AJAX BOB 4.7.1 Development/Discussion (don't post bugs here)

[Stoney229]

The testing bit sounds like a good plan, with a little bit of luck we can keep people like Optimus Prime out of this thread permanently.

Frop, I don't think we need to go here.

Optimus Prime is more than welcome in this thread. He's learnt, as I hope you will, that making it personal achieves nothing.

Anyone giving constructive, relevant, intelligent feedback is welcome here.

Let's stay focussed peeps!!

And love each other with our juicy BOB love. OK?

Ahem ... <wanders off whistling BOB songs>.


Cicero

I love you cicero ... platonicly of course

[Stoney229]

... about upgrades and testing...

And I've come up with a plan... And this only works for 3.6.x +.

OK - I will code up and release BOB in here and on userscripts... so the people that pay attention to this thread can download the new code whenever it's available...

Then, say, a day later - I will upgrade the BOB support script with the new version number(s)...

This will then inform people that there is an upgrade available that's been tested (a bit).

Now this doesn't guarantee that BOB will be tested when it's upgraded... but it will help.

So what I need from you regular commenter guys... is whenever a new BOB is released in here then download it - give it a go and get back to me with feedback... if no feedback - then I will release it to the public...

OK. Good thoughts yeti.

I think this is a cool idea in concept. However I think it needs more structure to work well primarily for the good of the script and secondarily for the good of the "public/casual users".

version numbering
Yeti_c's version numbering is in the form X.Y.Z where ...

X is a major version [1 was stocksr's script, 2 was yeti_c's AJAX compatible version, 3 was to address CC's update to allow 8 player games.]

Y is a new feature version [3.3 was Deferred Armies and Last Bonus added to the stats table, 3.4 was Hide Menu.]

Z is the bug fix version.

Keeping yeti_c's preferred way of working (ie rapid implementation and publishing of new ideas and code) I suggest the following slight modifications:

(i) Append .0 or .1 to this existing format of version number. .1 for stable/fixed/alpha versions and .0 for potentially unstable/broken/beta versions.
This is required because there is no way of knowing from the version number if it is stable/fixed/alpha or not. 3.3.2 and 3.4.5 were the stable/alpha versions of the new feature versions mentioned above.

So 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, 3.4.4 and 3.4.5 would have been published as: 3.4.1.0, 3.4.2.0, 3.4.3.0, 3.4.4.0 and 3.4.5.0 and then 3.4.5.1.

(ii) yeti_c to set up another userscripts.org page. The current page to be used for the beta versions and the new page used for alpha versions.

(iii) BOB to be modified to include the following feature:
Update Notification: alpha | beta | off.

I think it will be clear to all followers of this thread how this feature would work and that it would address all the issues raised by (effectively) getting the whole community to bug/beta test BOB as has been happening recently.

development cycle
Much the same as now. However I do think that it would be useful if we discussed proposed new features and possible implementations of them at greater length in this thread before yeti_c implements them. If the followers of the thread agree that a feature is unnecessary it can save time for yeti_c to do the stuff we all agree we do want . For emphasis I am in no way suggesting that yeti_c has to do the will of the thread - see the Cicero's Five Golden Rules of BOB Appreciation in a previous post

I'll stop there before I get fast posted.


Cicero

All of this seems unnecessary to me. Also, aren't alpha versions "pre-beta"?

[Stoney229]

I don't think the site he uses supports that, but I'd be happy to host all the older versions if he still has them around.

It would be a simple matter for you to save all the alpha releases from this point on and host them.

Cicero

I think it would be very useful if you could do this Frop.

[Stoney229]

My browser is set to default to opening new pages in a new tab, but when I clicked on the flashing red update button, it opened in a new window. Anyway to change that to the browser's default setting?

What did it do if you CTRL clicked?

C.

middle-clicking the link should also work, if you have the mouse for it (3-button or clickable scroll wheel)

[yowzer14]

My browser is set to default to opening new pages in a new tab, but when I clicked on the flashing red update button, it opened in a new window. Anyway to change that to the browser's default setting?

What did it do if you CTRL clicked?

