Thanks to the coding work of another addon author and a minor tweak by myself Cartographer , _Notes and _QuestInfo are up and running again (until the next patch breaks them for good ...).
To let everyone profit I thought about trying to transfer the fixes into the repository (Arrowmaster recommended to do so). How do I do that? I looked around the site for a guide but there was none. I couldn't even find a link like "contributing to developement goes here" or something. On the the project page there were some addresses starting with svn:// but my firefox doesn't know what to do with them. Some sort of instruction for noobs like me somewhere on the site would be nice.
In the site FAQ there were some explanations about "Subversion, Git, and Mercurial" - whatever that is - and about a SSH-password - which I probably don't have. But anyway there is no place to type in a password in the first place.
So what do I have to do?
Edit: Hm, I found How To: Use curseforge/wowace to upload via SVN/TortoiseSVN - is that adressing my problem? I first skipped the thread because I don't have something like TortoiseSVN installed and, honestly, I don't intend to install any software just for uploading some lines of code. Especially absolutely no software that somehow links my windows/internet explorer to the internet.
Thanks to the coding work of another addon author and a minor tweak by myself Cartographer , _Notes and _QuestInfo are up and running again (until the next patch breaks them for good ...).
Not to deter you from contributing, but.. can we let Cartographer die?
However in general, you can download an command line SVN client (one that dosn't do shell intigration)
You can then:
-check out the project
-copy your changes in
-create diff files ( svn diff <fileName> )
-post said diff files on forums
Edit: Hm, I found How To: Use curseforge/wowace to upload via SVN/TortoiseSVN - is that adressing my problem? I first skipped the thread because I don't have something like TortoiseSVN installed and, honestly, I don't intend to install any software just for uploading some lines of code. Especially absolutely no software that somehow links my windows/internet explorer to the internet.
You've probably seen the 2nd link above (you said you found it (bolded in your post)). But yes, you need to install an SVN client of some sort (TortoiseSVN in most cases) to upload your changes to the SVN server hosting Cartographer. This is because wowace generates the zip files to curse automatically based on whatever is in the SVN.
SVN is a tool that allows programmers to keep track of every line of change in the source code of all files made by anybody and it helps immensely to look back and see why and when and who made a certain code change on line 123 in file XYZ one year later.
software that somehow links my windows/internet explorer to the internet.
TortoiseSVN (or any other SVN client, for that matter) is completely separate from Internet Explorer, and "connects Windows to the Internet" only in the same sense that the web browser you used to post on this forum "connects Windows to the Internet."
An SVN client is almost exactly like a Web browser, or an FTP client. It is not an always-on, open, two-way connection. It only makes a connection or transfers data when you tell it to. For example, when you "check out" from the repository, your SVN client connects to the repository, asks for any changes made to the code since your last checkout, downloads those changes, and applies them to your local copy of the code. When you "commit" changes back to the repository, your SVN client connects to the respitory, and uploads the differences between your copy of the code and the repository's code, synchronizing the two.
How could you possibly think to contribute code to a central repository without connecting to the Internet?
TortoiseSVN (or any other SVN client, for that matter) is completely separate from Internet Explorer, and "connects Windows to the Internet" only in the same sense that the web browser you used to post on this forum "connects Windows to the Internet."
Xinhuan wrote about some kind of shell integration and I was assuming that this uses the integrated windows tools to access the internet (the part you configure under Settings/Internet options). So if I have a proxy configured there, the SVN client would probably try to use the proxy too or will it establish it's own connection like Firefox does?
How could you possibly think to contribute code to a central repository without connecting to the Internet?
Please don't assume I'm an idiot. I explicitly said: Connecting IE/Explorer to the internet. I'm using Firefox. My IE (and any application trying to use it) happily connects to 127.0.0.1.
And why are most people here so keen on seeing Cartographer die? I could understand if I was whining and complaining. But I'm trying to fix it myself. I will go on to do so until I find a suitable replacement which just isn't there at the moment (I know about Mapster and all the other stuff) or at least a way to export my notes into something else.
