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[1.8.0] KSP-AVC Add-on Version Checker Plugin - MiniAVC-V2 Now available


linuxgurugamer

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So, I have a new (hopefully last) beta versions for you guys :)

Some highlights of this version:

  • I've reworked the UI to be cleaner and more intuitive. There is also a "Help" window available now, explaining the main features (tried my best^^).
  • You can now type in a single version number, it will be set to be compatible with the current game version.
    • In this case, you can use a wildcard/asterisk on the patch number, for example: 1.4.*
      This will set every KSP 1.4.x version to be compatible with your current game version
  • As suggested by @Stone Blue: You can prevent AVC from writing into the KSP.log/output_log by adding the command line parameter "-AVC-log-only". AVC still writes it's own AVC.log within the mod folder. (Thanks @blowfish for sugegsting the command line parameter :))

https://github.com/4x4cheesecake/KSPAddonVersionChecker/releases/tag/1.2.0.8_beta_2.3

This beta does no longer contain a config file, it will be created a game launch instead. By default, the compatibility override is disabled and need to be enabled (preferable via GUI) ;)

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Well, this beta version probably slipped through everyones attention but I finally want to finish my work on AVC, so I'm going to open the PR now.

@linuxgurugamer So far, I just know about a minor, visual bug and I wasn't able find a solution for it: If you keep the issue GUI open while setting up the compatibility override, the issue GUI will not resize after mods disappeared from the 'compatibility issue' list. Maybe you got an idea how to do this ;)

I've also added an example config file for MiniAVC to enable the update frequency. I think, it is the best way, that the config need to be created/renamed by the user instead of creating one automatically by MiniAVC since it will probably cause some confusion if not every available MiniAVC.dll is up-to-date. Since the config needs to be in the GameData folder, it's got a ".dat" extension instead of ".cfg".

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25 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

Well, this beta version probably slipped through everyones attention ...........

Yep... it did *mine* :P

Hmm... I almost like the old UI :P

I'll have to play with it moar tho... I think as long as, eventually, there is a little good documentation blurb about the interface for people like me who tend to absorb things slowly, it should be fine :P

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33 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

Well, this beta version probably slipped through everyones attention but I finally want to finish my work on AVC, so I'm going to open the PR now.

@linuxgurugamer So far, I just know about a minor, visual bug and I wasn't able find a solution for it: If you keep the issue GUI open while setting up the compatibility override, the issue GUI will not resize after mods disappeared from the 'compatibility issue' list. Maybe you got an idea how to do this ;)

I'll take a look, but if it's just not resizing to a smaller size, then that's extremely minor.  I'll look at this tomorrow

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15 minutes ago, Stone Blue said:

I'll have to play with it moar tho... I think as long as, eventually, there is a little good documentation blurb about the interface for people like me who tend to absorb things slowly, it should be fine :P

There is actually a help window for the new UI and I've tried my best to explain it :)

12 minutes ago, Tonka Crash said:

@4x4cheesecake I've been installing the betas the same day you post them, I have no complaints on this latest beta. 

thanks :)

9 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

I'll take a look, but if it's just not resizing to a smaller size, then that's extremely minor.  I'll look at this tomorrow

During the stream? That would be nice :)

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24 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

There is actually a help window for the new UI and I've tried my best to explain it :)

thanks :)

During the stream? That would be nice :)

Yes.

If anyone wants to suggest any additional instructions to make it easier, please either post them here or PM me.  Sometimes what's obvious to a modder is not obvious to a user, so all input is encouraged and welcomed

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I saw last night that there was an updated beta released a few days ago (sorry that I missed it.  There's too much traffic on the other threads I've subscribed to and this one got lost).  I installed KSP-AVC_BETA_2.3.

