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Work in Progress / MenuEdit - Makes Creating In-Game Menus Easy!

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TDK
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Posted: 7th Dec 2005 06:23
A while back, I created a small utility to make life easier for myself when I wrote a program with lots of on-screen buttons.

After seeing a few posts asking about menu and GUI designers for DB (and the fact that there didn't seem to be any), I thought I'd share the one I wrote with the community.

So I've tarted up what I'd done a bit to make it presentable and have uploaded it for you to comment on while it's still in the unfinished stage. As it's unfinished, please don't bother posting about any bugs you find as I've probably already fixed them!

I've even added an option which writes the DBA code for you to load into DB and run - though you will have to add the code for each button yourself (the places are Rem'ed in the code).

There's a very short doc file in the zip which I suggest you read before using it. It'll only take you a few seconds and it will save you the time of posting on here to say that something isn't working properly or you can't do this or that.

Finally, please make sure that when you unzip the zip file you preserve the directory structure. If it doesn't create any folders it won't work properly!

http://www.computechtenerife.com/menuedit.zip

TDK_Man

Cash Curtis II
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Location: Corpus Christi Texas
Posted: 7th Dec 2005 12:32
Thank you so much! This is great. I was pretty impressed with your menus in your modeller, and I was going to ask to use them. I am definitely going to use this. I haven't had time to properly test it out yet, but everything looks great so far.

Thanks!!!

TDK
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Posted: 7th Dec 2005 13:23
Thanks for that - at least one person likes it then!

Just to clarify for anyone reading this thread, MenuEdit has nothing to do with drop-down menus.

Instead, this program lets you quickly and easily create simple GUI screens with multiple buttons for your programs - like option screens with buttons for 'Play Game', 'Options', 'HiScores' and 'Exit' etc.

You can load a background image, (leaving space for the buttons), then create buttons of any size with MenuEdit with labels, then resize and position them with control over the button text font, size and colour.

When finished, you can save the project as files in a form to use in your own DB programs (DB or Classic) - simply put your own code in the gaps marked out for you!

Note: The version downloadable in this thread is unfinished and only intended as a demo, so the DBA file it creates is only a stand-alone program that you can run. The finished version will come with code that you can merge into your existing programs.

TDK_Man

Kangaroo2 BETA2
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Location: Somerset / UK
Posted: 7th Dec 2005 17:03
This is a great idea well executed - I'm sure it'll help many people

Fox Dark Master
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Location: Portugal
Posted: 7th Dec 2005 17:51 Edited at: 7th Dec 2005 17:58
that menu is kinda basic (no ofence), wasn't it create with a select case? I don't know what were your aims but I can only see an blackscreen with text after I select the resolution


True Phantasy
s0l1dsnak3123
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Location: Scotland
Posted: 7th Dec 2005 18:28
@TDK_man - i know this is a little off topic, but when will your IDE be finished? (nice menu editor by the way)


http://s0l1dsoft.tk
Zotoaster
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Posted: 7th Dec 2005 18:32
Very good, but very slow too (for me)

s0l1dsnak3123
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Posted: 7th Dec 2005 19:06
yeh i suppose... was a tiny little bit sluggish on my system


http://s0l1dsoft.tk
Sven B
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Location: Belgium
Posted: 7th Dec 2005 19:08
Quote: "that menu is kinda basic (no ofence), wasn't it create with a select case? I don't know what were your aims but I can only see an blackscreen with text after I select the resolution
"


Maybe you could've read the doc file with it?
Press the rightmousebutton for evertything!

TDK, nice things in it, but maybe you can make the interface a little more user-friendly. I don't really like working on a black screen.
Maybe you can use hided pop-up menu's?

Immunity and Annihalation makes Immunihalation...
TDK
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Posted: 7th Dec 2005 19:42
Quote: "that menu is kinda basic (no ofence), wasn't it create with a select case? I don't know what were your aims but I can only see an blackscreen with text after I select the resolution"


Al I can say is to re-iterate what Sven said and quote from my first post:

Quote: "There's a very short doc file in the zip which I suggest you read before using it. It'll only take you a few seconds and it will save you the time of posting on here to say that something isn't working properly or you can't do this or that."