C.

middle-clicking the link should also work, if you have the mouse for it (3-button or clickable scroll wheel)

Just a quick note, folks might like grabbing the Tab Mix Plus firefox extension. It allows you to do a lot of nice modifications to the mouse clicks for better tab control.

[EmperorOfDaNorth]

I have a comment on the HUD floating thingy.

Three times now I've clicked buttons that weren't the ones that I wanted to click. Sure I can put the warning on, but as I also have warnings on other actions, so you expect the warning to come up for example when auto attacking so you just click 'yes', assuming the warning was for auto-attack.

The issue is that some of the buttons that you really don't want to click by mistake are too close to all the other buttons.

Can the HUD be stretched out, to make sure the 'End Attacks' or 'End Fortifications' button appears WAY on the right, like it does on the normal screen?

(Yes, another solution is turning the HUD off, which I've done.)

[Night Strike]

Just a quick note, folks might like grabbing the Tab Mix Plus firefox extension. It allows you to do a lot of nice modifications to the mouse clicks for better tab control.

Holy cow, that's a lot of options that I don't have time to go through right now, but I did install it.

To go off Emperor's comment, could the confirmation window include the text of the button you pushed?? Something like "Are you sure you wish to Auto-Attack?"

[yeti_c]

I have a comment on the HUD floating thingy.

Three times now I've clicked buttons that weren't the ones that I wanted to click. Sure I can put the warning on, but as I also have warnings on other actions, so you expect the warning to come up for example when auto attacking so you just click 'yes', assuming the warning was for auto-attack.

The issue is that some of the buttons that you really don't want to click by mistake are too close to all the other buttons.

Can the HUD be stretched out, to make sure the 'End Attacks' or 'End Fortifications' button appears WAY on the right, like it does on the normal screen?

(Yes, another solution is turning the HUD off, which I've done.)

Do you have the latest version?

In the latest version you can set a minimum width for the form to be - set that to 1000 and you will always have the buttons broken up more.

C.

[yeti_c]

Just a quick note, folks might like grabbing the Tab Mix Plus firefox extension. It allows you to do a lot of nice modifications to the mouse clicks for better tab control.

Holy cow, that's a lot of options that I don't have time to go through right now, but I did install it.

To go off Emperor's comment, could the confirmation window include the text of the button you pushed?? Something like "Are you sure you wish to Auto-Attack?"

That can be done...

C.

[cicero]

To go off Emperor's comment, could the confirmation window include the text of the button you pushed?? Something like "Are you sure you wish to Auto-Attack?"

That can be done...

C.

Let's do it then

I mean "I think that is a particularly good idea ... yeti_c could you possibly implement it for us?"

And whilst we're perfecting things ... The coding of the confirmation pop ups could be improved so that they don't pop up unnecessarily ...

I was recently in a game where I had 1 army left on every territory at the end of my turn. The confirmations of are you sure you want to end attacks and end fortification both appeared. Could the script identify that the only buttons on the respective pages were "end attacks" and "end fortifications" and hence skip the confirmation in these scenarios?


Cicero

[cicero]

... aren't alpha versions "pre-beta"?

Umm ... I guess they just might be ... my intended meaning was that an 'alpha' version was a stable/fixed release suitable for issue to the wider community.

Cicero

[yeti_c]

And whilst we're perfecting things ... The coding of the confirmation pop ups could be improved so that they don't pop up unnecessarily ...

I was recently in a game where I had 1 army left on every territory at the end of my turn. The confirmations of are you sure you want to end attacks and end fortification both appeared. Could the script identify that the only buttons on the respective pages were "end attacks" and "end fortifications" and hence skip the confirmation in these scenarios?


Cicero

Ah - I see what you mean - now that Lack has recoded the site to display "you can't do anything but [end attacks]"

Possible - I'll have to take a look at the source next time I'm in the situation...

C.

PS - change of wording code already in place.

[cicero]

Anyone giving constructive, relevant, intelligent feedback is welcome here.

Let's stay focussed peeps!!

And love each other with our juicy BOB love. OK?

Ahem ... <wanders off whistling BOB songs>.


Cicero

I love you cicero ... platonicly of course

Platonically? What's that all about?
I want juicy BOB love !!

