Strange Error with my files.

[Lawful_g]

A class I made gets to choose a single skill to add to their class list, so I created Custom abilities for each skill and gave the class 1 selection. My scripts work, but every time I add the Custom ability I get an error message:

"Existance Tagexpr for pick 'cNblWhatever' is scheduled after primary condition test is scheduled"

What does this mean? I have used 3 different Eval scripts for this, all of which work but give the error. I am trying to put in the timing of UserFirst or UserPreLv since that is when the help file examples state it should be done. Since it says it is after 'primary condition test' (which I do not know the meaning of) I have tried moving it earlier and earlier but to no avail.

What is up? How can I fix this error?

 

[Mathias]

That error normally shows up for bootstraps - those have a condition expression that can be used to decide whether the bootstrap should be active or not.

Check anything you're bootstrapping, or if you've put anything in the containerreq section.

 

[Lawful_g]

The only thing on any of the Custom Abilities is a single Eval script each. No Bootstraps or Containerreqs

 

[Mathias]

I've PMed you my email address. Since it's not the obvious problem, I think it'll be easier for me to find the problem if I can see the files.

 

[Lawful_g]

Sent. Thanks.

 

[Mathias]

Since I needed a break from the Pathfinder data entry and you had taken the time to send me these files, I worked on this for a little while.

It appears that a script timing that early is not allowed for Custom Specials. Use User Pre-Level/100 instead.

I presume you have gone to the develop menu and checked the first option - "enable data file debugging"

Once you've done that, create a rogue and add a custom ability (since that's a source of custom abilities to test that you know is functional). Right-click on the custom ability you've added and select "Show debug tasks for...". You'll see that the first line is "First|500|Existence condition" meaning that the existance tag expression runs at First/500.

Now that I think of it, the "Primary condition test" (which is needed, but not something the user sees happening) for anything in HL is always run immediately before the first script it has is run. So, Custom specials MAY NOT have a script running before First/500. Putting a script at First/100 meant that the primary condition test ran at First/99.5, before the custom special had tested whether it was supposed to exist or not (for example, if the user deletes the class without deleting all the custom specials, the existance tag expression is what means that the custom ability gets deleted, too). (Rob or Colen, if I'm wrong, please correct me - this is my best understanding of it)

User Pre-Level/100 runs your script correctly, although oddly enough, you'll have to reload (ctrl-r) and not just "Test Now!" after you make your change to get this to work.

Oh, and for your script - I have no idea how you came up with the code you did for making something a class skill, but it works!? at UserPreLv/100. Looking at your comments, your first idea (assign the ClassSkill tag to the class helper) was the proper way to assign a class skill to a class, and I've tested that at UserPreLv/100, too.

 

[Lawful_g]

Thanks for the explaination mghel. I think I got that code from the Expert npc class, but it was a long time ago, so wherever it came from may have subsequently changed. I have encountered that phenomena where the "Test Now!" button will not show the difference and you have to reload the program in order for things to work, but I didn't think of it in this case. So when I was moving around the timing to try and get rid of the error and hitting Test Now, it wasn't working.

There is another error I noticed while testing the fix, but I have included that in another thread, as per your request for new issues.