Seeking input on thoughts

[Rythal]

Working on the first task on the list (profile support) the first thing I want to do is clean up the current files, It didn't matter what modules you had or didn't have everything and anything was being saved into Carbonites main profile.

I split out the weekly info easy enough, but now i'm looking at what's still left, it looks like Carbonite is creating and recording info it really doesn't need unless your using warehouse (Nx:RecordChar) debating between moving that function to Warehouse where it should be, or finding the stuff being recorded that is relevant to warehouse (mail, inventory, banks) and just moving those leaving the rest, currency, level, class etc where it is so any module can access it.

Thoughts?

[Miralen]

I think you ought to probably move it all to the warehouse, though I do not know how much work this would entail, if none of the other modules need to access or know this information why leave it there. Personally the only thing I make use of with Carbonite is the Map (world and mini obviously) so if it is recording stuff it doesn't need, it seems to me that you might be able to streamline a little bit and place everything where it ought to be.

BTW, as a returning customer to WoW, I am greatly appreciative of the modularity you've added to Carbonite.

As a side note, I am not a coder so as stated above, I haven't the foggiest idea of the work it would take to track all these eggs down and move them to the basket they ought to be in but if I understood your post correctly, it seems only logical to me to only have one module tracking everything it needs as opposed to having multiple modules track a bunch of little things for another single module, kind of defeats the purpose of modularity.

And finally thanks for the hard work!

[Kreelor]

Just a suggestion and a few comments.

Questions:
1. What happens to Profiles if users choose not to use the Warehouse addon?
2. What does Warehouse have to do with Profiles?
3. I may be wrong, but don't Profiles have more to do with setting up individual characters with things like customized optional choices for that character such as position/sizes of Carbonite map(s), and many other options which are available within the current Carbonite "Options" dialog screens?

Suggestion:
EDITED - I REPLACED THE OLD IMAGE WITH A NEW ONE SHOWING A 'PROFILES PAGE'
1. Create a new Carbonite addon named "Carbonite - Profiles.' It would be optional, since not everyone may want different Profiles for each of their characters. And, since many users may not want to install the Warehouse addon (just to get the Profiles configuration page), that would solve that problem.
2. Put the Configuration dialog for Profiles on its own "Profile page" -- Not mixed in with Warehouse information.

My comments:
1. I attached a SAMPLE IMAGE which I created that might help make explanation easier to understand graphically.
2. I copied the Profiles section from my Zygor Guides' Profile section and pasted it into my sample.
NOTE: It was for display purposes only. And, the last time I tried using Zygor's Profiles section, it crashed completely and it re-wrote (lost!) all the Profile configuration options it had -- for ALL my alternate characters! So, I don't attempt to use theirs at all. Maybe Rythal or someone else can write code that makes it work for Carbonite?

More than likely, there are reasons why Rythal may not want a new module like this. It may contradict the current status of BETA and throw Carbonite back into an ALPHA stage? I have no idea. I'm only offering my 2-cents worth.

[jeffy162]

If you're going to split it out, profiles that is, put it in its' own module (or write it into the "Carbonite" module). Likewise put "Profiles" on its' own page. That way there is no confusion. "Hey, this is a "Profile" for your character! You can make one for each of your characters or leave it on "Default". The choice is yours to make." I don't know, I guess I've been wrecked by all of the addons with profiles already. Hopefully it won't be too time consuming to do.

Good Luck!

EDIT: I remember you saying that the old Carbonite had a massive "SavedVariables" file, and one of the reasons for that was the profiles. Just a thought, here: Why don't you make them save per character - in the characters "SavedVariables" folder? Or would that be too much of a P.I.T.A. /EDIT

[Kreelor]

Originally Posted by jeffy162 If you're going to split it out, profiles that is, put it in its' own module (or write it into the "Carbonite" module).

Hi, jeffy162. I agree with you on your first option; you call it a 'module' and I called it an 'addon'. I may have named it incorrectly. Writing it into the "Carbonite" module may not work well since it's actually the "Carbonite-Maps" module. Users could not opt out of Profiles without also opting out of the main, required "Carbonite-Maps" addon if they were merged together.

