» Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:59 pm One of the first big changes is switching from using Pluggy to just using OBSE for the core systems. Any form of text importing and exporting will thus become optional. And as a bonus I'll also add support for using ConScribe instead of Pluggy for file manipulation for those who experience crashes when using Pluggy (or those that simply don't want to use it).
But that is merely the tip of the iceberg, the mod will also undergo some serious restructuring in terms of layout and usability. The current version consists of two parts: the series of messageboxes for smaller pieces of text and the larger journal books.
The messageboxes are really just a remnant of the very first version and the only reason I kept it in later versions was because of its easier use for smaller text notes. Atleast, that was my intention. In reality the navigation of these messageboxes was a real pain and was a bit counterproductive.
In later versions I introduced these so-called "journal books", which were basically special books in which you could write stuff down. But in my attempts to keep their usage more immersive I also crippled their use for smaller pieces of text. If you wanted to make a small note, separate from any major book you are writing in you had to go through a long, painstaking process. Purely to setup a dummy book (of sorts) for your intended (small) note.
Now that the current flaws have been exposed I'll explain how I plan to fix them and make the Journal Mod better than ever. The writing in books will remain largely the same although book creation will be simplified alot.
I'll be completely dumping the series of messageboxes and integrate their intended purpose directly into books. Take http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l243/Kyoparadox/ScreenShot1-1.jpg as a (crude) guideline.You'll be able to click on the title of the note (the highlighted bit in the picture) to edit (or create) it without having to close or exit the textinput. This allows you to adjust the title during and/or after typing the note's text without going through lots and lots messageboxes. Big plus!
The second big change is in how all these 'loose notes' are gathered and accessed, you'll get one book (henceforth referred to as notebook) that serves as an interface between you and your notes. Opening it will display the most recent entry and you'll be able to select a different note from a http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l243/Kyoparadox/ScreenShot2-1.jpg. And unlike a messagebox, where you are limited to 8-10 buttons, this list can be endless (and most likely scrollable!). Thus it will be alot simpler and quicker to locate and view the desired note. Another big plus!
The third and final major change is the way you can categorize a note. I'll replace the use of static, pre-created categories with on-the-fly labels. Meaning you can give a note a label simply by typing it directly (multiple labels being comma-separated. Then should you wish to sort or filter by label you just type in whatever label(s) the notes should have and that's all you need to do. The final big plus!
Now that the general idea for the next version is out in the open I'll just state that plenty of things will be configurable. There will also be some minor-to-major improvements to the typing process as a whole. I'm even trying to make a GetMousePosInText function which would
Oh and don't mind the horrible layout/size of the two example pictures. They are merely to give a basic idea of how all of the different parts will be integrated into the book menu. If you have an idea or suggestion with regards to a feature then feel free to tell me about it.
-kyoma
