10 réponses à ce sujet

[Tarot Redhand]

Having been around NwN for a while now (understatement?), I have gathered quite a few documents in quite a few different formats. To be honest all these different formats can be a pain as can having to repeatedly load different files just to find the information I want.

 

Now I have had a program (see later) sitting around on my HD for a while. So I thought I would finally give it a try as it looks quite promising. After quite a bit of work (tables don't seem to copy properly from pdf files) I now have something that I think is worth a look. I have got all but two of the Bioware Aurora File Format Documents into a single file. I have left both the Items and Creatures format documents out because they are large and already formatted for printing.

 

However, before you can see what I have produced you will need to download and install the program that I mentioned before. This program is TreeDBNotes Free. Please note that there is also a Pro version for download on the same page, but this is only a thirty day trial version.

 

The document that I would like you to look at can be downloaded by clicking this link. I haven't bothered to compress it as it is only 889kb in size.

 

So in order to view this document you need to download and install TreeDBNotes Free. Once it is installed it will have created a folder in your documents folder called "TreeDBNotes 4" which will contain the file "DEMO_FREE.treeDB". Place the file I created (called "CC Guide 2014.treeDB") into this folder. Now if all has gone well, double clicking my file should open it in TreeDBNotes.

 

Please take a look and let me know what you think.

 

TR

[Bannor Bloodfist]

Well, while it does provide a single interface for most of the reference documents, the long term issue is going to be that it requires a separate program to accomplish reading it, which in the long term requires you to purchase said program.

 

A great idea, but fails in implementation due to requiring a separate app that is not free.  30 days for looking is fine, but most of us would require the ability to go back and re-reference the documents.  For that reason, just compiling all the various PDF's into a single PDF would likely accomplish the same sort of thing. 

 

Note that I also used to be a pack-rat type and would gleefully download and then print everything I could find on various things over the years.  This ended up nearly breaking a desk that was holding all the printed documents that I seldom ended up referencing since i could also find them online in various forms.  To the point that I am serious when I say that it cracked a desktop due to the weight, requiring me to purchase a new desk.  I have printed ALL the various docs that Bioware provided over the years but could not likely find most of them now once I threw out that old desk.  I also had printed complete documentation on various releases of Unix/linux, c, c++, pascal, and other programming languages, again seldom actually using the printed docs.  Fortunately now, I tend to save trees whenever I can, and seldom print anything but the most legal types of documents that are required to have in printed form, like Insurance papers, or medial papers etc.  Otherwise, i just rely on DuckDuckGo or Google to find whatever it is that I may need.  I just had to realize that having everything printed was NOT solving my "looking up and finding" whatever said document I might think I needed at any given point.  Having a single exe type or a compiled CHM formated document might help, but having to purchase yet another document handler when I already have over a dozen installed, is just more waste for me than I think it is worth.

 

Please don't take this as a negative attack, it is not, as I said, I like the idea of creating a single source type of document, it is just that it needs to be further refined to require nothing new to be installed except for the document itself.

 

Note that I attempted to add various smileys from the editor provided here, yet the reply (exact same text as posted) was rejected by this site stating that the image format was not allowed?  Go figure, just something else that doesn't work on Bioware forums here.

[Tarot Redhand]

@ Bannor Thank you for looking it over. However, there was a little thing (I did mention it) in my original post. That is that there is both a free (no time limit) version and a pro (paid for with more functionality) version. There is also a free viewer for any documents produced which is also on the same download page. What may also confuse is that by paying just under $20 you can unlock certain extra features in the free version. But if you look carefully on this site you will find that it does say that the licence type for the free version is freeware. One of the extra features that you can gain by paying is the ability to save your document in epub format or a standalone .exe file.

 

As far as needing a separate program to read the goes, this true of all data types anyway. From notepad for text files, through Foxit and adobe reader for pdf's to any number of programs to read docx files. So personally I don't see this as a problem.

 

Lastly don't worry. I know that you are not flaming me.

 

PS Smilies are working for me

 

TR

[Pstemarie]

Nicely organized and easy to use. Good job 

[meaglyn]

As far as needing a separate program to read the goes, this true of all data types anyway. From notepad for text files, through Foxit and adobe reader for pdf's to any number of programs to read docx files. So personally I don't see this as a problem.

 You don't _need_ notepad for text files. There are many many many ways to operate on plain text files.

 

PDF is a fairly widely accepted and used standard (at least a de-facto standard if not officially one).

 

It is an interesting idea, but I agree with Bannor. The last thing we need is another proprietary format and another special program to use for it. And there's no Linux version...

