NikolaiWolf

Digital_Utopia:

Thank you for your response. I was finally able to get the plugin installed and showing on my desktop. However, now I have a different problem.

When I right-click on my desktop, and click Gadgets, I get a dialog with available gadgets, including Lotrochar. When I right-click Lotrochar, it asks if I want to Add it. When I confirm to add, the Lotrochar box appears on my screen, but it has a never-ending "Connecting..." message on the screen, with a rotating circle next to it.

When I hover my mouse over it, I get three buttons:

-- an "X" to close the gadget.

-- an upward right pointing arrow to change the size.

-- a grid of small dots to move the box.

Each of these functions as expected, but I do not get an options button.

When I right click on the main window (still showing "Connecting..."), I get six menu items:

-Add gadgets... (reopens the gadget adding box.)

-Move (does what it says)

-Size (shift between docked and undocked)

-Always on top (appears to work fine)

-Opacity (opens a sub-menu with percentages) (functional)

-Close gadget (works)

Again, I get no options menu choice.

It has taken me several minutes to write this post, and throughout that time, Lotrochar has indicated that it is "connecting..." without any result.

FYI, I am:

-using a North American server, with all active chars on one server.

-using Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.

-have the most recent version of Java installed.

-using two different lifetime subscriptions, with different usernames, on the same account: when playing, I'll log into whichever subscription has the characters I want to play. Perhaps Lotrochar doesn't know how to deal with two subscriptions on the same computer?

Any suggestions? Any questions about my setup that might help locate the problem? Again, thank you for your work on this. I hope I can get it to work.

Valdacil

Character name is Valdacil on Landroval: http://my.lotro.com/home/character/9...9937844068407/
My.lotro.com shows him being level 50; Gadget still shows 49.

Eili

Thank you for the information and for working on the AIR version

Digital_Utopia

Technically it's using data.lotro.com, which may be updated differently than my.lotro.com. The most I can do is verify that the gadget is working correctly with the available data, but if my/data.lotro.com isn't updating, then you should probably send a PM to either Duwis or Garret on the lotro forums. Otherwise, either post here, or PM me your character/server name and I can verify that it's the data that's not updating, and not an issue with the gadget.

This gadget did, at one point, use my.lotro.com as its data source - but the site "upgrade" irreparably broke my API, as you can no longer view character pages using server/character in the path. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, as I appreciate the creation of an "official" data source, but it did require me to update the gadget

Valdacil

I know that the data is dependent on my.lotro.com, but how often does this data get updated. On of my characters has been 50 for nearly a week and the gadget still shows his level 49 stats.

Digital_Utopia

There are two main reasons why I'm not continuing to improve on this (but I will maintain it to keep it working):

First, not everybody has the ability to use, or the desire to use Vista or Win 7 when they would like to use such a gadget.

Second, although, as Ganzar pointed out - there is a 3rd party solution to getting Sidebar working on xp, I feel that's kind of backwards. Sidebar gadgets are simply a mess when it comes to more unusual methods of displaying info. For instance, since support for vista is necessary, the docked size is limited to 130px wide, as it has to fit on the sidebar.

Also, anything displaying outside of the confines of the gadget body (i.e. tooltips) will result in a bright pink border around it. That's the reason why the tooltip in the docked state is crammed where the stats are shown.

The final issue with Windows Sidebar gadgets is that there's certain default behaviors when it comes to the settings panel. The "OK" and "Cancel" buttons are part of the settings window, and hitting enter will always fire the OK button. There's no way of removing these buttons, or overriding the behavior when the Enter key is pressed.

For those reasons, I'm choosing to make the gadget I originally wanted to make with Adobe AIR, as it allows me the freedom to make it look/behave exactly the way I want it to - as well as allow Mac, Linux, xp, Vista and 7 users to run it. Theoretically it also will be able to run on Android phones, but I won't be able to test it myself until around May and at that time I'd prefer to make it an actual app.

