New MAIW Menu Creator & Prop Texture Replacer

Post by **gsnde** » 15 Jan 2009, 19:28

Not at all, but dead ugly wrong

Does it tell you it has created 17 shortcuts or have you counted? This is important for me to know, so please have a look at the start menu group. Is that on XP or Vista?

Another idea - have you maybe re-arranged the folder structure where the MHT files are stored? I like to see your structure. Please open a command prompt in the Military AI Works folder and execute this command:

dir *.mht /s >> result.txt

Then please send me the result.txt file

Thanks you , Steve.

Post by **gsnde** » 15 Jan 2009, 20:39

OK, I have found a bug in the code. Let me fix that. Steve, the info asked in the last post will help me nevertheless.

Ford Friendly · Post by **Ford Friendly** » 15 Jan 2009, 20:58

gsnde wrote: but dead ugly wrong

That goes on my "quote of the day" list!!!!

Post by **Firebird** » 15 Jan 2009, 21:37

Martin,
I know that you have found something wrong but I will answer your questions anyway.
Yes it says it created 17 shortcuts and I counted them as well. Yes I altered my structure, but your proggy found them anyway, it just decided to ignore them

.

If you like I can send you that file, but lets see what your fix does.

Post by **gsnde** » 16 Jan 2009, 08:24

Menu Creator download

I have fixed the issue I have found. You are now (I hope correctly) informed about three different counts:

1. How many MAIW packages are installed
2. How many MAIW packages does the program know/identify
3. How many shortcuts exist in the MAIW program group

I have to identify the packages via their path / location, because most have the name readme.mht. This means I can not identify a package if you have moved it somewhere else. Checking into the file for an unique string would be overkill.

Where I expect the package to be you can see in the file shortcuts.txt. When MAIW release a new package, I will update that file and you can fetch it via the update functionality of the program.

Now let's see what your test say.

Post by **gsnde** » 16 Jan 2009, 15:54

Prop Texture Replacer 2.2.1 download
Menu Creator 2.1.1 download

Some cosmetically changes like the folder dialog starting at the last selected location and not always in the root. Labels and message boxes re-phrased.

Post by **Firebird** » 16 Jan 2009, 16:54

OK Martin,
Tried the latest version exactly the same problem. It found 118 docs but created shortcuts for only 17 and these are probably ones that I haven't amended the original structure on, yet.

Now this makes it very limited, for me. If it finds and recognizes the 118 files, whatever the structure, surely it should be able to build the menus. this would make it a far more flexible and more usable tool

Post by **gsnde** » 16 Jan 2009, 17:33

Yes, I see your point. I will think about it. I am open for any suggestions or ideas.

File name does not work, they all share the same name.
Path does not work, people shuffle the files around.
Document title does not work, because not unique as well

The only way I see right now is maintain a unique text reference from each description, which means I would have to open each found file. Makes it slower, naturally.

Post by **Firebird** » 16 Jan 2009, 19:48

Well in case its useful I will attach the result.txt file here for you

Blank Fang · Post by **Blank Fang** » 16 Jan 2009, 20:33

Martin

The program looks for a file shortcut.txt the ZIP however provides a file shortcut.ini!

Button [Check for Update]
Rewards a file not found error. (At least right now)

Having hit [Delete Menu] the menu is deleted OK however rerunning the tool provides a empty MAIW Menu entry!

Regards
-----
Willy

Post by **gsnde** » 17 Jan 2009, 07:42

gsnde wrote:The only way I see right now is maintain a unique text reference from each description, which means I would have to open each found file. Makes it slower, naturally.

I will check if I can use the file size as a unique identifier. This way you could shuffle the files around however you like. If that works I will implement this solution.

Firebird wrote:Well in case its useful I will attach the result.txt file here for you

Thank you, Steve.

Blank Fang wrote:The program looks for a file shortcut.txt the ZIP however provides a file shortcut.ini!

This is correct. The tool needs both files. Shortcuts.txt contains the menu structure and shortcuts.ini the location what to download where from the web.

Blank Fang wrote: Button [Check for Update]
Rewards a file not found error. (At least right now)

This means that the file could not be downloaded from the web. Have you maybe tried just in a sec where I was testing? And can you confirm that you are working with version 2.1.1?

Blank Fang wrote:... however rerunning the tool provides a empty MAIW Menu entry!

