Standalone GUI Dialog Editor

[linuxmaster9 101]

I am requesting a Standalone GUI Dialog Editor to run outside Arma3. It would allow users to create new dialogs and edit existing ones. It would generate the necessary files based on the input from the user. The user would input necessary information like screensize and such then would be presented with a large interface with a grid on it. Users would then place things and name them or fill in information. Parameters would be set via checkboxes, slidebars (color etc) and so on. Ideally there would be a preview option to preview the results. Even something that did not let you preview but instead just spit out the necessary code would be immensely useful. Especially for those of us who edit things when away from home. I for example edit scripts and debug missions on a sandybridge core-i3 laptop with integrated graphics. Yet for some reason, I can not edit or create a GUI Dialog but can generate Briefing files, Description files, config files and so one via standalone programs.

[haxor4evr 13]

+1 To this idea. Dialogs are a pain to do manually and the built in dialog creation tool is not the best thing ever.. 

[wantafanta 13]

was there not a tool like this for arma 2?

[linuxmaster9 101]

was there not a tool like this for arma 2?

It was but it was ingame. Not external like Im requesting. I would love to be able to do GUI edits from an external IDE style program. Kinda like using DreamWeaver to make a website. WYSIWYG.

 

If it was Multiplatform aka Windows and Linux (source code and not written in .net but in C or C++ or Python, that would be great)

[pedeathtrian 99]

Do you have at least some kind of specification for that software? Some (sufficient) collection of links on the topic. File formats, data types, required functionality, available API, all the stuff.

Because now it looks like there might be some person who perfectly knows how to create dialogs in A3, and is a programmer at the same time, and is capable of writing crossplatform code. And he would kindly spend significant amount of time to create this software. You're asking for (almost) impossible.

Or there might be some person who does not know how to create dialogs in A3, but is a programmer, and is capable of writing crossplatform code. And he would kindly spend more significant amount of time to first learn the theme and then create this software. This is also (almost) impossible.

Or there might be some person who knows how to create dialogs in A3, but is not a programmer. And he would kindly spend even more significant amount of time to first gain some programming skills and then write some resemblance of required SW. It's funny but see this happening more often than previous.

 

You can increase the chances for that software being eventually created by collecting all information and writing some speicifcations, thus doing part of the work that does not require programming skills. When done with community assistance it can provide a very good start point if in some time in the future some random programmer will have spare time for community project.

[linuxmaster9 101]

Do you have at least some kind of specification for that software? Some (sufficient) collection of links on the topic. File formats, data types, required functionality, available API, all the stuff.

Because now it looks like there might be some person who perfectly knows how to create dialogs in A3, and is a programmer at the same time, and is capable of writing crossplatform code. And he would kindly spend significant amount of time to create this software. You're asking for (almost) impossible.

Or there might be some person who does not know how to create dialogs in A3, but is a programmer, and is capable of writing crossplatform code. And he would kindly spend more significant amount of time to first learn the theme and then create this software. This is also (almost) impossible.

Or there might be some person who knows how to create dialogs in A3, but is not a programmer. And he would kindly spend even more significant amount of time to first gain some programming skills and then write some resemblance of required SW. It's funny but see this happening more often than previous.

 

You can increase the chances for that software being eventually created by collecting all information and writing some speicifcations, thus doing part of the work that does not require programming skills. When done with community assistance it can provide a very good start point if in some time in the future some random programmer will have spare time for community project.

Well, I do know from poking around in the GUI code that most of the GUI files are .hpp or .h. Some are .cpp. Others are .sqf and .cfg.

 

it appears that most of the GUI code is C or C++.

 

My programming background is in GWBASIC and QBASIC with BASH and a little HTML/CSS thrown in. I used to write software for DOS but left that game for other pursuits. I could most likely write another QBASIC program if I cleaned out the cobwebs around that information. I used to write 3D software for DOS. That's right, QBASIC could do 3D.

[Naiss 28]

if you enable debug in the description and hit esc ingame you get the dialog editor

[x39 101]

Do you have at least some kind of specification for that software? Some (sufficient) collection of links on the topic. File formats, data types, required functionality, available API, all the stuff.

Because now it looks like there might be some person who perfectly knows how to create dialogs in A3, and is a programmer at the same time, and is capable of writing crossplatform code. And he would kindly spend significant amount of time to create this software. You're asking for (almost) impossible.

Or there might be some person who does not know how to create dialogs in A3, but is a programmer, and is capable of writing crossplatform code. And he would kindly spend more significant amount of time to first learn the theme and then create this software. This is also (almost) impossible.

Or there might be some person who knows how to create dialogs in A3, but is not a programmer. And he would kindly spend even more significant amount of time to first gain some programming skills and then write some resemblance of required SW. It's funny but see this happening more often than previous.

 

You can increase the chances for that software being eventually created by collecting all information and writing some speicifcations, thus doing part of the work that does not require programming skills. When done with community assistance it can provide a very good start point if in some time in the future some random programmer will have spare time for community project.

who needs crossplatform support for a single-platform game?

there you go btw. https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/191187-alpha-arma-ui-editor-the-future-of-ui-editing-in-arma/

currently in alpha though ... also need loads of feedback still

[pedeathtrian 99]

who needs crossplatform support for a single-platform game?

Your question is based on false proposition. ArmA 3 has ports for Linux and Mac, though older versions than for Win.

Should be

"who needs crossplatform support for multi-platform game?"

Minority, probably, but definitely not nobody.

 

I have successfully edited (i.e. unpacked, edited and packed; using mikero tools for Linux) missions on Linux; had those mission run on dedicated server on Linux; and played them with other Linux and Mac players.

Unfortunately, we don't have a full stack of editing and content creation tools available on Linux and/or Mac, otherwise we would have had more serious modders and mission makers nowadays. Not everything can be done in text editor.

Some other problems are also persist, even for players. Like, up-to-date BIS tools create up-to-date ArmA content which is incompatible with not-so-up-to-date ArmA 3 Linux and Mac versions, so you can't use new mods (e.g. p3d files version 70 in CUP mods and others). New missions contain new commands and cannot be run on older versions of ArmA, and so on. And I had an urge to fix stuff but found lack of required tools discouraging. Dat feeling when you know what to do and how to do, but you are not going to install Win because of it.

 

So yes, there are people who could use some crossplatform support.

[x39 101]

Your question is based on false proposition. ArmA 3 has ports for Linux and Mac, though older versions than for Win.

Should be

"who needs crossplatform support for multi-platform game?"

Minority, probably, but definitely not nobody.

 

I have successfully edited (i.e. unpacked, edited and packed; using mikero tools for Linux) missions on Linux; had those mission run on dedicated server on Linux; and played them with other Linux and Mac players.

Unfortunately, we don't have a full stack of editing and content creation tools available on Linux and/or Mac, otherwise we would have had more serious modders and mission makers nowadays. Not everything can be done in text editor.

Some other problems are also persist, even for players. Like, up-to-date BIS tools create up-to-date ArmA content which is incompatible with not-so-up-to-date ArmA 3 Linux and Mac versions, so you can't use new mods (e.g. p3d files version 70 in CUP mods and others). New missions contain new commands and cannot be run on older versions of ArmA, and so on. And I had an urge to fix stuff but found lack of required tools discouraging. Dat feeling when you know what to do and how to do, but you are not going to install Win because of it.

 

So yes, there are people who could use some crossplatform support.

The unix version still is an experiment and not a serious version bi maintains

Also ... this might run on linux (if someone ported the wpf framework)