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Author Script Library


Tequila

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I'm for that.

 

Technically, something like a wiki or sourceforge would work out better. But I like the idea of posting your scripts to the forum for comments. However, posting one thread per script will get disorganized pretty quickly. I do like that one thread will be used per script so people can comment on it and post alternate revisions.

 

To get it all organized, I'd suggest one thread that can serve as an index. All posts in that thread will tell a new script's name, a description, and have a link to the thread for discussion. If we do it that way, I'm more than happy to post the index thread to the top of the forum. That said, I'll remove all commentary from the index thread since the commentary belongs in the scripts' threads.

 

I do like that. Some place to share custom code. And right at a time when I can release my Zone Mover code, too. Of course, I want to make a cartridge using it before I release it to the public.

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At the moment, I don't know if anyone other than me has anything to submit. When someone does, I'll create the thread. It won't serve much of a purpose until it lists at least one script. And if that first script submission is a few months away, it's a little silly for that index to hang around for that long.

 

Until we have a few scripts posted to the index thread and a posting pattern established, I intend to keep that thread locked. I feel a need to establish a general idea of what belongs and what doesn't. An idea of what doesn't belong is a script that will tell the player today's date or one to ask the player a few questions. They don't belong, in my opinion, because they're more like tutorials or even small snippets of code that don't save the developer much time writing.

 

Instead, a good candidate would be something that greatly simplifies some fairly complex actions and provides enhanced capability. The code should be copy and paste ready and should not require much, if at all, modification. For instance, that code I heard about that would cache message box text and, when the author chooses, show each message box in succession. (If done with just a series of Wherigo.MessageBox calls, only the last message box would have been visible.) I hate citing my own code in a what's-good-what's-bad comparison, but the Zone Mover class I'll release later (I want to use it in a cartridge to make sure what I release is good quality and thoroughly tested) is another example. It lets you create as many moving zones as you want without knowing any of the details. All you have to do is make a few method calls. It returns a class you can use to control everything.

 

What do you think of the whole idea about what we're looking for in author scripts? A veritable library of ready-to-use code for accomplishing complex actions, in other words. Just the right thing to help people create more involved cartridges. I just hope the cartridges remain complex only for the developer and not for the player to understand and play. You've gone too far when the player has to think like a developer.

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I like the idea, although small bits of code are also useful as well. Yes they are kind of tutorial like, but unless I've missed it (I probably have) I don't think there is anywhere else where these small bits of code could be placed for people to dig through and think - "I didn't know you could do that, that gives me an idea".

 

Currently (and a big thanks Ranger Fox) Whack-a-lackey, is one of my main sources to find out how to do all sorts of things.

 

If possible it would be nice if these small or big bits of code could also reference actual wherigos where you can see in situ the bit of code in action and perhaps get a better understanding of how it was intended to be used. Thanks to all those people who publish source code.

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I would like a place for small bits as well. What prompted me to suggest this was a friend who developed the code to return the hour of day to a variable. Only a couple of lines of code but if you are not a lua programmer, it can take quite a bit of playing around to figure it out. I would like to see that sort of stuff somewhere so that newbies can quickly add fairly easy stuff.

 

I understand your point R/F but in order for some of us to understand complex scripts, we first need to get comfortable with simpler scripts.

 

Just my .02

 

T

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What about two threads? One for "simple" scripts, where new developers could find some of the basic stuff that the builder tutorial either covers poorly or not at all, and one for "complex" scripts such as RF's idea or some timer code variants?

 

I'm in the same boat as Tequila, no lua programming experience. I'm currently trying to modify some of RF's code from Whack A Lackey for a cartridge idea I had. The problem is that while I want to have the timer randomly move objects that haven't been found around within the main zone, I'm only using one type of object, and fixed zone points. I can't seem to figure out how to strip his script down to the "basic level", and I have a feeling that the basic code is one that quite a few of us would like to have.

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At the moment, I don't know if anyone other than me has anything to submit.
i do, i do! that message caching script is my creation, and it's already linked in some thread... :)

 

Instead, a good candidate would be something that greatly simplifies some fairly complex actions and provides enhanced capability. The code should be copy and paste ready and should not require much, if at all, modification.
exactly - build a library of authorscripts that can be readily used, best if they can somehow be made accessible from the Builder interface.

