Custom Output to an Official Character Sheet

[Scott Coleman]

I'm new to Hero Lab and new to the Forums, so please redirect me if this post is inappropriate.

I'm designing a "Custom Output" style-sheet to output a SW character to our official Deadlands:Twilight Legion (D:TL) character sheet. [D:TL is the shared, ongoing (living) Deadlands campaign powered by the Rocky Mountain Savages (RMS), and sanctioned by PEG.]

The file deadlands_tl_output.hl will install the custom output style-sheet to output a SW character to the D:TL character sheet. The file deadlands_tl_sup_output.hl will output supplemental information - treat it as the backside of the character sheet.

I'm reasonably happy with the results, but I do have a question...

As currently written, the style-sheet calls a .PNG as a background image, then assembles the HL output on top of that image. Currently the image has to be retrieved from the RMS server. Snagging the image from the RMS server has its upsides and its downsides. Is there a cleaner way to accomplish this? Maybe some way to embed the image in the HL file? If the image gets committed to HL, can it somehow be delivered with the HTML output?

- Scott

 

[zarlor]

Definitely the right place, but personally I have a hard time with figuring out how to really do the whole custom output thing to begin with (although I may download what you've done and see if that helps me to figure it out any, thanks!) So I can't help you with those questions but maybe someone else here has some clues on that part of things. I will say that having some easier interface with which to do something like set up a custom output to something like a form fillable PDF file would be very cool.

 

[CapedCrusader]

You should be able to include it when you create the .hl file. Put it into the savage directory you are working in, and it should show up as available to include on the file list when creating the .hl file. Then your sheet could reference it locally.

 

[SeeleyOne]

I have not started to play with the custom outputs, but I notice that some of the output options are XML and HTML. I have noticed that in many cases the syntax within the editor is similar to HTML. I wonder if javascript and css would be possible to use on the sheets. If so, then the options available are rather large. As part of my degree I have been learning some of that, so I will have to look into it more and see what I can come up with. I am thinking if the whole of web programming is possible that you can even do more with it.

 

[zarlor]

What I was messing with suggested having to use XSL for the full layout, which is a bit more problematic. There are very few tools out there for working with it well and most of those are very, very expensive. And even trying some of the trial versions of stuff like Altova StyleVision I had a hard time really setting things up the way I wanted. They weren't really all that intuitive to work with.

Looking at the Pathfinder forum were several folks have put together custom sheets it looks like even most of them just ended up doing it all manually in the long run or using something like javascript to interface with it all instead (which I have absolutely no training in and I'm not so sure I want to spend the time learning it just to be able to make custom character sheets.) I think it would be awesome to see some more custom sheet options available here, but I know I don't have the skills to do it.

 

[Scott Coleman]

You should be able to include it when you create the .hl file. Put it into the savage directory you are working in, and it should show up as available to include on the file list when creating the .hl file. Then your sheet could reference it locally.

I'll look into this. But I think this would work great until the sheet [an HTML] was distributed away from the local image.

Take a look at the Twilight Legion PreGens page. All of the characters in the "On D:TL Character Sheet" and "D:TL CS Backside" columns were generated using the deadlands_tl_output.hl and deadlands_tl_sup_output.hl style-sheets. They look great, and work great. But the HL overlay information loads immediately, while the background images take several seconds to load from the server.

I was hoping that the HL community had figured out some way to embed the image into the HMTL itself. [Yeah, I know it won't load any faster, but I think it's disconcerting to have the foreground complete with no indication that the background is still loading. I'd rather have the entire sheet load slowly, than to have users see immediate overlay info only, and abandon before seeing the background load up.]

 

[Scott Coleman]

What I was messing with suggested having to use XSL for the full layout, which is a bit more problematic. ...

Install the style-sheets and take a look at both the code and the resulting output. The code is all XSL, which generates a full-page, full-color, full featured character sheet. It's tedious work, but I think almost anyone can do it.

 

[zarlor]

It's tedious work, but I think almost anyone can do it.

Yeah, well, speak for yourself.

 

[SeeleyOne]

... I'm not so sure I want to spend the time learning it just to be able to make custom character sheets.

That is quitter talk. Honestly, teaching myself to do some of it just to make custom character sheets is a great idea. Not only will it give me more knowledge in general, but it helps out my hobby as well. Many of the gaming things that I have done over the years have taught me some things that help out in my studies. I find that I have a broader background than many of the other students.

As for software there are many programs that I can get free or at a significant discount because of my student status. I call this extra credit.

 

[zarlor]

I'm a Sys. Admin. Adding more coding jumble into my brain just makes things even more confusing since I already have to deal with a variety of software and DBAs and Developers, and of course OSes, when trying to troubleshoot anything for those guys. Adding too much more just makes it even harder to figure it all out!