Great screenshot. Love the idea of using the directx layout. You think you will be able to utilize different resolution layouts that will auto-save in the INi file so people do not have to move the windows around?
Will give it a full a-z testrun when you have the beta working.
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By the way, I gave this list to GreenDragon when he was working on his.
It was a list of things that I wish SidlWidl had altered to make it more useful.
You can just use this as a reference though. I simplified it for easy reading.
~ Use of the cut/paste text data.
~ No pop-up windows or advertisements - unless you can turn them off.
~ Able to click on the reference in the xml, click on the drawn wysiwyg window, and be able to move it with the cursor keys.
(This was a problem in the past because when you clicked on the wysiwyg window, and use your cursor-up/down button, it would go up and down the referenced xml and not the wysiwyg window objects. Having it focus on the window you click is very important.)
~ Able to add in templates with ease from default structures or from a personalized template you previously created (ie: you made a Gauge you would like to use in several UI's. Clicking on "Gallery" would give you a list of pieces you made and would drop the needed files into that new mod.
~ Use of right-click menu's over the wysiwyg window as quick items to "insert label" insert graphic" "insert gauge", etc.
~ The use of true/false statements must be in all lowercase. EQ I know has a problem with things being case-sensitive. When in doubt, use lower-case.
~ Color Palette chooser for text/gauge objects.
~ Use of clean formatting and XML structuring. A great program reference on what I mean is from
this program that does just that. Except, it does not like <?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?> that EQ XML files have. You would have to edit to be <?xml version="1.0"?> for it to do a clean formatting. Why? I dunno but its a pain.
~ Able to insert an image with ease. Inserts a TGA with automated coding. When you display the TGA in the wysiwyg window, you would be able to draw a selection window around a part of it and have it automate an object of choice of X and Y coord's using the selection box - defintely would need a zoom feature for this for pinpointing the exact pixel locations. (view in either Color or Alpha channel). EQ2 has this idea on their UIbuilder actually.
~ Debug function to tell you exactly what is wrong, but do not crash. - "test mode". (ie: missing end argument for "<label>" in line 320.)
~ When adding in template elements, it should prompt you where you would like this to display in the <Pieces> area at the bottom of the XML. Pieces layering is very important.
~ When viewing a <frames> animation element, would be able to view the graphics related to it, with the images framed out of where it is referencing the images from - with a 1,2,3,4 in the corner stating which is coming 1st. Great for troubleshooting misaligned animations on the fly.
~ There are some references in the EQ XML's that are commented out, such as "<!--<Font>3</Font>-->". When editing the properties of an element's font size, it would re-comment that tag back in, and alter it with the new size without duplicating a new tag.
~ Stretching an object should draw it as you drag it - I know the text objects and some graphic buttons went wacky in the sidlwidl program, but went away after you close the window, and reopen it.
~ Undo/Redo functions with a number limiter that can be altered.
~ Backup feature that would autosave every 5 minutes but as a seperate file/location so you don't screw up the one you are working on. (on/off in options)
~ Optional header code, via options, that would insert a customized header into each XML file you are altering. This way you know who is the author of any xml file...like a signature.
~ Option to use a certain font for your UI. This way if there is a font you use for EQ, other than Arial, you can create a custom UI using this specific font style.