MUL Python Module

[melanius]

The last few days I've been working on a Python lib to allow access to UO's format (MUL files).

The code is in a private repository right now, but I will be uploading it to POL's repository soon, so you can check it out.

I'd like to hear some input on what kind of things you'd want the lib to allow you to do.

[Pierce]

That sounds great. Before i perhaps write a lot of useless stuff: What means "allow access to UO's format (MUL files)." exactly.
Does it mean some read/edit/write access?

[melanius]

It means that it will allow you to read the file contents.

From that point, one could write an actual app that would allow you to modify the files themselves, as the module allows you to access the file structure.

[Danielle]

Basically a python version of the C# UO SDK?

[melanius]

I don't actually like the way the Krrios' coded the SDK, so before that implementing the basic stuff of the module, I'd like to hear if people have any suggestions on what should be exposed by the MUL module.

[Pierce]

I'am not quite sure if i understood you correctly.
I gave an example on how i think it could work. That's always the best way.
One of our scripters writes a tool to read/write multi.mul files.
This tool writes all multis into a readable text format or writes a new multi.mul from these text file/s.

With readable i mean:

Multi xxxx
{
Item1 color x y z objtype specialflags/options
Item2 color x y z objtype specialflags/options
.....
}

Just to give an example in this case of a multi mul.

So if i understand you right, it would be great if such a module can read e.g. staticN.mul and write it to a readable text format like above.
Every Pol scripter then has the opportunity to change these files with custom own written Pol commands like we do with the multis.
For statics this could be e.g. search all items of objtype xx in area nn to mm and delete them/set them 1z up/if(... do ...) and so on.
After changes made and a new text file is written the module should recompile it in this case to a new staticsN.mul and the staidxN.mul

I think this can be done for every mul. It perhaps sounds complicated, but the possibilities are wide open cause this way you can customize it. To stay at my first example, we can read a e.g. sphere .wsc file or a UO Architect File or whatever into Pol (custom scripts). Check that multi in this case single items, save or edit it and rebuild the multi.mul/idx.

Hard to explain, i hope it sounds not to weird

[DevGIB]

you know what would be really good and id love to see... is a program that can make patches for mul files for example so you only need to send a small part of a mul file and it updates the mul file on the clients computer... just so you dont have to be transfering like 23mb everytime you make a change...

[MontuZ]

[CWO]

thing is, what happens when the mul you wanna patch isnt the same one you were working with... Like if they patched to a future version with major changes. You end up with another UOPatch like thing where it fails all the time.