UWindow2 Development Blog

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[SAS]Solid Snake

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Finished the console (window version) today. Still have to implement the history and auto tab function.

UWindow2_110208.jpg


PLEASE make sure we can copy and paste IPs and such! It's probably already done if you can copy and paste text into the console, but it's the simple things like this that matter most.
The copy/cut and paste in Unreal Engine 3.x is capable of using the Window's clipboard. This means that not only can you copy/cut and paste inside the game, but you can do so between the game and other applications.

Oh well, looking good there. Will you be doing a sizeable, scrollable console? or sticking with the drop down style like 2k4/ut3? Id prefer to be able to move it around and stuff actually and have it save the position.
There will be two versions, to allow users select one or the other. The one I have now is a window based one, and the other one I will write will be a screen one (similar to the drop down version).

As for other features I could think of, one might be snapping with the edge of the screen or other windows if its not too difficult. Im sure tabs are high up your list of things to do once you got the basic widgets out of the way.
I will probably make this an option. Auto snapping is sort of neat until it just gets plain annoying. Tabs isn't that hard to implement actually, I've just got a few other things to do first before I implement that. In theory, my current design even allows you to have windows inside of windows inside of windows ... etc :)

Perhaps a faster way of for doing groups of checkboxes and comboboxes like the 2k4 mutator interface hook. Id certainly add support for this interface in my mutators
I'll definately add some data driven UI window / panels for other modders to use. This will make it much easier for the pick up of this interface, as they won't need to learn too much about how to use the interface. Otherwise, people who want to dig in, will have to learn how it all works.
 

Jrubzjeknf

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Probably too much to ask, but would it be possible to catch the contents of the log file in a window? I very much dislike the DOS window as realtime log viewer.
 

os][ris

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Solid.. Do you have experience with MFC? I'm wondering because I write many MFC applications and I'm wondering how hard it would be for someone like myself who has never really messed with UScript to do a project like this or similar.
 

Sir_Brizz

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Is it going to be possible to maintain cross compatibility between this and the default interface? I ask because it would be bad to have lots of mutators with UIScenes that only work in one interface or the other and not both.
 

MonsOlympus

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Ahh yeah kewl, snapping was more of a passing suggestion anyways Im not sure how useful it would be in practise but it could be worth the time just to say you've done it :)

Brizz you got a good point there, Im thinking this UI would require the mutator to support it if it has its own UI but creation of one for this uwindows style should be reasonably easy in comparision to the UT3 styled one. Thing with that is you are correct in that someone could make a UI for uwindows styled only and opt out of the UT3 styled one.

Myself Im trying to create a framework of sorts that modders could use to speed up the creation of (mutator) UI's for the UT3 styled interface, thing with that is the same problem occurs in that someone would have to use this framework to have access to that.
 
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[SAS]Solid Snake

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Probably too much to ask, but would it be possible to catch the contents of the log file in a window? I very much dislike the DOS window as realtime log viewer.
Unfortunately, Unrealscript is not capable of reading files from an external source on command. So unfortunately, I doubt this sort of thing is not likely to happen.

Solid.. Do you have experience with MFC?
Actually, I do. I have used both MFC and WTL within C++.

I'm wondering because I write many MFC applications and I'm wondering how hard it would be for someone like myself who has never really messed with UScript to do a project like this or similar.
I depends how you write your MFC applications to begin with. Most of the time, for MFC development you use the built in MFC tools that come with Visual Studio. They provide a WYSIWYG set of editors to build the entire thing, and you just write code which hooks in the events and so forth. That's the whole point of MFC, WTL and ATL. However, these frameworks don't actually ask you to write any actual UI code. You don't have to worry about when elements get resized, or how to position elements and so forth. Unrealscript will be another language you'll have to learn. There aren't snippets you can just string together to form things within it. So all I can say is, it depends on your experience and what you actually know, rather than knowing about particular frameworks. I guess the question to ask yourself, do you know to use MFC or do know how MFC works. People often know how to use something, but not necessarily know how it works (after all almost anyone case use a computer, without having to know how it works)

Is it going to be possible to maintain cross compatibility between this and the default interface? I ask because it would be bad to have lots of mutators with UIScenes that only work in one interface or the other and not both.
That will be something I have to consider as well. It is possible for me to simply open up UIScene's myself and display them either full screen or within a window (not sure if I have that sort of control over how I display UIScene's in general). Ideally, I'd really prefer not to split up the development community and I will see if I can add in some sort of support for the mods that decide to use the official UI instead.

