WitpDecoder; Now providing some overview

[Admiral DadMan]

ORIGINAL: Cpt Sherwood

Just checking, do you have a copy of WitpLoad.exe in the Scen folder?

yep

[Admiral DadMan]

Here's my folder too.

[Woos]

And you really read and followed the installation section of the documentation (the pdf file in the directory you showed)? Because you are missing the .csv files generated from the scenario. So CptSherwood could be right: lack of witpload.exe.

Also the exception you show is not the first one you get. It only appears if initialization went wrong (with another exception), you quit witpDecoder, and then restart it without deleting the witp.* files in the directory. Please delete them and submit the first exception you get (no need to screengrab BTW, everything you see as pop-ups will be logged into witpdecoder.log also).


A completely unrelated side note: I would switch on file suffixes in the Windows Explorer. Helps to detect some attempts to inject viruses or trojans.

[WhoCares]

ORIGINAL: Woos
...
[*] Cluster files from Martti and FeurerKrieg included.
It seems you have left them out when you updated the the file. Or I am blind, but as I use my own copies it doesn't matter (to me) anyway [;)]
...
A few notes on how to upgrade:
This also crushed USSAmericas bug (got hit by it as well)
...
The zip file contains updated SWT and hsqldb libraries, so please agree to overwriting all *.dll and *.jar files in the witpDecoder directory. You do not have to agree to overwrite witpdecoder.bat (as that would overwrite your password).
If the .bat file is not overwritten one would have to change the referenced .jar file (from witpdecoder3c.jar to witpdecoder2.jar), no?!

@WhoCares:
>However, it seems the subs are not included in this feature.
>Was this an intentional omission?!
Yes, but it can be changed at database initialization time. Read the updated documentation or simply change the ships4history.csv file.
For who is interested some other interesting ship classes: SS - 13, ML - 14, DM - 17, SC - 28, TK - 30, AVD - 40, AGC - 44, AGP 46, MLE - 47)
...

Very nice update!

Edit: The full list of the ship classes and their reference number can be found in the WITPtabs.csv, so I changed my list above to some of the more useful ones (and no, I have no special affection to mine warfare [:'(] )...

[Martti]

I have created a small application for converting savegame filenames from Boddhi's utility to witpXXX.pws format, so that Woos' utility can batch load them. Place the app into the same folder as Boddhi's savegame archive and run. Files will be renamed, so take copies before running. This is a quick hack-together job, recommend backups.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/~zombie/witpconv.zip

[Woos]

> It seems you have left them out when you updated the the file.
Indeed. It seems the Unix zip command I used to quickly generate the fixed version does not pack subdirectories by default. Will be fixed soon.

> If the .bat file is not overwritten one would have to change the referenced
>.jar file (from witpdecoder3c.jar to witpdecoder2.jar), no?!

Well actually you were never supposed to change the reference in the .bat file from witpdecoder2.jar to anything else in the first place. You were supposed to change the name of the file to witpdecoder2.jar

> The full list of the ship classes and their reference number can be found in the WITPtabs.csv,
But be warned that I have not tested the history function with huge amounts of ships (and also only with a few dozens turns). Startup of witpDecoder or display of the history tab might become slower due to too many ships. But feel free to experiment and tell me your results.

Also this is the _history_ function. If you just want to see where your ships currently are, you can simply double click on a class in the Ship Classes tab and you will be shown the current location of all the ships of that class on the map.

> converting savegame filenames from Boddhi's utility to witpXXX.pws format
I must admit I never used Boddhi's backup function so I have no idea on how the files are named there, but the only requirement of witpdecoder for batch loading is that filenames consist of some text followed by an increasing number (with leading zeros if necessary) and optionally followed by some more text. It is not necessary that the files are named witpXXX.pws. At least that is how the code is supposed to work. I admittedly only tested it with witpXXX.pws files.

[Admiral DadMan]

ORIGINAL: Woos

And you really read and followed the installation section of the documentation (the pdf file in the directory you showed)? Because you are missing the .csv files generated from the scenario. So CptSherwood could be right: lack of witpload.exe.

Also the exception you show is not the first one you get. It only appears if initialization went wrong (with another exception), you quit witpDecoder, and then restart it without deleting the witp.* files in the directory. Please delete them and submit the first exception you get (no need to screengrab BTW, everything you see as pop-ups will be logged into witpdecoder.log also).


