Plugins' config file formats

[ozguruysal]

There is a problem when providing an optional xml+ini solution using the same form. I guess B3 v1.10 will have all config files in .ini format while v1.9.x have them as .xml. I also think displaying 2 buttons for different output formats may be confusing for users.

How about forcing users to choose the B3 version on the screen where they choose the game? And based on the selection redirect to a specific version of the config generator?

[thomasleveil]

B3 v1.10 will have all config files in .ini format

most of them. Some plugins have tricky conf (adv, censor) that can hardly be made in .ini

Sorry I have missed this issue before submitting pull request #16. Do you think those changes are enough to address the user confusion issue?

How about forcing users to choose the B3 version on the screen where they choose the game? And based on the selection redirect to a specific version of the config generator?

I see one drawback with this solution: we already have published links such as http://config.bigbrotherbot.net/form.php?parser=cod4 or http://config.bigbrotherbot.net/form.php?parser=bf4 on different websites and readme files. Those are (unofficial) entry points for the config generator and we'd better make sure those links will remain working as expected by the users who will follow them in the future.

[ozguruysal]

The main problem here is that, if you look at the built-in plugins section here for instance, you'll see that all config files are .xml. Those should be .ini for B3 1.10. or at least the ones that will be served as ini.

[ozguruysal]

A workaround could be to have another data folder for v1.9.x. What do you think?

[thomasleveil]

what about not giving the choice of config file name for the built-in plugins and then depending on the save button clicked either produce the .ini or .xml path for them ?

[thomasleveil]

also the paths provided for the external plugins are wrong for some of them even today.

plugin_poweradminbf3.xml should already be plugin_poweradminbf3.ini
plugin_chatlogger.xml should be plugin_chatlogger.ini
etc...

[danielepantaleone]

I already have those things corrected in my branch here: danielepantaleone@7fd22d6 I didn't know if to send a pull request already since I haven't been following this project that much and I didn't test the changes I made

[ozguruysal]

Regarding removing the inputs; I think this maybe a problem if you're running multiple B3 instances sharing the same core. You would want to customize config files per instance.

[thomasleveil]

Maybe that's a bit of a edge case? I guess users who have a multi server setup have enough confidence to edit the produced files by hand.
Maybe we could restrain our perimeter to first time users for who this tool is most useful?

[thomasleveil]

@fenixxx what's your view on all this?

[ozguruysal]

@fenixxx it'd be good to merge those changes. On the other hand I must say that I'm lost what are the right extensions for built-in and external plugins for v1.9 and v1.10.

I'd like to read @fenixxx 's ideas too :)

[danielepantaleone]

I think it would be better not to provide plugin configuration file paths. I recently changed the algorithm which loads plugins in the B3 parser. Now plugins can be used without specifying a configuration file: if such plugin doesn't require a configuration file then none is used; if however a configuration file is required to start the plugin then B3 will search the configuration file in the plugin directory (here: https://github.com/danielepantaleone/big-brother-bot/blob/new-configuration/b3/parser.py#L759)

I said plugin directory because now plugins are made of directories (here more info: BigBrotherBot/big-brother-bot#247), so the search path will be for plugins and extplugins respectively:

• @b3/conf/
• @b3/extplugins/pluginname/conf/

This has been made so that it's easier for end users to install a plugin: just drop the folder in extplugins and place the plugin name in the plugins section of b3.ini (config file will be looked up automatically)

[ozguruysal]

config file will be looked up automatically

Nice addition 👍

I already have those things corrected in my branch here

Can you send a pull request with those changes?

[danielepantaleone]

check #18. I think there are a couple of templates missing and extplugins configuration files needs to be double checked (I actually would remove extplugins from the config generator and provide support just for built in plugins and XLRstats)