I'm in fact trying to contribute which shouldn't be a reason to flame me. It seems there is no easy way to contribute. I now understand why the guy who made most of the fixes doesn't upload them to the svn although Arrowmaster suggested it. I will probably not have the time to learn using that SVN stuff too. :-(
And maybe the information in the 2 threads Xinhuan mentioned should go into the SiteFAQs/Knowledgebase as other people already suggested. At least they deserve a link at a very prominent place. Maybe here: http://forums.wowace.com/showthread.php?t=14280 (Are you lost? Attempt at an overview/FAQ) - no. 4a could be: As an user who wants to contribute - what should I do?
Xinhuan wrote about some kind of shell integration and I was assuming that this uses the integrated windows tools to access the internet (the part you configure under Settings/Internet options). So if I have a proxy configured there, the SVN client would probably try to use the proxy too or will it establish it's own connection like Firefox does?
There are dozens of SVN clients available. If you don't want shell integration, you don't have to use TortoiseSVN.
I explicitly said: Connecting IE/Explorer to the internet. I'm using Firefox. My IE (and any application trying to use it) happily connects to 127.0.0.1.
I don't know of any SVN clients which use Microsoft Internet Explorer as a backend, so it's not really accurate to describe them as "connecting IE to the Internet" any more than you could describe Firefox that way; they are both software applications that run under the Windows operating system, and they are both software applications that connect to the Internet. That's about it.
Some SVN clients may use the proxy you configure in your operating system's Internet settings, as that is the intended purpose of those settings, but you'd have to refer to the documentation, or try it, to know whether any particular SVN client does or not.
And why are most people here so keen on seeing Cartographer die?
Probably because it is bloated and relies on outdated libraries, and there are a wide variety of modern addons that provide 99% of the functionality it provided. If you are knowledgable enough to fix Cartographer's old code, why not use that knowledge instead to write new code to provide the missing functionality in a way that benefits everyone?
I'm in fact trying to contribute which shouldn't be a reason to flame me. It seems there is no easy way to contribute. I now understand why the guy who made most of the fixes doesn't upload them to the svn although Arrowmaster suggested it.
There is really no way to maintain a public codebase without some kind of version control system. You can't operate on an "upload a zip file" basis when there are so many people (most of whom don't know each other and are not really collaborating with each other in any organized fashion) who can contribute code changes. You need some way to track what exactly is being changed, when it was changed, and who changed it — a version control system.
SVN, Git, and Hg/Mercurial are the three version control systems supported on WowAce/CurseForge. They all require specialized software to connect with them, just as you need specialized software to connect to an FTP server, an IM service like AIM, or even a web server like the one hosting this forum. If you are unwilling to install software that can interact with a version control system, you cannot contribute to a verson-controlled codebase, any more than you can chat with friends on AIM without installing software that can interact with AOL's servers using AOL's chat protocol.
I'm in fact trying to contribute which shouldn't be a reason to flame me.
Believe me: you haven't been flamed. Flames are really hotter there. People reacted with the same tone you have written "I don't intend to install any software just for uploading some lines of code. Especially absolutely no software that somehow links my windows/internet explorer to the internet".
It seems there is no easy way to contribute. I now understand why the guy who made most of the fixes doesn't upload them to the svn although Arrowmaster suggested it. I will probably not have the time to learn using that SVN stuff too. :-(
Simply uploading entire files (or even zip archives) doesn't work for open source projects. You'll easily erase others' changes and nobody could check what was changed. Line-level change tracking is required. This requires specialized software as no OS integrate this kind of functionality (and shouldn't as it is specific to sofware development).
SVN keeps a local copy of a distant repository. The transmission of information from the repository to your host is done at very specific time, using very specific protocols, and only when explicitly asked to by the user (Checkout/Update and Commit). Although these operations can be performed through HTTP(S), they are only possible using the specific SVN protocol with wowace repository (AFAICT). I don't think this protocol allows HTTP proxying, not that it matters for an individual as the protocol is designed precisely for one thing (SVN operation).
