Item Order property

[BigRedFish 21]

Apologies if this territory has been covered, but I didn't see it in several search attempts, so here goes:

 

After some experimentation with menu item placement, I think I figured out how the Item Order exemplar is coded.

 

It's a 32-bit UInt, which appears in The Reader as an 8-digit hex number.  You knew that.

 

The high four digits (16-bit word) do not appear to be used - at least, I haven't discovered any values that affect anything yet. The low four digits are the interesting part.

 

The lowest two digits (low byte) are, as GrampaAl has suggested, a simple number.  Lower numbers push the item down the menu.

 

The next pair of digits appear to be a bit-field: Looking at it as a byte, if you set the high bit, the item sticks to the top of the menu, before any items that do not have this bit set.  If you set the low bit, the item sticks to the bottom of the menu, after the items that don't have the bit set.

 

For a test, I used a lot I'm working on that appears in the misc transit menu.

 

When I used Item Order = 0x00008001, it appeared at the top.  I changed this to 0x000001001, and it appeared at the bottom.  Finally, I used 0x00000001, and it appeared mixed in the middle of the menu with other custom lots that used that same item order number.

 

The second-lowest byte really looks to me like it's a bit-field, with 80 (high bit set) putting the item at the very top of the menu, and 01 (low bit set) fixing it to the bottom.  A zero value in this byte lets the item use default placement.  This seems consistent with the way some other bit-flags in the game work. 

 

After that, the low byte controls placement within the grouping (top/mid/bottom).

 

If anyone knows more (or knows better) please pipe in.  Thanks.

 

[SimGoober 2,350]

Errr.. All i know is I changed this to 0x00000035 and all my lots groupd together... 

 

Everything else you said is great, but over my head....

[BigRedFish 21]

[bEGINQUOTE]

3/30/2004 8:50:20 PM[/quoteDATE]

SimGoober[/quoteAUTHOR]

Everything else you said is great, but over my head....

[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

Then let me re-phrase:

The Item Order is of the form 0000xxyy

where xx is one of 80=top, 01=bottom, 00=middle.

yy is in the range 00-FF, and sets the order within the group set by xx.  Lower numbers appear toward the top of the group.

Does that make more sense?

 

 

[SimGoober 2,350]

(smacks his forehead)

 

Aha!  Now I get it.. so ..

0x00000120  means bottom of the list, # 20 (hex) after lower numbers.

0x00008020  means top of the list , same

0x00000035 (mine) means middle of the list, same

 

In the last number (in decimal for simplicity only), lots with 35 would be after 34, before 36.  Lots with the same number are still sorted by plop cost(?). Lots with the same number, and same plop cost I'm guessing in the order they load?

 

Sound about right?

 

[BigRedFish 21]

[bEGINQUOTE]

3/30/2004 11:13:24 PM[/quoteDATE]

SimGoober[/quoteAUTHOR]

0x00000120 means bottom of the list, # 20 (hex) after lower numbers.

0x00008020 means top of the list , same

0x00000035 (mine) means middle of the list, same

In the last number (in decimal for simplicity only), lots with 35 would be after 34, before 36. Lots with the same number are still sorted by plop cost(?). Lots with the same number, and same plop cost I'm guessing in the order they load?

Sound about right?

[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

That's it.  For all I know there's more to it, but I know for sure that this much works. 

 

[Equinox 1,209]

Your first post went a bit over my head as well, but the second one cleared everything up. I have an issue though: in the Plugin Manager I believe there is only one value to enter, a single number from like one through 255 or something (might have been 100 as well, I tend to forget). Does it set the other value you mention as a constant? Forgive my unclear explanation ...

Thanks for the info BTW, it will be useful when doing lot categorization.
One little question: when lots have the same number, don't they arrange themselves by plop cost?

[GrampaAl 76]

Yes Equinox, lots with the same item order number value will sort themselves by plop cost. This is true.

[budman01 2]

Hello!

First of all, please excuse my english, it's not my native language.

I'm not quite sure, but isn't the Item Order only depending on a hex value? The eight numbers after 0x are values between 0 and 10.000.000! That's what the PlugInManager says would be a valid value. Or is the whole thing more complicated? If you get in the reader, you would see a value if the lot builder set this. If not, everything is set to 0000001hex = 1dez and is sorted by plopcosts.

The other thing, that I wanted to ask: Wouldn't it be a good idea, if we would make something like a numbering convention for all lot builders? That would be a way to get rid of all these unsorted items in e.g. the park menu. I checked a few lots downloaded from here, and unfortunately 90% of the lot builders doesn't set the itemOrder. CSX Lots are all set with an itemOrder, if I remember correctly around 400.

Wouldn't it be possible to make a thread or a list, where all known builders could make a notice which range of item orders are in there use? In this way we would be able to give every lot builder a special and unique range of numbers, so that all there lots are grouped together. E.g. CSX itemOrder 300-699; PEG itemOrder 700-999 and so on. Every new lot builder could take his personal range.

