EQInterface Forums - what programs do you guys use to create a good ui?

05-09-2005, 02:46 AM	#1
jorelanny A Fire Beetle Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2	what programs do you guys use to create a good ui? I've tried using a few of them but the functionality of the ones i've tried just doesn't allow me to creat good ones. I wanna make a mage UI for high end mages but i dunno where to start. any tips? PS i can't spend money on this little venture (yet) but i got all the time in the world.

05-09-2005, 07:34 AM	#2
Zumbenn A Treant Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 20	Well, when I've modified my UI files (I don't do the whole hog UIs like some venturous types here), I've used XMLSpy and jEdit. XMLSpy is a GREAT XML editor with a bazillion features. I only use it because my emploer paid for it, it isn't cheap. jEdit (www.jEdit.org) on the other hand is free. It is a programmer's editor with special hooks and color-coding for something like 100 different computer languages, including XML. There are plenty more packages out there tho, many of them free. Try out any that peeps mention and choose the one that is comfortable to you.

05-09-2005, 10:57 AM	#3
Teneniel Enhanced Imperial Golem Join Date: Dec 2002 Server: Druzzil Ro, The Nameless Posts: 206	Just for editing (since i cant do graphics for the life of me) i use Sidlwidl so i can view my work as i go for major changes and Notepad++ (found from an internet search) for all other editing. Both are free and ive found the notepad++ to be extrememly handy when sidlwidl has a heart attack since it shows the line numbers. Plus all the color coding and other nifty doodads. Only downside with sidlwidl is the hefty download of a .net framework if your on a dial up (which i am) it takes some time. Its a little buggy but i find its extremely uncommon. __________________ - No for the 100th @$!# time, Mages cant summon plat !-

05-09-2005, 11:40 PM	#4
jorelanny A Fire Beetle Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2	Thank you both any idea what program i could use to create really good .tga files or some other picture format that EQ would recognize?

05-10-2005, 06:35 AM	#5
Mahein A Ghoul Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 17	Paint Shop Pro works pretty well for image work, and I've used ACDSee for flipping quickly through images to refer back to what's already been done. I don't use anything fancy for code-editing right now, since I'm just bug-hunting and not creating new UI's. Pop a couple of Notepad windows and compare the contents of the files has served me well so far for that- all the bells & whistles of the more dedicated editors can be distracting when trying to hunt down that one line out of a few thousand that's causing the break. Yeah, it's old-fashioned, but at least I only have to carry the files with me. No need to download the editor on different machines when I'm moving place-to-place (which I do on my job). shrug To each their own __________________ Magelo

05-10-2005, 09:46 AM	#6
Sylphan A Predatory Creeper Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 254	I keep it simple, and free. Wordpad for editing XML, sometimes Notepad. Microsoft Paint for detailed image editing. These programs are all free with Windows 98. I use IrfanView to browse through screenshots or switch to different graphics formats, for instance to BMP for the paint program. I use the free version of Project Dogwaffle for editing tga transparencies, since Paint can't do that. PKZIP for Windows to zip things for upload. It's an old version from 1996, written for Windows 3.1.

05-10-2005, 12:50 PM

Genghiz Cohen

Cry Spoon!!

Join Date: Sep 2002

Server: Druzzil Ro

Posts: 137

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sylphan

I keep it simple, and free.

Wordpad for editing XML, sometimes Notepad. Microsoft Paint for detailed image editing. These programs are all free with Windows 98.

I use IrfanView to browse through screenshots or switch to different graphics formats, for instance to BMP for the paint program. I use the free version of Project Dogwaffle for editing tga transparencies, since Paint can't do that.

PKZIP for Windows to zip things for upload. It's an old version from 1996, written for Windows 3.1.

Aaah, PKZip. Those were hard times hehe. Remember ARJ? That bugger needed like 3 bazillion command line parameters in order to do anything at all. I loved DOS, though, you could do lots of neat things with it. And, more importantly, it made me look like teh haxxor when I typed 4 mile commands that turned the screen pink. =)

__________________
I don't necessarily agree with everything I think.

05-14-2005, 05:48 PM	#8
Turlo Featured Artist Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 317	I prefer Notepad myself. I don't really mess with custom graphics too often, so don't know what is considered "good" for that kind of work. __________________ "Ah, but you HAVE heard of me."

05-19-2005, 02:38 AM	#9
Desideratus A Shissar Disciple Join Date: Feb 2005 Server: Venril Sathir Posts: 125	For xml file editing I tend to use Dreamweaver (becasue I've got it) - but if all conversion features are turned off and you know how to make sure it will treat the files as pure text, Word is great for file comparisons (see what's in the new version, see what you've missed from one of your custom old versions). Dangerous these days though - Word can try to treat your pages as xml or html, and that's a VERY bad ida because it's a VERY bad editor for those file types. For graphics, GIMP all the way. Transparencies, layers, conversion to and from every image type known to man and elf. And it's free.

05-19-2005, 03:16 AM	#10
DarkSir23 A Shissar Defiler Join Date: Feb 2003 Server: Rathe Posts: 163	Notepad and EQ for UI Piece layout and placement, Photoshop 7 for image editing. __________________ DarkSir Mistambercles Khellendros Kendelar Darkharmony Destron Darkharmony Quartz Interface Order of the Onyx Dragon - Rathe Server

05-19-2005, 06:21 AM	#11
Shugamayatu A Ghoul Join Date: Oct 2002 Server: inny Posts: 15	XML Spy Home edition for "in the weeds" modding. SidlWidl for getting an idea of what stuff will look like (wish someone would finish it ) and EQ for actual testing.

05-20-2005, 07:41 PM

#12

Talliinn

A Gray Wolf

Join Date: Sep 2002

Server: Brell Serilis

Posts: 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shugamayatu

XML Spy Home edition for "in the weeds" modding. SidlWidl for getting an idea of what stuff will look like (wish someone would finish it

) and EQ for actual testing.

So does the combination of xmlspy and sidlwidl allow you to see what the changes in code will do to the appropriate button or item without having to be logged into EQ and constantly /loadskin after each change?

__________________
Talliinn
Revenant of Paineel
Brell Serilis

05-21-2005, 11:49 AM	#13
Teneniel Enhanced Imperial Golem Join Date: Dec 2002 Server: Druzzil Ro, The Nameless Posts: 206	sidlwidl shows each window as you edit it. It is however a little buggy and at times slightly off when loaded in tot he game. xmlspy lets you find and edit code very easily and ith the funky little errors that sidlwidl pops out it becomes very handy. Notepad works just as well for editing but lacks the tools that are extremely useful for editing. Notepad++ is similar and totally free to download. searchable from google and it does many (not all) of the editing goodies people look for. Between the 2 you posted youll have al you need to mod ui's =)