SimSheet (a sim-tracking program) [Now with Aspiration and LTW tracking!]

[Inge]

Well surely the whole point is that people who want a sim tracker *would* want to update between each sims2 and simsheet session?  Why would they bother to use simsheet otherwise?

[rufio]

Well, the original intent was to keep track of changes by hand, so that you could keep a chronological record.  But as I said, different people would have different uses for it.

[Inge]

It sounds very confusing, and as if you are not totally respecting user-maintained data anyway.  I have  children in the game who in my imagination, for the sake of my story, are 12 or 4 etc - I have used the skeleton data to show them that way.  But the game doesn't know that, and by the time you have finished calculating your fields it doesn't sound like simsheet will make them 12 and 4 either.   Wouldn't it be better for the user to have seperate manual fields for "treat as" type data while still always having the game data, as output, available?  That gives them the opportunity to edit the sim to line up actual and desired data so the game is more likely to treat their sim as they want it for their story.

[rufio]

Let me see if I understand you - you want to have a different view mode where you can enter ages like 12 and 4 years old, and keep track of the ages your sims are in your head, and then a different view mode where it keeps track of how old they are in the game?  The thing is that there has to be a limit somewhere on how much user-entered data there is; and in any case, there is always the option to add custom events where you can say, "<Some Sim> turns 4." or something like that, which get kept along with all the other chronological data.

[Inge]

Well no, I would probably have done it so that the simsheet works entirely off exported game data and did not use user input at all - apart from I would have provided a couple of note-type fields for users.  Somewhere to write themselves a reminder that they are saving Marsha for Alex and that sort of stuff.   I was only trying to think of a way to reconcile your desire to have your program accommodate both user input and SimPe input, without the SimPE input risking stomping all over the user-provided input.

[rufio]

Ahh.  Well, it does that now; the ability to edit game-related data is kept on from when that was the only way to do it, and I see no reason to remove it - it's not accessible enough that you'll edit it by mistake, and there's always a chance that something will mess up and get it wrong.  The unique user-entered info (e.g. the chronological events) is not affected by importing from SimPE.  If you are still talking about having SimPE generate "savefiles," then no, that will not work.

[coralleane]

Side questions, that I've possibly missed the answer to:

a) any chance of giving us an option to save our settings in this version or the next?
b) when I go to try to add images, it still only allows me to look for .bmp and .jpg (I think), and the pulled images are in .png.  Is there a way to change that so it'll either allow .png as well, or allow looking for *any* file type? (I'm still getting a "This is not a valid .png file" error when trying to open them in PSP.)
c) extracting Sims from SimPE is giving me numbers as the LTW's, which I know was mentioned before.  Is there already a list somewhere of which numbers correspond to which, or does it still need finding out?  Nevermind, just went back and reread the relevant post.

[rufio]

a) any chance of giving us an option to save our settings in this version or the next?

Settings should save with your savefile, or do you mean saving them so that the same options are checked before you even open a file?  I think I have to do a config file for this to work, which I've never done; I understand the concept, though, and will try adding it.

b) when I go to try to add images, it still only allows me to look for .bmp and .jpg (I think), and the pulled images are in .png.  Is there a way to change that so it'll either allow .png as well, or allow looking for *any* file type? (I'm still getting a "This is not a valid .png file" error when trying to open them in PSP.)

It's actually .gif and .jpg now, because those are the only Qt plugins I've managed to locate.  If I find a png plugin somewhere, I will definitely make use of it and load in the pngs from the SimPE output.  In theory, it does exist.  Looking for any file type will not be helpful unless I have the plugins to display all file types, which I don't think will happen, but I can try to add more of the common image formats.

As for your PSP problem, it sounds like either the image is borked or your PSP is borked; if the image is the problem, SimSheet is not going to be any more helpful.

[Inge]

So are you saying you can't display the sims' portraits SimPE is outputting for you?

[rufio]

Not yet, anyway.

[coralleane]

a) any chance of giving us an option to save our settings in this version or the next?

