I have a version working that allows you to click Word in the task bar when it is hidden - will release it in the near future.

Creating Folders:
Would probably just have a field to say how many folders you want to create - so if you set it to one and keep clicking, it will create a new sub-package. What name would you envissage assigning to the sub-packages created?

Adding a Docs folder:
Would this be at the top level or a sub-folder of an existing sub-package? Or sub-folders of the Docs sub-package? Need some examples on this to make sure I understand.

Split Tool
This creates one sub-package for each ESP that is in the selected sub-package. The original sub-packahe (ie the one you split) will be left intact with one ESP - so if there are other folders or files (like a BSA), then they will remain in the original sub-package. The sub-packages that are created, will each contain one ESP that will have been moved from the sub-package being split. All sub-packkages will be renamed so that they have the ESP name as part of the sub-package name.

THere is an example of this in the Help - see Split


Hope this helps and look forward to your continued feedback.

Thanks for the feedback and thanks for your kind words - hope you find it as useful as I do.

Word Wizard Has a nice ring to it - perhaps I should change my forum name

Yay to both of those. As for naming - really that you are willing to do this work - hard for me to say what is possible - but perhaps based on the current numbering configuration ... or just simply 'new folder 1' etc. They can then be renamed - right?

Again not sure what would be easiest/best ... I usually create the docs folder at the level of the main BAIN package then add the sub-category of readme type in it. Then copy and paste to all sub-packages. So maybe an option to highlight a folder (whether top or sub) and click 'add docs folder' - then maybe an option to fill in the name of the sub folder under docs.

Or a merge folder option which does the converse of split folder

Really though I'd imagine this could be tweaked endlessly and it is up to you how far you want to take it. I don't want to come off as either disappointed or demanding. So no sweat if any features are too much of a hassle to implement. Take your time - have fun.

Word Wizard fits though I have to admit that I have always been wishing I had the moniker of Crashpilot (the most fitting name I can think of for my time here).

all the best

:laugh: I would gladly trade that for your knowledge about modding, bash, bain, etc.

Is it a deal???

Crash

That is not much of a bargain for you.

I don't consider myself knowledgeable at all really.

Everything I've learnt I learnt from reading this forum and in conversations with the likes of Arthmoor, Vorians, SpookyFX, Kuertee, NiceOne, and so on (too many to name really) those guys are the gurus - they are the ones with the patience of saints and all the know how.

Any time I even chime into a thread with advice - it is because I was once that fool too ... bangin my head against the desk and just lost at why things that worked so beautifully are now just exercises in 15 seconds of game play at a time. All of it learned from falling down over and over. I defer to those guys on just about everything.

These are just nickname monikers anyway - I usually don't know what most of them even mean. Mine included. ... back on topic ...

BAIN Project Tools (BAT) v1.0.3 Released

Major reason for this release is to include a check on the number of digits you use for sub-package numbers - if you exceed three digits, BAT won't load your project.

I am now going to have a think about future development of BAT - major item for consideration is whether I release an executable and remove the dependency on Microsoft Word. While I am thinking about this, please do post suggestions for future features - no guarantee of implementation, but definitely welcome and definitely will consider adding.

New Features

• Word is now shown on the Windows Task Bar so you can click it to show the BAT menu if another window is obscuring it.
  
  Fixes
  
• BAT checks that you do not exceed three digit sub-package numbers and displays an appropriate message if you do (a later version will make this configurable and prevent this happening).
  
  Help Documentation Changes
  
• Amended to reflect being able to click on Word in the Windows Task Bar to show the BAT menu.

Thanks for the input Psymon.

I am going to take my time and I am going to have some fun, but do keep your suggestions coming. As per release just done, I might finally have to get hold of Visual Studio and learn how to use it to build a standalone utility. This is what will take some time, but the benefit will be that I should be able to do more sophisticated things and make it available to non-Word users

Edit:
Also have some ideas on how to make BOMM useful after the next release of BOSS (which will probably make BOMM redundant) - and these ideas will need more than Word VBA to implement.

If Crashpilot is correct about the http://www.openoffice.org/-Writer then perhaps http://sourceforge.net/projects/notepad-plus/ can run BAT instead. Is that possible?

No chance for Notepad++ - it can't read Word docs, let alone process the VBA scripts associated with it. Really does have to be Microsft Word version 2003 or later. You can always use the MS Office 2010 trial to see what BAT (and BOMM) does if you are curious)

Now that Notepad++ is not useful for BAT.

Since the last time I've updated both OpenOffice.org and Notepad++ but also discover that OpenOffice.org can open/read Word 2003/07 *.xml extension.
There is other extensions that can be open too (XML - <*.dotx or *.dotm>), so do any of this extensions exists in BAT?

You mentioned earlier in the BAIN installation thread that you were planning to remove dependency of Word2003/ Word 2007). Any change?

Hi

BAT uses .dot for Word compatibility.

No real change - I did get hold of of Visual Studio and made a start on seeing how I might do the UI. I have also being thinking about what BAT should really be able to do to make it much more useful and usable - so some sort of progress. I was also trying to guage interest in this utility, which doesn't seem to be too high - but I am sure that at some point I will come back to it and I will make it into an EXE rather than use Word - just not sure when

Then I decided to play Oblivion for a while - have added so many mods that I thought it would be worth trying out. Have been enjoying my heavily modded game and will no doubt get back to this utility after a while.

I am still interested in any feature requests. I have been finding it useful for my own complex BAIN building, but have already noticed some features I would like and some bugs.

Thanks for your reply Surazal.


I don't know how your knowledge about other program language is, but if you have experience in Java or Python it would be excellent solution since your BAT utility is basically focused about mods in general especially with Wrye Bash. You could have a gui which is similar to the Installers tab in Wrye Bash, perhaps a stand alone exe file which was design to carry out your predefined tasks.


Lucky you and I envy you. bliviongate:


I do have a few requests.

I think it could be great and that's of course a template for a BAIN-wizard, but also to create a BAIN-ready wizard for other mods.
The second one could be a feature that allows you to create a BAIN ready package in BAT with that gui or UI.
Finally of a feature to use with the BCF utility.


Is this ideas something you would consider to add into BAT in the near future?

Don't really use Java or Python so will probably stick with either Visual Basic or C#. The UI I have been experimenting with looks like Microsoft's Outlook 2010 - has a Ribbon for some of the functions and columns with relevant information. The utility I have written so far seems to work quite well with the variety of options available. Admittedly, it will probably require a Windows OS - but then, that's all I have


Ideas are always welcome

My initial thoughts are not so ambitious...

• Provide the same type of functionality that the current BAT version does, but with a different interface
  
• Allow the creation of folders
  
• Allow folder contents to be manipulated more easily
  
• Allow copying of folders and files from downloaded files that have been extracted
  
• Provide some automation when merging a BAIN ready archive into your personal complex BAIN archive
  
• Separate version information in the same way that the current "[ON]" tag works (ie part of the folder name, but managed as a separate entity)
  
• Support documentation files and folders

If I get something out that does all of this, I would be quite happy and would find it useful - whether anyone else would, remains to be seen

As I mentioned, I do not anticipate doing anything in the near future, but I am sure I will get around to it at some point.

Thanks for your reply Surazal.

Of course you listen to others about their ideas, because if we don't have ideas why would this forum exist anyway.


Your thoughts about BAT is similar to mine but different, so why not just for got it and good luck. :nod:

Many thanks for your input, encouragement and interest - much appreciated.

You're welcome.