Zugg Software :: View topic - An annoying recurring problem with layout

Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2002 3:38 pm

I am not sure if this problem occurred before or after the installation of the 6.26 release of Zmud as I had never previously bothered changing the layout of Zmud.

However after I joined this forum I added 5 child windows, tabbed across the top of the screen, with the main MUD window below it.

After creating all this, and carefully docking all the windows, I saved the layout, quit, restarted Zmud and joined the mud to find all the changes to the layout were lost. Checking the profile of the character I found no layout file was specified, so I checked the Zmud directories for a suitable file, I found a .lay file that had been created, (to my surprise this file was created in the main directory, not the MUD specific sub-directory and with no specific name, such as rowene.lay or rom.lay just .lay). After manually entering the path to the .lay file, I restarted Zmud, re-connected to the MUD and found all the layout settings had returned.

I then went to use another character on the same MUD (I’m a one MUD person with 8 chars on it) to find that the new layout was not used – edited profile to point to the .lay file, and low and behold reconnected as char A – therefore I can only assume that the .lay file defines the character that is to be logged on?

Now this leaves me with an annoying problem, I either modify the screen layout 8 times, save the layout manually renaming it and then entering the path, remembering to do this each time I make any changes, or live without the child windows.

Added to this is a continual annoyance that the last tabbed child window in the row frequently defaults its name to the session name, ie Rowene on Rivers Of MUD, (the only solution to this is to delete and recreate the window – delete the rowene.lay file and re-save) and the first child window, in this case gossip is the active window upon connection, clicking on the session window does nothing until a second child window is selected – this also means that the autologin triggers don’t work either…

Now I know the first suggestion will be to re-install Zmud and re-try, this I have already done by creating a new installation of Zmud (as if I had just purchased it – no char files etc) and creating a new character and layout files. Unfortunately the problem occurred almost immediatley.

Can anyone suggest what I could try/change to rectify this situation?

Pentium 3 800Mhz Dell laptop running win2000

Beginner Joined: 03 Mar 2002 Posts: 15 Location: USA

Unfortunantly, I don't have an answer for you. But a bit to add on the subject.

I don't have the extensive experience you do, but know that version 6.16 has a similiar problem. My (only) child window defaults with a status bar and attached command line each time I play.

In fact, come to think of it, I don't think I had this problem until I used the 'save layout' option...perhaps it's a good starting place for debugging? Anyone willing to test this? (Sorry for being terribly lazy. ;)

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 4379 Location: USA

Sometimes when you save the layout, it will get saved to a name-less .lay file just like you described. You can rename the file if you want and change the character's properties to use that layout.

Also, you are right, a layout is not a way to tell zMUD what to do for each of your character. It is a file that just stored whichever windows you have open, in the way they are docked. So, I guess you need to create a different layout file for each of your characters.

Kjata