How to: Ilives Reader, Beginners Guide

[ruan2010 15]

Hey I don't know if anybody can help me with something but I want to merge a highschool and police station together on ilive reader but If I build the lot on sc4 the police station and highschool must be together as one lot.? Can anybody help me with this please thank you

Regards Ruan

[hugues aroux 3,867]

Hello,
How does the "search in file" function work?

as shown in the image I entered the string "Terrain" for a search in the Exemplars. And it produces nothing! However, exemplars contain this chain, don't they! ;-). Is there a specific syntax for searching?
Thank you !

[Raymond7cn 6,776]

Dear All,

I have a question about the cursor file in Reader, I could export the cursor file from simcity_1.dat, and then edit it with a Microsoft tool, but when i want to insert back the cursor file i edited, I couldn't find a cursor file type in Reader, and after i chose the undefined type it became to an UI file. Can anyone teach me about this, Thank you very much!!

Sincerely,

-- Raymond

[rsc204 21,867]

3 hours ago, Raymond7cn said:

I couldn't find a cursor file type in Reader, and after i chose the undefined type it became to an UI file.

If no setting exists for this format in Reader (when importing), I don't know of a solution to that. Logically you could edit the raw data that defines this, but I couldn't even tell you where to start there.

Rather than undefined, perhaps try adding it as one of the graphics formats, perhaps it then knows what to do with it.

[Raymond7cn 6,776]

1 hour ago, rsc204 said:

perhaps try adding it as one of the graphics formats, perhaps it then knows what to do with it

Many thanks to you Dear Robin, Yes, you're right, I shoud try this method first, If no luck there, I'll try to learn the format of raw data. Thank you as always.

Sincerely,

-- Raymond

[Dracoceros 33]

I'm missing properties.xml in my SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition folder. What do I do now after downloading this program?

 

I'm also getting a "Failed to load" error with both 093 and 141 when opening dat files.

[rsc204 21,867]

On 01/07/2021 at 11:13 PM, Dracoceros said:

I'm missing properties.xml in my SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition folder.

Have you tried searching for the file, it should be there. As for the Failed to Load errors, a bit more information may help, for example is this every file you try to load giving you this error or just some? Is it possible to still see/edit the data after the error appears?

[Max4k 727]

Im starting to re-organize my Landmark menu Order and Ilive Reader crashes when I click on the Exemplar for this Lot.  

Any reason why ?  This one is not a major deal, but for other stuff by Wallibuk, Im going to put other stuff together in menu.   Is there another program to do this in ?

 

Application MFC Reader has stopped working  --- APPCRASH

 

 

 

 

This one refuses to open w/ Failed to Open error

 

 

[Turnstyled 539]

Astounding! I was wondering why the SPAM Univaasity wouldn't show up until I found out that it was conflicting with the Rewards Construct mod. The SPAM Univaasity takes the place of the Maxis university.

I don't know if I'm getting this terminology right, but I had used Reader to remove the exemplar in Rewards Construct that points to the Maxis university. After that, I was able to plop the SPAM Univaasity!

I figured I could do more after that. I wasn't able to get the Area 5.1/Air Force Base No Exclusion mod and No Radiation Rewards to play nicely together, at least in regard to Area 5.1. I kept noradiation-area51.dat out of my plugins directory and I set radiation pollution from the center of Area 5.1 to 0 in Reader! That successfully removed pollution from Area 5.1!

[nic49548 16]

How do you set a TGI in an array? Example , say TGI is (0x########,0x#########,0x#########): I would like to increase only the Instance IDs by 0x00000100 in a LUA script. Please show me an example.

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

9 minutes ago, nic49548 said:

I would like to increase only the Instance IDs by 0x00000100 in a LUA script.

So, do you have dozens or hundreds of TGI entries with varying values which each need incremented by 256? I ask because there is a TGI editor which can make changes to as many as you want, but it's made for directly replacing values in whichever position you want to change, but that is, ofc, for entries.

If your TGIs are within a property of an exemplar then it would need done via Lua.

