[Iss Mneur]

Do you think it's possible to implement a "multi mode" button?  I have a number of things for testing inside my data folder (because I use them with other mods) and thus have a separate folder that I rename to "data" whenever I try multiplayer in order to get it clean.  Something like that would be nice.

Anyone with ideas about how that ought to work?

There are certainly a number of things that we can do as wxLauncher learns more about the structure of FSO data files (so it can patch them for example), so there are very few things that we would not be able to do.

That being said, what you are wanting to do would be a good use of the mod system.  You put your testing data into a folder called foo, for example. Put a mod.ini file in that folder, which is just a text file (or just copy the whole thing).  In the mod.ini copy the entire [multimod] section of the mod that you are using, placing the name of the mod that you want to test the updated files on (ie. the one that you just copied the mod.ini file of) at the beginning of the secondarylist (if you copied the entire file make sure that you change the modname value as well so that you can tell them apart more easily in wxLauncher).

For example, say you want to test a new mission for Blue Planet.

Code: (extract of the Blue Planet mod.ini) [Select]

[multimod]
primarylist  = ;
secondarylist = mediavps;

assuming you installed Blue Planet in the folder blueplanet:

Code: (foo/mod.ini) [Select]

[multimod]
primarylist  = ;
secondarylist = blueplanet,mediavps;

With this setup you then will be able to test modifications by choosing the mod testing from the list in wxLauncher and choose Blue Planet when you want to play multi with Blue Planet.

[Fury]

The installer automatically picks Program Files as install location. This is not advisable on Vista/Win7 as writing to Program Files requires admin privileges. By default install location should be C:\Games\FreeSpace2 as this is default in the FS2 installation. Total Conversions on the other hand either will package this with their downloads or have clear installation instructions.

In the mod selection list, it is a bit annoying that infotext disappears when you select mod. For some reason wxLauncher does not detect OpenAL and detect is grayed out. Another issue is that the launcher seems to think Windows reports 1 joystick with 3 or 4 plugged in. Old launcher only displays one. Calibrate button doesn't work for any of the four joysticks and they're all named as "Microsoft PC joystick driver", making it a wee bit harder to find the one that is actually my joystick.

And finally, profiles still doesn't seem to work. No matter what settings I tick, once I press "Play" the launcher uses default settings. None of the settings in mods, basic settings or advanced settings are used.

Launcher doesn't seem to detect uniquely named fs2 open executables, only those that follow certain naming scheme. Didn't find a way to select differently named exes manually either.

As I couldn't get the launcher to use any settings beyond very defaults, I'll let you know more feedback once these have been sorted out.

It seems that with this launcher I can no longer use fs2_open exe directly to fire up my games. I only used the old launcher when I needed to change mod folder or change a setting, other than that I always used fs2 open exe directly. Oh well, I'll adapt I think.

[chief1983]

If you're installing a program, installing to program files shouldn't be a big deal.  Needing admin privs for that shouldn't be a problem.  Subsequently writing data to that directory, however, is.

[Iss Mneur]

The installer automatically picks Program Files as install location. This is not advisable on Vista/Win7 as writing to Program Files requires admin privileges. By default install location should be C:\Games\FreeSpace2 as this is default in the FS2 installation. Total Conversions on the other hand either will package this with their downloads or have clear installation instructions.

This launcher is not intended or designed to be installed directly in the FS2 (or any other TC's) folder.  This launcher is designed to be completely independent of the mod of FSO installed.

In the mod selection list, it is a bit annoying that infotext disappears when you select mod.

This certainly can be changed, it is mostly like this because when the list was designed there was not going to be enough room.  Does anyone like the infotext disappearing when a mod is selected?

For some reason wxLauncher does not detect OpenAL and detect is grayed out.

Hmm, can you run the debug build (linked at the bottom of my original post) and post the log (instuctions for finding it in the Original post).

Another issue is that the launcher seems to think Windows reports 1 joystick with 3 or 4 plugged in. Old launcher only displays one. Calibrate button doesn't work for any of the four joysticks and they're all named as "Microsoft PC joystick driver", making it a wee bit harder to find the one that is actually my joystick.

