Author Topic: Floating of idea: successor to TP2 files  (Read 1358 times)

Offline Wisp

  • Moderator
  • Planewalker
  • *****
  • Posts: 1176
Floating of idea: successor to TP2 files
« on: September 23, 2018, 11:06:59 AM »
TP2 files serve as the backbone of WeiDU mods. They hold the component list and several overarching bits of information, in addition to the body of each component (the TP2 action list). With the exception of the component body, this information is almost entirely declarative in nature. Unfortunately, TP2 files are in many ways built around the assumption that mods are interactively installed one by one from a command shell. The idea concerned is a new format for a mod backbone (that is, the part of the TP2 file which is not the TP2 action list), one better suited for the future.

Since, despite all its importance, the backbone constitutes a relatively small and, counter-intuitively, unimportant part of mods, I, personally, feel like there could be a lot of win for a comparatively small amount of work. Naturally, TP2 files of today will remain supported (but this whole thing where you interactively install components one by one from a command shell is still on the chopping block).

This new format would be one accessible to third parties, unlike the TP2 of today, which only accessible to WeiDU itself. The body of the mod would essentially be a TPA file, which is referenced with essentially INCLUDE-like semantics. The rest would be semantically similar to TP2 files: a list of languages, analogues to TP2 flags and a list of components with analogues to component flags. The salient differences would be that many requests I have been getting, as well as several ideas of my own, would be possible, or easier to implement (TP2 is essentially a dead start for some of them).

Aside from the work of porting the mod's backbone to the new format, there would be some amount of work in extracting those TRA lines which are component names or otherwise used by the backbone itself, and putting them in some TRA-file analogue that is similar to the new format. The remaining TRA lines, which are used for PRINTs or written to creature or item files, etc, would/could remain in TRA format, but could need to be loaded by something other that the LANGUAGE statement. WeiDU itself has several facilities for loading TRA files in other ways.

The idea is not fully worked out yet, and if there's no interest, there's no need to push it. But if there is interest, we could proceed.

Comments?

Offline DavidW

  • Planewalker
  • *****
  • Posts: 316
Re: Floating of idea: successor to TP2 files
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2018, 06:56:18 PM »
If I'm understanding that right, it sounds like it's enforcing at the WEIDU level what I effectively do in SCS anyway? (i.e., strip the entire body of the mod out of the TP2, except for INCLUDEs / function calls?)

If so, fine by me.

Offline AL|EN

  • Planewalker
  • *****
  • Posts: 391
  • Gender: Male
Re: Floating of idea: successor to TP2 files
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2018, 09:24:00 AM »
Woa, that come as surprise. So using this new format, 3-rd parties could read 'components, subcomponents, translated names and all other info like LABEL etc' from the file itself, without executing weidu? That sounds too good to be true but I'm all in. I will skip all other suggestions because I'm sure they are too ambitious and out of scope of this lite improvement.
Project Infinity public BETA - mod manager for Infinity Engine games
Modder's Guide to Github - you cannot have progress without committing changes

Offline The Imp

  • Planewalker
  • *****
  • Posts: 288
  • Gender: Male
Re: Floating of idea: successor to TP2 files
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2018, 03:21:13 PM »
If any of you can make a rough file importer, I could see myself wanting this. Of course if the old remains usable, I am all for this.
Back to why I am here: Would you Wisp assign a "workspace" folder name for advanced weidu users like DavidW, that you would "sponsor" ... and possibly shuffle all the .debug files to a single folder.
Cause apparently a mod can't have just its own folder, but it needs to be "Immutable". Blark.

Offline cmorgan

  • Planewalker
  • *****
  • Posts: 1424
  • Gender: Male
  • Searcher of Bugs
Re: Floating of idea: successor to TP2 files
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2018, 11:15:49 PM »
Interested. Would need to have good docs - but very interested, especially if it helps people build functionality (it’s been years but I can still hear the bigg swearing in my ears in Italian over stuff that should be able to be done but couldn’t)

 

With Quick-Reply you can write a post when viewing a topic without loading a new page. You can still use bulletin board code and smileys as you would in a normal post.

Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.

Name: Email:
Verification:
Type the letters shown in the picture
Listen to the letters / Request another image
Type the letters shown in the picture:
What color is grass?:
What is the seventh word in this sentence?:
What is five minus two (use the full word)?: