Making a greenhouse consume/produce ElectricCharge

[Kimberly]

I'm trying to modify someone's greenhouse for my personal use. I stripped out the IonCross stuff without trouble. However, I'm running into trouble getting it to both produce and consume electric charge: when the doors are open, I want it to act like a solar panel and generate electricity. But I also want it to be a constant electricity drain. Peak electricity production is equal to the drain, so you lose electricity if the sun's not directly overhead. Also, instead of "extend solar panel" and "retract solar panel", I want the buttons to read "open shutters" and "close shutters". The part's creator did this through giving the shutters a separate animation module, but this meant it acted as a solar panel regardless of whether the shutters were open, which is silly.

Producing electricity seems to be working--generation happens only if the shutters are open. However, I can't seem to figure out how to give it a constant electricity drain, or how to change the button labels. Currently, the code looks like this:

MODULE
{
	name = ModuleDeployableSolarPanel

	sunTracking = false

	raycastTransformName = glass
	pivotName = glass

	isBreakable = false


	resourceName = ElectricCharge

	chargeRate = 2

	animationName = door

 	powerCurve
 	{
		key = 206000000000 0 0 0
		key = 13599840256 1 0 0
		key = 68773560320 0.5 0 0
		key = 0 10 0 0
 	}
}
RESOURCE
{
	name = ElectricCharge
	amount = 50
	maxAmount = 50
}

Any tips?

Edited July 27, 2013 by Kimberly

[KhaosCorp]

I think the majority of this is past my skill so far (been modding a month=P) but I do have a couple ideas that may help.

First off I dont thing its possible to change GUI options for certain things, my guess is the solar pannel controls are in this group..I know landing legs are like this too.

As for getting it to use electric charge you could set up a generator module with electric charge as input instead of output. If that does not work you could use the Kethane conversion module, have it burn electric and make something pointless, like intake air (or make a new resource so the converter burns electric and makes 'plant food' or some such).

[Kimberly]

I think the majority of this is past my skill so far (been modding a month=P) but I do have a couple ideas that may help.

First off I dont thing its possible to change GUI options for certain things, my guess is the solar pannel controls are in this group..I know landing legs are like this too.

As for getting it to use electric charge you could set up a generator module with electric charge as input instead of output. If that does not work you could use the Kethane conversion module, have it burn electric and make something pointless, like intake air (or make a new resource so the converter burns electric and makes 'plant food' or some such).

I tried a GeneratorModule, but this makes the description window show "Output" and then a blank line, and changes the right-click GUI as well, so that's not ideal.

[PrivateFlip]

I tried a GeneratorModule, but this makes the description window show "Output" and then a blank line, and changes the right-click GUI as well, so that's not ideal.

That's weird. What's the code you use for the GeneratorModule? I would think this should work:

MODULE
{
	name = ModuleGenerator
	isAlwaysActive = true
	INPUT_RESOURCE
	{
	   name = ElectricCharge
	   rate = 0.75
	}	
}

Edited July 28, 2013 by PrivateFlip

[Commander Zoom]

By an amazing coincidence, this is exactly the same thing I came here for help on also.

EDIT: A link to the part, and to the post in the IonCross thread if that helps at all (the latter contains a screenshot, as well as permission - "If some one else need it then can to use it by any way without ask.").

Edited July 31, 2013 by Commander Zoom

[Commander Zoom]

bump.

Anyone have any ideas on making this work? Would this question be better asked in another subforum?

[tomwillp]

Good and bad news...

I know "Exactly" how to get to work... (Maybe. but you should ask someone more skilled than i)

you need to make a plugin to add a module with more functions.

where it says "MODULE { Name = ModuleGenerator" it refers to a class file in (where it is on your computer)\Kerbal Space Program\KSP_Data\Managed\Assembly-CSharp.dll and the values in the part.cfg simply fill in variables already in that file. and when it loads that file it overwrites some gui elements which is why the parts ingame interface changed.

but unfortunately the process you want it to do is simply not programmed in to that class file, so you may enter the correct variables but the class file is simply not looking for them, so nothing happens.

and this is the rest of the bad news i cant program dll's, I ran into the same problem for a mod i am building, and am attempting to make a dll myself. but am failing. and i too am looking for help

so actually no "good" news then sorry. but i hoped i helped you understand what the problem is.

And if you or someone you know is good a C# or even C++ (because they're similar) programming you could get them to help

Edited August 2, 2013 by tomwillp