How to make UI's never break.
 

Source: http://skins.machin-shin.net/nobreak.html

How to make your UI never break: (atleast im 99% sure):

First you need to make your User Interface Modular ... that means taking all of your modifications to your EQUI_Animations.xml file, EQUI_Templates, etc etc, whatever you may have modified and place them inside of a new .XML file that you create. This makes mix/matching mods much easier. After this part you need to 'Include' the .xml file in everquest. What I mean is you will need to edit your EQUI.xml (in your UI folder)file to look like this. What this does is cause your UI folder to look in the default folder for its MAIN includes (normal windows, graphics, templates, etc). Then it looks in the UI file that you created (replace EQUI_Quartz.xml with your own) and loads its data. This way any time verant adds a new window OR graphics your UI will be affected in no way.. I guess we'll see how well it works when the Test server mp3 player comes in :) Note: This way will not work so well with customized cursors, and possibly some other methods... Any additional input of ways to get around this is appreciated and should be said to the UI public :) -Statix Cinderblade

=)

bump

I haven't tried this yet

Don't know why nobody else has said anythoughts, I just found this tonight and I think this is the most useful bit of info out there.

Thanks Statix!!:nana: :nana:

I found this on Statix's website a couple weeks ago. I have already used this as well as a few other things to make my version of the UI modular as well.

The to Statix and to many others for the help in getting my code and many others code to this point. With the information they provided I was able to learn xml faster and to a point that like my other programming make it less likely to break in the future.

Statix, this is a great development!

I'm a little confused though (unsurprising ;))... your example shows two EQUI.xml files, that I think I understand: the edited one in your Custom folder being the one that includes your EQUI_Quartz.xml, which in turn contains pointers to the animations, graphics, etc... (right?)

But what makes EQ look at the Custom EQUI.xml first, and not the Default?

It is that way because Verant has designed things so that the system will always look in your custom dir first. Then if it does not find something it goes back to your default dir to find it.

This is a really great development. Added it to my UI before yesterdays patch and it had no problems with the new MP3 windows.

Kelric, I think that is just the way it works (thankfully)...Because EQ is loading a UI in a custom folder, it automatically looks in that custom folder for files its told to find, regardless of where the file telling it to find them is.

OHHH! So really, it's reading the UI_character_server.ini file to see what skin is being used, and then jumps to that folder, eh? That makes sense, then! Thanks!

My best guess is that the client looks for the EQUI.xml first in wahtever directory is flagged by the user by entering a line in each character's respective User Interface initialization file ( ex. UI_Gnosis_64.ini ).

The client determines the default directory per character by parsing the directory as whatever is in the MAIN section to the right of the designator UISkin=

The client determines the default directory globaly by parsing the directory as whatever is in the eqclient.ini file in the DEFAULT section to the right of the designator UISkin=

This is just a guess and would like feedback as to any other thoughts...


-Gnosis-
The summation of all things...

Okay, I've been trying to figure this out for myself (and also for input to t.king and Remelio). The thing I am stumped on is that in the your example of how the file should look, you show:

blah blah blah
yadda yadda
blah gaugetypes

<XML ID = "EQInterfaceDefinitionLanguuage">
<Composite>
<Include>../default/EQUI.xml</Include>
<Include>EQUI_Quartz.xml</Include>
</Composite>
<Schema xmlns = "EverQuestData" xmlns:dt = "EverQuestDataTypes" />
</XML>

The line that I have in bold .... it has a "path" defined in it. When I try to put a path in, it chokes. What am I missing here?

Also, as you have already noted, it won't work for things like cursors. We still end up having to go back and edit the default EQUI_Animations.xml, rather defeating the entire purpose. Has anyone come up with a work around for that yet?

Do not change that line. That line is set to do exactly what it should do. It will use the "..\ " to go up one directory from the current directory (which would be your custom skin directory) then it will use the "default " to go to that directory and then it will grab the "EQUI.xml " file from that directory to include in your custom UI.

It is this process that makes this UI so that it is less likely to break. By including the Verant EQUI.xml file in this file it makes it so that any change that Verant makes is always included in your custom skin.

So do not make a change to this line leave it so that is says
"<Include>../default/EQUI.xml</Include>"

We are still working on a solution for the cursor issue.

Ah ha! I was doing the whole "write the path out" thing, instead of putting the ..\ Simple mistake, easily fixed, thanks.

If that fixed your issue then Cool. If not let us know and we will give you a hand tracking it down more.

Statix, THIS method I'm impressed with. Finally a way for people to use a modified EQUI.xml but still reference the original so patches won't impair the functioning of the UI due to an outdated modded EQUI.xml. I personally don't change the animations or templates files so this method isn't necessary for me, but for everyone who feels it's necessary to change those files, this is a great breakthrough.

Enok