I don't understand the compatible version override GUI.  Here's what I'm doing, and what I'm expecting:

  1. Start up KSP.  AVC does its thing, and it presents the "I found one mod that's been updated, and these two mods are marked incompatible with the current KSP version".  All of this is what I expect.
  2. Open the KSP-AVC version summary in the corner of the screen.  I see mostly green, three yellow, plus the custom-colors on one of the Tundra mods.  So far, so good.
  3. I click the green text button that says version override.  I get a large window with three sub-windows (list boxes, I assume).  Nothing is in any of them.
  4. I press HELP.  There's an explanation of what this is, and how to use it ... but, it says I should see a listing of mods that can be overridden (or something like that -  I didn't take a screen cap so I can re-read it).

From the description on the help page, I assumed I would see the two mods that are not marked compatible in the middle list box, and I would be able to do something to override their warnings.

If I look at the AVC log, all of the mods have DISABLE_COMPATIBLE_VERSION_OVERRIDE = False.  However, if I look at the AVC.cfg file, I see that DISABLE_COMPATIBLE_VERSION_OVERRIDE is True.  So, what I assume is that the functionality is disabled by the main cfg file.  However, I did not see something to enable it in-game.

If the default behavior is that overrides are disabled, and there's not an obvious button to enable the feature, I'd suggest that the button to access this window should not be visible to the user.  It's confusing that the help file says I can override compatibility info, but the incompatible mods are not listed.  If this is not correct behavior, I can collect logs and a screen shot to illustrate what I saw.

I have not retested the MinTimeBetweenAvcRuns feature on with this update (I wanted to look at the override capability, and I need to get to work now).

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@MOARdV There is actually a button to enable/disable the override via the GUI:

eBKWF4I.png

Well, LGG missed that button as well when he tried it the first time...the PR isn't merged yet, so...how about coloring the button and labels to make it more obvious?

9 minutes ago, MOARdV said:

If I look at the AVC log, all of the mods have DISABLE_COMPATIBLE_VERSION_OVERRIDE = False.  However, if I look at the AVC.cfg file, I see that DISABLE_COMPATIBLE_VERSION_OVERRIDE is True.  So, what I assume is that the functionality is disabled by the main cfg file.  However, I did not see something to enable it in-game. 

That's something which already came to my mind during the stream yesterday: The entry you've found there is the one which can be used by mod authors to disallow the override for their mods via the .version file but it got the same "name" as the .cfg setting for AVC to enable/disable the override in general.

Even when a mod author doesn't allow the override via .version file, it will be still listed in the GUI but you cannot do anything with it: An active version override doesn't affect the locked mod and you cannot put the name on the "always override" list.

I'll change the names to make it more clear :)

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How about this?

nLeR0Xa.png

10 minutes ago, DStaal said:

It took me a while to find it too.  I’d put it at the top - separate from all the other buttons, so it draws your eye.

Hm...on top like: in line with the title (KSP Addon-on Version Checker...)? Not a fan of the idea, would kinda look strange IMO.

I can also create a complete separate window which pops up if the version override is disabled and ask, if you want to enable it.

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8 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

Hm...on top like: in line with the title (KSP Addon-on Version Checker...)? Not a fan of the idea, would kinda look strange IMO.

I can also create a complete separate window which pops up if the version override is disabled and ask, if you want to enable it.

Looking strange is part of the point - it's important enough that it needs to stand out and be the first place you look, as the rest of the UI is basically redundant until you notice it.

A separate window would also make sense.

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@4x4cheesecake the issue that MOARdV saw about some mods highlighted yellow, with issues, but with nothing showing in UI, was the first thing i also noticed on my first run of the beta... and while I only got to load KSP once since the new beta, that is the reason I posted that I wasnt sure I liked the new UI... I was immediately confused a bit, as the UI was ompletely blank in each section...but didnt have the time to investigate.

But take that with a grain of salt, from me, at least, till i play with this moar.

I agree with DStaal... it seems the enable button is a little bit moar, immediately important than the rest of the buttons... I agree, moving it somewhere moar prominent might be good... How about to the top right, next to the "Version Overide" title? ... I assume thats the pertinent section the button deals with?
 

