Help needed - we want to make the mods "add-on" compatible

[Andreas Raht]

Hey guys, most of you certainly know the add-ons dialog in OOTP. It allows you to browse through a list of add-ons provided in an online XML file. If you want to install such an add-on, you can do that easily because the add-ons dialog does the download and installation for you. The dialog even tracks what you downloaded and installed and allows you to install files into a second league without downloading again.

Of course this can only work if the add-on file has a proper internal folder structure and file type. But that's actually easy to do, more info about it here: Out of the Park Baseball Manual

Unfortunately, most mods on ootpmods.com are not compatible. They can not be listed in the add-ons dialog. For many new users, that's really a problem. It would be much better if we could rebuild all the mods so that they are compatible with the add-ons dialog.

We're looking for volunteers who would do that for us. If you would like to help us with this project, please post in this thread. You'll be asked to sign an NDA and we'll add you to the beta team so that you can test the revamped add-ons dialog in OOTP13.

We're looking forward to working together with you!

EDIT: if your a modder, please upload your files to ootpmods.com in proper format. Contact me if you need help. Thanks!

[Andreas Raht]

Nobody interested

[soadeathdealer]

Andreas let me do a few XML for a few mods on my site (i plan on downloading all the mods and put them to my site anyways for a backup in case something happens to ootpmods ) and ill try them out in 13 and let you know.

[soadeathdealer]

Thought id post an update here instead of the beta forum just to keep organized .

currently dling all 2012 and 2011 mods and re archiving them into .tar format for reupload to my server . ill get the older files as time goes by as this isnt a one day thing.


created a xml file that works in 13 up to the point of download . my server host disabled pass throught so the xml can not exacute a download though the file and this also wont allow me to do my game reports via sql so ive contacted them and im awaiting there server admins response .

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by Andreas Raht

Nobody interested

Maybe it's where this was posted. Personally, I always go straight to the sub-forums in here. Maybe if this was posted in one of the more popular subforums like graphics, etc.

Question: My stuff is all hosted on MediaFire, could I even do this, or would it have to be hosted on a site like ootpmods?

[Andreas Raht]

Thanks!
Yes, you could do that as well even with the files on Mediafire or elsewhere. We only need to have a link which we could write into the XML file. And your tar archive needs to have the proper internal folder structure to make sure that OOTP installs the files to the right folders.

IMO it would be great if we could have your mods on ootpmods.com - just because it would be great for the users to have all of the mods in a single place

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by Andreas Raht

Thanks!
Yes, you could do that as well even with the files on Mediafire or elsewhere. We only need to have a link which we could write into the XML file. And your tar archive needs to have the proper internal folder structure to make sure that OOTP installs the files to the right folders.

IMO it would be great if we could have your mods on ootpmods.com - just because it would be great for the users to have all of the mods in a single place

Thanks! and good point.

[Cooleyvol]

Perhaps it would be better if you could get each author to edit his own mods. I'd be willing to modify mine if instructed as to how to do this.

[Andreas Raht]

Making Sure Your Add-On Installs Correctly

The key to success is making sure your archive saves relative path names. With a .tar.gz file, you have to select the folders from the base folder. For example: You want to create an add-on with player pictures. These pictures are in My Documents/OOTP Developments/OOTP Baseball/data/photos. You would open the base folder, which is My Documents/OOTP Developments/OOTP Baseball/data in this case, right click on /photos and select "Add to tar.gz file" if you have your TAR tool installed this way (and if you're a lucky user of MS Windows). Otherwise, you start your TAR tool, create a new archive and add the /photos folder to it. The TAR archive needs to save relative path names! You can easily check it out by opening the archive with the TAR tool: you should see the folders in it, like "photos" for this example.

Obviously, there is some trial and error involved in getting this set up, but once you do, it should be a breeze

[Cooleyvol]

So you're saying, for example, logos should be inside an 'images' folder?

[Andreas Raht]

Logos should be in a /logos folder, if the user would want to install them to the "global" logos folder.

Look at the OOTP 12 add on "moreFGbackgrounds.tar.gz".
It contains an archive moreFGbackgrounds.tar and the archive contains the folder /facegen/backgrounds with the files in it. The target setting in the XML file is "$userdata". So the tar file will be unpacked into the user data folder.

There are several other target settings:
$leaguedata (a league folder in case you want the files to be installed into a saved game folder)
$leagueimages (images folder - attention, in OOTP13 we will have separate images folders)
$basedata (program data folder)

So, to install into <league.lg>/news/html/images/team_logos you would choose the target $leagueimages and the folder structure would be /team_logos

[Andreas Raht]

Important news for you:
Please search for "target2" and read the last paragraph in the Add-Ons Manual

We have a few test files now which show how the various "target" settings work. You can use the files for your own tests, too. Examples are in this XML file.

[soadeathdealer]

sweet thank Andreas , ill have the 2011 and 2012 mods on my site with the correct file structure soon , ill have to edit the xml I created to add target 2 where it applies

[Andreas Raht]

Okay, great! Please also add "category". We could just use what you see on OOTPMODS.COM in the menu:

• Ballparks
• Databases
• Facegen
• Logos
• Photos
• Templates
• Other

[soadeathdealer]

ill start the massive upload of the 2011 and 2012 mods tomorrow hopefully.
I found the issue was my one site i wanted to use it wouldn't let u dl thu game so i tested my other site and its fine so ill just place the files in that site and once i talk to my hosting on the site i wanted to use the xml and get them to let my xml work on that site i may move over to that site at sum point but for now im getting the files uploaded and all

[soadeathdealer]

got the 2011 and 2012 logos uploaed now will continue on to the next catagory