[0.23] ActionGroupManager (AGM) 1.3.2.0 (29/01/2014) : bugfixes

[diomedea]

Version 1.3.0.0 released. See first post for more infos.

Hope you will all like it.

I like it. Was worried at first that the new mode may mean some difficulty with using the main window, but see that has remained as before.

Nicely done, thanks a lot.

One suggestion: with some builds, the root part may not be easily accessible, therefore hard/impossible to focus. Could the binded "AGM Enable" be extended to other parts with the active vessel?

[SirJulio]

One suggestion: with some builds, the root part may not be easily accessible, therefore hard/impossible to focus. Could the binded "AGM Enable" be extended to other parts with the active vessel?

I understand the problem with the root part. I'll see what i can do with that. =)

[drtedastro]

Yes..... The root part get buried with some of my ultra compact probes and it is a pain to try and find it under all of the other parts. This would be real nice.

[diomedea]

Thinking again about the hidden "root part" issue: how nice would be a feature that allows to focus the root part with the active vessel. Should actually be a stock game feature.

[drtedastro]

That makes perfect sense...So, we will have to have it in a mod....

[Motokid600]

What exactly do I download? Your link sends me to dozens if files. Toolbar and Actiongroups.dll? My anti-virus doesn't seem to like them.

[SirJulio]

What exactly do I download? Your link sends me to dozens if files. Toolbar and Actiongroups.dll? My anti-virus doesn't seem to like them.

When you have the view with all the files click on the upper left, File => Download.

[Motokid600]

Ah good ty sir.

[SirJulio]

New release 1.3.1.0 :

* Added a recap window.

* Updated to Toolbar 1.3

[Zander]

OHHH could you turn this into an IVA screen in the pods? that would be awesome

[Pontiac]

Downloaded it, looked at it, and I'm rather impressed with it. Very nice work. I had to read through the OP to figure out why certain things were happening, and it'll take me a few uses to retain that info so it becomes second hand, but, yeah, this works great.

Two additional notes I might add

- Don't include the toolbar code (I admit, its useful) if at all possible. I'd suggest that adding an additional menu item when clicking on the root part that displays the dialog. The reason is, the version you're distributing is already old. If the toolbar doesn't exist, you can rely on the right-click on the root part to access the dialog. Put a link up on your OP to the page where the toolbar is and mark it as "Required to download", but at least then, the user would be able to update at their own accord.

- Resizable window. I have a couple of monstrosities (Back in 0.20 I think) that had a bunch of groups that were a nightmare to keep tabs on. Had to rely on Notepad to remember whats what.

[SirJulio]

OHHH could you turn this into an IVA screen in the pods? that would be awesome

I may look into it, but i don't really know how to do it (to be honest i never use IVA).

Downloaded it, looked at it, and I'm rather impressed with it. Very nice work. I had to read through the OP to figure out why certain things were happening, and it'll take me a few uses to retain that info so it becomes second hand, but, yeah, this works great.

Two additional notes I might add

- Don't include the toolbar code (I admit, its useful) if at all possible. I'd suggest that adding an additional menu item when clicking on the root part that displays the dialog. The reason is, the version you're distributing is already old. If the toolbar doesn't exist, you can rely on the right-click on the root part to access the dialog. Put a link up on your OP to the page where the toolbar is and mark it as "Required to download", but at least then, the user would be able to update at their own accord.

- Resizable window. I have a couple of monstrosities (Back in 0.20 I think) that had a bunch of groups that were a nightmare to keep tabs on. Had to rely on Notepad to remember whats what.

Thanks, and glad you like it. =)

For the toolbar, as long as blizzy doesn't break the API of the toolbar, you can use any future version of the toolbar. But i like the idea to latebind against the toolbar and put a toggle in the pod action click, i may implement that. Thanks for the idea. =)

And the resizable window is planned too (but i need to finish some needed component for that like a resizable slider).

[Pontiac]

After I posted that, i went and actually read Blizzys OP on his post and he suggests adding the code. Personally, I'm still against the idea since updates to his plugin can happen faster than you update yours, not to mention its more overhead for you to include in your package (Unless you're using post-compiling options to automatically archive all required files). Then there is the whole downloading other packages which include his code which COULD be older than what you're currently running, etc, etc. Just adds more confusion, IMHO.

Needless to say, I've actually started plugging away at recreating my space station (Last attempt was in 0.20) and YOUR plugin is certainly more refined than macbernicks AotF, but then again, he disappeared shortly after he published.

[kmarmstr]

I may look into it, but i don't really know how to do it (to be honest i never use IVA).

It might be possible to integrate this with RasterPropMonitor, an awesome IVA plugin. It sets up a lot of the framework for you (props, variables, formatting, screen refreshes, etc) which would probably make things a lot easier.

Managing action groups from the cockpit screens would be awesome

[Superfluous J]

I have found a bug with Action Group Manager 1.3.1.0. I have tested this in the stock game (bug does not occur), with Action Group Manager as the ONLY mod installed (bug occurs) and with all the other mods I normally run EXCEPT Action Group Manager (bug does not occur), so I am confident that this is the mod causing the bug.

When I have a command pod filled with experiments and I leave that pod behind with a Kerbal on EVA, and take that Kerbal far enough away that the pod unloads (2.5km or more. In my testing I went 3km away each time to be sure) and come back, ALL stored experiments vanish. This does not occur on short EVAs or when switching ships, only when an EVA'd Kerbal traveling causes the pod to unload from the current physics sphere.