2BuF54U.png

Edited by Stone Blue
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14 minutes ago, Stone Blue said:

I assume thats the pertinent section the button deals with?

It deals with *all* of the sections.  Basically, until that button is pressed, nothing else in the UI (except the close button) has any meaning - it enables the compatibility override feature set, which is what that UI is dealing with.

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@Stone Blue That would be the position I had in mind but there would be still a chance to miss the button. I guess a separate window would be a better solution:

vi16ZeD.png

If the override is disabled and you try to open the override GUI, this one will be displayed instead. If you click on "YES", the override get's enabled and the GUI is displayed. "NO" will just close the window and nothing else happens.

Impossible to miss that window and also impossible to open the GUI while the feature is disabled. I've also renamed the "enable/disable" button to "OVERRIDE ENABLED" and "OVERRIDE DISABLED", colored in red/green so the color actually represents the current state. For now, I'll leave the button where it is, but I can still move it somewhere else.

RIght now, there is a little bug when you disable the override and than try to close the window via the key combination but I have to leave for an appointment now, will fix it later.

 

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17 minutes ago, Stone Blue said:

@4x4cheesecake the issue that MOARdV saw about some mods highlighted yellow, with issues, but with nothing showing in UI, was the first thing i also noticed on my first run of the beta... and while I only got to load KSP once since the new beta, that is the reason I posted that I wasnt sure I liked the new UI... I was immediately confused a bit, as the UI was ompletely blank in each section...but didnt have the time to investigate.

But take that with a grain of salt, from me, at least, till i play with this moar.

I agree with DStaal... it seems the enable button is a little bit moar, immediately important than the rest of the buttons... I agree, moving it somewhere moar prominent might be good... How about to the top right, next to the "Version Overide" title? ... I assume thats the pertinent section the button deals with?
 

2BuF54U.png

That's a good idea.

I'll be doing final tests and probably some minor modifications this evening on my stream, please feel free to stop by and comment

Just now, 4x4cheesecake said:

@Stone Blue That would be the position I had in mind but there would be still a chance to miss the button. I guess a separate window would be a better solution:

vi16ZeD.png

If the override is disabled and you try to open the override GUI, this one will be displayed instead. If you click on "YES", the override get's enabled and the GUI is displayed. "NO" will just close the window and nothing else happens.

Impossible to miss that window and also impossible to open the GUI while the feature is disabled. I've also renamed the "enable/disable" button to "OVERRIDE ENABLED" and "OVERRIDE DISABLED", colored in red/green so the color actually represents the current state. For now, I'll leave the button where it is, but I can still move it somewhere else.

RIght now, there is a little bug when you disable the override and than try to close the window via the key combination but I have to leave for an appointment now, will fix it later.

I like it

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Just now, linuxgurugamer said:

That's a good idea.

I'll be doing final tests and probably some minor modifications this evening on my stream, please feel free to stop by and comment

I've already started to do some adjustments (as you can see above). I'll be back home in ~2 hours and move the button in a distinct position as well.

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4 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

I've also renamed the "enable/disable" button to "OVERRIDE ENABLED" and "OVERRIDE DISABLED", colored in red/green so the color actually represents the current state.

Kewl... :thumbs_up:
that was a quick, passing thought I had, also...about toggling the button text and color based on state... but forgot to mention it during the ten minute struggle I was having with getting my imgur link to work in this damn forum software... :(

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27 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

@Stone Blue That would be the position I had in mind but there would be still a chance to miss the button. I guess a separate window would be a better solution:

vi16ZeD.png

If the override is disabled and you try to open the override GUI, this one will be displayed instead. If you click on "YES", the override get's enabled and the GUI is displayed. "NO" will just close the window and nothing else happens.

Impossible to miss that window and also impossible to open the GUI while the feature is disabled. I've also renamed the "enable/disable" button to "OVERRIDE ENABLED" and "OVERRIDE DISABLED", colored in red/green so the color actually represents the current state. For now, I'll leave the button where it is, but I can still move it somewhere else.