[Tarot Redhand]

One thing to remember is that the pdf format used to be (and may still be) a propriety (owned by adobe) file format. Now I'm not saying that the TreeDBNote format will ever be an open standard just that I think it could be useful.

 

But that is irrelevant. What I was asking was for people to take a look and let me know what they think of the result not the method. You can always remove the program afterwards. I appreciate that there is no Linux version and I don't think there is a mac version either. Again somewhat irrelevant. Why? Because if I continue with this little project I will pay for the enhanced version and thus be able to create an epub document from my file. So what you might ask. Well there just happens to be a free ebook management program that works on Windows 32/64 bit, OSX and Linux called calibre that can display epub files and convert to other ebook formats. Which means that if you have an ebook reading device (e.g. nook, kindle, etc.) you will have the option of using those to read it.

 

What I am thinking of doing is to create an up to date ebook to replace the ageing Custom Content v3_0.PDF by Eligio Sacateca. So now that the cat is out of the bag I have two questions -

 

What do you think of what I have done so far?

 

and

 

Anyone want to help?

 

TR

[meaglyn]

One thing to remember is that the pdf format used to be (and may still be) a propriety (owned by adobe) file format. Now I'm not saying that the TreeDBNote format will ever be an open standard just that I think it could be useful.

 

Yes, I know full well where pdf came from, but there are numerous alternatives to adobe's reader at this point. And most reasonable wordprocessing programs will export to PDF etc.

 

Epub could be interesting. Calibre is a very good program by the way...  I use it regularly.

 

My point about the lack of Linux version was partly to your second to last point... I can't comment on what you have done so far because I can't read the file... other than to comment that, well, I can't read the file

[Tarot Redhand]

I suppose I could have tried Sigil (free epub editor), but at the moment it seems quite basic when compared to TreeDBNotes as it gives a way to order stuff which should make creating chapters easier. By that I mean the physical layout not the content.

 

TR

[Rolo Kipp]

<crawling out...>

 

oooooh, my head... <worked hard to earn that, dint ya?>

Did I? Don't 'member... <yup, you and the dwarf. very entertaining>

Uggg. Were we chewing on old socks? Sweaty old socks? <possibly. between the baker's dozen drinking games you invented>

13? Unlucky number. <yup. thought you said you'd never compete with a dwarf in a drinking contest again>

Good idea. <in fact, you told me that 12 times>

Uggg. Why are you squawking so loud? <because the last contest was singing...>

Gah. Make it 13.  <...limericks...>

Uh... <.... about me>

Oh no. <yup>

My dear dear raven... <nope. no use>

B-but... <gird your loins, old man. payback's hell>

 

@ Tarot: In the event I survive the Wrath of Bother, I'd be very interested in an updated, comprehensive CC pub. Enough so to be willing to help financially, a little.

 

(OOC caveat: While the character of Rolo is a lush, the guy behind Rolo has been clean and sober for 20+ years and in no way encourages the kind of painful and mortifyingly embarrassing behavior that he unfortunately remembers (mostly) all too well... But even after twenty years, the other day I saw a bottle of Grand Mariner and suddenly could *taste* the brandy and feel the fumes in the back of my throat... Amazing how *deep* a hold addiction can have on a person. Like NwN. Which I have *not* given up for Lent ;-)

 

<...of the wine cellar>

[Rolo Kipp]

<clicking through...>

 

Tarot, canny cat that he is, sent me the free reader and one of his first compilations.

Traps, in fact.

He knew just what would pique my interest :-)

 

The short: Hey! I *like* this :-)

 

The long: The elnfiReader.exe is tiny and fast.

The interface is very simple and also fast.

There is a Table of Contents to the left and the viewing area to the right, no surprises.

The Traps Db loads up instantly and browsing the ToC is very snappy.

This really feels like something that could develop into an essential reference tool.

 

The Traps Db itself is pretty cool, though I get the feeling it is in its infancy and will be considerably fleshed out if there is interest. Right now it contains nothing I don't already have except the tutorial by Ayath the Loafer (which I actually *may* have somewhere, but the Goddess only knows ;-P ).

 

So I am even more interested in seeing you continue with this, Mr. Redhand :-)

Edit: Oh, and "TR's Collectio of Trap Designs"? Is that sorta cat-latin? ;-)

 

<...and taking notes>

[Tarot Redhand]

Following that review, how could I not post it to the new vault? So I have (swiped your screeny for the illustration RK  ). It is packaged in a 7z which also has a small readme file (with a few typos - my excuse is I visited Mordor... ahem sorry I mean the dentist). As part of the readme I have included seperate links to both the full free program and the free reader, the download size of which is just under 1.5 meg.

 

Anyway, here is the link to TR's Collection of Trap Designs. I hope you enjoy and even have a use for it.

 

TR