New Hero Lab beta!

[Colen]

4/4 - beta testing is over - thanks for your help, everyone!

3/29 - betas have been updated! This new beta makes the editor faster and more responsive when switching tabs. Please download the new beta from the link below and let me know if you have any problems.

Hi everyone,

A new beta of Hero Lab is available, and we'd like you to give it a try! This beta includes the following important changes:

1. User-created data files will no longer report errors if they reference content from packages you don’t own! Previously, if a user data file referenced content from (for example) the Advanced Player’s Guide, but your Hero Lab license wasn’t authorized for the APG, it would fail to compile with some (unhelpful) errors. Starting this version, those errors are ignored, and Hero Lab simply warns you (via a validation error) if you try to use anything that references content from the package you don’t have. (You won’t be able to use the missing content, it’ll simply be ignored.)
   
2. Certain items couldn’t be put in certain holders (for example, magical arrows could not be put into a Vanishing Sheath in Pathfinder); this has now been fixed.
   
3. The same spell could often not be added for different classes, or within different spellbooks.
   
4. Using “Test Now!” in the editor would sometimes ignore the values you set for fields, often if the field value set was “2” (for example, ability score bonuses in 5th Edition).
   
5. A new “Extend Thing” tab is present in the editor, allowing you to add tags to things that are defined in other files (or in packages). This should make it easier to (for example) add new character classes to existing spells.
   
6. Added a “Find Thing” button to the Hidden, Preclude, and Procedure tabs in the editor.
   
7. Switching tabs and other operations in the editor are now significantly faster.

We're planning to do a general release of these features within the next 1-2 weeks, but the changes we had to make were big enough that it would be nice to get some additional eyes on them first. If you're interested in helping out, you can download the beta here:

(beta links removed)

Please install either the Windows or Mac version, and if you're a Pathfinder user, install the updated Pathfinder data files, and let us know if you run into any problems - either crashes or simply things not working the way they used to.

We're particularly interested in your feedback if you use custom data files, either your own or the Pathfinder / 5th edition community packs.

Thanks for your help, everyone!

[AndrewD2]

This is some amazing additions!

[Quintain]

The extend thing is perfect!

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by Colen

[*]User-created data files will no longer report errors if they reference content from packages you don’t own! Previously, if a user data file referenced content from (for example) the Advanced Player’s Guide, but your Hero Lab license wasn’t authorized for the APG, it would fail to compile with some (unhelpful) errors. Starting this version, those errors are ignored, and Hero Lab simply warns you (via a validation error) if you try to use anything that references content from the package you don’t have. (You won’t be able to use the missing content, it’ll simply be ignored.)

With the new version of HL the License problem that I have dealt for the Pathfinder Community Packs is gone. Meaning all the different Pathfinder Packs are going away!

In there place will be "ONE" single "Pathfinder Pack" that will contain all the community work in a single download. If you don't have the correct license then those "pieces" will now give a nice "warning message" but the Packs will still load.

Originally Posted by Colen

[*]A new “Extend Thing” tab is present in the editor, allowing you to add tags to things that are defined in other files (or in packages). This should make it easier to (for example) add new character classes to existing spells.

The power of this ability is amazing actually. In simple terms Pathfinder and d20 community members will use this feature heavily for "spells". In the past if you added a new class and you want to give that class access to a specific spell you had to make a copy of the spell in the editor to add the class tag (ie sClass.cHelpXXX).

Now you simple extend that tag onto the spell instead:

  <extthing thing="spCureMod2" group="sClass" tag="cHelpDrd"/>

The above code allows the Druid access to 2nd level Cure Moderate Wounds spell. No more making "copies" of spells to just allow a class access to them.

[Paragon]

Gods above, did I wish I had that Find Thing button when I was doing my XCOM and Broken Earth files...

[Mergon]

Does the new Extend Thing tab not work with custom classes yet?

I am trying to add Enchantment spells from the wizard class to a Houri class.

I thought I'd try this out now sicne it will save me tons of copied spells. Unfortunately, it says this:

Hero Lab was forced to stop compilation after the following errors were detected:

Thing Extension 'spCharPers' - Tag 'cHelpHou' not defined

[Mergon]

BTW, is there a specific Beta support forum for posting questions like this?

[Mergon]

Another issue related to creating a custom class for 5e. When I use Tool Table #2 to allow for the selection of 1 Tool from a selection I set, I get the following errors:

Attempt to access field 'skPrefix' that does not exist for thing 'gTooThieve'
Location: 'position' script for Template 'kPick' near line 111
- - -
Attempt to access field 'skShortNm' that does not exist for thing 'gTooThieve'
Location: 'position' script for Template 'kPick' near line 126

[Mathias]

Mergon, please ask those in normal threads in the forum for the game system you're working on. And that second one looks like an error in the script, not an error with the new capabilities, so please post the relevant script with your question. For the first one, too - give more detail about what you're trying to do and exactly how you're going about it.

[Mergon]

That's what I'd think too except I haven't got any scripts on the class yet. I get that when trying to add tools through the builtin Tool Table #2 . . .

I'll have to disable everything again and see if I still get the error.

As too Beta related issues, should they be flagged BETA: ??