A completely unrelated side note: I would switch on file suffixes in the Windows Explorer. Helps to detect some attempts to inject viruses or trojans.

I missed some of the witp* files. now works. Thanks.

Too damn sleeppy I think...

[jcjordan]

Markus
 
 Strange thing happened after installing this version. I had previously loaded save game turn under 3c but after installing ver 4 I get 2 errors about ships with no leader or foreign one which didn't come up under 3c even though it's the same turn. The ships in question were 2 of the Brit LCP ships & they were sunk the previous turn in port. No biggie so far but strange??? One thing I've seemed to notice & maybe you can fix it but I've found several leader problems that don't show up on the inconsistencies screen & it always seems to be ships disbanded in port. If I form it into a task force then save game then reload turn into decoder it'll pick it up. Can you fix it where leaders of ships disbanded in port also show up?

[FeurerKrieg]

Great job, Woos. Version 4 opens my game with Mantill that had so many problems before. Looks like 4 leaders that have messed up info, and a ton of leader bugs, but it is now working!!

Thanks again for your work. [&o]

[Woos]

ORIGINAL: jcjordan

Strange thing happened after installing this version. I had previously loaded save game turn under 3c but after installing ver 4 I get 2 errors about ships with no leader or foreign one which didn't come up under 3c even though it's the same turn. The ships in question were 2 of the Brit LCP ships & they were sunk the previous turn in port. No biggie so far but strange???

Strange indeed. Handling of sunken ships was changed for 0.4. Previously they always disappeared from the DB and were thus no longer selectable in the Ship history. This has now changed 'sometimes' (complete fix will follow later). But the leader of a sunken ship is explicitly set to NULL so the error you see should not happen.

ORIGINAL: jcjordan
One thing I've seemed to notice & maybe you can fix it but I've found several leader problems that don't show up on the inconsistencies screen & it always seems to be ships disbanded in port. If I form it into a task force then save game then reload turn into decoder it'll pick it up. Can you fix it where leaders of ships disbanded in port also show up?

Also here the code looks fine. There is even an own branch handling this. Can you send me the save game + the respective csv files?

[saj42]

One thing I noticed when I converted to v0.4 - it reported more inconsistancies, especially the foreign Leader bug than v0.3b.
No complaint, just more work to remove the 'spies' and 'fifth columnists' [:D]

[jcjordan]

Markus

On the ships, it might be because this is a kind of respawn issue as in a few days or weeks, I should be able to create new ones at a port when it shows I can create barges/pt boats. So it may show them until they actually respawn.

As to the other problem, I've already fixed those that I've seen & gone on to anther turn so too late to send you anything but will watch it as every few months of game time I go through all ships looking for leader problems. I just wish the leader bug would go away [:@].

[WhoCares]

Just out of couriosity, what is the expected size of the database?
When I went through re-reading all turns (~40) in my current game against the japanese AI (Scen. 13, May 1942-46) I noticed at some occasions that the size doubled up. For the allies the size is now ~260MB, for the japanese ~130MB. E.g. for the allies I remember it going from one turn to next from 30MB to 60, later 130 and finally 260MB. [X(]
Still plenty of room on the partition, but I wonder whether this is really normal.
 
Sidenote: Related to my comments above, I only added subs, DMs (not DMSs) and MLs to the history tracking.

[Woos]

ORIGINAL: WhoCares
For the allies the size is now ~260MB, for the japanese ~130MB.

The trick is to use the "Quit" menu from time to time (as opposed to quiting using the X (close) widget in the upper right corner). HsqlDB has an interesting way to reuse freed space in the DB (namely: not) so the DB has to be compacted from time to time. If I did this on the close widget, in the worst case you might be getting the "program does not response, shall I kill it" window. If you then said yes in the middle of database compaction ....... . Thus you have to use the "Quit" menu.
Didn't I wrote something on that in the manual?

But no worry, I think hsql has a fixed limit (300MB?) after which it will start compacting its database whether you ask it or not. BTW, my DB is 4MB.

jcjordan wrote:
On the ships, it might be because this is a kind of respawn issue as in a few days or weeks, I should be able to create new ones at a port when it shows I can create barges/pt boats. So it may show them until they actually respawn.

Uh, no, another way of ships to be sunken. Can you send me savegame+CSV (and the names of the ships) so i can find out how that is encoded.