Note: Lua script will require Reader 1.5.4 since 0.9.3 doesn't have that capability. The coding could take a while depending on your programming skill.

[nic49548 16]

Yes, I do have thousands of TGI entries with varying values. I'm well aware of the TGI Editor in both Reader 0.93 and 1.5.4. I'm making an LUA script, but I have limited knowledge on coding (I have read Ilive_script.txt, but it doesn't have examples regarding arrays, I'm trying to read the LUA 5.1 manual, but it's hard to understand). I've also been using trial and error, I can set TGIs to a specific value but not in an array of increasing values. I'm using Reader 1.5.4 as well.

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

3 minutes ago, nic49548 said:

I've also been using trial and error, I can set TGIs to a specific value but not in an array of increasing values.

Trial and error (usually with lots of errors) is my method too.

Ok, first we need to make sure we are talking about the same thing. By entries, I do mean each one in the left pane of Reader.

So the code could look like this:

function reader.main (this)
  pos = reader:entries_GetHeadPosition()
  while pos ~= 0
  do
    entry, pos = reader:entries_GetNext(pos)
    flag       = reader:entry_GetFlag(entry)
    T,G,I      = reader:entry_GetTGI(entry)

    -- Then your code here.
    I = I + 256
    reader:entry_SetTGI(entry, T, G, I)
  end

  reader:refresh()
end

At which point you would save your file manually. (I like to use Save As so I don't mess up my original copy.)

Now, ofc, that code is changing every single Instance ID value incrementing it by 0x00000100, but we can do it in decimal since it's already being read in as a decimal. If you need to do this for only exemplars, we'd add an if statement and check if the flag == 7.

 

18 minutes ago, nic49548 said:

I can set TGIs to a specific value but not in an array of increasing values.

Mentioning an array, makes me wonder if you are referring to repetitions in a property of an exemplar.

Perhaps show me an example of what you have done and I'll be able to better understand how it needs coded.

[nic49548 16]

The last set of IDs ("0x20010100) I'm trying to increase those by 256 (0x20010200, 0x20010300, 0x20010400, etc.) by LUA Script (The Type and Group IDs are fully set, those won't be changed) Starting from Number 0 all the way to the end (These are all exemplar entries).

  Edited May 23, 2022 by nic49548  

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

Ok. I believe you can use my code above as-is and that'll do exactly what you want.

Remember you won't see the update in each entry after running unless you click them, but do a save as and just open the new file to see them all done.

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

Oh. Wait!

Looking at your pic again, I see all the IIDs are the same and now I suspect you want them each 256 more than the previous one? Is that right?

[nic49548 16]

That didn't quite work, that increases all entries by 256 once (Number 1 should be 0x20010200,  2 should be 0x20010300, 3 should be 0x20010400, etc..) Number column shows 0-17 in the image.

[nic49548 16]

Yes.

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

Yeah. I realize that now.

I'm coding some more. Hang tight...

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

Ok, let's try this:

function reader.main (this)
  counter  = 1

  pos = reader:entries_GetHeadPosition()
  while pos ~= 0
  do
    entry, pos = reader:entries_GetNext(pos)
    flag       = reader:entry_GetFlag(entry)
    T,G,I      = reader:entry_GetTGI(entry)

    if counter == 1 then
      start_id = I
    end

    I       = start_id + counter * 256
    counter = counter + 1

    reader:entry_SetTGI(entry, T, G, I)
  end

  reader:refresh()
end

If that doesn't work, would you send me your file so I can code and test and get it right before listing the code again?

[nic49548 16]

So far, that works! Thank you!

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

17 minutes ago, nic49548 said:

So far, that works! Thank you!

Woot!

Keep in mind this is a specific case where all the IIDs are the same and all entries are exemplars. It picks up the start_id as the first I only the first time thru the while loop and then it builds on that as the base for each successive entry.

[nic49548 16]

12 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

Woot!

Keep in mind this is a specific case where all the IIDs are the same and all entries are exemplars. It picks up the start_id as the first I only the first time thru the while loop and then it builds on that as the base for each successive entry.

