W:A replay and BIT map preview in Explorer

[CyberShadow]

27657

http://worms.thecybershadow.net/misc/
:D

[Lex]

Excellent work, CyberShadow! You're turning out to be one of the best in Worms programming. ;D

[yakuza]

Soon to be hired by team17 to disapear into the shadows.

[Vahagn]

woah, that is sweet candy charm!

[Run]

Oh now that is handy.

[[UFP]Ghost]

cybershadow,
you are one good programmer. keep up the good work :)

[bonz]

Very nice work Cybershadow!

[Muzer]

It's not working!
The message "Install successfull" appears, but the icons don't appear!

Do you have to restart or something?

[Distrance]

O_O
The things I found at the site are awesome.Thanks a lot CyberShadow you really are good programmer

[Lex]

It's not working!
The message "Install successfull" appears, but the icons don't appear!

Do you have to restart or something?No. You have to set your folder view to "Thumbnails".

[CyberShadow]

Thanks, everybody :)

No. You have to set your folder view to "Thumbnails".
Sometimes you need to restart the shell (Explorer) by logging out or rebooting (so says MSDN).
Also, you can see a thumbnail of the map/replay in the Details section of the "Tasks" pane on the left (web-like folder view must be enabled) when in another view than Thumbnails. Good for folders with a LOT of replays.

The extension requires Windows 2000 or XP, but I don't remember Windows 98 having a thumbnail view anyway...

Also, I've found an issue with Worms overwriting the .WAgame extension's registry key on every start, thus disabling my extension... I've posted a work-around on the extension's page (http://maplecenter.net/misc/).

[robowurmz]

Hmm, if it's a shell extension, then it should work with windows media player, as it uses all kinds of extra .dll files, like ZMBV.

[Seita]

Reported problem: Some of the replays don't show thumbnails, even if they use png or BIT map files
Screenshot (http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/5098/index3ii.jpg)

[Lex]

Seita, are those replays that use random maps?

Edit: Oh. You already said "even if they use png or BIT map files".

[CyberShadow]

Reported problem: Some of the replays don't show thumbnails, even if they use png or BIT map files
Screenshot (http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/5098/index3ii.jpg)
Care to upload those replays, so I can have a look at them?

[Seita]

From what he says, "png" replays display perfectly, and "bit" replays refuse to display.

Here are some of his non-displaying replays.


I tried it too but got only empty (blank) thumbnails... (Using Win2k)

[Seita]

Any news ? Or additional info required ?

[CyberShadow]

Post editing does not highlight threads, or send notification e-mails to thread subscribers, so I only found out about your post now.

As for the replays, they work for me:
27663

Do the other BIT maps work for you?

My shell extension uses W:A's path in the registry to locate its folder and re-use some of its image-processing DLLs. It is able to work with both version 10 (l????10N.dll) and 8 (l????80n.dll) of Lead Tools. If you are only able to preview some BIT maps/replays, then they were saved with a never version of LeadTools than the shell extension was able to detect and use.

Check the PATH value in your HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Team17SoftwareLTD\Worms Armageddon, and make sure it points to the latest version of W:A you have installed.

[robowurmz]

Hmm, if it's a shell extension, then it should work with windows media player, as it uses all kinds of extra .dll files, like ZMBV.
Question.....needs.......answered.....

[CyberShadow]

Oh, was that a question? I didn't notice any question marks ;)

This has nothing to do with Windows Media Player. WMP might use some other extension framework, but AFAIK it has nothing to do with Windows Shell Extensions.

[robowurmz]

Darnit.

I wonder if there is a conversion tool out there somewhere. Then I could make a movie in WMM2 and add titles and stuff. Like: What NOT to do with the ninja rope...
And then show all the stupidest stuff along to classical music which always seems to fit explodey-type things.

[Lex]

You can make avi files from WAgame files using a combination of WA and VirtualDubMod.

[xLVxJang]

Shouldnt be more easy if You just add an combinied Registration entery file?

[CyberShadow]

Shouldnt be more easy if You just add an combinied Registration entery file?
Please read on how shell extensions work (http://search.msdn.microsoft.com/search/Redirect.aspx?title=Creating+Shell+Extension+Handl ers+&url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/shell/programmersguide/shell_int/shell_int_extending/extensionhandlers/shell_ext.asp). The DLL must be registered as a valid shell extension before it can work, and .reg files will not be enough in this case.

[franpa]

o_O this extension is NOT working xD it only caused windows explorer to take up atlease 2000mb of ram xD and it wasnt decreasing either..... so... how do i get this working xD?

run install.bat [got a successful message]
edit permission on reg key so that I cant delete or set value.

and went to my w:a replay folder... deleted the current thumbnail file then... logged off and back on and changed the view of the appropriate folder so that it showed thumbnails... it only showed the w:a logo for every thing and windows explorer consumed over 2 gigs of ram.... i couldnt even run firefox without it crashing immediatly till i closed windows explorer.