Sorry, I don't get that. Am empty program group is created?

Post by **gsnde** » 17 Jan 2009, 07:58

It will work. Out of 120 files 7 have an identical file size. These I can identify by open them and identify a unique passage. So your problem will be dealt with, Steve

New version should be available this evening.

Blank Fang · Post by **Blank Fang** » 17 Jan 2009, 10:24

Hi Martin
Having the shortcuts.ini file provided in the ZIP-Archive the programme complains shortcuts.txt not found. renaming it from .ini to .txt and it works.

version used
2.1.0.1
Check for Update
works OK now!

Empty menu
Yes it looked:
...\Startmenu\Program Files\MAIW\(empty)

However note I got it to run by renaming shortcuts.txt hence there was nor shortcuts.ini available. This might be the cause that the programme did not write the expected entries.

Falling back to the previous version, even running it from inside the ZIP restored the Menu tree.

Rerun now after successful Check for Update
Works fine for [Delete] and [Create/Update Menu].

Note: I have not counted the menu tree but it looks fairly complete!

Suggestion
The menu entries are created in ...\[Current User]\... you might consider providing the option to have it created in ...\[All Users]\... context. Of course you would need to provide a warning about the required administrative privileges!

All in all a useful utility.
Thank you!

-----
Willy

Post by **Firebird** » 17 Jan 2009, 12:37

gsnde wrote:It will work. Out of 120 files 7 have an identical file size. These I can identify by open them and identify a unique passage. So your problem will be dealt with, Steve

That's great news, Martin. The more flexible you can make it the more people that will make use of it.

Post by **gsnde** » 17 Jan 2009, 16:23

Prop Texture Replacer 2.2.1 download
Menu Creator 2.2.0 download

Please test the Menu Creator 2.2.0 (aka Firebird Edition

). It should identify all 120 MAIW package descriptions, no matter in which folder you have stored them, as long as you have them under one top folder.

Older versions of the program will fail with the current menu structure file. Please update to the current version.

Post by **Firebird** » 17 Jan 2009, 20:44

OK Martin we have a large increase in the number of links. 108 links found with 118 packages found.

So now I guess I will have to try and work out which 10 are missing and why.
Oh one small side issue, you say that you can drop both your utils in the same folder, but the readme files are named the same and so only one will exist. A small thing at the moment but if you produce any more ... you get the picture.

Post by **gsnde** » 17 Jan 2009, 21:14

Firebird wrote:Oh one small side issue, you say that you can drop both your utils in the same folder, but the readme files are named the same and so only one will exist.

You may have a point here

I am thinking of bundling the two tools together with the FSX Installation guide into an installation package with a setup program.

Regarding the 10 files not recognized - have you edited some files in addition to moving them?

I will add that the unrecognized files will be displayed as not identified.

Post by **gsnde** » 17 Jan 2009, 22:53

Prop Texture Replacer 2.2.1 download
Menu Creator 2.2.1 download

Steve,

Download the current release and run Create / Update menu. Afterwards the button 'Show unknown...' will be enabled. Click on it and you will be told which MHT files are not recognized.

Btw, could it be that you have packages installed which are not released yet?

Post by **gsnde** » 17 Jan 2009, 23:59

Prop Texture Replacer 2.2.1 download

I have incorporated the replacement textures reported from several users. In total 76 different prop-hs.bmp files will be replaced now (for various non MAIW packages as well).

Please make sure you use the latest release 2.2.1 of the tool. Check for Update and install texture package 3.

Post by **Firebird** » 18 Jan 2009, 08:21

OK I finally last night got around to installing the latest 2 releases and it says that it found 120 and installed 110 and I have a list of 10 that it says that it doesn't know.
I will install one package again, manually and see if there is anything different about the readmes.

EDIT
Right I tested the Patrick AFB doc, from a redownloaded zip. The file had exactly the same size and date time as the original. I replaced it anyway and reran it and it still didn't recognise it.
So it would seem that you are nearly there but there are some recognition factors that need to be tweaked. The ones not identified are:-
USAF - ANG Seaboard
Whiteman AFB *
Robins AFB
RAF Lakenheath *
Patrick AFB
Ellsworth AFB
Andrews AFB Update
UK Harriers *
ROC Air Force 1 *
Malaysian C-130 *

The ones with stars against them have unique names, I don't know if that's a help or not.