[Addon] Jamba - An assistant for multiboxers. Old Thread

[Daeri]

I understand and kind of like Taborious' idea : using jamba's infrastructure and channel to share informations between the toons, but still relying on a keyboard-triggered macro to do the real work (healing, cleansing etc.). Maybe the concept could be tested by adding a new "unofficial" module to Jamba, so that Jafula wouldn't have to maintain it. I'd give it a try but I have no idea how an addon could pass a parameter to a macro ?! Would I have to hack Jamba-macro as well ?

[Mukade]

/facepalm

Try reading the posts after Taborious'.

Addon's have no connection to macros. If you want to trigger a macro, or send it values (like setting target or focus for it to work on), you need to send WoW a keypress. For that you will need to use a multiboxing program, because addons are not permitted in any way to pick targets or activate abilities.

If you're thinking of having Jamba-Macro rewrite macros on the fly, depending on what is sent through the channel, that is just too close to automation, regardless of how you use it. It's a very small step to go, from changing the healing macro to modify the target, based on which character is clicked on in the addon window, to changing the healing macro, based on the health the addon is reading for the character.

[Daeri]

/facepalm

I don't understand why I should deserve such condescension. I never suggested that the addon should press key byitself, neither did Taborious. An addon cannot press a key but the user can. Nothing prevents me from clicking and pressing a key at the same time. I could even assign a shortcut to each bar thus removing completely the need of clicking but that would lead to another way of managing the healing.

I don't know how to do everything yet but that doesn't mean it's not feasible. If an addon can't communicate with a macro, then maybe an addon could communicate with another addon. Click on a bar and press a key broadcasted on all clients -> use the communication channel to tell which toon is to be healed/cleansed/whatever -> have the real action performed by a slave.

I don't see any automation there. One click, one keypress, one action.

[Jafula]

The way I read Taborious's (T) idea is through their use of the word "execute". It gives me the impression that T thinks Jamba can execute macros. My apologies if I have misunderstood.

Jamba can change macros, but not in combat and cannot execute them for you. If T were to reword their request to remove "execute", then you are left with a program that sends messages that are useless in combat, but reasonable out of combat.

Sure, Jamba can send commands via the addon channel and Jamba-Macro does exactly this. You can assign keys and rebuild any macros any way you like. You can rebuild your macros at anytime you are not in combat from the master toon. So T, your request has been implemented already!

Jamba-Target that you can find in v0.4 (I hope to rewrite this for Cata) rewrites macros on the fly by sending a message from the master to the slaves so you can /targetexact a mob really fast. It also lets you change the target for a cc macro. Being able to select a mob and press a key and have my mage rewrite its cc macro to cc the mob I selected on my tank is cool. I used Jamba-Target in Blood Furnace a lot! And given the supposed need for cc in cata, I can see a need to get Jamba-Target back.

You can see how Jamba-Target works here:

http://www.dual-boxing.com/showthread.php?t=16181

So Taborious, I hope that clears up the constraints that Blizzard have implemented on addons and we haven't scared you away! I really like suggestions for Jamba and hope you'll keep contributing. Any thoughts on this discussion are welcome.

[Jafula]

If you're thinking of having Jamba-Macro rewrite macros on the fly, depending on what is sent through the channel, that is just too close to automation, regardless of how you use it. It's a very small step to go, from changing the healing macro to modify the target, based on which character is clicked on in the addon window, to changing the healing macro, based on the health the addon is reading for the character.

That would be lovely! Joking. Addons cannot change macros during combat, so that's out. Smartbuff changes macros on the fly so you can buff with one key, so there are some neat things (ala Jamba-Target I talk about in my post above) that we can do with addons. Of course, its up to the individual whether or not they use them.

Thor is here! Well Thor was until he got Baneling rushed. Grrr.

[Jafula]

Doh! Must supress urge to rewrite Jamba-Target and go to bed. Night all!

[Mukade]

The /facepalm was because there were 2 posts saying that addons activating macros isn't possible, because it could also be used to automate actions. You then went on to suggest there may be another way to have an addon influence a macro by a different method. However, that could also be used for automation. You didn't put 2 and 2 together and see that what applies to the first case also applies to the 2nd.

Before saying 'This might be a way to do X.', think 'Could this be used in any way for automation?'. If the answer is yes, then someone will have tried it, and Blizzard will have patched it out, if they hadn't already thought of it themselves.

I'm just as deserving of a /facepalm for not working out how it could be prevented. Simply by locking macros during combat (how does that apply to the extended/internal macro systems used by some addons?).

[ElectronDF]

I posted awhile ago asking if it was possible to use the jamba team frames as a healbot/grid/whatever for click healing. The answer to that question was, no it can't, but it can target the player.

OK, I thought about that for awhile and was thinking this would be such a simple function to add to jamba and a question I see a lot in the forums about team healing.

I had an idea of how this could work and was even going to attempt to make the change in jamba but the techniques used in his code are beyond me. So, Im simply going to throw out my view/idea and see if anyone out there with the know how would take up the torch, or shot me down one or the other.

The jamba team frame is already click-able, hence that you can use it to target a character. So it is already interpreting mouse clicks; probably no right/left/middle but it could. If healing was turn on then when a toon was clicked jamba would send a message out on the shared team channel. All team members would see this(a hook would have to be added to watch for heal requests). Jamba already has a mechanism that allows certain team members to participate in certain events, so all non-healers would ignore the message and toons that are configured within jamba to watch for heal request would then trigger.

Here is where I may get some slack feedback. Since you cannot use cast within code this restricts what I want to accomplish to macros. Within a macro you can cast and this is where I see this working. Now, taking a 5 team boxer as an example AND with 3 possible types of heal; triggered by left, middle & right mouse buttons. You would require 15 macros. One macro per toon per heal type. I don't think 15 is that many...but maybe you do. Anyway, the heal message would require 3 pieces of information, something to indicate its a heal request and not a settings update, the toon to be healed and the type of heal. So, something like this "heal Jonboy left". "heal" marks it a heal request, "Jonboy" the toon to heal and "left" the type, left mouse button was clicked. With that information the proper heal macro would execute. Since you would have 15 macros, 5 for left mouse button, 5 for middle and 5 for right with one entry for each toon.

So good idea...??? or I can't believe this noob spelled his name right to register with this site...

What I do is put heals in my hand then click on a bar and it heals that person. You can either cast a heal/buff with no target (and auto-cast on self disabled) or use @none (used to be target=none). That puts the spell in your hand and you can click on whoever/whatever you want to use the spell on (jamba bars, focus frame, raid frame, party frame, char bar (" V "), etc.).

[valle2000]

Jafula
Would it be possible to please allow chat snippets to be sent in ordinary chat as well, not just in whispers?

[Taborious]

ElectronDF,
You're assuming that the main is the healer. Also, my idea was not just for healing. I could be used for various options, healing just happens to be one of them.

Jafula,
Thanks for the feedback. Not scared away, but not giving up either :-) i love solving problems....ok, maybe giving up a little bit, but still thinking about it; i make no sense sometimes.

All,
I see several responses to my post and I understand the comments and points in all of them. I was never intending to automate anything, but, I see where someone with Dr.Evil intentions; realize I have a whole bag of ssshhh here just for you, could use it in the wrong way.