UI Builder Feature Request and Bug Tracker
 

Post your UI Feature Requests and Bugs here. I'll do my best to keep this post updated with the latest information.

Features: In the Works

ColorStyle

A ColorStyle object will have a single color property. Any object should be able to take a reference to a ColorStyle as well as a specific color.

Left, Top, Width, Height Properties

Allow manipulation of UIWidget Location and Size via individual properties.

Features: For Consideration

Better Navigation of Modules

Improve the interface for navigating modules in the UI window. Possible solution is to allow users to open and close tabs for modules they are currently working on instead of showing a tab for every module.

Cleanup XML Output

Try to remove properties that aren't necessary like PackLocationProp, PackSizeProp, LocalText, LocalTooltip, etc.

Bugs

Events being fired when not in run mode

Need more info such as specific events, repro steps, etc.

UIbuilder Bugs (not listing those you already announced as addressed in the upcoming version)

• Graphics cannot be reloaded - Fixed with GU44 version
• Generally alignment within UIbuilder is often not like within the game. But I assume this cannot be helped as it is probably an issue of the UIengine itself (for example, US servers align differently than localized servers...)
• When changing a style name, all references to it get automatically updated. When copying a style (to create a new one based on it), there are two styles with the same name. You don't know which one is the linked one, so you may end up renaming the wrong one without noticing.
• Default DynamicDataFilter is set to FFFFFFFF instead of FFFF
• If using <includes> to non .xml files UIbuilder automatically appends ".xml" to the file name and creates a file with that appended name.
• The opacity setting for rectangle styles is not saved by UIbuilder, probably because it is also not shown in "Limit Properties" mode even for non-default values

UI Feature requests:

• Could we get non-localized DynamicData objects please? I use subclass detection for a number of windows and the translation it needs to do internally is taking it's toll an performance (in particular since I need to repeat it all the time due to dynamic data taking too long to initialize for people with slow computers). At least non-localized adventure and crafting subclasses would be very helpful.
• In addition to the above, sublcass DynamicData only becomes available to the UI a certain time after the UI loads (the OnShow event). Could you either slow down the triggering of the OnShow or speed of the DynamicData please?
• I need to be able to use UI script on non-ASCII characters, in particular for compatibility with localized versions of EQ2. For example, I cannot do any useabilityonplayer coding for users having non-ASCII character names.
• Let us convert floating point numbers to integers! - Now possible using Top, Left, Height, Width values as discovered by Drumstix42
• Allow UIbuilder to load interface folders, not specific files. This will reduce confusion for new users, and make it easier for mods that do not include an eq2ui.xml file. This functionality is mostly already part of UIbuilder. Currently you can copy an eq2ui.xml into your customUI folder and load it via UIbuilder. You can then delete it from the customUI folder and continue loading that UI into UIbuilder via the "Recent" list.
• I personally would love to be able to write a complete uisettings.ini file from within UIbuilder, based on the layout I made there.
• Would you be able to add a way to switch the localization within UIbuilder so we can see how it looks in French or Japanese, for example? Would make it much easier to be fully compatible for international users.
• Similarily I don't assume you could generate a table of asset codes so we could pick from already translated terms for our mods?

Other UI bugs:

see my Known Issues page

Feature Request:

The ability to set (in a local uibuilder.ini file perhaps?) options such as what size the main pane loads as (and to preserve locations, SCALE it to the size in the eq2ui.xml file). For example, if the eq2ui.xml file's size is 1280x1024, you could set the Scale Factor to be .5 and the pane would open as 640x512, but all the locations would still be on a scale as though the window is 1280x1024.

This would save some headache for us folks without newer, larger monitors. Or alternatively, just let us save the size of it and ignore the location issue.

OnShow, OnHide: All you have to do is toggle the eye button.

Them are the only two I know of off the top of my head. I'll post more if I find any more.

If I remember correctly, it's all the true/false events an object has (onActivate or onDeactivate, or, onEnable or onDisable, are some others)

For, example
If you manually change the true/false property of Activated or Enabled it will fire the OnActivate and OnEnable events respectively, even though the UI isn't "running".

Edited: to remove redundant information :)

1) Fully implement SelectedItemIndex on all Data driven components so we can extract/manipulate the source data based on a selection. Currently I think only Dropdown and List work. Table, ComboBox, etc... do not.