The Shell integration that TortoiseSVN offer extends the windows shell (== explorer) to allow easy access to SVN operation (both offline and online), via a context menu extension. This is functionnaly easier than launching TortoiseSVN by hand then using it's menu to perform the operation, but it's exactly the same thing. Any outside communication is performed by the TortoiseSVN process, not the shell. The most interesting part of TortoiseSVN is the icon overlay extension, that shows the state of your local copy files and directories. This extension only use the information that your computer has, nothing more.
The security consideration that you may have are misplaced. TortoiseSVN does not make your computer less secure.
And why are most people here so keen on seeing Cartographer die? I could understand if I was whining and complaining. But I'm trying to fix it myself. I will go on to do so until I find a suitable replacement which just isn't there at the moment (I know about Mapster and all the other stuff) or at least a way to export my notes into something else.
[...]
Because Mapster and HandyNotes can do exactly what Cartographer and Cart_Notes, and they are actively maintained and based on a working and maintained framework (unlike Cartographer and its plugins). Since you can write working code, I assume you also can write an addon to translate the Cart_Notes to HandyNotes, and a new HandyNotes_Questinfo plugin for HN.
Any outside communication is performed by the TortoiseSVN process, not the shell.
This was the information I was looking for. I could try that.
Since you can write working code, I assume you also can write an addon to translate the Cart_Notes to HandyNotes, and a new HandyNotes_Questinfo plugin for HN.
Looking for errors and fixing them by search and replace has certainly nothing to do with writing addons or "working code". I don't have a clue about the code there - I just tried several things until the errors went away. There was a lot of
--
involved :-).
Looking for errors and fixing them by search and replace has certainly nothing to do with writing addons or "working code". I don't have a clue about the code there - I just tried several things until the errors went away. There was a lot of
--
involved :-).
And thats what you want to "contribute"? Please just don't, then.
This kind of half-ass fixes by people that no nothing about the addon or coding in general is whats causing alot of grief for users and in consequence for the moderators and contributors on this forum.
This was the information I was looking for. I could try that.
Looking for errors and fixing them by search and replace has certainly nothing to do with writing addons or "working code". I don't have a clue about the code there - I just tried several things until the errors went away. There was a lot of
--
involved :-).
I agree with Nevcairiel. If you are just randomly trying things without having a clue what they do until it works then just go away. If somebody takes the time to actually read and understand the existing code, identify the problem, and then create a fix for the problem that they are sure will not cause more problems in the future then they are welcome to commit their fixes to the SVN repository.
Well, some people worked out fixes to get Cartographer working again, but most users have problems to apply them correctly. You can see that very clearly in the comments on the download page. They cry "update plz" over months now. I wanted to help. Arrowmaster himself suggested to add the fixes to SVN. I was just trying to do that. I understand now that this is not wished for.
Well, some people worked out fixes to get Cartographer working again, but most users have problems to apply them correctly. You can see that very clearly in the comments on the download page. They cry "update plz" over months now. I wanted to help. Arrowmaster himself suggested to add the fixes to SVN. I was just trying to do that. I understand now that this is not wished for.
I will certainly do that.
At this point, Cartographer along with FuBar need to die. They have had their time in the sun and were great mods at the time. However WoW and its community have moved on while both Cartographer and FuBar now fossils. Sure they may work (sort of), however their underlying foundation is rotting. By doing the "randomly trying things until they work" thing, you are not actually fixing the underlying problems, you are just applying cellophane tape to a rotting structure. If you really want to fix the problems, you need to actually find the problem(s), understand the problem(s) and then actually fix the problem(s). Randomly sticking tape on the "holes" does fix a small cosmetic problem but does nothing to fix the actual problem. Plus it's a good way to piss off those have to clean up the mess afterward.
I have got some ideas floating around in this hanger I call my skull. However they depend if I find the time to get those ideas in SciTE.
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To let everyone profit I thought about trying to transfer the fixes into the repository (Arrowmaster recommended to do so). How do I do that? I looked around the site for a guide but there was none. I couldn't even find a link like "contributing to developement goes here" or something. On the the project page there were some addresses starting with svn:// but my firefox doesn't know what to do with them. Some sort of instruction for noobs like me somewhere on the site would be nice.
