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Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuestion)

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:22 am
by PrinceOfFunky
You can read INTs from different folders than the System one using the Localize function:

Code: Select all

static function String FireMatt(String reason) {
	return Localize("reasons", reason, "./layoffs/Matt");
}

event PostBeginPlay() {
	Log(FireMatt("reason1"));
}
This works, now it would probably have a different behaviour on Linux, but it's not a problem if the user can specify if UT is working from Linux or Windows through a config(INI) file.
Wait (EDIT), but Linux uses slashes like in the example, so it should work with Linux too, can someone tell me if it does please?

You can try it with this folder+file already set:
layoffs.zip
(423 Bytes) Downloaded 59 times
I wonder what else could be done this way, the cool thing is that you don't even need a variable for it, it's probably the safest way to obtain data with the warranty that the content won't be changed through other UScript classes, since const can be modified, same for INI files through saveConfig(which is not set private).

Also you can read files from other locations that don't have the System folder as parent, just using ".." instead of "." .

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:06 pm
by nogardilaref
That's a very nice find, although if that's the case, I guess you don't even need "./", as only "layoffs/Matt" would suffice?
What about things like "C:/path/to/file" (Windows) and perhaps "/home/user/path/to/file" (Linux)?

I don't have UT installed in Linux, but yeah, if it works for Windows, it should work in Linux as well, although in the case of Linux it will be probably be case-sensitive, unlike Windows.

This does open the possibility of doing some cool stuff, especially if conjugated with external stuff generating these files locally, such as having something like a profile manager, the manager itself would be an external program (even if just something like a local web view with Javascript) and then each file could correspond to a different profile of settings and such, so you would be able to have virtually an unlimited number of them if you wish.
There are plenty of use-cases where I imagine this to be useful, and even more so if the engine doesn't cache the file the first time it loads it.

This goes hand in hand with the sort of thing I want to do eventually.

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 5:32 pm
by sektor2111
Actually some Chatlogger is capable of writing logs outside of sand-box - I do this for some time. The only test which I must do it's declaring main log file in a different format for dropping it in a web shared location - for future inspections. something like "c:\NetPub\Server.Log".

Edit: Nope, but log file supports a direct time-stamp exactly with moment when has been started. I'm going to check other thing...
Edit2: But for sure extension of log can be even "txt" as long as it's in fact a txt file.

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:50 pm
by PrinceOfFunky
nogardilaref wrote:This does open the possibility of doing some cool stuff, especially if conjugated with external stuff generating these files locally
Idk if UT supports PHP, but if so this could even be done using it, since UT can buil up webpages and query webpages if I'm not wrong?

EDIT: Also remember INT are read-only in Unreal.

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:27 pm
by nogardilaref
PrinceOfFunky wrote:
nogardilaref wrote:This does open the possibility of doing some cool stuff, especially if conjugated with external stuff generating these files locally
Idk if UT supports PHP, but if so this could even be done using it, since UT can buil up webpages and query webpages if I'm not wrong?
UT and PHP are completely distinct beasts on their own, supporting PHP would mean that in practice the Unreal Engine would support 2 VM level languages: UScript and PHP, which doesn't make much sense. So no, it doesn't.

But yeah, UT is fully capable of acting like a web server, an UScript web server though, as well as making HTTP requests. Since you're in full control of the entire request, you are even able to create more modern HTTP controllers, and even use newer standardized HTTP verbs such as "PATCH", meaning that you should be able to fully use REST as well, which is very cool.

Having that said, what I meant is that any external application would do the trick just fine, it doesn't need to be PHP or even any web language (although it could).
Since all you need is for something else, external to UT, but residing in the same machine or with writing access to the same mounting point in a network to be able to create .int files into a specific directory and nothing more, so then your specific mod could read them just fine.
PrinceOfFunky wrote: EDIT: Also remember INT are read-only in Unreal.
Yes, but towards Unreal/UT only, hence my point above. :mrgreen:

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:31 pm
by PrinceOfFunky
nogardilaref wrote:
PrinceOfFunky wrote: EDIT: Also remember INT are read-only in Unreal.
Yes, but towards Unreal/UT only, hence my point above. :mrgreen:
Yeah I meant that's a good thing for this:
PrinceOfFunky wrote:it's probably the safest way to obtain data with the warranty that the content won't be changed through other UScript classes, since const can be modified, same for INI files through saveConfig(which is not set private).

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 3:24 am
by Barbie
nogardilaref wrote:What about things like "C:/path/to/file" (Windows)?
Yes, this works also, even with other drive letters. But you can access files with the extension INT only - ".INT" is always added to the file name.

Code: Select all

log(Localize("MySection", "MyKey", "C:/tmp/testINT.ini"));
If the drive/path/file does not exist, you'll get a log entry:
Localization: No localization: C:/tmp/testINT.ini.MySection.MyKey (int)
ScriptLog: Autoplay.MyActor0:'<?int?C:/tmp/testINT.ini.MySection.MyKey?>'

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:48 am
by PrinceOfFunky
Barbie wrote:
nogardilaref wrote:What about things like "C:/path/to/file" (Windows)?
Yes, this works also, even with other drive letters. But you can access files with the extension INT only - ".INT" is always added to the file name.

Code: Select all

log(Localize("MySection", "MyKey", "C:/tmp/testINT.ini"));
If the drive/path/file does not exist, you'll get a log entry:
Localization: No localization: C:/tmp/testINT.ini.MySection.MyKey (int)
ScriptLog: Autoplay.MyActor0:'<?int?C:/tmp/testINT.ini.MySection.MyKey?>'
Yeah IkIk, since I found it out I'm using it for the heatmap project, this is the function I ended up making to check if a localization exists:

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static function bool localizationExists(String SectionName, String KeyName, String PackageName, optional out String resultStr) {
	local String notFoundStr;
	
	notFoundStr = "<?int?"$PackageName$"."$SectionName$"."$KeyName$"?>";
	resultStr = Localize(SectionName, KeyName, PackageName);
	
	return resultStr != notFoundStr;
}

Re: Reading INT from different folder than System (NotAQuest

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 10:22 pm
by PrinceOfFunky
If this is a bug about reading INTs you better know it:
PrinceOfFunky wrote:(EDIT: From 4:36 to 5:55 there was something like a bug, it's like Unreal cannot read an INT if it has changed while in the same Unreal session)
lRMECoILKNQ
If it's like that, we can say goodbye to the runtime INT changes.

EDIT: YES, It is a bug of Unreal! This means if we want to change the INT at runtime we need a workaround. It depends on the name of the INT. Looks like Unreal creates a temporary file with the same name?