[Pre Game Editor] New Feature Suggestions

[AdamOates]

Has anyone used the Import function in the editor?

There is a readme file that comes with the editor explaining how to. I'd like to know if it works fine

I haven't tried using it myself but I think Alessandro may have used it previously for his UUDB project.

My understanding of the Import function is that it is used only for changing names (i.e. for unfaking). It's a real shame it cannot, for example, import trades / contract alterations. It would be fantastic if users could compile their own CSV files of trades etc so that these could be batch imported into the DB. This would, in effect, allow multiple users to edit the database (rather than you having to do all of it yourself) and would save so much time.

Edit: An additional (albeit more ambitious/complex) import feature would be the ability to create playing staff. It might be too complex to put in a CSV file each and every attribute, but just a basic range of data to import would be extremely useful - e.g. name, dob, nationality, contract details, CA, PA, reputation, and positional ratings.

I was just wondering the same thing. Who created this editor? Are they still around? A great feature would be to import straight from a spreadsheet. It takes me almost an hour to create new players for a whole team and I don't like that. At the very least fix the TAB function in certain spots. I hate how it skips around.

[archibalduk]

Mne2 created the editor. He still pops in now and again.

[Midas]

That feature would be amazing and would make editing a hell of a lot easier.

[mne2]

Yes i'm still around but afraid i have no plans to do any further work on the editor.

[AdamOates]

Yes i'm still around but afraid i have no plans to do any further work on the editor.

I have no skills in this area, but if someone else wanted to improve the editor would you be willing to give them what you have to make it easier? I feel like the game is starting to get a renewed interest with all of the latest advancements and this could help greatly.

The problem to me is that all of us are spending tons of hours researching leagues and players, but then it still has to go through one guy to input all of that data. My newest idea for the editor is for each researcher to be able to create/edit players with the editor, but they are stored outside of the database. When finished, they would be sent the database and would be able to mass select everything they changed and it would be imported automatically. Either that or have all of the data they worked on be able to be sent in a file to Manimal so he wouldn't have to send the database to each individual person.

Again, I have no idea if this is even a possibility, but I'm hoping to generate some interest in improving the editor so we can make the best possible rosters.

[Alessandro]

Yes i'm still around but afraid i have no plans to do any further work on the editor.

Too bad ... there would still some things to do, parent division/conferences, national teams' GM and Coach, Cups' names, and so on...

[Midas]

Yes i'm still around but afraid i have no plans to do any further work on the editor.

I have no skills in this area, but if someone else wanted to improve the editor would you be willing to give them what you have to make it easier? I feel like the game is starting to get a renewed interest with all of the latest advancements and this could help greatly.

The problem to me is that all of us are spending tons of hours researching leagues and players, but then it still has to go through one guy to input all of that data. My newest idea for the editor is for each researcher to be able to create/edit players with the editor, but they are stored outside of the database. When finished, they would be sent the database and would be able to mass select everything they changed and it would be imported automatically. Either that or have all of the data they worked on be able to be sent in a file to Manimal so he wouldn't have to send the database to each individual person.

Again, I have no idea if this is even a possibility, but I'm hoping to generate some interest in improving the editor so we can make the best possible rosters.

Should be doable, but I don't know how.

[s3nn3n]

please please please

does any source code exist for this editor that is available for download?

also, is there any documentation available for download that correlates the editor fields to the games files?

Ex. i know nonplayer.dat corresponds to the Non-Player Detail and Non-Player Attributes.

thnks

[archibalduk]

please please please

does any source code exist for this editor that is available for download?

also, is there any documentation available for download that correlates the editor fields to the games files?

Ex. i know nonplayer.dat corresponds to the Non-Player Detail and Non-Player Attributes.

thnks

The EHM 2005 database structure can be found here: http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... =94&t=8147 . I'm not sure if the EHM 2007 db structure was ever made public. The structure changed between the two games, but the 2005 structure is a useful start.

Even if Mne2 were to release the source code for his editor, you'll need strong C++ skills to improve it in any way. Editing the database is a complex process and it's incredible how much Mne2 has achieved with his editor. It would take a lot of hard work and skill in order to start adding any new features to his editor.

[s3nn3n]

thanks for the link

yes, agreed on the coding comment. Mne2 did a great job on the editor and i can see it would take alot of time and work to achieve it. i wouldn't presume that i would be one to do much with it.

i just see different people here working on projects that could be simplified with an upgraded editor (as of course already stated) or by other custom built editors.

it just seems the community as a whole lacks an understanding of the game data structure that the editor seems to possess.

[archibalduk]

I don't think I was ever aware of this, but back in 2007 a user started work on a Mac version of the Editor (but unfortunately didn't get far with it). I stumbled across this link in Google completely by mistake: http://ehmeditor.blogspot.com/

i just see different people here working on projects that could be simplified with an upgraded editor (as of course already stated) or by other custom built editors.

it just seems the community as a whole lacks an understanding of the game data structure that the editor seems to possess.

I completely agree. We need something that allows more than one user to work on the database at the same time. As you say, the difficulty is that most of us here are hockey fans rather than programmers!

I've mulling over this very issue for a couple of weeks now and am wondering if I could create a web-based editor which would allow multiple users to work on the database simultaneously. It's just an idea at the moment, but it's something I'd like to investigate when I have some time perhaps early next year.