Now, I'm also trying to do the same array, but this time it's not the TGIs of an exemplar, but the values of the exemplars (The Image shown, I would like to increase the third value of User Visible Name Key by 256 or 0x100. Like before, the first and second values are fully set, but the third value I would like to change in an array).

The "0x00000000" is just an example, I already know what I'm going to start with.

[rsc204 21,867]

@nic49548: Would I be correct in assuming you have a bunch of Prop Exemplars here and want to organise the ID's somehow? If that is the case, I should warn you this is actually a really bad idea, whilst as humans we crave order, the practical reality is that by IDing content in this way you will massively increase the odds of ID conflicts. SC4 was designed to give objects random IDs based on a time/date stamp, which means it's incredibly rare two IDs will conflict since it takes over ten years in the real world for these ID's to 'come round again', even then two users would have to make an object at the exact same moment in fractions of a second of time. Usually when such conflicts are found, it's almost always when IDs have been chosen rather than using random IDs. There are very few circumstances where having a neat set of incremental IDs actually helps in any practical way, even though many can't perceive things as such. For example, if a set of Props were to be used on lots, the ID has no bearing on adding/removing said Props, we can use the Prop Names for this.

In short, unless you really genuinely have a compelling need to use such ID systems, they should be avoided. Instead highlight every entry in Reader, assuming they are all Prop Exemplars, then right click the highlighted list and select Generate Random Group and Instance to give every exemplar a randomised ID. Your content will work identically and be vastly less likely to have conflicts as a result.

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

Do heed @rsc204's advice as he knows that side of modding and I don't.

 

On 5/23/2022 at 2:41 AM, nic49548 said:

(The Image shown, I would like to increase the third value of User Visible Name Key by 256 or 0x100. Like before, the first and second values are fully set, but the third value I would like to change in an array).

This, too, can be done, but is a lot more complex coding. Additionally, the code could also assign that third value to be the same as the IID of the exemplar it's located in if that helps. Or we could start over and have the Lua create them based on Linux time which is a combination of the date and time.

It'll be quite a while before I could help with this more in depth script.

[nic49548 16]

With this image, I'm trying to use LUA scripting to change Rep 15's (0xA0000050) values to (0xA0000078), and Rep 16's (0xA0000051) to (0xA0000092). I'm still trying to learn LUA scripting. How do you change a value in a particular rep by LUA? (As well as certain LotConfig properties like textures)

  Edited July 16, 2022 by nic49548  

[Ulisse Wolf 4,462]

I advise you to make these changes with PIM-X if we are talking about Lot Editor

[nic49548 16]

I'm actually using Reader 1.5.4, what I'm trying to do is change all the xA0000050s to 0xA0000078 and "51"s to "92" s in one LUA script while keeping the other values intact.

The positions and order of the LotConfigs are correct, I'm just changing the prop families.

  Edited July 16, 2022 by nic49548  

[CorinaMarie 29,899]

On 7/15/2022 at 9:16 PM, nic49548 said:

With this image, I'm trying to use LUA scripting to change Rep 15's (0xA0000050) values to (0xA0000078), and Rep 16's (0xA0000051) to (0xA0000092). I'm still trying to learn LUA scripting. How do you change a value in a particular rep by LUA? (As well as certain LotConfig properties like textures)

The most in depth LUA I wrote which could deal with reps and change them individually was for automated enabling of Mac Nightlights. (The code eventually worked perfectly, but then it was discovered Maxis had hidden uses for many of the values we wanted to use.)

I mention that code as it'd be a very good base to see how to do the things you're asking about. I don't recall if we ever posted it publicly or if it is only attached in the development/testing PM. It was certainly intended to be released, but it also needed some documentation so the typical user could make sense of it too.

Anyhow (as you might know) I went missing for a couple of years and that's why I haven't replied sooner. Is this still a project you are working on? Or have you found another method?

Edit: And if you do pop in and want to continue, I believe we should split the posts about your project into their own thread.

[nic49548 16]

Over time, I changed my mind and followed rsc204's advice on it being a bad idea and used randomized IDs instead. Thank you for asking, though.