Brizz you got a good point there, Im thinking this UI would require the mutator to support it if it has its own UI but creation of one for this uwindows style should be reasonably easy in comparision to the UT3 styled one.
It depends. This is more code orientated way of doing things. UIScene is more for designers and so forth. It's the MFC approach where you have a set of tools to create the data and the way it works is hidden from the designer. UWindow2 isn't like that. It's a UI for programmers. As a result, some people are going to find it harder to develop for while others will enjoy it's complexity (thus, flexibility).
 

MonsOlympus

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Dude I must say that the idea of opening up UIScenes and displaying them within is a window is most brilliant :D
 

Dark Pulse

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[SAS]Solid Snake;2077719 said:
The copy/cut and paste in Unreal Engine 3.x is capable of using the Window's clipboard. This means that not only can you copy/cut and paste inside the game, but you can do so between the game and other applications.
It is? That's news to me. I've never been able to copy and paste an IP into the console. Ever.

I'm guessing that Epic decided we didn't need that in the UI, eh? :p
 

Kantham

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Sep 17, 2004
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Yeah, a Uwindows Ui is what I ever wanted to see. But I never thought this could be possible to make over the original UI. Or isn't it? Will it overwrite the original files, and do you think we will be able to play online with the custom UI?

Oh and while we're at it, could you give me the link to your Vehicle damage mut again please? :D
 
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Dark Pulse

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Show me the CTRL and "C"/"V" keys on a console. ;)
They're mapped to "B" on a NES controller and "MODE" on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis Six-Button Controller. :p

I'm just making it pretty clear to Snake that being able to paste stuff alone would be pretty good. If the ability is already in there but not implemented for some reason, great, it should be reasonably easy to fix. My favorites and history list are broken, so right now to join FragBU I have to run an exec command and that just sucks.
 

[SAS]Solid Snake

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No images this time round as not much has changed graphically.

Finished the feature list for the edit box:
- Mouse selection, and general mouse interface (acts like any other edit box you've seen)
- Copy, cut and paste is done. This is using the Windows clip board. I tested copying from a windows application and it works just fine. You can also copy from UE3 to a windows application. You using [Left | Right] Ctrl + C, X, V
- Sorted out some bugs that relate to the selection and rendering
- I still need to sort out double clicking. Normal operation is that you can double click words to select them.

Finished the history log for the console window. You can now press up and down to get the history of what you wrote last.

Still need to implement auto tabbing for the console, but for this I need a list of all the commands available for UT3's console. Anyone know where I can find this?

Time to answer questions:

Show me the CTRL and "C"/"V" keys on a console.
You would not want to use something like UWindow's for the console. It's not designed to be a console UI and that's the whole problem with UT3's UI in the first place. The game is supposed to be a PC game, yet it has this crappy consolized interface. UWindow2 is not for consoles, although it could be tweaked so it works with console (as a replacement interface).

Oh and while we're at it, could you give me the link to your Vehicle damage mut again please?
That's right, I updated my website. I'll find it for you again.
 

fuegerstef

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[SAS]Solid Snake;2080083 said:
You would not want to use something like UWindow's for the console. It's not designed to be a console UI and that's the whole problem with UT3's UI in the first place. The game is supposed to be a PC game, yet it has this crappy consolized interface. UWindow2 is not for consoles, although it could be tweaked so it works with console (as a replacement interface).

I know. I was exactly meaning what you posted when I made my "sarcastic" remark. :)
 

[SAS]Solid Snake

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hey Jrubzjeknf, sorry for the late reply. Essentially, I have been very busy. I am currently working professionally on a Unreal Engine 3.x game myself and also developing the new website for my lans (if anyone else is from New Zealand, and is in Christchurch, it is http://www.l3.net.nz).

Thus all my coding efforts have been directed to those two projects. I would love to work more on UWindow2, but lately a lot of my time has been disappearing! Sorry guys, I will keep trying to work on this but we all know that this project was going to take some time.

Plus, I've been thinking about a new way of handling UWindow2 completely which requires a rewrite ... but it is a rewrite for the better though!