[Alessandro]

Neil, always pleasant to hear from you. We all hope you can keep on giving us better versions of your editor!

[archibalduk]

The 2007 database structure was published. If it's not still on the SI forums i have a copy somewhere that i could upload.

I thought it was made public at some point but I've been struggling to find it (it would be in the Programmer's Oracle Forum, right?). Anyway, if you could email it to me (archibalduk AT gmail DOT com) then I'd be extremely grateful. I'll then upload it to the Downloads Database on TBL for all to see.

One of the big issues with multiple people editing the database is that there are so many extra things that get updated when you add/edit a staff member that it is nealy impossible to do this in a multi user way (a web version might be possible but it would be pretty complicated to code and might have to invlove exporting the db to some other database and then re-creating the EHM structure using another tool).

My idea is to export each of the .dat files (except index.dat) into CSV files. These can then be imported into SQL.

From what little I've learned about the database structure thus far, it's the complexity of updating the player/staff records that is the most intimidating/challenging aspect. I think, however, it should be possible to code something using php and sql - it'll just take a long time to figure out and no doubt there would be plenty of bugs/issues to iron out. Once I've seen the 07 database structure, I'll have a better idea of how feasible it would be to achieve a web-based editor based on my fairly novice knowledge. However, it is reasonably straightforward to link together different data tables and automate the adding/removing of data entries in multiple tables when a player is added/removed.

The indexing wouldn't be practical online. It would be better to download the SQL database back into CSV and then use some sort of import tool to ensure that the primary keys are correct (I assume, for example, that the staff IDs in staff.dat have to be cumulative and that you cannot have a gap in between keys - e.g. you couldn't miss out an ID number in the middle - and then obviously the other tables relating to staff/players would also have to have their primary keys updated too). I thought the best way to do this would be for some sort of exe tool to reorganise the primary keys, update the index.dat file and import the data into new .dat files.

An alternative to SQL might be to use MS Access or LibreOffice Base as this might[i/] enable users to use this for their own projects (whereas the SQL method would just be for this site and for Manimal's project because it would be so heavily integrated into the site's phpBB software). Access/Base would allow for a hosted back-end database and then a separate front-end/UI which would link to the hosted database - a bit like having a terminal on your computer which accesses a database hosted elsewhere.

Through all of my experiments with the database thus far, I have even more respect for what you achieved with the Pre Game Editor - it's such a complex beast!

Best i could offer is an export/import to allow editing of existing staff only. In theory it should be do-able but i'd have to look at how much work and where my up to date source code is

Would this be of practical use? If the staff data is exported then it'll be mostly references to other tables, won't it? E.g. the player names will be integers referencing to the first names and surnames dat files.

[mne2]

Archi - sent you the details via e-mail.

I can see what you are planning with PHP etc and in theory it will work but it's going to be a lot of work.

Regarding my suggestion - yes it could work as i can export the actual names etc and read them back in but use the code already present in the editor to work out the name id. Might be more difficult for countries, cities etc but still do-able. I need to figure out which laptop my code is on so i can see how much work it would be.

[mne2]

Out of interest - what would people want to be able to edit if i could export staff/players? Is it just their attributes or other things?

[Manimal]

Out of interest - what would people want to be able to edit if i could export staff/players? Is it just their attributes or other things?

Attributes and other player details. Player info and Histories now that we have the Custom Start Date-patch.
Well, actually I would like to be able to edit anything but I guess that is asking a bit too much

[archibalduk]

Archi - sent you the details via e-mail.

I can see what you are planning with PHP etc and in theory it will work but it's going to be a lot of work.

Thanks ever so much Neil. I've received your email and have found the restored thread on the SI Forums (here's the link in case anybody else is interested). I'll get this up on the TBL Downloads section so that it doesn't get lost again.

Yep the php idea would be a hell of a lot of work. I still haven't decided to go ahead with it - I'll see how I am for time early next year

Out of interest - what would people want to be able to edit if i could export staff/players? Is it just their attributes or other things?

Player histories are important at the moment. Also, contracts and attributes.

[Alessandro]

I think players histories! And contracts for transfers.

[Midas]

I'd say go for everything that's possible first and where you hit snags, then we could trim things off .

[archibalduk]

There have been quite a few new feature suggestions/requests over the past few years in the Pre Game Editor Thread. As I'm tidying things up, I'm moving all of the feature suggestions/requests into this single thread. However, mne2 has said before he has no plans to continue developing the Editor. I'm merely putting these posts into one thread for tidiness - it's not to suggest that any requests in here will see the light of day.

[Isles22]

Did mne ever make the source code for the editor available?

[archibalduk]

Did mne ever make the source code for the editor available?

No he didn't. He said it wouldn't be understandable to other people presumably because it's uncommented, etc. I think that's a very fair point. Besides, I think it's written in Delphi rather than C so, unless you know Delphi, it won't be of all that much help. You'd be better off starting from scratch with your own. If there's something specific you want to do then you could probably just write your own utility to do just that.

If you're interested in writing an editor/tool using C or C++, I've started a thread here: http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... 110&t=8593

[Isles22]

I've been trying to learn C# lately, but I haven't had the time to get very deep into it yet.

[Alessandro]

Does anyone have a clue in how to declare a nation EU member? Croatia should be in...