REQUEST: Create object from another frame in Global/Behavior events

Yes I was actually trying to do it all day from the global event sheet to no avail. It would REALLY help with code reusal

I think "Create object from another application by name" will be useful also.
e.g. save big animations in another mfa (like library does) and keep main mfa/exe smaller

Quote from blurymind

Yes I was actually trying to do it all day from the global event sheet to no avail. It would REALLY help with code reusal

The way it's implemented is that the global events (or even frame events) that refer to objects that do not exist in a frame are removed at build time when this frame is built. This allows to reduce the size of the application, to reduce the memory used at runtime, and avoids useless events to be executed in frames that don't need them. Adding all the objects created in global events in every frame would be not efficient at all.

Maybe a solution would be that when you create an object in the global events, Fusion displays a list of frames in which this object doesn't exist, you select the ones you want, and Fusion automatically adds an instance of this object in those frames, with their "Create at start" option unchecked. This is the easiest solution I think.

This would work with the Create Object action only, not Create By Name.

Quote from Yves

The way it's implemented is that the global events (or even frame events) that refer to objects that do not exist in a frame are removed at build time when this frame is built. This allows to reduce the size of the application, to reduce the memory used at runtime, and avoids useless events to be executed in frames that don't need them. Adding all the objects created in global events in every frame would be not efficient at all.

Maybe a solution would be that when you create an object in the global events, Fusion displays a list of frames in which this object doesn't exist, you select the ones you want, and Fusion automatically adds an instance of this object in those frames, with their "Create at start" option unchecked. This is the easiest solution I think.

This would work with the Create Object action only, not Create By Name.

Would this require to copy the object to all the frames that need to use it? In that case it defeats the point of creating it from the global event sheet.
The reason I need this is to teleport a character between frames. In my case I want to also be able to teleport multiple active objects between frames, without the need to copy them to all the frames. My idea was to just create them, but that is probably not the way to approach it in fusion.

So instead all the active objects I want to move between frames need to be copied to those frames, set to global and unchecked from create on start?
Then create them whenever they teleport to that frame

If we do this, the objects would be added to all the frames you select in that dialog box after you click OK (and their "create on start" option would be automatically unchecked). You would still need to manually add the objects to any new frame you add though, so this would help when you add the Create Object action but wouldn't be a perfect solution.

For the moment, you have to put in each frame the objects that can be created in this frame.

The way global events work is quit simple. First, the global events don't know the real objects. They just know object names and types. When Fusion builds the application, for each frame when it includes the global events, it links the object names and types in the global events to real objects that exist in that frame and have the same name and type. If the frame has no object with this name or type, the events are ignored.

PS: not sure why you say "set to global", the objects don't need to be global. Objects that have the "Global object" option are not stored in a "global objects" set or somethng like that, this is just an option that says that when the object changes in the editor, it should be also modified in the other frames, and it should save it's values between frames at runtime.

Quote from Yves

If we do this, the objects would be added to all the frames you select in that dialog box after you click OK (and their "create on start" option would be automatically unchecked). You would still need to manually add the objects to any new frame you add though, so this would help when you add the Create Object action but wouldn't be a perfect solution.

For the moment, you have to put in each frame the objects that can be created in this frame.

The way global events work is quit simple. First, the global events don't know the real objects. They just know object names and types. When Fusion builds the application, for each frame when it includes the global events, it links the object names and types in the global events to real objects that exist in that frame and have the same name and type. If the frame has no object with this name or type, the events are ignored.

PS: not sure why you say "set to global", the objects don't need to be global. Objects that have the "Global object" option are not stored in a "global objects" set or somethng like that, this is just an option that says that when the object changes in the editor, it should be also modified in the other frames, and it should save it's values between frames at runtime.

Where is that dialogue box? Is that a feature that is going to be added to 2.5+ or is it something I am missing?

The biggest problem imo is that frames can not extend other frames. You have to copy stuff across and make sure all frames have the stuff you need them to have. One thing that could help a bit is perhaps treating new frames as something that is created out of a template rather than from scratch. When we see frames, they are like little apps of their own each, where as a lot of users would like to treat them more like the layout of a level- each layout sharing the same behaviours. I guess this is a point for making or using a custom level editor such as tiled in favor of using fusion's frames to do levels.

Another idea is to somehow be able to automatically propagate a group of objects across all frames somehow - without requiring the user to copy and paste them. If we could use qualifiers to do that - set a frame to automatically import all objects that are marked by specific qualifiers would really really help here too

Quote

Where is that dialogue box?

This is what I was talking about here:

Quote

Maybe a solution would be that when you create an object in the global events, Fusion displays a list of frames in which this object doesn't exist, you select the ones you want, and Fusion automatically adds an instance of this object in those frames, with their "Create at start" option unchecked. This is the easiest solution I think.

It's something I thought we could add but I'm not sure anymore if it's a good idea or just a loss of time with little or no interest.

Quote

The biggest problem imo is that frames can not extend other frames.

This is a F3 feature, this cannot be added in 2.5 (in 2.5 we can just add workarounds that allow you to copy objects to several frames like the one I was thinking about above).

Quote from Yves

This is what I was talking about here:

It's something I thought we could add but I'm not sure anymore if it's a good idea or just a loss of time with little or no interest.

This is a F3 feature, this cannot be added in 2.5 (in 2.5 we can just add workarounds that allow you to copy objects to several frames like the one I was thinking about above).

It sounds like a workaround that is definitely worth adding! It would be especially helpful in this case! I don't think it would be a waste of time at all
I would use it for sure, it's better than manually copy and pasting across many frames

For everyone using global objects it will save alot of time, but also reduce the chance of getting bugs caused by forgetting to paste something in some frame

Quote from Yves

If we do this, the objects would be added to all the frames you select in that dialog box after you click OK (and their "create on start" option would be automatically unchecked). You would still need to manually add the objects to any new frame you add though, so this would help when you add the Create Object action but wouldn't be a perfect solution.

Perhaps a check when you run the application to see if global events is creating any objects that don't exist in all frames, and it can one-time make them if they're missing?

Quote

It sounds like a workaround that is definitely worth adding! It would be especially helpful in this case! I don't think it would be a waste of time at all
I would use it for sure, it's better than manually copy and pasting across many frames

You would still have to manually copy paste the objects if you add new frames after adding the Create action, this will just move the problem to a later date. It should be either entirely manual, or entirely automatic. That's why I say it's probably not a good idea. Maybe we can find a better solution.

Quote from elvisish

Perhaps a check when you run the application to see if global events is creating any objects that don't exist in all frames, and it can one-time make them if they're missing?

Often you don't want all these objects to be created in all the frames. If the object doesn't exist in the frame this will reduce the events that are executed in that frame and the memory used by that frame. Better performances. The best workaround IMHO is something that let you choose the frames where the objects have to be copied to.

Quote from Yves

You would still have to manually copy paste the objects if you add new frames after adding the Create action, this will just move the problem to a later date. It should be either entirely manual, or entirely automatic. That's why I say it's probably not a good idea. Maybe we can find a better solution.

Often you don't want all these objects to be created in all the frames. If the object doesn't exist in the frame this will reduce the events that are executed in that frame and the memory used by that frame. Better performances. The best workaround IMHO is something that let you choose the frames where the objects have to be copied to.

That's true, but for frames that are added after the create event has been made, could there be an way to re-run the option to choose which frames the objects are created?