Module Library QOL improvements

Feature Requests
1

It would be nice to have some quality of life (QOL) improvements to the Module Library.

For example if you have a large collection of board wargames and a similar amount of VASSAL modules to go with them, then the VASSAL Module Library will start to become very unwieldy in a short period of time.

Case in point as seen here:

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What I’d like to be able to do is to either use the keyboard keys to navigate to a title or the start of a title (you can see my list only goes to D but if I want to find Patton’s First Victory, I have to scroll instead).

Better yet would be a way to add folders in this view or to be able to search for a module in this part of the interface.

So my requests would be to have added in folders for organization and searching capabilities.

2

Why not just create separate folders on your computer for the various modules?
For example, you could have one folder entitled “Vassal Modules” that would contain alphabetically labeled subfolders, or subdivided some other way that you prefer. Then copy and paste the various modules into their appropriate folders.
Note that once you move a previously played module in this manner, you will first have to start it up again from it’s new location. At least that’s the way it used to be.

I have a master folder for “Boardgames” on my desktop, which contains subfolders for all boardgames for which I have any sort of files, including Vassal modules.

3

I have already done that, but inside of the VASSAL program it does not do any good, see the above screenshot.

Here is my VASSAL folder structure.

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But that is not what I am requesting, I am requesting in the Module Library itself the items I listed above currently you can’t navigate on this single panel old style page.

Of course if you only have 10 or 20 modules install its not a big deal but it is when you have more that a bunch.

4

I understand that.
I guess what I’m not understanding is why, if you want to play a game, you can’t just click on, for example, your GMT folder and then on whatever module you want to play. Unless you have 100 games in that folder too, or have it endlessly subdivided into other subfolders, LOL. ???
Well, I guess maybe I don’t have that many modules to see the problem. :innocent:
Sorry for not being helpful.

I myself would rather click the mouse 5 times before having to touch the keyboard. Yeah, that number’s about right, 5 or 10. :laughing:

5

Yes I can do that, but there are times when I edit a module and you have to use the interface to do that.

I did find out you can do a search by Cntrl + F so that is something.

I think the biggest issue is in editing, you have to use the Module Library and right click to edit the module.

6

Thanks Don.

I have added an enhancement issue to our register, but unfortunately, it is not going to be a high priority. The Module Manager is little more than a shell and is not designed to support folders, so it will take a fair bit of work, and will likely cause compatibility issues changing back and forward between Vassal versions.

7

Thank you Brent! Much appreciated and totally understand.

Don

8

Why not simply remove those you haven’t used recently and add them back in when you need them? That’s what I do and I find it no big deal.

Given a time span of a month I would never use more than a handful of games - or my brain would explode. But that just my feeble mind, of course - but you probably have a limit too :slight_smile:

9

Hi Brent,

Perhaps a simpler solution would be to have an command line option (say --config-directory) for VASSAL that would allow you to specify a different configuration directory than ~/.VASSAL (and similar for Windows). Then, a user could have

~/.VASSAL-envs -+- AvalonHil
                             +- DecisionGames
                             +- ...

and then would do

VASSAL.sh --config-directory ~/.VASSAL-envs/AvalonHill

How the user divides up the users games is then entirely up to the user. They could be sub-divided by publisher, era, level, or what not.

I know you can in principle do

mkdir -p $HOME/foo/.VASSAL
mkdir -p $HOME/foo/Library/Application Support/VASSAL`
java -Duser.home=$HOME/foo -Duser.dir=/opt/vassal/current -classpath /opt/vassal/current/lib/Vengine.jar VASSAL.launch.ModuleManager

on GNU/Linux (and MacOSX) to use ~/foo/.VASSAL (~/foo/Library/Application Support/VASSAL on MacOSX) as the place to put things, or something like

set APPDATA=%USERPROFILE%\foo
VASSAL

on Windows, but that’s perhaps a bit convoluted for most users. There’s the somewhat simpler option of

java -DVASSAL.conf=$HOME/.VASSAL-other -Duser.dir=/opt/vassal/current -classpath /opt/vassal/current/lib/Vengine.jar VASSAL.launch.ModuleManager

so perhaps thee change really only need to happen in the wrapper shell or BAT scripts?

BTW, I have problems executing

> VASSAL.sh --load AfrikaKorps.vmod 
VASSAL: File '[Ljava.lang.String;@1c93f6e1' of unknown type 
VASSAL.launch.LaunchRequestException: File '[Ljava.lang.String;@1c93f6e1' of unknown type 
	at VASSAL.launch.LaunchRequest.die(LaunchRequest.java:513)
	at VASSAL.launch.LaunchRequest.parseArgs(LaunchRequest.java:382)
	at VASSAL.launch.ModuleManager.main(ModuleManager.java:122)

on GNU/Linux (JRE - OpenJDK 17.0.10). I’ve opened an issue (#13140) on GitHub.

Yours,
Christian

10

On the other hand…

If you are in the Module Manager window and press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on MacOS), do you get a search window like this ?

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For some reason this feature is not offered from the Module Manager toolbar.

11

Yes I was able to use the search via this method.

Your correct in that its not in the Module Manager toolbar.

So hence my request for some small enhancements to this part of the app.

Having folder structures built in would be pretty slick in my book, have a global search in the toolbar would also be cool.