More specifically to The Old One: The AIR version will support monster players, as well as display PvMP information for both freeps and creeps. I already have a "page" laid out for the available creep stats, as I continue on making progress with the UI.

Ganzor

http://joshoon.deviantart.com/art/Wi...472?loggedin=1

Sidebar on XP.

I haven't used XP for years, so I have no idea if it actually works. It appears to from what I have seen.

The Old One

Works great for everything I actually play (and my mule's and just for crafting alts)
Not that I expected it to or that I ever use it but my creep does not work in this

Digital_Utopia

From v0.9.0.0-fix on, the gadget should install normally (i.e. just extract LotROChar.Gadget from the zip file, and run it).

Are you getting any error messages? Does the Install dialog pop up? If clicking install just makes the dialog disappear and nothing else happens, make sure you have the latest version. If it's still not installing, even after you rename LotROChar.Gadget to LotROChar.zip, and extract it to your C:\Users\<account name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets folder - inside a folder named LotROChar.Gadget, then, unfortunately I have no idea what the issue is.

NikolaiWolf

This may be a double post.

I cannot get this gadget to install. I've tried just opening LotRO.gadget. No luck.

I tried the following instructions:

1) rename LotROChar.Gadget to LotROChar.zip
2) extract the folder LotROChar.Gadget
3) open the extracted folder
4) select all the files within
5) right click -> Send To -> compressed (zipped) folder
6) name the file LotROChar.Gadget (no .zip extension!)
7) open the file, and it should install now.

No luck.

I tried copying both the original and the remade version of the .gadget file to my gadgets subdirectory. Still no luck.

Any suggestions on what might work? Thank you.

Eili

Poor little us using Win xp

Digital_Utopia

Thanks for this handy tool Digital Utopia. I like it.

Two things I wanted to bring to ask about though one of them there probably isn't a fix for.
Just released a fix for the disappearing stat bug. Sorry about that, I didn't really give the gadget a full test through, as I (mistakenly) assumed that it was functionally bug-free and instead, concentrated on fitting in the new data source.

As far as the "?" icons go, I really have no control over that. If turbine doesn't create the item, or doesn't set an icon for it, then that's the result. Hopefully they catch up soon

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! Hopefully it will behave now

The AIR version got delayed - mostly thanks to Turbine dropping Lua Scripting on us, which I've been busy messing around with since June (a couple of months after the announcement).

However, thanks for reminding me, and showing interest in that version. I started working on it again last night, and the gadget body UI is finished, with just the slide-out part left to go until the main UI is finished. Basic controls are done as well - including the three buttons, gadget movement, and navigation. After I finish the slide-out, I need to work on the initial UI (what you see when you first open it, until it loads), the UI for the settings, and then the actual core code that loads the data and displays it, as well as finish up the navigation code.

here's a preview (not a mockup this time - actual AIR app )



You can move it around by dragging on the upper section (above the divider), and navigation will be done with mouse gestures. Clicking and sliding across the area where the kin name is displayed will go through your characters in the appropriate direction

Kestryn

Thanks for this handy tool Digital Utopia. I like it.

Two things I wanted to bring to ask about though one of them there probably isn't a fix for.

1) A number of my characters have crafted items that are older versions than the current recipes output, and these items all display as a ? in the gadget and can't display a tooltip. I know this is Turbine's fault as the lorebook only has the current recipe outputs. Is there any way around this?

2) When the gadget is in the smaller display and I click the more link to view stats, etc., and then use the arrow to change characters the "more" display does not update for the new character. Instead it blanks until I close it and open it again. Can this be fixed to update along with the currently displayed character?

Thanks again for making this!

xaero

I know I read somewhere that you wanted to move this project in a different direction. Do you still have plans for that (Adobe Air I think you said)?

MrJackdaw

You and me both! Come on Codemasters! Give us My.Lotro!