Dungeon Master Forum

This is a request to have some selected tooltiptexts:

Could you put them at least to specify the range of accepted values?
(i.e.: in the Edit level information scren, for the numeric values of number available for random placement - is it a randomness seed?-)
Yes, I noticed you checked all the value when I press the OK button, but I had to guess what would be a wrong value to discover an error message stating what would be correct values. I would like this information to be available before!


And when the value may have several meanings, then the tooltiptext could be a short summary?
For example, the "set" option of an actuator, changes a bit or a direction (north, south, etc) according to the target, which is the same operation, but has distinct meanings -given the game mechanics-, am I right?


Or even a short definition for the most technical words , like the description of "Sets" at the bottom of the actuator screens.
Example:
Rotate: will it go at the bottom, top, will it swap with a higher or lower object in the object stack?
Skill? (I heard about an increase in some skill... which skill, how much, and ... what is a skill?)


If you agree, we could make the list of the words to be clarified and the content of their tooltiptexts by ourselves, with your help, Paul. (I count on the help of PitD, Rain, Beowuuf if they agree too). You would then integrate our "user definitions" to your work. What do you think?

I would like to do these things. My goal is to make it
more-or-less unnecessary to find a manual for the simple
operations.

There are a lot of ways of helping the user.

--In one case I put static text in the dialog saying that
"Set opens doors, opens pits, " etc.

--Popup tips when the mouse is over a control.
I don't know how to do this. Maybe I can learn.

--The little '?' box in the upper right that you click on
to get context-sensitive help. I don't know how to
do this. Maybe I can learn. Remember, you are
dealing with an old man here.

--A help button. Like the one in the DSA editor.

I don't like having an official Microsoft Help file. I have
done it in the past...it was nice in some ways but not
in others. And it requires the auxiliary help file which
must be maintained and coordinated separately. It
made life more difficult.
===========================
At any rate, I have a pocket full of bugs/requests that
have to come before helpful hints. So don't hurry to
get me lots of information. But I do want to do some
of these things when it gets a little quieter and I would
very much appreciate any help.

I agree and you can have my help any time if needed and I can actually give it. But my main focus will be on the manual, which I'm still working on, though not on regular intervals.

Regards, PitD

"--Popup tips when the mouse is over a control.
I don't know how to do this. Maybe I can learn."

As for the tooltiptexts, I'd like to help you, but I only know visual basic... I assume you're coding in some kind of visual C...
In VB most graphic objects have a property called tooltiptext where you put the text you want to appear when the mouse is over the object.
If the object is an Activex it may have a property like Showtips that you need to set to true.
The parent form containing the objects may also have a property called something like Showtooltips that you would need also to set to true.

Does it help?
But wait, I realize there are tootliptexts in version 775 on the icons on the left! So you know (or knew) how to do it!

I will see what I can do. I have quite a handful
of 3x5 cards to work on already. As I said before,
functional features come before helpful hints.