Data Workstation 0.5d Released~ 21st June 2009

[Azriel]

old post (Click to View)

The Data Workstation has been quite a welcomed project since its beginning a month ago (20th January 2009).


courtesy of phil

Here's a list of what the Data Workstation can do:

Code:

Tabbed files
Find/Replace Dialog
Syntax highlighting - includes comments
Quick reference panel for your data changing needs (needs an internet connection)
Show/hide Reference and Frame Maker Panels
Frame element template generators
Undo/Redo functionality
Open multiple data files
Preview the sprite render + Area highlighting (Bdy and Itr; more frame elements to come in the future)

>>Download<<
>>ext folder<< - goes in the "app" folder. (you may use the ext folder from previous versions). This is needed for the reference panel to load.

>>Download jar<< - [Ctrl] + [R] instead of [Ctrl] + [Space] for updating frame maker.

Code:

[Data Workstation v0.5c] 28/02/09

Changes in this version
--------------------------------------------------
JSlider is now on the side
Sprite number is shown underneath the rendering area
Wind's bmp converter is used during loading of sprites (8-bit compressed bmp support)
Progress bar is on the bottom right
About dialog is updated

both the jar file and the "Data Workstation.exe" work.

notes
- Frame Maker will render the Bdy and Itr areas for the frame you are in when u press Ctrl + Space*
- You can open multiple data files at the same time
- Frame Maker has a slider for the sprite numbers (loads images when u load the data file if the images are in the same folder)

*the caret position must be between a "<frame>" and "<frame_end>"

I know I'm reaaaaaally lazy, and I didn't even bother updating the w/es (history etc.), but if u've got v0.5c running well, just download [this] (yes i know it still says 0.5c but it's 0.5d; 0.5c is renamed to 1DWv0.5c.rar). this is DWv0.5c.jar, so replace it in the app folder.

what's new:
- different coloured itr areas for different itr kinds
- loads sprites from up 2 folders + follow sprite path, or same folder (first has priority), so if u open deep.dat in the lf2 data folder, it will automatically go look for the sprites in sprites/sys.

btw: look at henry's D^J frames. it's quite pretty =D

you will need Java 1.6 to run this. get it [here]



Azriel~

[MH-Razen]

wootie, one of the first guys who can try this. I really like the formating and the fact that I can open several files with one program, but some tools we like from Jiqueras are still missing

keep up the good work

[Alblaka]

I would test it, but in the moment i'm more busy to keep the bugs off, i have caused myself XD

But that Tab-thing looks nice... Windows is not able to put three DCs correct in a row on the task bar...

[Boop]

Sexy!

[Silverthorn]

Nice work, man! Really like the tab-solution

Didn't test it out yet (as I'm in school atm), but these are some things that I'd need:
# find/replace
# (make comments grayed out?)
# jump to frame xyz
# jump to the standing/walking/runnning/etc-frames

By the way, how fast is it reading/writing?

[snorsorbet]

It would be nice to have buttons that automaticly create the code opoint, wpoint, cpoint, centerx dvx etc. Like if I click the button "Interaction" the text "itr:" will appear and you go down a line and tab. If I click the "Interaction" button again it will go down a line and back a tab, and the text "itr_end:" will appear.
Or if you click the button "Wait" the text "wait:" will appear.
I think it's a great way for beginners to learn the different text expressions and get a grip of DCing.

I hope that you get what I mean

[1477]

First of all, I'd like to say that I have quite a few suggestions for a new, improved Data Changer , as I've been stuck with the Jiquera's old crappy Data Changer for over three years. EDIT!: By the way, the following suggestions all are improvements to better it from Jiquera's Data Changer, not what you should have to catch up with it (i just noticed that those types of suggestions are what all the other responders are making).

@Snorsorbet:
It's NOT a good way of learning DC, trust me ... I taught all of DC basics to myself just by using the Jiquera's DCer v1.4 three years ago with absolutely no outside help (this was before I found LF-EMPIRE) and it took forever! It took like five months of playing around with data from template and all the original characters just to figure out what the lying/picking_light frames meant and what they did. However, it took me only a couple weeks to figure out what itr/cpoint/opoint and all of its 'kinds' meant. Not only did the skip frames not help until after I finally learned all of the DC basics, but it made the learning process worse. The 'skip' tags always talked way over my head. It's like reading a book that's way advanced for you, cramming too much info at once up to the point where you just give up. Anyways enough of this long speech.

Onto Suggestions:

@Azriel:
First, I think you should not only have DC tutorials on there. You should have a technical terms glossary (I know that it took me forever to self-teach myself all those complicated terms ). Also, you should have some famous mod download links posted to give people move ideas, like what moves to create and what moves not to use/already taken (because obviously they're aiming to create a new character or mod an existing one).

You should host this new Data Changer on some famous website besides this one (like download.com) so that people who haven't found this fansite yet can have access to your new Data Changer. I remember I had to scroll down 12 pages of Google after searching "LF2 Hacking Program" before I found some Asian Korean Site that hosted Jiquera's DC v1.4 ! We don't want that to happen to your DC program, do we?

Thirdly, you should make the DCing algorithm possible to read R-LF2's files (I'm examining R-LF2 a lot right now, as it is the most famous LF2 mod out so far, in order to obtain some ideas for my current mod 'LFCL' right now, and I'm finding it quite annoying to have to open it with Rammichael's Data Changer first and deleting the symbols before opening with Jiquera's Data Changer and skipping to the lines I want to see). Actually, I think it can already read it. Never mind.....

Fourthly and finally, you should have a link somewhere in your program to LF-EMPIRE (for advertising purposes ).

Again, these are just suggestions. Please don't take them too seriously (at least, not up to the point where it seems that I'm insulting you ).

I know you spent a lot of time on this DC program, and I think that it is very promising and that you should keep up the good work .

~Solomon Leung

[Azriel]

@1477
actually autocomplete may be a good way to learn DC (that's pretty much how i learnt java :P). well not "fully", it's more like you need to grasp the basics first, Then autocomplete will help you understand more.

@snorsorbet
I'd probably do a panel with
select options (arest vrest etc, effect)
click -> whole itr thing is generated at once.
but this won't be a quick job.

@topic
updated



Azriel~

[Silverthorn]

I just remembered something that might be useful when I read the term "glossary". Can you add a chart somewhere (under help maybe?) that tells you what each number does. I'm talking about the different states, itr-kinds, and all that stuff that simply doesn't want to stay in my head. Also, something like a little panel (similar to the navigator in photoshop) which indicates the sprite would be pretty useful. So basically, you visual frame maker implemented in the DCer. Dunno how difficult it is for you to create something like that (especially the refreshing part when you click on different places/frames in the dat-file) but it'd be certainly the epic awesomeness

[Azriel]

updated. code template generation is quite nice now.

i've still gotta fix ctrl + s bug and also closing tabs (doesn't work properly, should just make one new.dat appear, but the starting one doesn't work).



Azriel~