Libraries & Saved Variables

circonian · 12/19/14, 12:57 AM

I have a couple of addons that work with tracking needed traits & recipes. I was "hoping" to find a way for them to share that information (and with other addons) so they don't all have to do the same work.
I thought about writing a library, which works, but I can not get saved variables to work with it. I figured libraries probably weren't really supposed to be saving things, but was hoping to find a way around it. I managed to get it to save the information, by doing:

Lua Code:

local MAJOR, MINOR = "LibNeed4Research-1.0", 3
local ln4r, oldminor = LibStub:NewLibrary(MAJOR, MINOR)
if not ln4r then return end
 
local function OnAddOnLoaded(_event, _sAddonName)
    if _sAddonName == "ZO_Ingame" then
        ln4r:Initialize()
    end
    ln4r.asv = ZO_SavedVars:NewAccountWide("LibNeed4ResearchVars", 1, nil, varDefaults)
    ACV = ln4r.asv
 
    EVENT_MANAGER:UnregisterForEvent("LibNeed4Research", EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED)
end
EVENT_MANAGER:RegisterForEvent("LibNeed4Research", EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED, OnAddOnLoaded)

It creates a saved variable file & writes to it, but it seems like it won't reload it. It seems like it is reinitializing the varDefaults variables every time. I'm guessing its just not possible?
I tried to look at the zo_savedvars.lua to figure out how it is loaded to see what is wrong, but I didn't quite understand it all.

So before I give up on it and scrap the whole thing I figured I'de give it a shot and ask.
Is this possible to do somehow without installing it as a stand alone addon? I just don't know if people would want to bother with installing some separate addon that does nothing but track data.

votan · 12/19/14, 02:26 AM

Edit: I just looked a bit closer to your code:
Maybe you are calling ZO_SavedVars:NewAccountWide a bit too early. What if the addon is not "ZO_Ingame"? You do not exit. Instead you unregister as soon as the first event is called.

If it still wont work, I think this will work using the library as a stand-alone addon having its own manifest file, only.
Because you have to register the variable to be saved and reloaded. And this seems to be a "security feature".
As soon as using the "embedded style", it is "just" some code.

One way, which may works is to use a global variable, which is referenced by the save-variable of all addons. While loading it must be part of the library to copy the data from any addon to that global variable. (Using a timestamp to get the most recent data). Really a copy, not changing the reference to another variable.
Redundant on disk, I know.

Something like:

Lua Code:

addon_savevar.trackData = ln4r:GetSavedVariable(addon_savevar.trackData)

addon_savevar.trackData can be nil the first time.
addon_savevar.trackData contains a timestamp managed by the library.
ln4r:GetSavedVariable takes over the data or not, depending on the timestamp, and always returns the shared variable (=lua table).

Garkin · 12/19/14, 05:58 AM

SavedVariables are available when EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED is triggered for your addon, not sooner. If you try to use saved variables when the ZO_Ingame is loaded, your variables are not ready yet and will be overwritten when initialized.

Loading order of addons is always:
1 - ZO_IngameLocalization
2 - ZO_Libraries
3 - ZO_Common
4 - ZO_Ingame
5 - from here starts your addons in (probably) random order

As votan said - if you want to have saved variables, you must specify global reference in addon manifest. If you have addon manifest, EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED will be triggered for your library, so you can use it.

circonian · 12/19/14, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by Garkin

SavedVariables are available when EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED is triggered for your addon, not sooner. If you try to use saved variables when the ZO_Ingame is loaded, your variables are not ready yet and will be overwritten when initialized.

Loading order of addons is always:
1 - ZO_IngameLocalization
2 - ZO_Libraries
3 - ZO_Common
4 - ZO_Ingame
5 - from here starts your addons in (probably) random order

As votan said - if you want to have saved variables, you must specify global reference in addon manifest. If you have addon manifest, EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED will be triggered for your library, so you can use it.

Awesome, thanks again for the help!

Well it could use a little more testing but so far it seems like I managed to get it to work using the library with two different addons.
I managed to get it to work by doing this specifying two SavedVariables & the path to the library in each addon.

