[MUD-Dev] Re: Let's talk about numbers.

[Adam J. Thornton]

On Fri, Sep 25, 1998 at 09:15:24PM -0700, Caliban Tiresias Darklock wrote:
> I actually have a planned feature (not yet implemented) which dumps the
> registry settings for the application into a heavily commented
> configuration file. Then the user can go in and edit this file, and later
> read it back into the application which will parse and validate it before
> updating the registry settings. 

Why bother?  In TkPerl you could do the following, so I assume you can in
VB: just create a properties notebook or the like, where manipulating the
various fields causes changes to the registry.  Add a print function but
make registry->text strictly one-way.  Then you do your data validation in
the fields and you have to worry less about users destroying their
installation with poorly-crafted config files.  If the only interface
(besides raw registry hacking, which, hey, if they're that determined to be
stupid, not much you can do) is your widget, then you have a much smaller
problem than parsing a text file.

> Another consideration is some method of
> migrating the application to another machine; ideally, you would just bring
> your database over to the new machine, and everything gets taken care of.
> Version upgrades are also a concern, and I'm debating over the inclusion of
> a separate utility program which can browse the raw database or the
> integration of the raw browser into the menu structure.

Separate program would be my inclination, so you have to WANT to to start
screwing around with it.

Adam
--
adam at princeton.edu 
"There's a border to somewhere waiting, and a tank full of time." - J. Steinman