Community Wad - A new direction?
Posted: 06 Aug 2015, 00:56
For the contributors who are active, I've got some news and would like your opinions.
My dad and I have gotten a server up and running with a website I can access and modify as needed. I'll be attempting to get this website to do what I need for the distribution of the decks. By that I mean a site with a list of the decks and what they do which can be programatically updated with the actual deck files as they come in rather than the Google Sites one that currently exists and requires me to manually update it (which is why it's so behind all the time). It'll also allow for including when a deck was made and thus sorting and filtering for new ones.
Now, THAT is useful for everyone. What's not useful for everyone and would instead only be useful for the contributors is the ftp service I've set up alongside it. I've tested it and it works pretty well. I've had no problems with it so far.
As it stands, using Notepad++, here's what it takes to modify a card:
Adding a file is even easier.
In either case, once it's uploaded, the repacking utility can take over like normal. All without the need for Google Drive, an internet browser (because I HATE Google Drive's webpage), or potential duplicates of files (one of Google Drive's main problems).
Each user would have his or her own username and password. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to make your own passwords without me seeing them. I want to, but it's not a feature of the FTP server I have (FileZilla) and I can't afford a paid one which might have that feature. So, you can make it whatever you want (and I will not be storing those passwords anywhere), but even so, I'd make it something you don't intend to use elsewhere (or at least anywhere else that's important). That would of course all be handled through PMs.
Is this something the contributors would be interested in trying?
For the sake of making sure everyone keeps decent download speeds, the wads themselves and the images will remain on Google Drive. They're not modified often enough to justify putting on a slow ftp server. For text files, however, it's almost instantaneous. It takes a moment, but it's less than a second (although I am in the same town as the server).
If you use another text editor and want to continue using it, you can. I didn't realize Notepad++ came with a bundled FTP plugin. Yours may as well. Sublime Text 2 is not packages with an FTP plugin. However, I've tested Sublime SFTP and it seems to work. I don't quite like it as much as N++'s, but it works well.
You can also use any editor you already use and simply upload with whatever ftp client you want. FileZilla's own client is really nice. In fact, from directly in its client, you can right click the file you want to edit and choose to view/edit and it will immediately download and open in your default editor. When you go back to the client's window, if the file has been modified, it will ask if you want to upload the new copy (with a checkbox asking if you want to also remove the temporary local copy). I find this to be a slightly better way to use Sublime. Use the FileZilla client to open the files, with sublime only handling what it's best at: text editing. The only real downside I've seen is that it doesn't allow for batch confirmation. If you edit three files, it'll ask three times what to do with the modified files.
So who thinks this would be a better way to go? I certainly do, but I'm not the only one that uses it. Only one method will be supported. They'll both be available for a time, but FTP or Google Drive will be used and the other not after awhile (probably; it would simply be twice as complicated as it needs to be if I have two loose CARDS folders with 10000+ files each). Google Drive has proven to have quite a few flaws where this project is concerned, and the FTP method should be quite a bit simpler once you're set up. It also means you don't have to have google drive running. I can get the download links for the wads and make them all available (possibly giving a download manager the ability to handle them all simultaneously), and the versions can be checked through a file on the website, allowing the syncing utility to check for and download the files when you want it to rather than immediately or not at all. This would mean users also wouldn't need the Google Drive program on their computer.
One other benefit is that anyone can view the list of cards and see things like the code and when it was changed without having to wait for Google Drive's website to load. (If you don't have the loose files in your drive, then finding a particular card is a nightmare.)
I'm interested in your input for this. I really think it would be a better way to go, but I can't see into the future and I don't know for sure how you use the system currently. So, it's possible you'll find it as easy and convenient as I do, or it may not work at all for you. Let me know one way or the other.
My dad and I have gotten a server up and running with a website I can access and modify as needed. I'll be attempting to get this website to do what I need for the distribution of the decks. By that I mean a site with a list of the decks and what they do which can be programatically updated with the actual deck files as they come in rather than the Google Sites one that currently exists and requires me to manually update it (which is why it's so behind all the time). It'll also allow for including when a deck was made and thus sorting and filtering for new ones.
Now, THAT is useful for everyone. What's not useful for everyone and would instead only be useful for the contributors is the ftp service I've set up alongside it. I've tested it and it works pretty well. I've had no problems with it so far.
As it stands, using Notepad++, here's what it takes to modify a card:
- Open Notepad++
- Click connect (the plugin stays open if you had it open when you closed N++)
- Find and open the card you want to modify in the list (you can scroll to it, or type its name to jump around in the list; open by enter or double clicking).
- Modify it as needed.
- Save
Adding a file is even easier.
- Have the file somewhere already (probably your testing folder) and the server connected (click connect).
- Click the upload button.
In either case, once it's uploaded, the repacking utility can take over like normal. All without the need for Google Drive, an internet browser (because I HATE Google Drive's webpage), or potential duplicates of files (one of Google Drive's main problems).
Each user would have his or her own username and password. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to make your own passwords without me seeing them. I want to, but it's not a feature of the FTP server I have (FileZilla) and I can't afford a paid one which might have that feature. So, you can make it whatever you want (and I will not be storing those passwords anywhere), but even so, I'd make it something you don't intend to use elsewhere (or at least anywhere else that's important). That would of course all be handled through PMs.
Is this something the contributors would be interested in trying?
For the sake of making sure everyone keeps decent download speeds, the wads themselves and the images will remain on Google Drive. They're not modified often enough to justify putting on a slow ftp server. For text files, however, it's almost instantaneous. It takes a moment, but it's less than a second (although I am in the same town as the server).
If you use another text editor and want to continue using it, you can. I didn't realize Notepad++ came with a bundled FTP plugin. Yours may as well. Sublime Text 2 is not packages with an FTP plugin. However, I've tested Sublime SFTP and it seems to work. I don't quite like it as much as N++'s, but it works well.
You can also use any editor you already use and simply upload with whatever ftp client you want. FileZilla's own client is really nice. In fact, from directly in its client, you can right click the file you want to edit and choose to view/edit and it will immediately download and open in your default editor. When you go back to the client's window, if the file has been modified, it will ask if you want to upload the new copy (with a checkbox asking if you want to also remove the temporary local copy). I find this to be a slightly better way to use Sublime. Use the FileZilla client to open the files, with sublime only handling what it's best at: text editing. The only real downside I've seen is that it doesn't allow for batch confirmation. If you edit three files, it'll ask three times what to do with the modified files.
So who thinks this would be a better way to go? I certainly do, but I'm not the only one that uses it. Only one method will be supported. They'll both be available for a time, but FTP or Google Drive will be used and the other not after awhile (probably; it would simply be twice as complicated as it needs to be if I have two loose CARDS folders with 10000+ files each). Google Drive has proven to have quite a few flaws where this project is concerned, and the FTP method should be quite a bit simpler once you're set up. It also means you don't have to have google drive running. I can get the download links for the wads and make them all available (possibly giving a download manager the ability to handle them all simultaneously), and the versions can be checked through a file on the website, allowing the syncing utility to check for and download the files when you want it to rather than immediately or not at all. This would mean users also wouldn't need the Google Drive program on their computer.
One other benefit is that anyone can view the list of cards and see things like the code and when it was changed without having to wait for Google Drive's website to load. (If you don't have the loose files in your drive, then finding a particular card is a nightmare.)
I'm interested in your input for this. I really think it would be a better way to go, but I can't see into the future and I don't know for sure how you use the system currently. So, it's possible you'll find it as easy and convenient as I do, or it may not work at all for you. Let me know one way or the other.