2) Likewise implement all the relevent events, OnSellect, OnDeSellect, OnItemHover, OnItemHoverOut.

3) Implement some facility to strip non-text tagging from a text field. Example: Currently there is no way to remove say... a color tag from a line item in the Tracking window. Dropping that line item into a script with the color tag included hoses most scripting. Similar issues with link tags.

4) Implement an OnChange event for every component with a text atribute so that it fires even when the text is changed via server/client and not just user input.

OnClick
OnClickHold

Regarding manual cleanup, can these bits of code be removed from existing xml files without recourse or should they be left alone?

Also, does there need to be a ScrollExtent when it's the same as Size?

You can safely remove them.

No.

Although they can be safely removed... it was my understanding some of these atributes were specifically added to improve performance. If you remove them, the client has to calc them.

I think that was changed a while ago, previously it was true. Currently I can't even get the client to read them. You can basically put arbitary values in any of these, it won't affect anything (at least when I tried).

Previously it actually mattered what you put in PackLocationProp, for example, I remember I had issues with that long ago when I tried to get my mini zoning window to center correctly on all resolutions. Today that issue does not exist anymore.

Thank you for the replies. I'm leaning towards believing the performance impact theory as I do use Fetish as a foundation with that in mind. However, as someone who's rather new at xml coding and having to learn on my own it would be nice to get an official position on this if at all possible as it would go a long way towards helping me to remove a lot of code that just seems to confuse me.

Thanks again for the insights.

FloridaFringe, I have nerver once used them properties in any of the xml I write excluding LocalText, localTooltip. You can remove all of them and you will never know they are gone, but ATM the UI builder will add them back in so it is kind of pointless to remove them. They are saved in the settings.ini file no matter if they are in the XML file or not and that is where the profermace comes from I think, not from the property in the XML file it self.

Agian I could be wrong but then I never am.. Thats funny I don't care who you are!

I thought that the UI builder added properties. I also noticed that it removed certain properties as well, such as if you have Location="0,0".

At any rate, that's not much of a concern for me since I rarely use the UI Builder for actual saving. I make all my edits via Notepad++ and use the UI Builder mostly for visual ideas. Once I know what I'm doing a bit more I'll start using the UI Builder but by then it won't matter much to me whether these properties are either ignored, added or removed.

Thanks again for the help.

Location="0,0" is the default so the UIBuilder will hide that if you have the hide default properties box checked. It's also not necessary to put default properties into the XML file, since those are assumed if there isn't anything specified otherwise.

Edit: the UIBuilder will always show Location even if it's the default "0,0" but most properties will be hidden if they are the default value.

Since the values are not used runtime loading them would actually reduce performance (but so slightly that it won't really matter).

Thank you both, again.

Everyone's willingness to help newbies without making them feel like an idiot is much appreciated.

UIBuilder version 1.3.0.0 dated 10/27/2007

Run mode doesn't work at all. From what I looked at, trying to drag a window like the persona window actually drags the location of MainHUD around and you quickly get a MainHUD Location="65144,65307" or something crazy like that.

And it needs to be able to capture linefeed and linebreak commands that the persona window carries. it is really annnoying!

Not just persona window, it's encoding all linebreaks in your mods with that. I can't read my code like that. :(

Oh yikes! That's not good.

I haven't saved from within the UIBuilder for about a year or so.

I haven't used UIbuilder in a year or so but I saw drago's bug report in the beta forums and went to see what the new version is all about. You can now save individual files, that's the only reason why I tried saving something.

I still use UI Builder and save quite a few things, because sometimes the actual code is a pain. but the beta uibuilder isn't working so i guess i'll just have to wait for an update till then for the problem to be fixed.

It's not just saving though, it is not reading certain things that it's the encoding that seems to be broken because i can't touch anything in the uibuilder.

I don't think this exists already, but...

I'd like to request a way to resize an object without it affecting other objects. Perhaps holding down ALT or SHIFT while resizing, would allow the user to resize that object without affecting properties of another. Sometimes resizing can be a pain if you've done a lot of placement of objects already, and then have to remove a bunch of PackSize/Location properties to resize something.

I know the way selection/de-selecting items is changing, so any hotkey would do really. Hope that made sense :)

MAN I SO HATE THAT. You are so darn right!

Spot on mate!

Yes please add something to that nature because it is annoying.

Agreed, that would be a very useful function.