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me hopes this is clear enough xD im on winXP home 32bit.

[Lex]

For those who are coming to this thread and wondering where to get the extension, it is here: http://worms.thecybershadow.net/misc/. CyberShadow's site moved.

Franpa, did you read this warning?:Warning: opening your User\Games folder in Thumbnails mode might not be a wise thing to do - generating a lot of thumbnails will create a significant stress on the system, so expect about 5-10 minutes of lagginess if you must preview ~1000 replays in a folder at once.Either wait out the long lag or copy the replays you want to preview to a new directory and look at that one in Thumbnails mode.

[CyberShadow]

Before switching to thumbnail view, try to copy a few replays to an empty folder instead, and see how that works out. Also, you don't need to be in thumbnail view to see the thumbnails - in regular view, the preview appears in the info-pane to the left of the folder's contents.

It might be the fact that you're using Home edition.

[AndrewTaylor]

Can you set a "slow" flag somewhere, so it can do it in a background process? I know you can on "details" view column extensions. Never programmed a shell extension though so it may not be possible.

Equivalent to this: http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/columnhandler.asp?df=100&forumid=14776&select=532594#xx532594xx

[CyberShadow]

Well, I'm not doing columns (just thumbnails), and I didn't notice anything similar - except, perhaps, an asynchronous flag. But I doubt making it process multiple replays at once would help the situation...

As for the memory leak, there is a possibility it's crashing and not freeing resources. I'd need to know if it works at all on a smaller scale first.

[franpa]

copied 10 out into a separate folder and changed it to thumbnail view.

- explorer.exe process is taking up 16,160K [no explore windows open... only firefox is running]
- open explorer window with 10 replays in it [detailed view] 22,008K
- change it to thumbnail view 35,596K

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in the picture with the permissions for the reg key there are two copies of me cause thats what it does when i check the deny box for delete and set value xD hope you understand.

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click the image after its loaded to view it properly -.-'
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h133/franpa/untitled-6.png
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h133/franpa/untitled2.png
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h133/franpa/untitled3.png

[Burrin]

Now make a program or a addon for window mode... Please? If you did that make you my hero.

[Jerry]

Very good job!
*One question* Can I open that in Mozilla Firefox?
:D salute, Jerry

[ADX]

Doesn't work for me. What should I do? (NOTE: I can only see .BIT files)

[CyberShadow]

Burrin: not possible, since W:A uses a paletted (256-colours) display, and requires exclusive access to the screen palette.

Jerry: didn't understand your question.

franpa, ADX: let's do some debugging, then. Download and install this debug version (http://thecybershadow.net/dump/5c17404c916e051122dd6bba424b7074/replaypreview_debug.zip) (uninstall the previous version and close all Explorer windows before installing this one). Try using it; if/when it fails, check for a file called ReplayPreview.log in C:\.

[ADX]

Ok thank you ;)
I'll send here the results.

EDIT: At the moment I can't see any .log file in C:\

[franpa]

no log file either xD dud debug build? mmm i uninstalled the old and installed the new and well all i see for my replay is the worms Armageddon logo...

... i just re-installed windows because everything WAS going really crappily (i cant install creative auto update crap xD havn't a clue why) but all the basic stuff is installed and primed... and fully updated windows xp home sp2... so mmmmmmmmmmm.....

[CyberShadow]

No log file means that no errors are happening within my extension, so the problem isn't there.

[ADX]

Well, I now have another problem lol.
I unistalled and now I want to re-install. I searched the error reported. I found this:
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B307495&x=10&y=17

What I can do?
Thanks!

[CyberShadow]

After you uninstall it, you have to close all Explorer windows. Sometimes you may need to log off and on, or reboot so that Explorer will unload the extension DLL.

[ADX]

I rebooted at about 5 times :P
(Cool now I can't install it...)

EDIT: Okey, I solved (Safe mode, with MS-DOS only xD).
Now lets see what happenz.
RE-EDIT: WOW MEN. Work now! I only installed it in the MS-DOS safe mode :D! Try out!

[CyberShadow]

Well, my program is neither written in Visual Basic nor is it a WebClass DLL for IIS. I assume something's messed up with your Windows install (no clue what it might be, though). It still works fine for me and many other people with XP SP2.

[ADX]

Ok I see. I installed in the safe mode and worked, so don't worry (note that no log did). Now lets see franpa error ;)

[Lex]

Perhaps Franpa's "edit permission on reg key so that I cant delete or set value." step hampered his ability to install the new debug version.