Hmm, do you have any other controllers installed, like a game pad?  In any case, as above I would need to see a log from a debug build.

And finally, profiles still doesn't seem to work. No matter what settings I tick, once I press "Play" the launcher uses default settings. None of the settings in mods, basic settings or advanced settings are used.

Hmm, can you also include the profile files. They are in the same folder as the log and are name pro*.ini.

Launcher doesn't seem to detect uniquely named fs2 open executables, only those that follow certain naming scheme. Didn't find a way to select differently named exes manually either.

Currently it will only enumerate executables that start with fs2_open. I was not aware of exes that are FSO that do not have that naming scheme.  I will talk to kkmic about adding a way to add exes separately.

At that, I am aware that an executable named fs2_open_includes.exe, for example, would be shown as just FreeSpace Open Release.  I need to adjust the filename parser so that any extra text in the file name would be shown in the list.

As I couldn't get the launcher to use any settings beyond very defaults, I'll let you know more feedback once these have been sorted out.

Okay, looking forward to the additional information as I am not sure what you are getting at here.

It seems that with this launcher I can no longer use fs2_open exe directly to fire up my games. I only used the old launcher when I needed to change mod folder or change a setting, other than that I always used fs2 open exe directly. Oh well, I'll adapt I think.

Hmm, I will have to look into this because it is not supposed change anything in that regard.

If you're installing a program, installing to program files shouldn't be a big deal.  Needing admin privs for that shouldn't be a problem.  Subsequently writing data to that directory, however, is.

The only time the launcher should be have its folder written to is when it is being upgraded.  Everything that this launcher writes is done to its folder in the users profile or to the TC's folder (fso_cmdline.cfg).

[chief1983]

I wouldn't get too heavy into file name parsing, we don't exactly have a standard.  Filenames have traditionally started with fs2_open though, but having a 'show all exes' option would be helpful.  Does this launcher include FRED launching support by the way?

[Iss Mneur]

I wouldn't get too heavy into file name parsing, we don't exactly have a standard.  Filenames have traditionally started with fs2_open though, but having a 'show all exes' option would be helpful.  Does this launcher include FRED launching support by the way?

Not currently but it is planned, the button for it even is still in the code, but it is currently commented out.

[chief1983]

Testing wxLauncher 0.7.3:

I think the WMBAI thing is kinda corny.  Would prefer something a little sharper.
When a TC/Retail folder isn't set yet, just take me to Basic Settings or something, don't tell me I have to go there.  Or ask me directly for the info needed (where the TC is, etc).
First time setup wizard (ie point launcher to game data root folders) for getting this info would be nice.
Like I said before, not a huge fan of the filename parsing.  It's not going to stay consistent probably, as much as I'd like.  Either just showing filenames, having an 'all' option to actually pick the exe from a popup window, or polling the exes for the version data directly when that is finished would be preferred.
Do AA/AF and texture filtering settings do anything yet?  Didn't think they did.
Audio says:  Unknown version; Download OpenAL and Detect are disabled (greyed out).
Old launcher had a 'no sound' option, where did it go?
Joystick device is listed twice, old launcher only lists it once.
Port/IP should somehow indicate that they are optional overrides.  Also Port defaults to 0 instead of empty string, seems misleading.

Activate button is not disabled for the active mod.
Mod image looks horrible stretched to fit current size.  Will it handle an image that doesn't need scaling at least?

Need way to go to wiki entry for a command line option from the Advanced Settings tab.

That's all the nitpicks I have so far.  Might be some that are just uncompleted features, but figured I'd include everything now.

[kkmic]

I think the WMBAI thing is kinda corny.  Would prefer something a little sharper.

As I sid before, the WMBAI are just placeholders. We'll have proper icons in the final release.

When a TC/Retail folder isn't set yet, just take me to Basic Settings or something, don't tell me I have to go there.  Or ask me directly for the info needed (where the TC is, etc).

Trying to get to the mods tabs and being shown the basic settings tab if it is not correctly configured is  very confusing for a non-technical user. OTOH, a first-run wizard would be nice.