If this happens to anybody else, you CAN recover your science by reloading a quicksave, though you'll of course lose anything from after your quicksave. I saved about 25 experiments (maybe 30 minutes of play time) that I'd lost due to this bug by restoring a before-the-last-landing quicksave and then just redoing the landing.

[SirJulio]

[snip]

Well, that's weird. I don't touch science logic in my mod, but i'll look into it and keep you posted.

Thanks for the report 5thHorseman. =)

[diomedea]

@ Sir Julio:

given the experience you built with this mod, I believe you may know if any possibility exists to increase the number of action groups recognized by KSP. Even if it may require another mod to make so (or be another feature to add to this one). Not so much about binding more keys to more action groups, but if the amount of different events recognized by KSP as actiongroup activations can be changed.

May this feature require to change a class definition in KSP code? If so, such class may be amended or is closed?

Would like, if you have any idea about that, if you could provide some details on how it may work.

[Pontiac]

I was GOING to say that keybinding might not be permitted through the API SQUAD gives, but then I remember the robotics pack which allows you to bind any key to a certain command. I'm not sure you'll be able to bind CTRL/SHIFT/ALT or anything like that to a particular key combo, but, to different keys, I don't know.

[diomedea]

I was GOING to say that keybinding might not be permitted through the API SQUAD gives, but then I remember the robotics pack which allows you to bind any key to a certain command. I'm not sure you'll be able to bind CTRL/SHIFT/ALT or anything like that to a particular key combo, but, to different keys, I don't know.

Thanks for your point, it is certainly true given how difficult it is to bind some keys in KSP, and deserves be reminded.

Anyway, let me state that again, my interest is about allowing KSP to recognize more events of the same kind (class?) of action groups, not about how those events are invoked (user banging keyboard or plugin setting them). Sorry if it may not sound right, but I have no idea yet of how those "events" are named within (internally to) the game.

[SirJulio]

@ Sir Julio:

given the experience you built with this mod, I believe you may know if any possibility exists to increase the number of action groups recognized by KSP. Even if it may require another mod to make so (or be another feature to add to this one). Not so much about binding more keys to more action groups, but if the amount of different events recognized by KSP as actiongroup activations can be changed.

May this feature require to change a class definition in KSP code? If so, such class may be amended or is closed?

Would like, if you have any idea about that, if you could provide some details on how it may work.

If I understand correctly your question, you want to be able to include a specific action (let's say put throttle to 75%) to any existing action group, is that right ?

If that's your question, it's very tricky. Action recognized as BaseActions (so addable to an action group) are created when the game load the part (addon or stock same things). When the game load an assembly (a dll module) it parse it and search for any events (when you right click on a part) and actions contained in that DLL and build the part.

I have tried to bypass the common loading system but i have not found a way for the moment. So ATM, all baseactions need to be hardcoded, you cannot inject baseactions "on the fly" (aka programmatically).

To keep my previous exemple, i can make a partmodule, with a baseaction who will reduce your throttle to 75% if you add it to an action group, but it need to be in a dll and present before the start of the game.

[diomedea]

If I understand correctly your question, you want to be able to include a specific action (let's say put throttle to 75%) to any existing action group, is that right ?

Thanks for your answer.

Well, that is another nice idea, to have "BaseActions" included in Action Groups. However, I must have been unclear about the aim.

I would like if the total of Action Groups could be extended from 10 to some larger number. So many parts now exist that have actions associated to them, but hard to make in the few existing Action Groups. To give an example, with any of the camera parts from the HullCameraVDS mod I have 11 actions associable to AGs (not that I am going to use all AGs for those, but...).

I am not worried about keybinding, but certainly that would then be the next step to deal with, if AGs number could be greatly raised.

[Superfluous J]

Alt-# would extend the action groups' numbers to 20. allowing alt-f# would potentially extend it to 32. I don't think alt-anything is used currently?

[Pontiac]

ALT-F4

[10 char limit]

[SirJulio]

Thanks for your answer.

Well, that is another nice idea, to have "BaseActions" included in Action Groups. However, I must have been unclear about the aim.

I would like if the total of Action Groups could be extended from 10 to some larger number. So many parts now exist that have actions associated to them, but hard to make in the few existing Action Groups. To give an example, with any of the camera parts from the HullCameraVDS mod I have 11 actions associable to AGs (not that I am going to use all AGs for those, but...).

I am not worried about keybinding, but certainly that would then be the next step to deal with, if AGs number could be greatly raised.

Well having more than the number of existing action group is possible (in theory at least) but it will require to bypass completely the stock logic of action group.

Let me explain :

Each parts have modules, each modules have baseactions (like toggle panel, shutdown engine etc). In each of those actions, there is a field (a flag enum) with all action group listed and if this specific actions is tied to an action group (like a checklist). When you fire an action group, the game propagate the signal to all part (and module and baseaction) of the current vessel, and if a part is associated with the action group fired, then the baseaction is activated.

The problem here is not handling the keybinding part (other addon already does it, precise node by example), the problem is the array in the baseaction class cannot be extended. So while theoretically it's possible to add other action group, it would require to bypass totally the stock logic, and i bet that it would be a debugging hell. =D

So i'm not closed to the idea, and i already done some test, but that's not something i can easily implement (at least in current state of the game).

[Superfluous J]

ALT-F4

Haha that would be a bad one