GearSwitcher

[Soresha]

Hey folks, I made a new UI mod... it's called GearSwitcher. The UI window itself isn't that stunning, but here's what it looks like:



Now for the interesting part, this is what it does.

• Provides 8 sets of gear per character dedicated to the diplomacy stations.
• Provides an additional 8 custom sets of gear per character, for any combination of the equipment sheets.
• Supports up to six characters and switches between them automatically, with nothing to do when you change character.
• Modular approach to characters and sets of gear, expanding as required and allowing individual sets to be updated easily.
• Details of a character's equipment are recorded directly from the game, no need to type out the names of items.
• Configurations for sets of gear can be changed "on the fly", by alt-tabbing out of the game temporarily and reloading the UI when returning.
• Provides a robust solution for equipping two items with the same name (for rings and earrings).
• Uses a separate UI window with dedicated buttons, without using up any hotkey slots.
• Small free-floating button to open the GearSwitcher UI window.

Please do take the time to read the information on my website about how to install, customise and use the mod.

www.soresha.net/gearswitcher/

And of course it's available to download here too, as soon as it appears.


Obviously this is a beta version! Whilst it's working fine for me, I would appreciate feedback from anyone who would like to try it out. In particular:

- Is it generating the XML files correctly?
- Is it equipping all the gear as intended?
- Any performance issues?

Also do my instructions make sense? If anything is unclear or confusing please tell me.


Some usage notes:

• Use the free-floating button to open/close the GearSwitcher UI window.
• Within the GearSwitcher window, buttons will only appear for characters and sets of gear which you have created XML files for.
• Double click the buttons slowly to change your gear. If the button stays red, the second click was too fast and was not accepted. Click the button again so that it turns back to green. (This is a deliberate mechanism to reliably equip two items with the same name.)
• The station sets only control the diplomacy equipment sheet. The custom sets can be used to control any or all of the adventuring, crafting, harvesting, diplomacy and appearance equipment sheets.
• All clothing equipment slots are included (if the equipment sheet is included). Weapon and container slots are not included, i.e. primary/secondary weapons, ranged weapon and ammo, crafting toolbelts and utility pouch, harvesting tool, toolbelt and tacklebox and diplomacy container.
• Where diplomacy clothing includes a container this must be empty in order for the item to be removed. These items can be swapped with the GearSwitcher mod, but be aware of looted items going into these containers which will prevent this happening.
• You can change your sets of gear at any time. Just create new XML files to replace the previous ones in the GearSwitcher directory. You can remove sets by deleting their XML files.
• You can change which characters are using the mod at any time by creating a new GearSwitcherCharacters.xml file.

And some other notes, things I can think of right now:

Performance - well so far I'm not seeing any general performance issues, it's a small UI window with a few buttons and no graphics. I'm seeing an increase in the time taken to load the UI (i.e. typing /reloadui), probably due to the number of extra files being added, but this doesn't effect gameplay. People don't generally reload the UI in the middle of a fight!

Currently the form allows for 6 characters. Whilst there is technically no limit to how many could be supported, I am wary about increasing this number and the effect the extra files will have on the time taken to load the UI.

I am considering writing a windows application version as an alternative way to manage the XML files, but for now this was the quickest way to do it.

I am also wondering about a little status window to say which of the sets of gear is currently equipped (or rather, which button was clicked on last). But this may be unnecessary overkill?

I can make a combined version of InfoMap + MiniCards + GearSwitcher when I get to the first proper release. Not sure how many combinations to make though:
InfoMap + MiniCards
InfoMap + GearSwitcher
InfoMap + MiniCards + GearSwitcher
Are all worth making available?

[capelski]

I will test this mod when I get home.
I would be happy to get rid of the 24 macro slots for switching diplo gear so I love it in advance
I can safely say that I want to combine all mods in 1.

[Soresha]

Quick update after some feedback from guildmates:

I'm going to add in the primary/secondary weapons, ranged weapon and ammo slot. (That comes from me only knowing my druid really!)

I'm going to try out an alternative UI window, something with tiny buttons, no borders, would integrate into the UI layout and stay open all the time. I could offer both versions but it would be an either/or choice for which you used, it affects making the custom XML files for them because of the button sizes... (I think).

I'd be interested to hear which approach more people prefer:
- a UI window you open/close with larger buttons
- a small hotbar-like window that stays open.