 

i was thinking, for example, about a script that would turn selected objects into things that can be carried around - automatically add commands for "Pick Up" and "Drop". or perhaps the containers, mentioned in other threads - thing you can "Open" and then it spills out its contents

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When matejcik is posting here: couldn't we use his wiki at wherigobuilder.wikispaces.com? There are much of the objects used by a Wherigo listet and we could create a section for functions. So we can discuss the source here and if it's stable the author could transfer it to the wiki.

 

Best regards

Dirk

Edited by charlenni
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I'm currently trying to modify some of RF's code from Whack A Lackey for a cartridge idea I had. The problem is that while I want to have the timer randomly move objects that haven't been found around within the main zone, I'm only using one type of object, and fixed zone points. I can't seem to figure out how to strip his script down to the "basic level", and I have a feeling that the basic code is one that quite a few of us would like to have.

 

If there is something specific your trying to do, I might be able to help given I've been digging through Whack a Lackey rescently to work out how the basics work and then developing my own stuff (which is moving "character" objects around and calculating distances and bearings between characters, locations, objects and the player).

Edited by a_snail
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i edit it from time to time. but it's not mine, it's ... um, lemme see ... twolpert's

(no, i don't know who that is)

http://wherigobuilder.wikispaces.com/space/members

 

How permanent is that wiki likely to be? It might be better if Groundspeak hosted the example scripts.

 

PS the comment earlier about getting the hour into a variable, thats the sort of thing I was thinking about for small bits of code colleciton, or find out how far it is from one object (player, object, character) to another object.

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Good point made: scripts large and small.

 

An advantage to using the wiki is it keeps a history of revisions to a particular page. That would be great for public source control. However, discussions on the wiki would be all over the place. I'm fine with any venue as long as it fits our needs and how we want to use it. Perhaps a SourceForge for Wherigo or something. What do Linux or Mozilla developers use? We'll have to make sure it can be searched easily, and just as important, found quickly by people coming to this forum.

 

There's another concern about hosting elsewhere I'd like to bring up. Perhaps it's baseless, but I'll voice it just in case. I believe we all agree it would be wonderful for this community to grow and the number of people contributing code to increase. To do that, the community has to be seen as open to those just getting started. I know when I'm new and I visit somewhere, I don't know how people would react if I start posting my newbie questions or submit something I'm rather proud of doing. You understand, so far, where I'm coming from? So how would it be perceived if we spin off all this coding to another place? Would it seem like this elite faction of hand-coders broke away from the forum and for a newbie to ask a question of them on their turf without following the proper initiation rites is a faux pas? That was a little exaggeration, I'll admit. I guess it boils down to not wanting to intimidate or scare off people who would have otherwise contributed, but rather attract them to us.

 

If we need, there's always the option of creating a new forum section, one just for scripts and keep this "Building Wherigo Cartridges" one for what we've always used it for. That would keep things a cleaner and remove the need for an index thread. This forum is for us, after all.

 

It's exciting to see interest in author scripts pick up. As I said, I'm fine with any place we want to host this as long as it fits our needs, people can find it, and newbies don't feel intimidated.

 

-----------

 

(By the way, I also took the comments about Whack-A-Lackey as compliments. Thank you!)

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Aside from being a Wherigo fan, one of the things I REALLY LIKE about this particular forum(Wherigo Builder) is that there is never any animosity, sniping, trolling etc. that seems pervasive in so many of the Groundspeak/geocaching forums.

 

Everyone here genuinely wants to help each other. And as a result, I don't worry about asking a stupid question (as evidenced by some of my threads). I know I can ask a simple question, get a good answer and not get ridiculed for being a newbie.

 

And I think that shows up very quickly for new people in this forum.

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I suspect most people here think of them selfs as beginners to some degree. I doubt many people have use LUA before trying to create a Wherigo. I suspect there is a lot that could be done in Wherigos that people havn't thought of yet. After all, animation and moving things is only just been explored, what other things could be done?

 

I do agree with the Ranger about keeping the code on Groundspeak websites to try and keep a none elitest feel to wherigos and not split the comunity. Getting new people in is good for all concerned, new people new ideas, new boundaries pushed back.

 

Stupid questions are rearly stupid, just a lack of knowledge, which is what these simple examples would fix

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