Comments

I would like UIBuilder to, if not support comments (possibly through a "comment" Object property?), to at least retain comments when it writes to the file.
AFAIK, currently when saving with UIBuilder, it seems the whole file is re-written, effectively removing and comments that may have been present.

Are you asking for the UIBuilder to load and save xml comments like this?

<!-- This is a comment -->

You can put what ever custom properties you want into each object. Some of the xml files have a version_note property on the first level.

Currently if you put comments in your XML file, then later load it and save it with the UI Builder, the UI Builder strips the comments before saving.

It is common for people to comment their code as it is written to help them keep track of what function a particular code block does.

In most editors these comments show up in different font and color then the rest of the code so it is easily spotted where if you use an attributed it would blind in with the rest of the XML.

Added the following feature request to my first post:

• Could we get non-localized DynamicData objects please? I use subclass detection for a number of windows and the translation it needs to do internally is taking it's toll an performance (in particular since I need to repeat it all the time due to dynamic data taking too long to initialize for people with slow computers). At least non-localized adventure and crafting subclasses would be very helpful.

I think you will have better luck producing a mod for each language that has subclass detection then SOE providing the same data multiple times.

But as the saying goes; It never hurts to ask:)

I already have that functionality in ProfitUI for over a year now, that is not the problem. The problem is rather people with slow computers where I cannot initialize the detection OnShow of the UI. At least I had users where the funtionality would fail until I started detecting subclasses OnHoverIn, and I think it was due to the DynamicData not being intialized for a considerable amount of time after the UI loads.

Since now I will be adding subclass detection to my stat bar I need to have it OnShow. I guess I need to update the code to add a couple of seconds delay before it runs. But we all know SOE doesn't like us to create full automation code that uses delays, so I thought I'd ask for the DynamicData before I get banned. :p

PS: Also multiple languages lead to my most important grievance with the UI: it is not non-ASCII compatible. I cannot even do a /useabilityonplayer <non-ASCII player name>. I know it's only a ProfitUI problem since - as far as I know - ProfitUI is the only mod that is trying to be multi-language compatible, but it would still be great if that could be finally fixed...

Use the Zoning screen's OnHide event instead of an OnShow event of an Object in the MainHud.

The way the UI system is suppose to work is; the main UI object are created behind the zoning screen and get data filled as zoning progress. Then once every thing has been created, made visible and data filled the zoning screen is hid, revealing the Main UI. I am sure you already knew that but figured I'd say just in case:)

Boy we are getting off topic here:P This is for suggestion not comments about suggestion! My bad, hides keyboard, Topic back on track:)

On topic: Added the following to my feature requests list:

• Allow UIbuilder to load interface folders, not specific files. This will reduce confusion for new users, and make it easier for mods that do not include an eq2ui.xml file. This functionality is mostly already part of UIbuilder. Currently you can copy an eq2ui.xml into your customUI folder and load it via UIbuilder. You can then delete it from the customUI folder and continue loading that UI into UIbuilder via the "Recent" list.

Added the following bug to first post.

• Default DynamicDataFilter is set to FFFFFFFF instead of FFFF

Apart from that: I just downloaded the latest version and I must say I love it. In particular the ability to save single pages is a godsend, and redundant data is no longer saved. Count me in on the userbase again. :nana:

Before, I just saved it all on a separate folder, took the files I needed, and then deleted the rest. I was easy, but this will make it significantly better.

Now you just hit Ctrl-S in UIbuilder, hit your /loadui ProfitUI macro button and see immediately in game how it works. I LOVE IT. :)

except when you forget it saves just single files now.. when updating vert for RoK i did my usual ctrl-s to save everything then had a minor screaming fit with myself when i went ingame and realized it saved only one thing instead of everything :P

One thing I forgot to mention. Yesterday I tried to fix something in my tradeskill window with the new UIbuilder and it broke the nested scripts I have therein. I haven't checked so far what exactly went wrong, this is just a heads up to pay attention when using it.

I'm finding it very annoying that you can't "drag" a window with the Play button toggled on. Resizes the MainHUD or whatever it may be, causing the displayed windows to black-out/disappear from view. Some kind of functionality has been changed/lost.

If play isn't turned on, it's too easy to click a specific element when trying to drag a window around, therefor incidentally moving the wrong thing!
Also wanted to point out my post (2nd to last) on the first page of this topic, in case it was missed. :)