Tell me your thoughts about that idea.

Greets from munich and once again sorry for my english

[SimGoober 2,350]

I was thinking of something similar, but I don't want to get heavy handed.  If we try to assign numbers, someone will get upset with theirs.  It might not hurt to post the numbers you use though, to keep them from getting mixed up...  All my PEG lots used to be together, but others have snuck in and broken them up.

 

Maybe a thread just to post the numbers you usually use, no restrictions, just for informational use?

[BigRedFish 21]

[bEGINQUOTE]

4/5/2004 9:40:26 AM[/quoteDATE]

Equinox[/quoteAUTHOR]

in the Plugin Manager I believe there is only one value to enter, a single number from like one through 255 or something (might have been 100 as well, I tend to forget). Does it set the other value you mention as a constant?[/quoteMESSAGE][/bEGINQUOTE]

Hmm..  I use the Reader to set these things, not the Plugin Manager.  It seems that the Plugin Manager is setting the low byte (that's the yy in my  example) - that would be consistent with the allowed values you describe.  I'll bet it just sets the xx part to zero, like all Maxis stuff has.

 

[cow 1]

please look at the thread i have started here and give feedback as i would like to know whether or not i am crazy
https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=50707

i would like to tackle this problem in this thread.

[oldman9942 0]

Some experimentation leads me to think that this number is actually a 16-bit signed integer.

Lots with Item Order 0x00000000 are sorted with the default lots

Lots with Item Order 0x0000ffff (-1) are sorted immediately before the default lots

Lots with Item Order 0x00008000 (-32768 )] are sorted before those lots (at the very top)

Lots with Item Order 0x00007fff (32767) are sorted at the very end.

This applies to at least items under the Parks menu.

[mrp2005 0]

IS there any way to order the buildings by name (alfabetically) or hight?

 

PLEEEESE answer this one

[SimGoober 2,350]

Not unless you order them with the Item Order property....

[smoncrie 43]

@oldman9942, Thanks for publishing new and useful information in this forum.

smoncrie

[mrp2005 0]

Not unless you order them with the Item Order property....

Sorry, but I dind't understand you....where is that property in the game?

[garfiedude 2]

Sorry, but I dind't understand you....where is that property in the game?

quote>

You need to use iLive or DatGen to change it.


Expanding on this a little, i've been mucking about with the miscellaneous transport menu, sorting out the downloads i had appearing in there, and i think (though not sure), that the games default ordering for type of transport goes:Bus 0; Subway station 5; Parking 6; Toll 7 (where the number is the last number of the item order property).
I havn't figured out what all the others in that menu are yet (though i have an feeling that 3 is for actual subways, and 1 for elrail, and 2 for el-rail stations, not sure though as i moved all the custom el-rail stations i had furtherdown the menu to match the embankment stations).

So i guess if we had a complete list for this, then people who made busstops and el-rail/subway stations and so on could give them the appropiate number and everything will appear together sorted by type.

[vadvaro 2]

Passenger Train Station    17 0x00000011
Freight Train Station         274 0x00000112
Grand Railroad Station     531 0x00000213
Monorail Station               4373 0x70111115

Bus Stop                      0 0x00000000
Elevated Rail Station     2 0x00000002
Subway to El Transition 3 0x00000003
Subway Station            5 0x00000005
Public Parking Garage   6 0x00000006
Toll Booth                      7 0x00000007

[garfiedude 2]

Excellent.
Would i be correct in assuming that 0x00000001 is the actual el-rail piece, and that 0x00000004 the subway piece?
Seems obvious. Hmm, i wonder if i'll be able to tweak the NAM ElRal-over-road piece to appear with the regular el-rail piece.

[vadvaro 2]

yea, i just forgot to list them.

[garfiedude 2]

Whast the exact relation ship between cost and item order?

I had all my chrches set to item order 0x00000026, the most expensive being 150,000, but i then made some shops and made them 0x00000028, but the 150k church appeared after the shops. I lowered teh price of that church to 125,000, and the shops were ahead again.

[vadvaro 2]

that is interesting.  i havn't seen somethign like that, but havn't tested it.  what i have observed is that when a lot shares the same item order number the lower priced one will appear first.  in your case, when the chruch, regardless of how much it cost, moved, that is weird.

[Richter Belmont 0]

In SC4 Tool, where is the Item Order exemplar?

I cannot find it, but re-ordering of lots within the game would be much easier with SC4 tool, if only I knew the exemplar!!!

[Hordijk 18]

Instead of bumping you might better ask the author of the program, since this tread has nothing to do with the SC4 tool but the reader I can't figure why you posted in here.

[Andreas Roth 605]

There is no Item Order Exemplar, the thread title is somewhat misleading (therefore, I changed it). You'll find the Item Order property in the building exemplar file (somewhere in the middle of the list). Currently, it's not possible to add that property when it's missing, but you can open another file and copy it to your lot.