Redrawing the screen
Ben Harrison
interact with pref files. To allow optimized usage of these commands,
and to prevent painful nastiness in the code, the "change options" and
"interact with pref files" commands will *not* auto-matically redraw
the screen when you use the command. If you have changed any options
that seem to call for a "redraw" or "update" of any kind, you must
explicitly use the "^R" (ctrl-r) command to "redraw" everything.
This is particularly important when you change any of the options that
choose what is drawn in each of the various windows, or when you change
options involved with "lighting" or when you redefine the attr/chars
used to display various dungeon contents.
The new method will put the burden of "expensive annoying screen flashing"
on people who actually change options or load pref files that require the
expensive processing, and will allow the use of the "option" and "pref"
commands inside macros without forcing expensive messy screen silliness.
Note that in general the "output" is not flushed until the game needs a
keypress, so macros can often do things "behind the scenes" without inducing
any screen flash at all.
Note that there are now four official "windows" that can be supported on
various machines: screen, mirror, choice, recall. The "screen" window is
used for the normal stuff. The "mirror" window may be used to display
anything that normally appears on the "choice" or "recall" windows. The
"choice" window can be used to view the current contents of the "inven"
or "equip", and/or to list "choices" in the inven/equip, and/or to list
"choices" of spells. The "recall" window can be used to display info about
the most recently "encountered" monster race. Note that the "mirror" and
the "choice" window have "opposite" interpretations of the "choice_default"
flag, so if they are both being used to view the "inven" / "equip", then
one will show "inven" and one will show "equip", and hitting "ctrl-e" will
cause both to flip to the other display. This allows you (on big monitors)
to have a constant view of both your inventory and your equipment, and/or
to have one window always show your inven/equip, and the other only show
"choices" you are being asked to make, etc. Note that the "mirror" window
is also used by the "Borg" for status messages. Note that if a machine can
only support one "extra" window it should support the "mirror" window, since
that window is the most "versatile" for the user.
--- Ben ---
William Tanksley
>I am changing three commands -- redraw screen, change options, and
>interact with pref files. To allow optimized usage of these commands,
Okay, so how did you change the interaction with perf files? Do you mean
you changed the menus so that they offer workable defaults to automatically
name and place your files (i.e. so the user can choose to save thier macros
to a file for "this character name only" or "this class only" or "this
machine only", etc?
The way it is now it's too difficult for a newbie.
>--- Ben ---
-Billy
Ben Harrison
> be...@voicenet.com (Ben Harrison) wrote to us all:
> >I am changing three commands -- redraw screen, change options, and
> >interact with pref files. To allow optimized usage of these commands,
>
> Okay, so how did you change the interaction with perf files? Do you mean
> you changed the menus so that they offer workable defaults to automatically
> name and place your files (i.e. so the user can choose to save thier macros
> to a file for "this character name only" or "this class only" or "this
> machine only", etc?
Sorry, I meant I changed them so even if they induce changes to options
or other settings such as attr/char definitions, you must hit "^R" yourself
to refersh the various screens.
I still need to make a full option screen for "macro interaction" which
will allow commands like "load macro file" and "browse macros" and
"delete macro" and stuff like that.
> The way it is now it's too difficult for a newbie.
>
> >--- Ben ---
>
> -Billy
--- Ben ---