Build 10 -- Configs and more GUI

[Freddie]

I've tentatively decided on a design for the multiboxing part of the program from the user's point of view. Comments are welcome. This is all subject to change.

There will be five kinds of objects that the user manipulates, and a screen for each one.

-- Computers

-- WoWs

-- Toons

-- Teams

-- Key maps

Here's the Toon screen. You can customize the pictures for each toon (with screenshots, etc.) and make them any size you like.



The info in those screens will be stored as XML files. This will allow people to edit the files by hand, if they want to, and copy them etc. The file for the above screen looks like this:

<Toon>
   <Name>Dopey</Name>
   <Account>MyAccount1</Account>
   <IconPath>priest_icon.jpg</IconPath>
</Toon>
<Toon>
   <Name>Grumpy</Name>
   <Account>MyAccount2</Account>
   <IconPath>paladin_icon.jpg</IconPath>
</Toon>

(Actually that's not valid XML. It's a little bit simplified.)

[yaki]

FYI you can edit posts...it helps on keeping down the thread count as compared to making one for every incremental change when the interval is short.

[Freddie]

When a build has something significant in it, about which I want feedback, I start a new thread.

The previous build thread gets locked.

This arrangement was worked out with Svpernova.

The interval is irrelevant because threads are about features, not about how much time passed. Mojo is getting big features very fast. It's only five weeks old, yet already it does KM and broadcast.

There are two main reasons for starting a new thread and locking the previous one:

1. It makes uninvolved people aware of the new feature because a brief description appears in the forum index.

2. It helps focus the conversation on the most recently added feature. This is important for testing.

[Flekkie]

Ooh a new one, I'll have a look in a bit. Didn't expect it to be so WoW focused!


About the buttons from the last thread:

I think you're probably right about this too but I think I'll have to rewrite the code that draws the buttons to make the difference between off and disabled more obvious. (Those aren't Windows buttons although they look like Windows buttons. It took me fhours to write the code that draws them. I wanted to make them look like Vista taskbar buttons except with a green glow instead of orange, but I gave up because it would have taken at least a day.)

Make a minion do it! Erm, I mean trusty colleague.
TBH, I don't know a lot about how these open source things work, but I noticed some trusty colleagues were trying to volunteer in a previous thread..

I only meant that people might want control to go in only one direction. Imagine you have two PCs. You want one to control the other, but not vice versa.
...
I'd like to find a solution that (1) is easily seen so people know the feature exists and (2) is easy to use.

Is there is an opportunity to indicate this on the 'computers' tab/screen? You could put computer-specific settings next to each computer icon. [Edit: or click the icon to see them.] This setting might show as "Mouseover from this PC: allowed/disallowed". So when the button was on (green) then those PCs with the allowed setting would be good to go. When off, all mouseover is stopped. If only one PC, leave the button grey but don't show the computer-specific mouseover settings.

If you liked that layout then you could extend the idea: show WoW-specific (later: program specific?) info on the WoW tab, toon-specific on the toon tab, and so on.

[Freddie]

Ooh a new one, I'll have a look in a bit. Didn't expect it to be so WoW focused!

It's because I want Mojo to attract as many users as possible as fast as possible. If I focus on just WoW for the time being instead of trying to make Mojo general-purpose, (1) Mojo will work better with WoW and (2) I can write it faster.

Is there is an opportunity to indicate this on the 'computers' tab/screen? You could put computer-specific settings next to each computer icon. This setting might show as "Mouseover from this PC: allowed/disallowed". So when the button was on (green) then those PCs with the allowed setting would be good to go. When off, all mouseover is stopped. If only one PC, leave the button grey but don't show the computer-specific mouseover settings.

That's a good idea. As far as the details of seeing the info next to each computer, and changing that info, you'll be able to right click a computer and get either a menu or window specific to that computer. You'll also be able to toggle the Computers window and see it in the form of a list (sort of like a spreadsheet) where details are spelled out.

