Free Allegiance Forums

WARNING: Experimental Software

I've decided to release an early version of this since I just have not had enough people willing to test this, still, thank you for everybody who has! (Cort, Fuhzz, bp, pkk). I don't want this project to simply go to waste because I can't keep it active enough with only a handful of people who know about it.

http://modulus.wivuu.com/About/

"Modulus is a mod manager and distribution system build specifically for Microsoft Allegiance. It allows users to contribute their own mods to this website which, once approved, appear in every users available mod list. At that point the user can view the description and then download and install it. Modulus is open source, and licensed under the LGPL license. Software is provided "as is" without any warranty of any kind, so use it at your own risk. Even though Modulus will automatically back up any file it overwrites, it is recommended you keep a back up version of your Artwork folder in the event that it becomes corrupted. Also keep in mind that some mods run custom embedded dlls which present the user with further options for customizing their mod installs."

Instructions for safe usage:
Go to your Allegiance install directory, right click on the "Artwork" folder and click 'Copy'
Paste the artwork copy into the same directory, name it 'Backup' (or whatever). If for whatever reason Allegiance stops working, delete your old artwork and restore it with this backup folder; I cannot guarantee that all of the mods you try will 100% uninstall at this early testing state, so test at your own risk!

If you find a bug
http://allegiancemodulus.codeplex.com/

Please submit an issue to the issue tracker here.

CortUI
Note that the only issues I've had are with CortUI thus far, so if the bug is specific to CortUI, please submit the bug to Cort's issue tracker.
Currently only CortUI is the only mod which uses a custom action, and it is also the only mod I've really had issues with (when uninstalling). If too many people have trouble with it I will lock it.

Please let me know if you would like to contribute a mod, or to Modulus itself.

Scenarios
Some scenarios I would like to see heavily tested:
- Custom actions (you can read about these in the about link above, but requires some skill with C#)
- Mod packager
- Installing and uninstalling mods.

The problem with CortUI seems to be when you uninstall it from within Modulus. It leaves behind a reference to CortUI in one of the .mdl files.

EDIT:
It doesn't happen when I uninstall CortUI normally.

EDIT 2:
Direct link to current installer: http://modulus.wivuu.com/Files/Modulus.Install.msi

It requires .NET 4.

fuzz, please file a proper bug report (read up on how to report bugs here) either on his issue tracker or on mine (whichever you feel is more appropriate) when you've completed the steps outlined there.

I haven't had any issues so far, uninstalling works fine as far as I can tell.

I added a new 'component' to the CortUI issue tracker for the Modulus package. (But it doesn't matter, I'll triage the ticket. Just focus on writing a good report.)

It's possible I installed it over the other CortUI installation and messed it up. But I'll have to test it later.

I think Modulus' "uninstall point" is always your current (unmanaged) state when you fire it up. So that would explain it if your issue was that CortUI stays after you select 'uninstall' in Modulus. But as you haven't told us what actually is wrong, it's just guesswork at this point.

An idiot's guide to packaging, updating and uploading mods with Modulus in a particularly uninteresting number of easy steps.

1. Apply your mod to your install.
2. Start Modulus
3. File > Package mod
4. Fill in the form
-- Warning: version number must be in form "x.y.z.t"
-- Protip: description supports HTML, but you're better off writing it in an external editor and pasting it in right now)
5. Add the files
6. Save as to your desktop
7. Revert your mod.
8. File > Open
9. Select your package
10. Install it
11. Try it
12. Find out you $#@!ed up
13. Uninstall it.
14. File > Package mod
15. Click on Open Existing to update the existing mod
-- Warning: if you don't do this Modulus assumes you are creating a new one!
16. Amend your errors and increment the version number, replace old mod.
17. Goto 8
18. If you find no problems, PM Orion for a Modulus account
19. Login on the Modulus web interface.
20. Upload your package.
21. Orion approves it.
22. Find out you $#@!ed up.
23. Goto 8

Congratulations, now you know all there is to know about making Modulus packages. There is a @#(!ton of mods that need packaging, Yoda knows.

{...}I know how Modulus works and that's exactly why I said that might be the problem. It needs to be well-documented and noted for people who try to use this program because they don't care why, they just want it to work. People need to know if they install over mods they already have uninstalling from Modulus won't change back to original.

I don't want to make a ticket for you,{...}. I told you I will get to it later, I have access to neither Allegiance nor Windows at the moment.

(inflammatory stuff removed by bard.)

a) Issues belong into an issue tracker for tracking, nowhere else. Of course IRC is awesome for the path there, but it's not where they should be tracked.
b) If it belongs somewhere into IRC, then #Allegiance.dev, not #FreeAllegiance.
c) I don't get how you hating my guts is relevant for the bug.

I agree that the required initial state of your installation at the time you start using Modulus needs to be documented properly, however. Maybe even automatically checked by , but there's no official list of checksums of all files anywhere yet, right Orion? Just of the protected ones.

funny you have time for this..

#allegiance.dev is dead, #Freeallegiance is the CKC

Cort wrote:QUOTE (Cort @ Jun 28 2010, 02:43 PM) there's no official list of checksums of all files anywhere yet, right Orion? Just of the protected ones.

That sounds like a great project for someone (else!), if someone can provide me with the default checksums of all the files included in the installer i could at least implement a warning of some sort into modulus.. unless someone else has a suggestion on how to handle that scenario?