Like I said before, not a huge fan of the filename parsing.  It's not going to stay consistent probably, as much as I'd like.  Either just showing filenames, having an 'all' option to actually pick the exe from a popup window, or polling the exes for the version data directly when that is finished would be preferred.

We thought that all/most exes include the "fs2_open" string. A "show all executables" option would be nice, but then we rely on the user that he knows which exe he selects. Not good for non-technical users.

Do AA/AF and texture filtering settings do anything yet?  Didn't think they did.

Not for the moment. AFAIK they are passed to FSO but the engine does not know how to use them.

Port/IP should somehow indicate that they are optional overrides.  Also Port defaults to 0 instead of empty string, seems misleading.

They are mentioned as optional in the help file.

Activate button is not disabled for the active mod.
Mod image looks horrible stretched to fit current size.  Will it handle an image that doesn't need scaling at least?

Keeping the images' original size for the mod list will result in a big entry for each item from that list. We'll look into a smooth scaling method. As for the activate button, we'll keep it active as long as the old launcher is around.

Need way to go to wiki entry for a command line option from the Advanced Settings tab.

There will be a description displayed by the launcher in the right panel and an option to open the wiki page.

That's all the nitpicks I have so far.  Might be some that are just uncompleted features, but figured I'd include everything now.

Well, the launcher is in the Alpha stage, so there are a lot of things that do not work or are not yet implemented. Bear with us

And thanks for the detailed post.

[chief1983]

Like I said before, not a huge fan of the filename parsing.  It's not going to stay consistent probably, as much as I'd like.  Either just showing filenames, having an 'all' option to actually pick the exe from a popup window, or polling the exes for the version data directly when that is finished would be preferred.

We thought that all/most exes include the "fs2_open" string. A "show all executables" option would be nice, but then we rely on the user that he knows which exe he selects. Not good for non-technical users.

Well, if we can get to some sort of standardized naming scheme, including everything after the fs2_open, that'd be great.  We just don't have one currently so it's not telling enough info a lot of the time.  Sometimes we even rename builds ourselves because the coders who released them don't give them any extra designation, those would probably not follow any scheme at all (mine still all start with fs2_open though).

Port/IP should somehow indicate that they are optional overrides.  Also Port defaults to 0 instead of empty string, seems misleading.

They are mentioned as optional in the help file.

Who reads help files? 

Activate button is not disabled for the active mod.
Mod image looks horrible stretched to fit current size.  Will it handle an image that doesn't need scaling at least?

Keeping the images' original size for the mod list will result in a big entry for each item from that list. We'll look into a smooth scaling method. As for the activate button, we'll keep it active as long as the old launcher is around.

The only reason the activate button doesn't disable for the currently active mod, is because of the old launcher?  That sounds silly as it doesn't make much sense there either.  Not even quite sure what you're talking about actually.  There's no functionality exactly like that in the old launcher.

Well, the launcher is in the Alpha stage, so there are a lot of things that do not work or are not yet implemented. Bear with us

And thanks for the detailed post.

Yup.  Forgot to say, outside of all my nitpicks it's pretty awesome so far.  Keep it up.

[Iss Mneur]

Like I said before, not a huge fan of the filename parsing.  It's not going to stay consistent probably, as much as I'd like.  Either just showing filenames, having an 'all' option to actually pick the exe from a popup window, or polling the exes for the version data directly when that is finished would be preferred.

We thought that all/most exes include the "fs2_open" string. A "show all executables" option would be nice, but then we rely on the user that he knows which exe he selects. Not good for non-technical users.

Well, if we can get to some sort of standardized naming scheme, including everything after the fs2_open, that'd be great.  We just don't have one currently so it's not telling enough info a lot of the time.  Sometimes we even rename builds ourselves because the coders who released them don't give them any extra designation, those would probably not follow any scheme at all (mine still all start with fs2_open though).

As I mentioned above, kkmic and I are discussing our options and where we are going to put the button and/or options.

Activate button is not disabled for the active mod.
Mod image looks horrible stretched to fit current size.  Will it handle an image that doesn't need scaling at least?

Keeping the images' original size for the mod list will result in a big entry for each item from that list. We'll look into a smooth scaling method. As for the activate button, we'll keep it active as long as the old launcher is around.

