HUD scale now configurable

[nigel]

Wonderland build 4404 and higher now allow users to change the scale
of HUD windows.

In 0.5 the HUD window scale was fixed at 0.75 of actual size. We
scaled the HUD 25% below below actual size so that HUD windows
wouldn't obscure too much of the underlying 3D scene. Another reason
for the smaller scale was to allow applications to be fully displayed
on the HUD in the absence of resize support for HUD windows (we always
intended to support resize, but some features had to fall off the 0.5
list and resize was one of them.)

To change the HUD scale, you need to set the HUD_SCALE property to a
floating point value. So, 1.0 would display HUD windows at actual
size, 1.5 would make them twice the default size.

There's a corresponding property. HUD_WORLD_SCALE, for in-world HUD
windows, such as the control panels of the Whiteboard and PDF viewer
applications. The default value for in-world HUD windows is 0.013
(world units are in meters, apps are usually not that size on your
desktop!)

So, how do you set these properties?

First upgrade to build 4404 or higher, rebuild and restart the
Wonderland client. Now quit the client. This will create a property
file that you can edit. After changing the HUD properties, the changes
will take effect the next time your run the client. Note that the
change only affects the user and system on which you made the change.
It's not a global change.

The procedure for changing the HUD scale properties is operating
system dependent:

Linux:

Navigate to:

$HOME/.java/.userPrefs/org/jdesktop/wonderland/modules/hud/client

edit prefs.xml and change the value field. For example:

<entry key="HUD_SCALE" value="1.0"/>

Windows:

Run regedit.exe

In the Registry Editor navigate to the following entry:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JavaSoft\Prefs\org\jdesktop
\wonderland\modules\hud\client

double click /H/U/D/_/S/C/A/L/E or /H/U/D/_/W/O/R/L/D/_/S/C/A/L/E and
change the value.

Mac OS:

Locate the following file in Finder:

/Users/username/Library/Preferences/org.jdesktop.wonderland.plist

Double click the file and in the Property List Editor, navigate to the
following entry:

/org/jdesktop/wonderland/modules/hud/client

double-click the value field for HUD_SCALE or HUD_WORLD_SCALE to
change the value. Select File > Save to save the change.

What else would you like to be user configurable? The size of the text
chat window? The font size? Let me know!

Nigel

[Nussbaum-Jones, Nina]

YAY!!! Um...I mean YAYAYAYAY!!! Oh sorry. I guess I was doing my snoopy dance again. Thanks, Nigel!!
-Nina-

Linux:

Navigate to:

$HOME/.java/.userPrefs/org/jdesktop/wonderland/modules/hud/client

Windows:

Run regedit.exe

Mac OS:

/Users/username/Library/Preferences/org.jdesktop.wonderland.plist

/org/jdesktop/wonderland/modules/hud/client

Nigel

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[Nigel Simpson]

One of these days, you'll have to demonstrate the snoopy dance. Hey, we do have a webcam app in Wonderland...

Nigel

[craigad3]

This one?

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff345/MsMinx08/Happy%20Dance/snoopyDance.gif

[Nussbaum-Jones, Nina]

That's the one! :)

[Dan]

Looks good Nigel!

[Nussbaum-Jones, Nina]

If I wanted to change it for all users, could I just modify HUD_SCALE_DEFAULT in the hud code?

-----Original Message-----
From: openwon...@googlegroups.com [mailto:openwon...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Dan
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 12:31 AM
To: Open Wonderland Forum
Subject: Re: HUD scale now configurable

[Nigel Simpson]

Yes, you could. Though users like me would just override it back ;)

Nigel

[Dan]

Hi Nigel,
I've had a few users at our end question why they need to edit the
registry in Windows to perform this change (as the interim solution I
coded up just used a properties file in their .wonderland directory).
Was there a technical reason for this rather than using a (simpler)
properties/preferences file?

Cheers,
Dan

On Apr 6, 11:33 pm, Nigel Simpson <ni...@matsuplace.com> wrote:
> Yes, you could. Though users like me would just override it back ;)
>
> Nigel
>
> On Apr 6, 2010, at 5:56 AM, Nussbaum-Jones, Nina wrote:
>
> > If I wanted to change it for all users, could I just modify HUD_SCALE_DEFAULT in the hud code?
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: openwon...@googlegroups.com [mailto:openwon...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Dan
> > Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 12:31 AM
> > To: Open Wonderland Forum
> > Subject: Re: HUD scale now configurable
>
> > Looks good Nigel!
>
> > On Apr 6, 6:25 am, nigel <ni...@matsuplace.com> wrote:
> >> Wonderland build 4404 and higher now allow users to change the scale
> >> of HUD windows.
>

> >> In 0.5 the HUD window scale was fixed at 0.75 of actualsize. We
> >> scaled the HUD 25% below below actualsizeso that HUD windows

> >> wouldn't obscure too much of the underlying 3D scene. Another reason
> >> for the smaller scale was to allow applications to be fully displayed
> >> on the HUD in the absence of resize support for HUD windows (we always
> >> intended to support resize, but some features had to fall off the 0.5
> >> list and resize was one of them.)
>
> >> To change the HUD scale, you need to set the HUD_SCALE property to a
> >> floating point value. So, 1.0 would display HUD windows at actual
> >>size, 1.5 would make them twice the defaultsize.
>
> >> There's a corresponding property. HUD_WORLD_SCALE, for in-world HUD
> >> windows, such as the control panels of the Whiteboard and PDF viewer
> >> applications. The default value for in-world HUD windows is 0.013

> >> (world units are in meters, apps are usually not thatsizeon your

> >> chat window? Thefontsize? Let me know!

[Nigel Simpson]

Hi Dan,

The reason for storing user preferences using the Java Preferences system rather than some ad hoc approach, such as a file in the user's directory, is that the former allows for all user preferences to be kept together in one place rather than in a myriad of different files. This makes it easier to manage and backup user preferences than locating all the files that store user preferences.

Regrettably, Windows uses the registry for storing user preferences which makes managing them rather tedious for users when there's no application specific GUI. Ultimately we need to provide such a GUI and make more of the Wonderland user experience configurable on a per server and per user level.

As an interim solution you could provide your users with a .reg file containing the HUD properties. Users would then just double-click the file to add the entries to the registry.

Here's how to do it:

From a user account on a Windows system that has previously run Wonderland:

* start regedit
* navigate to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JavaSoft\Prefs\org\jdesktop\wonderland\modules\hud
* right click the "hud" node in the tree view and choose "Export" and save the preferences to a file such as "hud.reg"

Once you've saved the file, you can edit it with notepad and change the HUD preferences. You can then share this registry file with your users. Double-clicking the file should prompt the user to add the entries to the registry.

Nigel

[Dan]

Thanks for the reply Nigel. Yes - it is quite unfortunatel that Java
Preferences isn't very user friendly in the Windows environment. I
guess the GUI solution will be the end goal for this sort of thing.

[Nigel Simpson]

Mac OS is worse than Windows: while Mac OS provides a GUI for editing preferences you have to find the file first and you can't edit the file with a text editor. At least with Windows, you just run regedit.

Nigel

[Ric Moore]

On Sun, 2010-05-16 at 23:07 -0700, Nigel Simpson wrote:
> Mac OS is worse than Windows: while Mac OS provides a GUI for editing
> preferences you have to find the file first and you can't edit the
> file with a text editor. At least with Windows, you just run regedit.
>

Is it not text file?? Just wondering what Apple has done to BSD. :) Ric