Web Compile vs. Builder Compile

[Tydirium]

I've been experimenting and was wandering if anyone else is seeing this. One of the "issues" people (especially geocachers) seem to have is that when you load up a cartridge in the emulator it will display all the zones even if they are non active and invisible (will display them as either lighter blue or pink). Now I seem to have stumbled across something and would like to see if someone else can duplicate it.

 

1. Create a cartridge with 2 zones, one active/visible and one inactive/invisible.

2. Compile this cartridge using the builder and run it. You should "see" both zones; one dark blue, one light blue.

3. Zip up the .lua file and use the web compiler on it. When you get the returned .gwc file, load it in the emulator. Do you see the 2nd zone now? I don't when I do this.

 

So what is different between the two compilers?

 

Having inactive/invisible zones NOT show up in the emulator would be nice.

Edited February 29, 2008 by Tydirium

[+twolpert]

Seems to me that I recall seeing a post (which I can't find, of course) which said that the emulator shows all zones only to the cartridge author. Anyone else would see only the visible zones. I am not sure how the emulator knows who the author is. But -- if the emulator does make this distinction -- I would speculate that compiling on the web and downloading the result confuses the emulator as to who the author is. So now even the author sees what everybody else will see.

[Ranger Fox]

Yes, I have reason to believe all the zones will display in the emulator if the builder compiles the cartridge locally. I have reason to believe this because I downloaded and compiled one of the J2B2 open source cartridges and this is what I experienced. On the other hand, downloading the same cartridge from the site does not yield this effect and the cartridge looks like it normally would (e.g. invisible zones not displaying).

 

Kind of a neat and convenient feature. I like that, though it is confusing if you don't know it.

[Tydirium]

Thanks. Glad to see that others are seeing this too. If hidden zones are indeed hidden in the version compiled and retrieved from the Wherigo site then it'll at least keep someone from loading it up in the emulator and automatically seeing where all your zones are. This means they'd have to go diggin' into the file to figure things out; and while some may do that, a great number won't (I hope).

[+geocooley]

This is pure speculation on my part....

When you download a cartridge (or compile online) it embeds your Wherigo user name into the cartridge, as shown on the cartridge tirle page user: xxxxx

When you compile in the builder the user is set to Builder.

Therefore I logically draw this conclusion: when the emulator sees user Builder it shows all zones.

 

This leads to an interesting question (which I am not going to answer): If I am correct in my speculation and I create a Groundspeak/Wherigo account with the username 'Builder' will I be able to see all zones in other peoples cartridges in the emulator?

Edited March 21, 2008 by geocooley