In the site FAQ there were some explanations about "Subversion, Git, and Mercurial" - whatever that is - and about a SSH-password - which I probably don't have. But anyway there is no place to type in a password in the first place.
So what do I have to do?
Edit: Hm, I found How To: Use curseforge/wowace to upload via SVN/TortoiseSVN - is that adressing my problem? I first skipped the thread because I don't have something like TortoiseSVN installed and, honestly, I don't intend to install any software just for uploading some lines of code. Especially absolutely no software that somehow links my windows/internet explorer to the internet.
http://kb.wowace.com/repositories/ssh-public-keys/
You prolly want to focus on #8 in the first FAQ
Not to deter you from contributing, but.. can we let Cartographer die?
However in general, you can download an command line SVN client (one that dosn't do shell intigration)
You can then:
-check out the project
-copy your changes in
-create diff files ( svn diff <fileName> )
-post said diff files on forums
http://forums.wowace.com/showthread.php?t=17375
http://forums.wowace.com/showthread.php?t=14907
You've probably seen the 2nd link above (you said you found it (bolded in your post)). But yes, you need to install an SVN client of some sort (TortoiseSVN in most cases) to upload your changes to the SVN server hosting Cartographer. This is because wowace generates the zip files to curse automatically based on whatever is in the SVN.
SVN is a tool that allows programmers to keep track of every line of change in the source code of all files made by anybody and it helps immensely to look back and see why and when and who made a certain code change on line 123 in file XYZ one year later.
This is more detrimental to your computer/identity than an SVN client.
Without installing a SVN client, you cannot contribute. Thats all.
TortoiseSVN (or any other SVN client, for that matter) is completely separate from Internet Explorer, and "connects Windows to the Internet" only in the same sense that the web browser you used to post on this forum "connects Windows to the Internet."
An SVN client is almost exactly like a Web browser, or an FTP client. It is not an always-on, open, two-way connection. It only makes a connection or transfers data when you tell it to. For example, when you "check out" from the repository, your SVN client connects to the repository, asks for any changes made to the code since your last checkout, downloads those changes, and applies them to your local copy of the code. When you "commit" changes back to the repository, your SVN client connects to the respitory, and uploads the differences between your copy of the code and the repository's code, synchronizing the two.
How could you possibly think to contribute code to a central repository without connecting to the Internet?
Xinhuan wrote about some kind of shell integration and I was assuming that this uses the integrated windows tools to access the internet (the part you configure under Settings/Internet options). So if I have a proxy configured there, the SVN client would probably try to use the proxy too or will it establish it's own connection like Firefox does?
Please don't assume I'm an idiot. I explicitly said: Connecting IE/Explorer to the internet. I'm using Firefox. My IE (and any application trying to use it) happily connects to 127.0.0.1.
And why are most people here so keen on seeing Cartographer die? I could understand if I was whining and complaining. But I'm trying to fix it myself. I will go on to do so until I find a suitable replacement which just isn't there at the moment (I know about Mapster and all the other stuff) or at least a way to export my notes into something else.
I'm in fact trying to contribute which shouldn't be a reason to flame me. It seems there is no easy way to contribute. I now understand why the guy who made most of the fixes doesn't upload them to the svn although Arrowmaster suggested it. I will probably not have the time to learn using that SVN stuff too. :-(
And maybe the information in the 2 threads Xinhuan mentioned should go into the SiteFAQs/Knowledgebase as other people already suggested. At least they deserve a link at a very prominent place. Maybe here: http://forums.wowace.com/showthread.php?t=14280 (Are you lost? Attempt at an overview/FAQ) - no. 4a could be: As an user who wants to contribute - what should I do?
There are dozens of SVN clients available. If you don't want shell integration, you don't have to use TortoiseSVN.
I don't know of any SVN clients which use Microsoft Internet Explorer as a backend, so it's not really accurate to describe them as "connecting IE to the Internet" any more than you could describe Firefox that way; they are both software applications that run under the Windows operating system, and they are both software applications that connect to the Internet. That's about it.
