Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- crossfire:editors:x11:crossedit [2018/03/13 08:21] – created karl
+++ crossfire:editors:x11:crossedit [2025/04/18 12:51] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ======= Crossfire X11 crossedit Map Editor =======
-:!: Do not use it ! Saves you nightmares !! \\
+This page should describe the usage of the old disbanded X11 Crossedit editor, \\
-When closing a subwindow, do not hit the X button in the window frame decoration !\\
+that had been included in the [[:server]] source code up to at least version 1.11.0 .
-Always select "File" > "Quit" . \\
-Attempting to close the window by the X button will result in incomplete terminated windows.
-See also [[:crossfireeditor#Crossedit]]
+:!: Special Note : \\
+>When closing a subwindow, do not hit the X button in the window frame decoration !
+>Always select "File" > "Quit" or "File" > "Close" .
+>Attempting to close the window by the X button will result in incomplete terminated windows.
+See also existing short page [[:crossfireeditor#Crossedit]] . \\
+For the more modern Java-Editor, read [[:Gridarta]] .
+----
 ====== Mouse =======
-At times, when there had not been any scrollwheel on mice, \\
+At times, when there hadn't been any scrollwheel on mice, \\
 then the usage of the mouse could have been plausible. \\
-But with the scrollwheel on the middle mouse button, \\
+But with the scroll wheel on the middle mouse button, \\
 it is difficult, to find out, what it needs to select something.
 ===== Left mouse button =====
-When clicked in the scrollbar line, moves the scrollbar one tile down. \\
+When clicked in the scrollbar line, moves the scroll bar one tile down. \\
 When clicked and hold on a green/white button, shows the button's submenu.
 ===== Middle mouse button =====
-When clicked on a picture, selects an item in the Arch menu list. \\
+When clicked on an arch face picture, selects the item in the Arch menu list. \\
-When clicked and hold in the scrollbar line, moves the scrollbar further, \\
+When clicked and hold in the scrollbar line, moves the scroll bar further, \\
 than with single left and right clicks. \\
-When clicked and hold on a green/white button, shows the button's submenu.
+When clicked and hold on a green/white button, shows the button's sub menu. \\
-===== Left mouse button =====
+On a map that has been 'opened' , a short middle click creates a black frame around the \\
-When clicked in the scrollbar line, moves the scrollbar one tile up. \\
+clicked map tile, and the stack of archetypes on that tile show up in the \\
+' Look: ' box part of the [[main|Main Menu]] .
+When kept hold on such opened map, it offers to select a larger area on that map. \\
+The NW-most tile stack will be displayed in the "Look:" box.
+When middle clicked on an archetype inside the "Look:" box, it opens a separate \\
+window titled "Attr: Name" .
+When applied inside some Entry line, pastes the current clipboard therein.
+===== Right mouse button =====
+When clicked in the scrollbar line, moves the scroll bar one tile up. \\
 When clicked and hold on a green/white button, shows the button's submenu. \\
+----
+====== About the difference to Load and to Open a map file ======
+**Special Note:** The file selector does only update the content of a directory, \\
+when it has moved to another directory before and then back to the desired folder.
+:!: Big fat WARNING : After Open'ing an existing map file, only the
+newly drawn content gets saved. All the other former entries are discarded !!
+The crossedit editor has two modes to show an existing Crossfire maps file : \\
+  * Open a file
+  * Load a file
+The "Open" functionality is only available in the Main Menu GUI for the "File" button, \\
+all other windows have the "Load" function in the "File" button.
+===== Differences =====
+In "Open" mode, the map gets shown completely, with all \\
+stacked tiles visible. \\
+This is therefore of importance, to view the final result, \\
+as it will be visible to the player.
+In "Load" mode, only the topmost item will be shown. \\
+Especially multi-tiled items like big monsters and \\
+big buildings will be shown, as if there were no ground tiles beneath them, \\
+suggesting, that the painter has forgotten to draw the ground tiles; \\
+but they are (still) there !
+In "Load" mode, the tiles are shown in a bordered grid field.
+In both modes, it is possible to edit the map, but only in "Load" mode, \\
+the changed and added content is merged into the map; and both \\
+content, previous and new, are saved to disk. In "Open" mode the file gets \\
+altered in a way, that the old content is discarded and only the new \\
+content is saved back to the file.