[Jerry]

CyberShadow: I use Mozilla Firefox 2. That work on Firefox 2?

[bonz]

CyberShadow: I use Mozilla Firefox 2. That work on Firefox 2?
This plugin is for Windows Explorer, not an internet browser.

[franpa]

o_O i reinstaled windows yesterday xD so theres no special registry permissions or anything like that on here... i just run it it says successful then i log off and on and look at my now clean replay folder xD i got 1 replay now and it wont change to a preview pic when looked at as a thumnail and yes i right click it and choose "refresh thumbnail" and it wont work.

[franpa]

will the debug build work if i havn't installed the non debug build?

[CyberShadow]

Yeah. There's a point in uninstalling the old version first.

[CyberShadow]

I may have found a possible cause for the problems.
Check if you have a PATH variable in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Team17SoftwareLTD\Worms Armageddon registry key.
The extension needs this variable to find the LeadTools DLLs, which are required to decode .BIT maps (including those embedded in replays).

[franpa]

as you can see from the picture i also have that registry key and its pointing to the right location.

[AndrewTaylor]

Well, I'm not doing columns (just thumbnails), and I didn't notice anything similar - except, perhaps, an asynchronous flag. But I doubt making it process multiple replays at once would help the situation...
It might, if it also does it asynchronously to the main Explorer thread. You could always try it and see if it picks up.

[CyberShadow]

It might, if it also does it asynchronously to the main Explorer thread.

It does that either way. Besides, this feature was introduced in Windows XP, and it's off by default.

[franpa]

still no solution? xD it just isnt intergrating itself into explorer.... maybe i will have to install it via safe mode asewll -.-'

[CyberShadow]

Well, this is the case when a program runs on the developer's PC but doesn't run on the user's PC. To solve that, I'd probably have to come to your home and debug it on your computer, with a debugger and everything - trying to do this via a forum would take ages.

[franpa]

but you dont live in australia -.-'

[bonz]

but you dont live in australia -.-'
Oh, really? :rolleyes:

He might have to build an intercontinental ballistic missile first to get to Australia, because Australia is a continent.

[Run]

Oh, really? :rolleyes:

He might have to build an intercontinental ballistic missile first to get to Australia, because Australia is a continent.

I think he knows that :P He just failed to pick up on CS's rhetoric.

[franpa]

no idea at all of what i did, i just then "installed it, closed explorer.exe, re-run explorer.exe via task manager, then go to my replay folder"

it works fine and dandy xD, what negatives are there for using the debug build?

[CyberShadow]

None, except possibly the aforementioned file possibly appearing in your C:\ for some problematic files.

[franpa]

just gonna do the registry hack as it seems that i suffer from w:a disabling it.

[franpa]

which user am i? i'm the only user on here and am a admin.

image is in a rar file xD

[CyberShadow]

To find out your user domain and username on an NT-based system, type echo %USERDOMAIN%\%USERNAME% in a command prompt.

P.S. Can't see the entries of the user list in your screenshot, but you're supposed to click the Advanced button in that dialog. Also, next time try ImageShack if you don't want your images automatically resized by the forum.

[CyberShadow]

No, you're not. Just follow the instructions, step by step. If that doesn't work, then we'll hear your suggestions.

P.S. The .rar file you re-attached contained the full-scale version of your initial image. You're supposed to click the Advanced button at the bottom of that dialog.

[franpa]

"this key only" is grayed out... thus stopping me from telling it to apply to all subkeys aswell -.-'

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diff. image

[CyberShadow]

Ah, I see. In that case, simply ignore the disabled field and set the flags as per instructions; then, when the new Deny rule appears at the top of the list, Edit that one and select Apply onto -> This key and all subkeys.

[franpa]

yay now when i extract a map a blank error message will pop up... and if i click where an "ok" button would be it disappears and all the icons turn back in to images xD so i assume the message is the game saying it failed to alter the registry which is a good thing in this case.

[X-Ray99]

Does this work with Windows 7? I installed, but nothing happened.

[CyberShadow]

Won't work on 64-bit Windows editions. Can't be fixed until CodeGear (or whatever that company is called now) makes a 64-bit Delphi compiler.

[X-Ray99]

:( Unfortunate.

[SgtFusion]

I ran the install.bat, but an error came up saying:


The module "ShWAgame.dll" was loaded but the call
to DllRegisterServer failed with error code 0x80004005.

For more information about this problem, search
online using the error code as a search term.


The W:A replay and BIT map preview doesn't work. I am using a 32-bit edition of Windows 7.

[franpa]

Try it with admin priviledge. Right click "run as admin"

[SgtFusion]

I had to do that and copy the .dll to the "Windows\system32" folder. I don't know why I didn't think to do that before. Stupid Windows 7's "awesome" security.