User talk:MisterMcCoonie

OBSE Wish: String Arguments

In v0017 you will be able to pass a string in any place that you would usually pass a string literal by using, for example, this:

string_var str

Begin GameMode

  set str to sv_Construct "blah blah"
  SetMagicEffectName $str FRDG

End

That should fulfill your wish (and is generally easier in practice than actually having a format string in there.
Dragoon Wraith TALK 15:16, 30 March 2009 (EDT)

OBSE Wishes: ToString and ToRef, File Editing

I'd point out that the vast majority of object types (read: anything other than Cells and Quests) do not have the EditorID available at run-time; Oblivion does not load or store them. So that function would see astonishingly little practical purpose. Nonetheless, if still desired, I suggest bringing it up in the OBSE thread on the forums.

Further, exactly how is the limitation of an OBSE expr for ToString actually limiting you? An OBSE expr can have anything you like in it... More explanation of that would be good.

As for reading from or writing to a file, I believe for security reasons the OBSE team has decided not to do this, even though it would be rather trivial to add (in fact, Timeslip donated functions that do this a long time ago, that have simply never been exposed to script).

If you have any questions or comments on any of these, feel free to respond either here or on my Talk page in an appropriate header. Thanks.
Dragoon Wraith TALK 19:05, 22 April 2009 (EDT)

Thanks, I appreciate your responses. If I'd had enough know-how, I would have thanked you for your previous reply too. Perhaps I'm not totally sure what an EDID is then. For example, when I use a hex reference or base object code at the console, is that not the EDID? For example, if I type "00032BF5".setname "Darkness" at the console, I am changing the name of that horse using the numerical persistent reference. Is that not the EDID? Or what about additem; if I type player.additem 0000000f 800000 at the console, is "0000000f" not the EDID? If not, then that's what I was getting at. For example, I can use (and have used) Pluggy to do exactly this, but with Pluggy strings. The idea is to be able to create a string that contains a ref, then convert the string variable to a ref, so that it actually refers to something. As for the expressions, that's my fault, I haven't done much reading on v17, so I just assumed that an expression was indeed an expression. I'll edit the request as soon as I'm done writing this. That's unfortunate about the file functions, I'll remove the request as soon as I'm done here. Also, and I know I've droned on for long enough already, but since you seem to know a thing or two, I should ask you - do the OBSE developers actually visit the wish list page, or does it all have to be requested on the forums? Thanks again for your assistance.

Heh, if you have any questions about Wiki-ing, feel free to ask me. Also, I recommend the Help section highly. You should probably sign your comments in Talk pages (not on articles!) with ~~~~ so people know who said what (it inserts your username and the date and time). Less important on your own Talk page, of course.

Anyway, EditorID typically refers to the text string ID of an object - MS04Apple or whatever (I have no idea if said item actually exists). The hex number is typically referred to as the FormID. You do have to be careful as references can have editor and form IDs as easily as base objects, but people will usually refer to one or the other as a reference ID without saying if they mean the text string or the hex number (though it's almost always the text string, used for scripting).

If that is what you want, I'd point you to the GetFormFromMod command (which I don't think has been ported to the Wiki yet... we're a bit behind); it's the closest you'll likely get. People have been asking for arithmetic on FormIDs for a long time, and the response has been hesitant - they don't like the idea of giving modders access to other modders' items when the original modder may not have accounted for the possibility of script messing with his item, and they're worried about performance issues. Strings are not substantially different in either area.

As for the Wish List, yes, Scruggs checks it from time to time. But he has a lot of things being requested, and he prioritizes them based on how important they appear to him - namely, how much people are asking him about them. The Wish List is kind of viewed as a final double-check - he has his own internal list that he uses. So if you want something, especially something like the file read/write functions or the ref/string conversion function, it is a much better idea to bring it up with him in the thread. I can't speak for him. I can describe history, but the OBSE team has changed considerably since either of those functions were shot down - Ian and behippo have moved on to FOSE, and Scruggs has taken over OBSE. They're still a team, and they help each other, but things may have changed.

In any case, good luck!

Dragoon Wraith TALK 15:41, 23 April 2009 (EDT)

Superb, thanks for all the info. Yes, FormID is what I was referring to, I changed the request on the OBSE wish list to refer to FormID as opposed to EDID. I also got rid of the sv_ToRef request because, as you pointed out, GetFormFromMod solves those problems. The one thing I'll have to check is whether it will accept a string variable instead of a hex literal. Even if it doesn't, it isn't the end of the world. I also got rid of the request to dump an array to a file, since OBSE likely won't support file functions, which was the basis for this request. I can use Pluggy if I need to dump an array to a file. I went through my requests and got rid of any me/you/I type words, which will likely explain my seemingly extensive editing of the OBSE Wish List. Again, thank you, I appreciate all of your assistance.

-MisterMcCoonie 14:26, 26 April 2009 (EDT)

Oh, another option on the dump: There's an excellent utility out there that saves Console outputs to a file while you play. Then you could just use ar_Dump to print it to the console, and that utility will save it in a file. Great for debug purposes.

Dragoon Wraith TALK 15:24, 26 April 2009 (EDT)

Pluggy can already do much of what you've requested.
--Haama 19:18, 23 April 2009 (EDT)

Yes, I know, but my requests were asking for the same functionality for OBSE strings. I will likely end up using Pluggy still for a few of my mods, and I've edited my requests to the point where I don't think any of them overlap with Pluggy functions. The only one that comes to mind is the RevertName request, which is the same as the Pluggy function 'ResetName', which has not been implemented, according to the documentation.

-MisterMcCoonie 14:26, 26 April 2009 (EDT)