[capelski]

I tested this mod yesterday.
My main use for this would be diplomacy to switch gear for stations.
A secondary use would be for my ranger to switch weapons, however when switching between ranged and melee, I do not only switch weapons, but also switch stances and use certain buffs/skills.
I guess the later part might be a step too far for this mod, which would mean I stick to my macro's for that (unless it would be an option anyway).

I must say that the mod does what it should do, so thats the most important one.
I noticed that thewindow to switch sets of clothes is in the back, so whenever I have another window over it (like an open bag) I couldn't get it to the front.
Because I use this mainly in diplo, I like the separate button to click the window on and off, because as raidleader my screen is already pretty full with a lot of junk, so an extra permanent bar is not my preferred solution, although smaller buttons/window would be nice anyway I think.

The main issue with this mod is that it takes some effort to create/update all the sets, which is no big issue when you are lvl 50 diplo and have all the gear you want, but while lvling the diplo gear can change a lot, which makes it hard to use.
Ideal would be if you could somehow integrate the functionality of the web into the mod, where in the end you would click the record button, you assign everything ingame and can use it directly.

[Soresha]

Thanks for the feedback.

Originally Posted by capelski

I tested this mod yesterday.
Ideal would be if you could somehow integrate the functionality of the web into the mod, where in the end you would click the record button, you assign everything ingame and can use it directly.

Yeah I wish... sadly it's not possible. You can't script anything in Vanguard's UI, so the processing has to be external somehow.

My original idea was to use the ingame web browser window to avoid alt-tabbing, but Ikik confirmed that the functionality for saving files just doesn't exist in the Mozilla code they used.

[Aalwein]

You might consider using a "hotspot" pop-up window, like the radial popup from CoreUI3 - the one you hover the mouse over and the options appear then slowly fade out. It would be ideal for a mod like this.

[Soresha]

I've redone the UI windows now, much happier with them really. Tbh I was more focused on the equipping functionality and the scripts before. I had to be sure it worked to know the mod was viable.

This is what I've got now, though the scripts don't produce the xml for it yet. But there will be a v0.2 out this weekend.



There's a mini hotbar with 2 buttons. One toggles the bank of buttons for switching gear, the other toggles the control window.

The Record/Reload buttons have moved to the control window with the help instructions.

The gear buttons are smaller, and if you don't set up the custom adv sets you'll only see the first 2 columns. This window is hopefully small enough to leave open for those who prefer that approach. Or leave open for awhile if you're running around doing diplo. This window will save whether it's open or closed so you can have it as a permanent hotbar if you want.

I'm trying to strike a balance here. Not everyone likes tiny buttons or things that flash up when you mouse over something. Generally my mods are more about adding functionality than restyling, and like InfoMap this is a tool more than anything else. I'd like it to be equally attractive to both players who love full blown mods and those who aren't happy moving too far from the default UI.

I'm much happier with the smaller bank of buttons now, but if I went any smaller I'd risk making it difficult for some players. And if I shorten the buttons there won't be enough room for proper words on them.

I'm still planning to add a tiny status window too, to remind you which set you last equipped. It will just be the name of the current set over a shaded background. I was going to make this part of the hotbar window, put it next to the buttons. But I reckon people will want to put the buttons in one place and the status bit in another, I know I will!

[heyu]

I got it dl'd and installed, was able to generate my xmls can click the buttons for the presence but its not loading the gear. Is this just me? Any ideas whats wrong?

[Soresha]

Originally Posted by heyu

I got it dl'd and installed, was able to generate my xmls can click the buttons for the presence but its not loading the gear. Is this just me? Any ideas whats wrong?

As a first guess, did you miss this step?

Under Vanguard's chat options, ensure "Command Results" is selected for the chat tab called "Chat".

When you hit the Record button, you should see lots of lines reporting equipment slots and gear items in your Chat tab.


It is actually possible to create an empty XML file. The scripts don't complain if they don't find anything for a slot, because it could have been empty. However I could add a test to catch a complete empty log file.

[heyu]

I got that part made sure I had it clicked. It saved multiple lines of everything I was wearing. Any other ideas?

Originally Posted by Soresha

As a first guess, did you miss this step?

Under Vanguard's chat options, ensure "Command Results" is selected for the chat tab called "Chat".

When you hit the Record button, you should see lots of lines reporting equipment slots and gear items in your Chat tab.


It is actually possible to create an empty XML file. The scripts don't complain if they don't find anything for a slot, because it could have been empty. However I could add a test to catch a complete empty log file.