+If a painter Open's a map file, that is several thousand lines long, \\
+just to add a half dozen tiles, and then Save's , he will end up \\
+with a small file of less than hundred lines, and all the former work \\
+of thousands of lines will be gone into the Nirvana !
+**To make backups of files being worked on is in case of the crossedit editor of highest importance !!**
+===== How to Load a file =====
+The main menu has no load option. \\
+But the windows that are created, when choosing a "Pick" and "Walls" selective menu, \\
+these have the "Load" option. When loading a map file using these subwindows, \\
+their selection items will be gone, and the map presented in their window instead.
+These sub-windows can be deployed with their selection items easily new, \\
+by just choosing them again. So it is possible to have dozens of \\
+Pick and Wall sub-menu windows on the screen.
+===== How to edit a loaded file =====
+Now it is time to alter or add content to the Load'ed file :
+  * Left click of the mouse to add an item onto a tile
+  * Right click of the mouse to withdraw the topmost item on the tile
+When deleting a tile, the underneath tile will show, until the stack \\
+on that tile is completely withdrawn. Onto such an empty tile, a new \\
+item can be placed; best are ground items like rivers, streets, terrain.
+In some selection window, select the needed item by Middle-Click of the mouse, \\
+then drop it onto the map by Left-click.
+** But : Only one item ( layer ) at a time ! **
+After having done a couple of items in the "Load" mode, \\
+it is time to save the new map: File > Save .
+After hitting the "Save" button, close this sub window that "loaded" the map: File > Close .\\
+In the main GUI now "Open" that file, just to view it, and not to edit it. \\
+This is to make sure, that the new map content is drawn as desired.
+Now "Close" this Open'ed window; whenever asked to save hit "Forget it" . \\
+This "Save" Question is presented, because the user has accidentally edited \\
+parts of the shown map. Repeated : Never ever "Save" an Open'ed map !
+But try it out, at least once, on a minor map of no importance, to see, what I am talking about .. ! :-)
+----
 ====== Simple First Start instructions ======
@@ Line 33: / Line 137: @@
 In the Arch menu button deselect everything by deselecting "all" and "toggle" ; again all left-clicks.\\
 In the Arch menu button select "background" to select floor items by left-click. \\
-In the scrollbar left-click to move the scrollbar a first time. \\
+In the scrollbar left-click to move the scroll bar a first time. \\
-In the scrollbar middle-click and keep hold for moving fastly to the items one would like to choose.\\
+In the scroll-bar middle-click and keep hold for moving fast to the items one would like to choose.\\
 Middle-click on the item to select it, which should then show in the bottommost box. \\
 Move the mouse pointer into the other window titled "Edit /Noname" , and left-click to put the item (floor) there.
-===== See further =====
+This procedure is pretty annoying at the beginning, but one can adjust to it :
+=== Step 1 ===
+Create a new map.
+=== Step 2 ===
+Use the Middle mouse button to select a major ground item tile.
+Use the middle mouse button to select large fields in the new and empty map,
+that consist of a plain gray area.
+Select "Fill" in the "Edit" button .
+Do that as many times, until the map has in rough the desired ground structure.
+=== Step 3 ===
+Save the new created basic ground structure to a file name.
+=== Step 4 ===
+Close this window, that created this new map.
+=== Step 5 ===
+Open the file, just to view it, and detect your failures.
+If the filename does not show in the file selector, go some directory down \\
+and **..** back; then the new filename should be displayed in the selection list.
+=== Step 6 ===
+Close the Open'ed map, without saving anything !
+=== Step 7 ===
+Choose a sub-window from the "Pick" menu. \\
+My guess is "other" , because it does not contain many \\
+items to select, and can be also found under the button "Walls" > "Caves2"  .
+=== Step 8 ===
+In the menu of that sub-window select "Load" to load the file. \\
+The file will be shown in that window, the former content is discarded.
+=== Step 9 ===
+Edit that Load'ed map, only one layer at a time each tile.
+=== Step 10 ===
+After having done an edit on a couple of tiles, "Save" the map ( under "File" button ) .
+=== Step 11 ===
+In the "File" button, "Close" that window, that you used to "Load" and edit.
+=== Step 12 ===
+End of loop and continue at [[#Step 5]] .
+=== Step 13 ===
+At the end of the session, make a backup copy of the files you worked on !
+----
+====== See further ======
 Crossedit [[Main]] menu window \\
-[[Editor]] Edit'ing window to actually create the maps \\
-[[Pick]] and Walls sub menu windows