Lua Code:

## Title: Click4Info
## APIVersion: 100010
## OptionalDependsOn: LibAddonMenu-2.0
## SavedVariables: Click4InfoSavedVars
## SavedVariables: Need4ResearchVars
## Version: 1.5
## Author: Circonian
## Description: Circonians Click4Info Version 1.5
 
libs\LibStub\LibStub.lua
libs\LibNeed4Research\LibNeed4Research.lua

and then having the library load when the addon that contains it is loaded (I had to manually put the addons name in there though):

Lua Code:

-- This is code from the library file, not the addon
local function OnAddOnLoaded(_event, _sAddonName)
        -- had to manually change this to the owning addon
    if _sAddonName == Click4Info.name then
        ln4r:Initialize()
    end
end
function ln4r:Initialize()
    ln4r.AccountSavedVariables = ZO_SavedVars:NewAccountWide("LibNeed4ResearchVars", 1, nil, varDefaults)
    ASV = ln4r.AccountSavedVariables
    UpdateTables()
    EVENT_MANAGER:UnregisterForEvent("LibNeed4Research", EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED)
end

It reads & writes the saved variables to each of the addons saved variable files and that will work just fine for me & my addons. But I was wondering if there is any way to grab the addon name that is loading the library?
Some way to be able to set the addon name dynamically in the libraries OnAddOnLoaded :

Lua Code:

-- This is the one in my library file.
local function OnAddOnLoaded(_event, _sAddonName)
    if _sAddonName == <to set this to the owning addons name> then
        ln4r:Initialize()
    end
end

So that addon developers don't have to modify the library file to put their addon name in there?

circonian · 12/19/14, 05:13 PM

I guess at the very least if there is no way to grab the addon name for the addon that is loading the library I could have them manually call an initialize function for the library (Instead of using EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED) and just use a flag to make sure the initialize code only gets run once.

Lua Code:

local bHasBeenInitialized = false
 
function LibNeed4ResearchInitialize()
    if bHasBeenInitialized then return end
    bHasBeenInitialized = true
    
    ln4r.AccountSavedVariables = ZO_SavedVars:NewAccountWide("Need4ResearchVars", 1, nil, varDefaults)
    ASV = ln4r.AccountSavedVariables
    UpdateTables()
    EVENT_MANAGER:UnregisterForEvent("LibNeed4Research", EVENT_ADD_ON_LOADED)
end

merlight · 12/19/14, 05:45 PM

You'll be better off having the library not optional and not included in each addon using it, but a stand-alone lib-addon with its own saved vars.

edit: sorry, I meant not included

That's what happens when I re-word a sentence 3 times before posting.

Sasky · 12/19/14, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by circonian

It reads & writes the saved variables to each of the addons saved variable files and that will work just fine for me & my addons. But I was wondering if there is any way to grab the addon name that is loading the library?
Some way to be able to set the addon name dynamically in the libraries OnAddOnLoaded ... So that addon developers don't have to modify the library file to put their addon name in there?

1) Use EVENT_PLAYER_ACTIVATED instead. The drawback is you can't actually use the data before then. For research data, that might not be an issue.

1b) If users do need some sort of activate-level code on it, you could register callbacks to be fired when the SavedVariables is available. You could either write your own callback manager or use a ZO_CallbackObject (either your own or even EVENT_MANAGER).

2) The manual initialization function would work. Either set it as an explicit .init() or require users to only instantiate your library during the init function or later.

3) If Minion ever handles dependencies, you could just create it stand-alone. I know it was mentioned awhile back as a feature they were looking at doing, but who knows the timeline for that.

sirinsidiator · 12/20/14, 07:26 AM

Originally Posted by circonian

I managed to get it to work by doing this specifying two SavedVariables & the path to the library in each addon.

Lua Code:

## Title: Click4Info
## APIVersion: 100010
## OptionalDependsOn: LibAddonMenu-2.0
## SavedVariables: Click4InfoSavedVars
## SavedVariables: Need4ResearchVars

I tried to use two saved variables in one addon before, but it randomly failed to save them on ui reloads.

Garkin · 12/20/14, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by sirinsidiator

I tried to use two saved variables in one addon before, but it randomly failed to save them on ui reloads.

I'm using two saved variables in LoreBooks since v0.3 (22.4.2014) and I had not a single issue with that.

Code:

## Title: |cEFEBBELoreBooks|r 1.4.5
## Description: This addon displays map pins for Shalidor's Library books.
## Version: 1.4.5
## Author: |cEFEBBEGarkin|r
## APIVersion: 100010
## SavedVariables: LBooks_SavedVariables LBooksData_SavedVariables
## OptionalDependsOn: LibAddonMenu-2.0 LibMapPins-1.0 CustomCompassPins

circonian · 12/19/14, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by votan

Edit: I just looked a bit closer to your code:
Maybe you are calling ZO_SavedVars:NewAccountWide a bit too early. What if the addon is not "ZO_Ingame"? You do not exit. Instead you unregister as soon as the first event is called.

Doh, yeah of course, that is why its all getting overwritten. I had changed code around so many times. I was originally grabbing the saved vars in the ln4r:Initialize(). I was just moving things around trying to figure out a way to make it work and didn't even notice that. Thanks