Spreadsheets

Module Design
1

I found that if you make a spreadsheet and fill out the form however you like it, then create another spreadsheet and delete the second spreadsheet the information in the first spreadsheet is saved. Weird

2

Are there VASSAL modules containing spreadsheets? If not, perhaps bobbydevo meant to ask this on another website? If there are modules with spreadsheets perhaps naming the module and something about the spreadsheet would help? Or maybe he’s referring to filling out the outline-format structure in the module editor–I never thought of that as a spreadsheet, but …

Hoping this helps the discussion a little.
Thanks
Stewart Strait

3

“Spreadsheet” is a feature in Vassal, you can add them to pieces for users to edit during the game. They’re a bit awkward, I don’t think they see a lot of use (unless I’m missing a less interactive way to make use of them).

4

I had no idea pieces could have spreadsheets.

It looks like I’ve blundered into a very helpful feature for me. I’m making a module with complicated replacement rules. If I want the players to keep track of replacements without trying to build the rules into the module, maybe there should be some special pieces that are only used for their spreadsheets. I have the impression that if you just used the game chat you would need to be sure you were keeping log files. Would that work also?

Thanks
Stewart Strait

5

I am on the horns of a dilema with Spreadsheets. I started using the property sheet to show an extensive array of information about my air units. More significantly, I can put the 10 attributes (labels) into a Prototype and apply the property sheet across all my units, filling out each units values individually. However, these air units have multiple roles, and I want to seperate the values depending on the role. The Property Sheet only really allows single values (i could free text it, but it is messy and confusing).

So, I was exploring Spreadsheets. The difficulty here is that I would appear to have to write all the labels for those values, plus the values eg: Label = Range, but for (say) a Bomber I need a value of 10, but if it is in a Recon role it has a value of 12. The spreadsheet is ideal for this as I can create columns for each role. However, Sprteadsheets merely creates a property of a blank Spreadsheet which needs to be filled out for each unit - Prototyping the Spreadsheet doesnt allow me to prepopulate the Labels.

My question is, is there any way i can import or copy and paste data into the spreadsheet? Or at least pre-populate the labels into it?

6

There is a way to do this:

Create your prototype that includes a Spreadsheet trait. Hit OK and close.
Reopen the prototype, right click on the top blank area where an image would be if there was one (you likely have to resize the prototype window to reveal the upper area).
Select the menu command that opens the Spreadsheet for data entry.
Enter all the row & column data you desire then close the spreadsheet.
Hit OK.
The spreadsheet with data is now part of the prototype. When you add this prototype to pieces, their spreadsheets will include the data.

Tom

7

Thanks Tom - works a treat!

Cheers
Bill

8

Well - it sorta worked. Yes, it saved the data Labels by creating a spreadsheet in a prototype, so I went to town on individual pieces adding their unique data. It appeared to save the data, but when I saved the edits, and closed the module, and then came back later to resume the laborious data entry process, the values were gone. Is this a case that the data will only save at a Protoype level? Or have I done something fundamentaly wrong?