 'that thing' to start".

Check here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...oreRPG-ruleset The "A few steps to do before getting started:" list is where you want to look.

[irpagan]

I'd like to suggest also either visual SVN or something similar, even good coders make mistakes and this is a way of backing up any changes you make, so that later if you decide it is an extension or a layered ruleset it will be easier to see what files you affected. If your not comfortable with that approach you can always create an original folder in the directory you're working in, copy any file you want to work on into before you start that way you can always revert and keep track of what you've touched. For tools I use eclipse with the lua extension mostly but I also use notepad++ and sometimes textpad. For ease of use I'd suggest notepad++. It's a little dated but Anatomy of a Ruleset which you can get from the Wiki under the Ruleset heading is still a good place to start. Start with small changes and take good notes. I'd also highly recommend commenting any changes in your code as well - that way you will know why you did what you did at the time, be verbose write a whole paragraph if you need to. You can always shorten it or take it out later when you become comfortable.

Regards,
d0gb0y

[danielhalond]

Thanks for all the replies, guys!

So far I'm gathering stuff so I can start learning how to code. Since I can't tell the differences between all the languages there are (btw all the subjects you mentioned and links posted helped a lot to begin to understand the path that leads to what I need. Thanks for the tips on the software too!) I would like to ask what should I learn first. I know FG requires Lua, but I don't know if I can start from there and even when I edit sutff in the .xml files I feel like I need more knowledge. What would you suggest?

[Trenloe]

I would like to ask what should I learn first. I know FG requires Lua, but I don't know if I can start from there and even when I edit sutff in the .xml files I feel like I need more knowledge. What would you suggest?

If you've used a structured programming language before then just using the references in the scripting section of the ruleset modification guide should be enough to refer to when you need LUA specific info: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/modguide/scripting.xcp

If you haven't programmed before then you'll need to spend some time understanding how to do structured computer programming - there's no quick way around this, spending the time now will save you hours in the long run (and save the sanity of the helpful community members). Do a search for "beginning lua" and see what comes up. The Wrox Press Beginning Lua Programming is an excellent book, free in PDF format here: https://it-ebooks.info/book/2556/

You only need to know the very basics of XML - that is, how tags and properties work. The rest is all FG specific. There is various documentation about the FG APIs here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/refdoc/ This is the deep down stuff of how the various components of FG work, are defined and how you can customise them.

Then it's a case of starting to look at the FG code. damned's more core extension is a good one to look at - as he's put comments in the code and it deals with specifics of extending the CoreRPG character sheet and Combat Tracker. If this isn't your thing, you might want to pick a piece of small functionality you're interested in learning, modifying or adding and then dive into the code. However, this can quickly get very confusing.