Settings should save with your savefile, or do you mean saving them so that the same options are checked before you even open a file?  I think I have to do a config file for this to work, which I've never done; I understand the concept, though, and will try adding it.

Yes, before - I'm useless and keep forgetting to do so, and even if it doesn't always end in a hang, it does take an *awful* lot of time to load a long list if I haven't checked the settings in advance.  And if I manage to be stupid enough to import a long list without having first selected EP's, applying the EP's afterwards takes several seconds per EP.  If you can figure out a config file for it, that would be appreciated.   

b) when I go to try to add images, it still only allows me to look for .bmp and .jpg (I think), and the pulled images are in .png.  Is there a way to change that so it'll either allow .png as well, or allow looking for *any* file type? (I'm still getting a "This is not a valid .png file" error when trying to open them in PSP.)

It's actually .gif and .jpg now, because those are the only Qt plugins I've managed to locate.  If I find a png plugin somewhere, I will definitely make use of it and load in the pngs from the SimPE output.  In theory, it does exist.  Looking for any file type will not be helpful unless I have the plugins to display all file types, which I don't think will happen, but I can try to add more of the common image formats.

As for your PSP problem, it sounds like either the image is borked or your PSP is borked; if the image is the problem, SimSheet is not going to be any more helpful.

So are you saying you can't display the sims' portraits SimPE is outputting for you?

I knew it was something and .jpg, anyway! 

Inge, not sure if that was directed at me or rufio - in short, SimSheet gives me a choice to look for .jpg or .gif, but the SimPE output is in .png files.  I can see these as thumbnails and using image preview when I'm browsing through the files on my computer, but opening them in Paint Shop Pro doesn't work, I merely get an error message.  Ordinarily with corrupt/incorrectly saved files, I have the opposite problem - Windows won't preview it but PSP will quite often manage to open it.

That said, I just remembered I've got The GIMP on this computer and, having tried it, that will open them.  So maybe it is just my copy of PSP, who knows, or a problem with PSP in general? 8/ 

[rufio]

Yes, before - I'm useless and keep forgetting to do so, and even if it doesn't always end in a hang, it does take an *awful* lot of time to load a long list if I haven't checked the settings in advance.  And if I manage to be stupid enough to import a long list without having first selected EP's, applying the EP's afterwards takes several seconds per EP.  If you can figure out a config file for it, that would be appreciated.

I still think this must be some other problem - I have no issues loading a list without setting the settings versus doing it.  The bug you had before where the list would hang has been fixed, but you'll have to reimport your hood, since the problem is in the savefile.  I think the settings issue is just a coincidence.

[Mizz Rose Bud]

SimSheet gives me a choice to look for .jpg or .gif, but the SimPE output is in .png files.  I can see these as thumbnails and using image preview when I'm browsing through the files on my computer, but opening them in Paint Shop Pro doesn't work, I merely get an error message.  Ordinarily with corrupt/incorrectly saved files, I have the opposite problem - Windows won't preview it but PSP will quite often manage to open it.

That said, I just remembered I've got The GIMP on this computer and, having tried it, that will open them.  So maybe it is just my copy of PSP, who knows, or a problem with PSP in general? 8/ 

That is odd. I have Paint Shop Pro 8 and I have no problems with opening, editing and saving png files, no problems at all.

[Inge]

I can't open them in Paintshop Pro either 7 or 9, but I can see them as thumbnails in my folder and open them in MSPaint and HP Image Zone, and MS Photo Editor and Windows Picture and Fax Viewer

[Mizz Rose Bud]

hmmm ... when I come to think about it. I think that I might manually have set PSP to open all kind of image files ... it is under Perferences ... File Association or something like that, I´m at work so I can´t check it right now.

Oh btw ... is it possible to get that QA version, to test this out. I were at the SimPE site, but as always, I couldn´t ffind what I was looking for. I´m blind

[coralleane]

I still think this must be some other problem - I have no issues loading a list without setting the settings versus doing it.  The bug you had before where the list would hang has been fixed, but you'll have to reimport your hood, since the problem is in the savefile.  I think the settings issue is just a coincidence.

