Raxthorne

Greetings,

I really wish I could have caught the thread that several of you all were engaged in several days ago about the windows, moving button/PetHP Bar objects, XML files and EQ crashing. I could have saved you all a lot of grief.

I am a professional programmer (like many of you) and I deal with web development and XML all the time. I specialize in Java and build applications for a living. The deal with XML is that it is nothing more than a markup language protocol (standard). What this means is that a host (VI) defines a definition for communicating specific data elements like the EQ UI. This definition acts as a gateway between the users (EQ players) and the EQ game engine. The sticking point about XML is that there is no definition as to what you can do with the XML, there is only a definition that has specifications for defining a definition for communicating to others. XML is not a programming language (such as C, Perl, Java, etc.), it is a protocol (standard) used to communicate information via flat files, sockets, HTTP, database entries, etc.

In this case, VI has chosen to put part of the UI definition in the XML files for the user community to play with and they have place part of the definition for the EQ UI in the game engine. There is nothing that says they can not do this. The point of XML is to be able to configure the exchange of information between host and user any way they see fit. They could have placed all the definitions for the EQ UI in the XML files (child/parent definitions), but they seem to have not done this. This disappoints me, because what is the point of being able to customize the UI then? There is other ways they could have handled it, but at this point it seems (to my frustration) that certain objects just can not be moved from specified windows in order to function properly. I have moved such things as the spell gems, but they do nothing unless they are in the spell gem window.

Has anyone been able to get the spell casting gems or the window selection buttons moved to another window and work?

The biggest problem at this point seems to be the lack of documentation. I have tried most things by trial and error and have had some luck. I have given feedback to VI and hope they make the UI 100% customizable at some point. From a programmers stand point it is almost to the point of being stupid as to why they could not use the EQ Types to drive the action of objects versus hard-coding object to windows in order for them to function.

Anyhow, good luck on those UIs and if anyone has additional information that I missed, please drop a reply.

Rax