EDITED 8:00PM: I think I messed up the image by adding "Profile Module" on the left-side of the picture (right under "Warehouse Module"). It shouldn't be there and in the General screen both. Oh, well.

[ircdirk]

Originally Posted by Kreelor Writing it into the "Carbonite" module may not work well since it's actually the "Carbonite-Maps" module. Users could not opt out of Profiles without also opting out of the main, required "Carbonite-Maps" addon if they were merged together.

Carbonite main module "Maps" is required for other modules to work. U cant have for example Quest Module without Main Carbonite (Maps).

I think profiles should be splited to modules. Only main addon should be the "boss" for managing them.

[Kreelor]

Originally Posted by jeffy162 If you're going to split it out, profiles that is, put it in its' own module (or write it into the "Carbonite" module). Likewise put "Profiles" on its' own page. That way there is no confusion.

I agree with jeffy162 on these points. Putting "Profiles" on its own page makes sense. My suggestion earlier about putting it on the "General" page was not well thought out by me. I tossed and turned in bed last night thinking about what I said then, I finally figured out I was wrong. Putting Profiles on the General page would cause the same problem as putting it on (or mixing it into) the "Carbonite - Maps" Main module. User's could not opt-out easily from the Profiles module -- unless it was on its own page. I should re-do the image I attached because now, it's confusing and incorrect. Sorry!

[nelegalno2]

I think that the functions that are recording data only used by a specific module (WareHouse for example) should be moved in the module, this way they won't take resources if the user isn't using it, the downside is that if a user wants to use the info he will need to enable the module collecting the info on all of his characters and collect the data in order to do so (login with each character > enable module > open inventory, bank & GB > logoff for WH example).

P.S. The Profiles need to be a part of each module in order to work, what Rythal is talking about is the data saved by them and it's location. Keep in mind that if the data is in the character folder it's inaccessible to other characters and if in the account folder it's accessible to all characters in the account (Blizzard limitation).

[Kreelor]

Originally Posted by nelegalno2 Keep in mind that if the data is in the character folder it's inaccessible to other characters and if in the account folder it's accessible to all characters in the account (Blizzard limitation).

I'm not sure I understand this?

Isn't it precisely the Saved_Variables data (per character) that Profiles needs in order to be able to "Copy" the desired profile from one character to another character - even char's across realms? If not, then I'm looking in the wrong place for the individual character's variables. Sorry.

Question:
Here's a path to a Saved_Variables file for just one single character. My other Alt char's are there too, but I clicked on only (1) char. Each Alt char has its own Saved_Variables file.

Is this the proper path to where Carbonite-Profiles would find the particular "modified profile" which a user wants to "Copy"/substitute for use on one of their own (other) Alt characters?

C:\Program Files (x86)\World of Warcraft\WTF\Account\{ACCT NAME}\{REALM NAME}\{CHAR NAME}\SavedVariables

-- In the past, both Carbonite and Zygor "Profiles" worked properly. I know that because I used to use them all the time. Maybe the pathing code and basic structure is somewhere in the old Archives???
.
.

[jeffy162]

"Opting out" of the profiles option has no dependency on what page the "Profiles" are listed on. Just leave the option alone and you have "opted out" of using profiles. All I was trying to do was stop confusion. Didn't work. I just started more with my comments. It just makes more sense (to me) to put the profiles on their own page. It doesn't matter where they are put into the addon. Most addons don't have a separate module for profiles, yet most addons have them. So it doesn't really matter where Rythal decides to write the profiles, it just makes a difference where he puts the profiles information in-game.

That's the way I see it, but I might be wrong about it. Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last time.

EDIT: I stand corrected. I didn't know that's the way it worked. That's why I suggested that Rythal put the profiles "SavedVariables" in your characters' folder. Now it makes more sense to put them in your accounts "SavedVariables" folder. /EDIT

[Kreelor]

I'm hoping the changes I just made to the image in my original post don't confuse things any more. LOL
-- I am only trying to simplify things.

Note: The original image has been replaced - again! Geesh. I'm pretty sure I'm done. I think everyone has made valid points, except possibly me.