Thank you.

[bob3603]

yeti_c, gotta say I love the new hide menu option. I am embarrassed to admit though that it did scare the crap out of me at first when I turned it on and didn't realize that you just had to move your mouse over to the left to get the menu to pop back up .

[yeti_c]

yeti_c, gotta say I love the new hide menu option. I am embarrassed to admit though that it did scare the crap out of me at first when I turned it on and didn't realize that you just had to move your mouse over to the left to get the menu to pop back up .

On that note - I will be adding the "help/info" button & the upgrade buttons to the site wide BOB menu...

C.

[cicero]

I will be adding the "help/info" button & the upgrade buttons to the site wide BOB menu...

C.

Not sure if I've posted this or PM'd it ... I think that the 'upgrade announcement' part of the menu could be simply removed from the menu strip when the user has the latest version. This declutters the UI. If coupled with my suggestion to have "Update Notification : alpha* | beta | off" added this would avoid possible confusion of the ability to update being completely invisible.

* Re my recent posts. Am I using 'alpha' correctly? Or, as another poster suggested, is this in fact a term for a 'pre-beta' release? If so what is the correct term for a stable/fixed/really-quite-nice version?

Cicero

[yeti_c]

I will be adding the "help/info" button & the upgrade buttons to the site wide BOB menu...

C.

Not sure if I've posted this or PM'd it ... I think that the 'upgrade announcement' part of the menu could be simply removed from the menu strip when the user has the latest version.

Cicero

Yeah I was considering this as well...

The other code was piggybacked ontop of the original "check for upgrades" code... which obviously was always there...

C.

[yeti_c]

VERSION : 3.6.2

FIXED : Hide Menu is now available throughout the site.

I suggest that options are extended to "site | in game | off".

Cicero

Back to this - what happens if people want the menu hidden on the site but not in game?

C.

[edbeard]

VERSION : 3.6.2

FIXED : Hide Menu is now available throughout the site.

I suggest that options are extended to "site | in game | off".

Cicero

Back to this - what happens if people want the menu hidden on the site but not in game?

C.

well then tough shit!


I'm kidding of course. But, only because I have a concern of my own...


lets say you're browsing the forums or whatever. maybe you're even just playing games or possibly doing both. Before this, when I got a PM, it would show up with blue letters next to the inbox. Basically, it was noticeable. Now, when we get a PM, we won't see it unless we move our mouse to the menu.


So, is it possible to get some type of notice when we have received a PM?

[yeti_c]

An interesting point - and one that Twill raised at one point...

it wouldn't be too tricky to search for any numbers in the Inbox menu item - and unhide it if that happens.

On the same point - does AJAX refresh this menu item? or do you have to wait til you're out of game?

C.

[rebelman]

An interesting point - and one that Twill raised at one point...

it wouldn't be too tricky to search for any numbers in the Inbox menu item - and unhide it if that happens.

On the same point - does AJAX refresh this menu item? or do you have to wait til you're out of game?

C.

i have mine costantly hidden now but i know i have received a pm because firefox tells me its blocked a pop up and this site does not use pop ups for anything else (thank god)

[yeti_c]

BTW - This is the most important part of my post...

On the same point - does AJAX refresh this menu item? or do you have to wait til you're out of game?

C.

[Frop]

Is it possible to make the army offsets a global value? I need to align each and every map and I can't think of any reason why there would be people who align every map differently (after all the alignment problems seem to be related to the size of your browser window and are not map dependent). At least it would save me some trouble since I uninstall any previous versions including the settings before each update.

[yeti_c]

Is it possible to make the army offsets a global value? I need to align each and every map and I can't think of any reason why there would be people who align every map differently (after all the alignment problems seem to be related to the size of your browser window and are not map dependent). At least it would save me some trouble since I uninstall any previous versions including the settings before each update.

Possibly... but the problem is width dependant - if you grab the right of your browser and make it smaller - the numbers come in and out slightly - I bet if you went for a smaller map - then it would be different?!

C.

[yeti_c]

BTW - This is the most important part of my post...

On the same point - does AJAX refresh this menu item? or do you have to wait til you're out of game?

C.

The answer is NO.

C.