'fifth columnists'

Hmm, must be the people writing in the very right column in newspapers, right? [:D]

[WhoCares]

I have a little suggestion for another page that might be added in the future: Repair Yards
 
Basically a list of bases with repair yards, the size, the ships currently in the port and their damage.
Maybe also the ships underway with the port being their home port.
 
This could help when looking for the best ports to upgrade your ships, how busy they are and so on...
 

[DSwain]

DISREGARD FOLLOWING POST UNLESS YOU WANT A CHUCKLE AT SOMEONE WHO DIDN'T REALISE HE DIDN'T HAVE JAVA INSTALLED ON HIS PC......


Just trying to download what looks like an excellent piece of work (well done, Woos)

But, having problems

1) Can I simply download v 0.4 or do I need to dl an earlier version and then update?

2) I have tried to dl just v0.4, have followed the instructions and yet when I hit the witpdecoder.bat file all that happens is I get a split second glimpse of a white text on black background dialog box (too swift to get a screen cap to post here) - I think it's the MSDOS command screen - and then nothing more.

I have unzipped the archive into a subdirectory of my save folder, calling the subdirectory vs terp as I'm playing Terp (:C/Matrix/WITP/Save/vs terp screencap below) and unzipped the witploader into the SCEN folder. One thing I have noticed though is that within the archive (that I have saved into the subdirectory of the save folder) there are three further archives - "witpDecoder2", "swt" and "hsqdlb" - do I have to unzip those as well?

Sorry if these are blindingly obvious questions or if they've been answered previously, the SEARCH function hasn't given me any steer on the forum. Thanks for any assistance that can be provided.




(EDIT - Doing some more reading of earlier threads, I seem to be getting a little further, following this advice to similarly flummoxed Roger Nielson!

Roger
3 ways to use the RUN box

1. (Just type in the run box, Like I think you did)
use " " for the path (when using first VSWG's instructions)
(assuming you copied witpload.exe into the \scen dir)
"C:\Matrix Games\War in the Pacific\SCEN\witpload" /e /s015
note: the " " covers the path and the command and does not include the /e /s015
this will run super fast (you might not see it)
or

2. Try using the command prompt.
in the "RUN" box type cmd
this will bring up a fake dos box... (the command line)
then C:\Matrix Games\War in the Pacific\SCEN\witpload /e /s015 (no " " needed)
this will show the extracts as VSWG just displayed..
(again assuming you copied witpload.exe into the \scen dir)

3.
In my above example I dont need to copy anything.. (but its a 2 part proceedure)
I cd to where ever the witpload files are.
then run the command adding an /i to the end

first
cd C:\Matrix Games\War in the Pacific\witpload
(or where ever you put unzipped the witpload files)

then
witpload /e /s015 /i
)

------------


It appears to be doing something....we shall see!

[DSwain]

Well, finally got it working and I must say a BIG THANKS to Woos for doing such fine work. I'm incredibly excited! I'm also shocked at the amount of fuel and supplies I have spoiling all over the Co Prosperity Sphere!



EDIT - I wondered if anyone had compiled a cluster for the DEI? I can't seem to see one in the clusters done by others. If not I'll have a crack at doing it myself. Does the ID of the base matter or can one just make up sequential numbers?
cheers

[Roger Neilson II]

Oh the joys of DOS!!!!!!
Roger

[DSwain]

ORIGINAL: Roger Neilson II

Oh the joys of DOS!!!!!!
Roger

It was your Q&A - as posted above - that got me over the hump, Roger; many thanks for asking the questions.

[Local Yokel]

Just installed v0.4 of the tool and initialized a new database for a new PBEM game using scenario 157 (CHS v2.08).  DB initialization throws the "Ship class 621 claims more than 127 torpedos available" error message, and I assume that's a small bug in the CHS data for that ship class.  However, when I try to load the save file (for Dec 7th Historical turn, with nothing done by either player save entry of passwords), I get the following error:

'Couldn't write things to the DB due tojava.sql.SQLException: Wrong data type: java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: "Em"  '

Have no idea what data it's trying to write in incorrect format.  Is it conceivable it's an exception resulting from inclusion of a quotation mark in my opponent's password?  I know my password doesn't contain any such mark.

Any suggestions you can offer would be much appreciated, as I am looking forward to using the new version.

-Edit-

Since posting the above, we restarted our PBEM game due to problems getting animations with historical start. Our restart was non-historical, but with minimal changes to initial orders/dispositions. This time the save file populated the database with no problem! Can't see why switch from historical to non-historical would make any difference, but anyway I'm happy problem has gone away.