Some SVN clients may use the proxy you configure in your operating system's Internet settings, as that is the intended purpose of those settings, but you'd have to refer to the documentation, or try it, to know whether any particular SVN client does or not.
Probably because it is bloated and relies on outdated libraries, and there are a wide variety of modern addons that provide 99% of the functionality it provided. If you are knowledgable enough to fix Cartographer's old code, why not use that knowledge instead to write new code to provide the missing functionality in a way that benefits everyone?
There is really no way to maintain a public codebase without some kind of version control system. You can't operate on an "upload a zip file" basis when there are so many people (most of whom don't know each other and are not really collaborating with each other in any organized fashion) who can contribute code changes. You need some way to track what exactly is being changed, when it was changed, and who changed it — a version control system.
SVN, Git, and Hg/Mercurial are the three version control systems supported on WowAce/CurseForge. They all require specialized software to connect with them, just as you need specialized software to connect to an FTP server, an IM service like AIM, or even a web server like the one hosting this forum. If you are unwilling to install software that can interact with a version control system, you cannot contribute to a verson-controlled codebase, any more than you can chat with friends on AIM without installing software that can interact with AOL's servers using AOL's chat protocol.
Believe me: you haven't been flamed. Flames are really hotter there. People reacted with the same tone you have written "I don't intend to install any software just for uploading some lines of code. Especially absolutely no software that somehow links my windows/internet explorer to the internet".
Simply uploading entire files (or even zip archives) doesn't work for open source projects. You'll easily erase others' changes and nobody could check what was changed. Line-level change tracking is required. This requires specialized software as no OS integrate this kind of functionality (and shouldn't as it is specific to sofware development).
The Shell integration that TortoiseSVN offer extends the windows shell (== explorer) to allow easy access to SVN operation (both offline and online), via a context menu extension. This is functionnaly easier than launching TortoiseSVN by hand then using it's menu to perform the operation, but it's exactly the same thing. Any outside communication is performed by the TortoiseSVN process, not the shell. The most interesting part of TortoiseSVN is the icon overlay extension, that shows the state of your local copy files and directories. This extension only use the information that your computer has, nothing more.
The security consideration that you may have are misplaced. TortoiseSVN does not make your computer less secure.
It is possible when the proxy is properly configured. You could also proxy SVN or even SSH+SVN through obliging HTTP proxy.
Because Mapster and HandyNotes can do exactly what Cartographer and Cart_Notes, and they are actively maintained and based on a working and maintained framework (unlike Cartographer and its plugins). Since you can write working code, I assume you also can write an addon to translate the Cart_Notes to HandyNotes, and a new HandyNotes_Questinfo plugin for HN.
This was the information I was looking for. I could try that.
Looking for errors and fixing them by search and replace has certainly nothing to do with writing addons or "working code". I don't have a clue about the code there - I just tried several things until the errors went away. There was a lot of
--
involved :-).
And thats what you want to "contribute"? Please just don't, then.
This kind of half-ass fixes by people that no nothing about the addon or coding in general is whats causing alot of grief for users and in consequence for the moderators and contributors on this forum.
I agree with Nevcairiel. If you are just randomly trying things without having a clue what they do until it works then just go away. If somebody takes the time to actually read and understand the existing code, identify the problem, and then create a fix for the problem that they are sure will not cause more problems in the future then they are welcome to commit their fixes to the SVN repository.
I will certainly do that.
At this point, Cartographer along with FuBar need to die. They have had their time in the sun and were great mods at the time. However WoW and its community have moved on while both Cartographer and FuBar now fossils. Sure they may work (sort of), however their underlying foundation is rotting. By doing the "randomly trying things until they work" thing, you are not actually fixing the underlying problems, you are just applying cellophane tape to a rotting structure. If you really want to fix the problems, you need to actually find the problem(s), understand the problem(s) and then actually fix the problem(s). Randomly sticking tape on the "holes" does fix a small cosmetic problem but does nothing to fix the actual problem. Plus it's a good way to piss off those have to clean up the mess afterward.
I have got some ideas floating around in this hanger I call my skull. However they depend if I find the time to get those ideas in SciTE.