Sven:

Quote: "I don't really like working on a black screen."


I chose that method because it gives you the full area to see the menu screen you are creating. I basically didn't want anything on the screen to obstruct the menu and it seemed the best way.

Quote: "Maybe you can use hided pop-up menu's?"


It is using hidden pop-up menus. Or do you mean something else? I'm open to offers on the interface - if someone suggests a better way and it can be done, I'll have a go at implementing it.

@All

I haven't done any optimizing of the code yet, so the finished program will hopefully be a bit less sluggish. However on my system, even now it's not, so I never noticed the problem.

I guess 2D is a bit slower in DB and I'm hoping that the systems that have the problem are older ones - something I might not be able to do a lot for...

TDK_Man

Fox Dark Master
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Posted: 7th Dec 2005 20:04
sorry sorry sorry, didn't see that ^^'


True Phantasy
Sven B
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Posted: 7th Dec 2005 20:31
Nono, I mean strokes at the side of the screen and when the mouse hovers it, display the whole menu.

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=56837&b=6&p=1

It uses the thing i mean

Immunity and Annihalation makes Immunihalation...
Fox Dark Master
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Posted: 8th Dec 2005 13:29
TDK... you have a menu maker, right? so why don't have an menu on the startup of the program? lol what I really don't like in your programs are: the interface that looks kinda weird.... and that it doesn't have window mode. I don't know if classic have that mode but it whould be nice a window mode


True Phantasy
TDK
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Posted: 8th Dec 2005 19:30
Quote: "so why don't have an menu on the startup of the program? "


This is the WIP board - NOT Program announcements. As I said in the first post, it's an early version and isn't finished!

Quote: "what I really don't like in your programs are: the interface that looks kinda weird"


You don't have to use them!

Quote: "but it whould be nice a window mode"


It could be made to run in Windowed mode, but I don't like the way that you can't stop windows from being resized - making your programs look terrible.

It's worth mentioning that atm it's only the designer that uses full-screen mode and any menu created and merged into your program uses whatever mode your program does.

Quote: "I don't know if classic have that mode"


It does, but MenuEdit was written in DBPro anyway.

TDK_Man

Jack
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Location: [Germany]
Posted: 8th Dec 2005 22:31
Good work TDK

Iam useing your 4 screens and your Menu Bar func to
make a level editor.
You know what will happen with a box in a 3d room
=> bugs !

I'll send you an email with the scoure maybe you can
fix something (DBC)

[/center]
Cash Curtis II
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Location: Corpus Christi Texas
Posted: 8th Dec 2005 23:25
Quote: "Blah blah blah I don't like this blah blah blah and I suck blah blah blah"


Dark Fox Master, you are a negative person. I like the menu editor.

TDK, any chance of seeing drop down menu support added? That would be cool. I know it would be a lot harder, but still something I'd like to see.

Keep it up!

TDK
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Posted: 9th Dec 2005 02:19
Quote: "any chance of seeing drop down menu support added?"


Actually, that might be a good idea. I'll look into it.

TDK_Man

Halo Man
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Posted: 27th Dec 2005 17:51
Bump. This is great!

Make great games with C++ and OpenGL!
C++ Tutorial: http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial
OpenGL Tutorial: http://nehe.gamedev.net/lesson.asp?index=01
Dodic
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Location: SNM (Serbia&Montenegro)
Posted: 2nd Jan 2006 19:46
tdk , you overrunned me , but i`m actually glad , this is great ! (i thought about making that..)

Ok , tdk i treat you for one of oldest , and well i belive you are one of the best forumers here.

i have a question , do you have any idea what sort of a little program can i make for db , what do you think it`s best ? (any,visual editor,anything ,renderer...)


Darth Vader
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Location: Adelaide SA, I am the only DB user here!
Posted: 4th Feb 2006 08:24
Can this be used in DBP?

You Don't know the power of the Dark Side!!
Oh but I do!!
Sergey K
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Posted: 11th Feb 2006 00:20
Quote: "Can this be used in DBP?"


is this just me, or the question was stupid?

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