RIght now, there is a little bug when you disable the override and than try to close the window via the key combination but I have to leave for an appointment now, will fix it later.

I like this plan.  ;)

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2 hours ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

@MOARdV There is actually a button to enable/disable the override via the GUI:

@4x4cheesecake - ah, so there is.

Let me step back a moment and put on my User Experience hat.

What purpose does having that enable / disable button serve?  By that, I mean, if I have it enabled, and my mods are all in the center column with yellow text, does AVC do *anything* differently than it would if I disable the feature?

If the answer is "No, there is no difference", then I would propose that you get rid of the enable / disable button entirely.  It adds one extra step for the player to switch on the capability, and it there's no difference between the feature being enabled, but nothing moved out of the center column, and the feature being disabled, then it's an unnecessary step that require the player to discover it.  Since access to this option is something that already requires two steps (open the AVC window in the top, click a button there to access the compatibility override GUI), I don't see a benefit to requiring the player to further opt-in.

By the way, once I found the enable button, the UI is very straight-forward.  I like the simplicity of it.

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31 minutes ago, MOARdV said:

If the answer is "No, there is no difference", then I would propose that you get rid of the enable / disable button entirely. 

I've added the button for three reasons:
1) You may want to disable the override feature without loosing your settings ("Reset" does the exact opposite: keeps it enabled but you loose all settings).
2) The UI should prevent some manual config editing (It's still necessary to set up the update frequency but I consider this a different feature so it doesn't belong into the override GUI.)
3) Some thoughts I had after adding the button to open the GUI, details below.

The answer actually is: There is no difference for the user but internal. While it is disabled, AVC runs like before but if you enable the override, AVC will constantly check if any incompatible mod becomes "forced compatible"(at least while the GUI is opened).

38 minutes ago, MOARdV said:

Since access to this option is something that already requires two steps (open the AVC window in the top, click a button there to access the compatibility override GUI)

Not necessarily two steps: You can also use the key combination "modkey + 2", which was my inital approach to open the GUI. At this point, it wasn't even possible to open the GUI at all if there is no incompatible mod. I've added the button because it was requested, but I get your point.

I had some thoughts at this point:

After adding the button to the bottom of the dropdown list, I thought it may confuses people, if this button only appears, if there is actually an incompatible mod installed, so I've decided to keep the button all the time and again, I was worried it would confuse people if nothing happens when they press the button, so it got some coloring (indicated the state of the AVC processing which need to be done) and the GUI will open all the time.
Since the GUI can be opened now all the time, it required some indication about the "enable/disable" state, otherwise you may end wondering why there are no mods listed and nothing really happens if you do anything there (like you did when you didn't find the enable button) and at the same time, as soon as you notice that this is something that need to be enabled, you start looking around for an "enable" button and if still nothing happens or you don't like it, you may want to disable it again. So, I've added this button ;)

Probably, I thought too much about it or in a different way than other poeple, but that's basically why this button exists :)

When I think about it, I should also add an label saying "no incompatible mods detected" or similar, if someone enables the override while it is not necessary...

Thanks for your feedback though :) I'm too concerned to confuse people even more by removing the button at all but I guess it is a good solution to move it to a distinct location and display the additional popup window while the override is disabled, even though it adds one step to reach the GUI (at least on the first use).

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9 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

I had some thoughts at this point:

I understand the reasoning.

In this case, I think the separate UI window that is shown instead of the compatibility page would be a better solution, as you proposed earlier - it makes the enabled/disabled concept visible.  I also like the idea of listing "no incompatible mods detected" - that way, there is no ambiguity why the window is empty.

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Honestly, I'd put it further up, if possible: You're not enabling/disabling the Version Override, you're enabling/disabling the Compatibility Override.  Have it fully part of the header.

But it at least immediately stands out now.

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