Very basic help needed with XML files

[LearnerPlates]

Hi - I'm new to both CEGUI and OGRE and am trying to figure out some CEGUI basics for a C++ project.

I apologise if this is stupidly elementary, but I've browsed through the forums and googled extensively and I'm still having difficulties. I was wondering if there are any basic tutorials anywhere that explain the relationships / dependencies between the various XML files CEGUI uses (.imageset, .layout etc), and / or that describe how to create your own XML files.

I've been trying to experiment on my own but am not getting very far - at the moment I have a myProject.imageset, myProject.layout, myProject.looknfeel and myProject.scheme. I made these by copying and renaming the TaharezLook files, then changing all the instances of "TaharezLook" within the files to "myProject". All I want at the moment is for my program to load the same data contained in TaharezLook through these files, but I guess this isn't the way to do it! I'm getting a blank screen and the following error in CEGUI.log:

loading of look and feel data from file myProject.looknfeel has failed

. If I load the original TaharezLook instead, though, using the same C++ code (and all instances of myProject switched to TaharezLook, of course), the program loads fine with no errors.. so the problem isn't in my code. Any suggestions?

[Jamarr]

Have you tried validating your xml files against the CEGUI schemas? Aside from the numerous xml-validators you can find on the net, CE made a command-line version here: https://crayzedsgui.svn.sourceforge.net ... tor/trunk/

[earthsruler]

I would recommend two pages.

http://www.cegui.org.uk/wiki/index.php/ ... indowsLook)#MultiColumnList

and

http://www.cegui.org.uk/FalDocs/

HTH

ER.

[LearnerPlates]

Jamarr, that is very helpful! I had no idea there was a validator for the CEGUI XML files. earthsruler, I was already looking through the FalDocs page but hadn't seen the first page you linked to. Thank you both very much.

It's a shame there's no basic description of how to use the XML files anywhere - doing the tutorials on the CEGUI site really isn't enough. Through experimentation, I am finding that you can have multiple imagesets loaded in a project, but only one scheme - I'm not even sure if this is true; it's just what I've deduced. I'm not sure how you're supposed to learn these things as a newbie except by trial and error.

[CrazyEddie]

Hi,

I understand the frustration as regards to lack of certain categories of documentation. One of the goals for the coming 0.7.x releases is to integrate and improve the documentation situation - basically this will take all the existing CEGUI team originated documentation, references, tutorials, readmes and other stuff and unify them in a single place with additional 'glue' docs where needed.

There is a readme file in the XMLRefSchemas directory (http://crayzedsgui.svn.sourceforge.net/ ... ision=1609) that basically gives an overview of the XML formats (except Falagard; use the FalDocs for that) - though this readme is also slightly out of date, though I think it's mostly ok except for maybe the font description.

Thanks for your patience

CE

[LearnerPlates]

Thanks for the assistance, CE. (I'm sorry for the slow reply - I've been without internet access for a little while.)