If you liked that layout then you could extend the idea: show WoW-specific (later: program specific?) info on the WoW tab, toon-specific on the toon tab, and so on.

Yes, they will all work as I just described. You'll be able to right click items in the WoWs window and the Teams window and the Toons window to get either a menu or window specific to the item. And you will be able to toggle those windows as a whole between picture view and spreadsheet view. (Microsoft calls the two views "icon view" and "report view." Maybe it would be easier to use the technical names.)

By the way, in case you're interested, you might want to read Microsoft's guidelines for designing interfaces. It explains all the different visual elements that are used in Windows programs. Tells you the names of them, how Microsoft recommends using them, etc.

Windows User Experience Guidelines

If you don't want to read the whole thing, the section on Controls is probably the most useful.

Controls

The program can have other, non-standard interface elements as well, but it usually saves me time to use the operating system's built-in elements.

[ElectronDF]

One thing for the future (hotkeys time or at least keys entry time). I would like a "Return cursor back home" key, so after I mouse over to a another computer to do something and poop hits the fan, I want to get back to my normal computer as fast as possible. PVP fighting last only seconds sometimes (like 7-10) and if I spend 3-4 just getting my cursor back to home so hotkeys work and my mouse works again, that is rough.

Not sure if I give enough credit. I truely love HKN and wish the best for Mojo. I like all that I see so far. I just need to bring it up once and then I will drop it. It would be nice to have a java version so I could use it on my non-PC (just a crappy receiver, no hotkeys, no mouse, just receive the keys sent from Mojo). Just like an option that would talk to a VNC server would work. (in case you could steal VNC code and use it)

If you are looking for options to put in for fun.
Auto-start on Win start checkbox.
Auto-update checkbox (maybe prompts that new verion is available and then times out to update in ## secs).
And later on, hide window to the taskbar.

[Flekkie]

I Just tried it, is it purely the addition of the buttons down the left hand side? I didn't see any toon icons, and not sure where to put any XML type files or what to call them.



Some other feedback on the update process. It may be related to my firewall, not sure. I'm using the free version of Comodo at the moment.

After updating, I launch 2 WoWs and then switch broadcasting on. Then I type in my password. At the first letter on the active WoW window, I get the Comodo firewall prompt for do I want to allow so-and-such? I say yes, but broadcasting still not working. I have to close everything (WoW and Mojo), and then it works fine, and continues to do so until the next update. At least this was the behaviour after updating to build 9 and build 10, and I didn't try build 6 since it was only about mouseover.

So.. is anyone else getting this? *Frowns at firewall icon*

[Freddie]

I Just tried it, is it purely the addition of the buttons down the left hand side? I didn't see any toon icons, and not sure where to put any XML type files or what to call them.

This build has a huge amount of new code inside but not much is visible.

If you want to try the icons, make an XML file like the sample above. Save it to Mojo's data folder. (Later on you'll be able add toons from inside Mojo itself in an easy way.)

You'll also need some image files. You can use anything you want. Save them wherever you want, and write their locations in the XML file.

Finally, you may need to set the size of icons. That's on the new Appearance Settings screen.

[Flekkie]

Save it to Mojo's data folder

Heh, no idea where that is >.<
Mojo.exe is saved in 4 different locations according to my windows explorer search, and the folders are mostly strings of numbers & letters.

But if setup will be possible within Mojo I'll just wait.

[Freddie]

Some other feedback on the update process. It may be related to my firewall, not sure. I'm using the free version of Comodo at the moment.

After updating, I launch 2 WoWs and then switch broadcasting on. Then I type in my password. At the first letter on the active WoW window, I get the Comodo firewall prompt for do I want to allow so-and-such? I say yes, but broadcasting still not working. I have to close everything (WoW and Mojo), and then it works fine, and continues to do so until the next update. At least this was the behaviour after updating to build 9 and build 10, and I didn't try build 6 since it was only about mouseover.

So.. is anyone else getting this? *Frowns at firewall icon*

This is happening on a single PC with nothing shown in "Connections?"