The only reason the activate button doesn't disable for the currently active mod, is because of the old launcher?  That sounds silly as it doesn't make much sense there either.  Not even quite sure what you're talking about actually.  There's no functionality exactly like that in the old launcher.

What kkmic is referring to is that the current launcher (or any other launcher for that matter) can change the current mod that is represented in the cmdline_fso.cfg file, but wxLauncher does not read the contents of the environment after its first run.  wxLauncher gets its settings from its profiles and pushes them into the places that FSO looks for them, so actually it does not matter if the mod is changed outside of wxLauncher as it will erase any changes that are made outside of wxLauncher.

The real reason is that I forgot, though it also allows the user to reset the Advance Settings Page when it messes up without having to restart the launcher.  I filed a bug report as I don't plan on fixing this right now. https://code.google.com/p/wxlauncher/issues/detail?id=43

[Zacam]

Just to put these here so that they exist outside of IRC conversation:

Having a manifest file (probably a .txt though the extension doesn't matter to me) that contains a Version and Release Date lines. Additionally to contain some form of hashing (SHA-1 + file size was suggested. I'm okay with that or MD5, but definitely anything other than CRC especially not FSO's CRC. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but it is outdated now and inaccurate to other CRC shemas, nevermind that it takes ages for a full file read). This file would be present at the root of each VP, so the hashing would be for the files in the VP itself. Additionally to potentially contain the -spew out put for tables/missions to assist in validation. (And if/when an installer/updater is added, the same style of manifest file can be included in the root of the archive that will give the hashing data for the VP it contains (or VP's in the case of a package like Total which has all the individual VPs in it)).

Other additional: (And probably the most work to implement) As the MediaVPs contain quite a few components that may be desirable to turn off or on as the situation warrants, have in (say, MV_Core since it will always be on) a list file that will allow for optionals (like MV_Advanced, MV_AnimatedMaps or any other additional optional component) to be selectable as on or off when the MediaVPs are chosen as a mod. This can also be expanded to other mods or TC's that may have "Option Plus" content.

[Fury]

Hmm, can you run the debug build (linked at the bottom of my original post) and post the log (instuctions for finding it in the Original post).

Can't run debug launcher because it gives error "The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect."

[Iss Mneur]

Hmm, can you run the debug build (linked at the bottom of my original post) and post the log (instuctions for finding it in the Original post).

Can't run debug launcher because it gives error "The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect."

Fixed, rebuilt the debug wxLauncher to use the same runtime that was included in the installer.

Get it in the first post.

[Fury]

Debug log here: http://hlp.pastebin.com/m2470e5ae

However, the debug launcher works better than standard one for some odd reason. Except that cloning settings from one profile to another doesn't work. But at least debug saves settings, which standard didn't.

[Iss Mneur]

Debug log here: http://hlp.pastebin.com/m2470e5ae

However, the debug launcher works better than standard one for some odd reason. Except that cloning settings from one profile to another doesn't work. But at least debug saves settings, which standard didn't.

For the record, Fury and I have done some further troubleshooting on IRC and most of his problems that he was having with the launcher disappeared with after installing and running the debug wxLauncher once.

Also, wxLauncher 0.7.4 Alpha has now been released.  You can get it from the usual place or see the first post, which also contains the change log highlights.

[kkmic]

Announcing wxLauncher 0.7.8 public alpha

Wow. Iss Mneur, you seem to get ahead of yourself with these updates  My heart started beating fast when I saw the version number 

(for the record, the correct version is 0.7.4)

[Colonol Dekker]

Apologies for the bump. Just wanted to express my extreme satisfaction with this launcher. It is marvellous

[kkmic]

Thank you.

In other news, the launcher is still actively worked on. You might even see another alpha version around here pretty soon. With OSX and Linux (almost) full support 

[Iss Mneur]

wxLauncher 0.8.0 public alpha has been released.  See the first post for download information.

Have a happy Canada's Day.

[kkmic]

* blows a vuvuzela*

Well, I know the development is slow (you're welcome  to help if you wish) but really no one has anything to say?