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======= Crossfire X11 crossedit Map Editor =======

This page should describe the usage of the old disbanded X11 Crossedit editor, \\
that had been included in the [[:server]] source code up to at least version 1.11.0 .

:!: Special Note : \\
>When closing a subwindow, do not hit the X button in the window frame decoration !
>Always select "File" > "Quit" or "File" > "Close" .
>Attempting to close the window by the X button will result in incomplete terminated windows.  

See also existing short page [[:crossfireeditor#Crossedit]] . \\
For the more modern Java-Editor, read [[:Gridarta]] .


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====== Mouse =======
At times, when there hadn't been any scrollwheel on mice, \\
then the usage of the mouse could have been plausible. \\
But with the scroll wheel on the middle mouse button, \\
it is difficult, to find out, what it needs to select something.

===== Left mouse button =====
When clicked in the scrollbar line, moves the scroll bar one tile down. \\
When clicked and hold on a green/white button, shows the button's submenu. 


===== Middle mouse button =====
When clicked on an arch face picture, selects the item in the Arch menu list. \\
When clicked and hold in the scrollbar line, moves the scroll bar further, \\
than with single left and right clicks. \\
When clicked and hold on a green/white button, shows the button's sub menu. \\

On a map that has been 'opened' , a short middle click creates a black frame around the \\
clicked map tile, and the stack of archetypes on that tile show up in the \\
' Look: ' box part of the [[main|Main Menu]] . 

When kept hold on such opened map, it offers to select a larger area on that map. \\
The NW-most tile stack will be displayed in the "Look:" box.

When middle clicked on an archetype inside the "Look:" box, it opens a separate \\
window titled "Attr: Name" .

When applied inside some Entry line, pastes the current clipboard therein.
 

===== Right mouse button =====
When clicked in the scrollbar line, moves the scroll bar one tile up. \\
When clicked and hold on a green/white button, shows the button's submenu. \\ 

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====== About the difference to Load and to Open a map file ======

**Special Note:** The file selector does only update the content of a directory, \\
when it has moved to another directory before and then back to the desired folder.

:!: Big fat WARNING : After Open'ing an existing map file, only the
newly drawn content gets saved. All the other former entries are discarded !!

The crossedit editor has two modes to show an existing Crossfire maps file : \\
  * Open a file
  * Load a file

The "Open" functionality is only available in the Main Menu GUI for the "File" button, \\
all other windows have the "Load" function in the "File" button.

===== Differences =====
In "Open" mode, the map gets shown completely, with all \\
stacked tiles visible. \\
This is therefore of importance, to view the final result, \\
as it will be visible to the player.

In "Load" mode, only the topmost item will be shown. \\
Especially multi-tiled items like big monsters and \\
big buildings will be shown, as if there were no ground tiles beneath them, \\
suggesting, that the painter has forgotten to draw the ground tiles; \\
but they are (still) there !

In "Load" mode, the tiles are shown in a bordered grid field.

In both modes, it is possible to edit the map, but only in "Load" mode, \\
the changed and added content is merged into the map; and both \\
content, previous and new, are saved to disk. In "Open" mode the file gets \\
altered in a way, that the old content is discarded and only the new \\
content is saved back to the file.

If a painter Open's a map file, that is several thousand lines long, \\
just to add a half dozen tiles, and then Save's , he will end up \\
with a small file of less than hundred lines, and all the former work \\
of thousands of lines will be gone into the Nirvana !

**To make backups of files being worked on is in case of the crossedit editor of highest importance !!**

===== How to Load a file =====
The main menu has no load option. \\
But the windows that are created, when choosing a "Pick" and "Walls" selective menu, \\
these have the "Load" option. When loading a map file using these subwindows, \\
their selection items will be gone, and the map presented in their window instead.

These sub-windows can be deployed with their selection items easily new, \\
by just choosing them again. So it is possible to have dozens of \\
Pick and Wall sub-menu windows on the screen.

===== How to edit a loaded file =====
Now it is time to alter or add content to the Load'ed file :
  * Left click of the mouse to add an item onto a tile
  * Right click of the mouse to withdraw the topmost item on the tile

When deleting a tile, the underneath tile will show, until the stack \\
on that tile is completely withdrawn. Onto such an empty tile, a new \\
item can be placed; best are ground items like rivers, streets, terrain.

In some selection window, select the needed item by Middle-Click of the mouse, \\
then drop it onto the map by Left-click.

** But : Only one item ( layer ) at a time ! **

After having done a couple of items in the "Load" mode, \\
it is time to save the new map: File > Save .

After hitting the "Save" button, close this sub window that "loaded" the map: File > Close .\\
  
In the main GUI now "Open" that file, just to view it, and not to edit it. \\
This is to make sure, that the new map content is drawn as desired.

Now "Close" this Open'ed window; whenever asked to save hit "Forget it" . \\
This "Save" Question is presented, because the user has accidentally edited \\
parts of the shown map. Repeated : Never ever "Save" an Open'ed map ! 

But try it out, at least once, on a minor map of no importance, to see, what I am talking about .. ! :-)

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====== Simple First Start instructions ======
When the crossedit starts, then left-click select File > New. This should open an additional new window titled "Edit /Noname" .\\
In the Arch menu button deselect everything by deselecting "all" and "toggle" ; again all left-clicks.\\
In the Arch menu button select "background" to select floor items by left-click. \\
In the scrollbar left-click to move the scroll bar a first time. \\
In the scroll-bar middle-click and keep hold for moving fast to the items one would like to choose.\\
Middle-click on the item to select it, which should then show in the bottommost box. \\
Move the mouse pointer into the other window titled "Edit /Noname" , and left-click to put the item (floor) there.


This procedure is pretty annoying at the beginning, but one can adjust to it :
=== Step 1 ===
Create a new map.

=== Step 2 ===
Use the Middle mouse button to select a major ground item tile.

Use the middle mouse button to select large fields in the new and empty map,
that consist of a plain gray area.

Select "Fill" in the "Edit" button .

Do that as many times, until the map has in rough the desired ground structure.

=== Step 3 ===
Save the new created basic ground structure to a file name.

=== Step 4 ===
Close this window, that created this new map.

=== Step 5 ===
Open the file, just to view it, and detect your failures.

If the filename does not show in the file selector, go some directory down \\
and **..** back; then the new filename should be displayed in the selection list.

=== Step 6 ===
Close the Open'ed map, without saving anything !

=== Step 7 ===
Choose a sub-window from the "Pick" menu. \\
My guess is "other" , because it does not contain many \\
items to select, and can be also found under the button "Walls" > "Caves2"  .

=== Step 8 ===
In the menu of that sub-window select "Load" to load the file. \\
The file will be shown in that window, the former content is discarded.

=== Step 9 ===
Edit that Load'ed map, only one layer at a time each tile.

=== Step 10 ===
After having done an edit on a couple of tiles, "Save" the map ( under "File" button ) .

=== Step 11 ===
In the "File" button, "Close" that window, that you used to "Load" and edit.

=== Step 12 ===
End of loop and continue at [[#Step 5]] .

=== Step 13 ===
At the end of the session, make a backup copy of the files you worked on !


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====== See further ======

Crossedit [[Main]] menu window \\
[[Editor]] Edit'ing window to actually create the maps \\
[[Pick]] and Walls sub menu windows
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