I did - when putting in the new test version of SimSheet this time I simply deleted the entire contents of the previous folder before installing, to start afresh - therefore, brand new list.  It might be (and probably is) a coincidence, but so far it's being a very consistent coincidence for me. 

[Inge]

http://simpeforum.ambertation.de/forum/viewforum/14 for the QA - there should be only one thread open at a time, it's that one, and the download is in the first post.   Unzip it to its own fresh folder, run it by double clicking SimPE.exe inside that folder, and keep your normal SimPe installation for your normal work.  Remember to edit SimSheet so that it uses the QA SimPE.

If you can't get into that link above, you need: http://simpeforum.ambertation.de/forum/viewgroup - use the pulldown to select QA and then go through the "apply for membership" process.  Needless to say you will have to be registered at the forum in the first place.

[katemonster]

I just re-imported my sim list, overwriting old entries, and noticed that this deletes all my family ties. I am hoping to keep track of this mostly by re-importing from SimPE (especially if things that change regularly are included in the import, like job levels and skills), so I'd want minimal zapping of manually entered data. Are family ties supposed to be this fragile? (And is there any way they could be imported from SimPE too?)

ETA: Never mind, it doesn't actually delete all my family ties, but it does bork them. Some were deleted entirely and some were just scrambled around to the point where a sim was her own half-sister and when I clicked "view sibling" it exploded. Which just meant when I re-opened it I got back my old saved list, with family ties intact, and only imported new sims and updated existing ones manually. But I'd still like to be able to re-import everybody without borking things.

ETA 2: I'm trying to get all my sims into their correct lifestages now (a challenge because I use twojeffs's age duration hack) and I can't seem to get sims who have gone to college to stick as adults. I update them as "grew up well, went to college", "grew up well, graduated from college", and then it calls them adults, but any time I go in to edit them, they revert back to freshmen.

[rufio]

They should be importing.  What version of SimPE is this?  Could I see the SimPE output file?

[katemonster]

It's 73-18-QA. Here's the output file. It's in my SimSheet folder, not in the EA Games/The Sims 2 folder where the older one is--is that where it's supposed to be?

As to the college problem, I'm going to presume I should quit messing with it, since the age duration hack seems to screw up all the life stage stuff.

[rufio]

The family ties seem to be loading for me.  I have changed some things in my working version since I last updated, but not so much in the import dialog.  Remember that sims won't show up if the are dead and/or townies and you have those boxes checked.

ETA:  Actually, I think I do know what's going on.  I'll fix it next update.

[rufio]

Alright, I uploaded a new version that fixes kate's problem and stores the settings in a config file.  Whenever you start the program, the settings should go back to whatever they were the last time you set them.  You can also edit it by hand if you want (there are instructions in the file).

The CSV issues are still not fixed, because the code I wrote to fix them is crashing for some unknown reason and debugginig it is kind of hellish.  I'll see if I can't figure it out tomorrow.

[cocomo]

I'm having problems getting this program to save my info so I know that I am doing something wrong and I can't figure it out.  I need help.


EDIT:  Never mind.  I think I got it.  Slow brain cells. lol

[rufio]

At long last, I have uploaded a new version, which uses libcsv to read the CSV files.  It took a while, because I had to relearn how to use elements of C that I haven't used in, well, ever.  FILEs, structs, and underscores, oh my!  Anyway, it should work and not crash now.

I'm probably not going to work on this much over the holidays, but feel free to put in suggestions for 0.6, including (or especially) changes that would result in new fields and other savefile-breaking stuff.  My plans so far are:
- Change the aging system so that it works the way it actually does in TS2
- Implement the Careers tab
- Possibly add a Genetics tab, where you can keep track of sim genetics and calculate possible results from breeding two sims.  This would all have to be user-entered, since it doesn't seem possible to get this information out of SimPE.

And let me know if there are problems, of course.

[Inge]

Rufio, did you choose that avatar or is that your punishment one?