A new way of data storage
 

For NPCs Server:

There are few ways to store data on the server, and all of them can be erased quite easily. The ones that can't are inaccessable. My proposal would be a way of storing information on the server in text files that you can call up server side to be read. The following commands would be needed.



addline textfile,text; adds a line of text into the textfile on the server
insertline textfile,linenumber,text; Inserts a line of text at the line number in the text file (every line is ended by a return character)
replaceline textfile,linenumber,text; Replaces the text at "linenumber" with "text"
removeline linetext,textfile; remove the first line of text that is equal to "linetext"
deleteline textfile,linenumber; Deletes the line of text at "linenumber"

#l(linenumber,textfile) Gets the line of text in the textfile at "linenumber"

textlen(textfile) Number of lines in the text file


All these commands would be serverside ofcourse. Maybe stored in another directory named "Serverdata" or something along that lines... It would be good for storing perminant data that can be accessed by NPCs on the server, the posibilities are almost limitless. Additional (yet optional) commands that could be added are...


gettext textfile; downloads the textfile off the server for offline use (if under 64k)
#l(linenumber,textfile) Same as above, only the clientside version will search on the players computer for the textfile


Note: when I say line number, every line of text in the text file is seperated by a return character, much like every token is seperated by either a comma or a space.

I like the idea but this sounds like a more efficent way of serverstrings (since they are used in a similar way, they are stored in a txt file)

Serverstrings have a 210 character limit. Text files have NONE. And I doubt they would be erased accidentally either. These text files would be for more perminant data. Maybe attributes of certain peoples accounts or whatnot. Let your imagination run wile. Posibilities are endless.

Re: A new way of data storage
 

the only problem I can see is the clientside message code...suppose the player edits the text file?

Re: Re: A new way of data storage
 

Suppose he/she does? It doesn't matter, as long as you dont use that text file for his account's attributes or anything... Maybe you could use it as more of information.. Perhaps a bullitin bord in townsquare or something that wouldn't effect the players statistics, just something to read.

Re: Re: Re: A new way of data storage
 

I suppose, but still...if you make it accessable through the client, then maybe the text file should be encrypted?

Doesn't have to, as you shouldn't be stupid enough to be accessing valuable information from the client itself...

Yes, I know that...but you must consider those that aren't that intelligent...at least have some kind of safe guard to keep people from screaming at Stefan or someone else for a mistake they made :/

Bah, you don't understand. Encrypting and decrypting takes up time. Time that doesn't need to be wasted. I doubt that newbie scripters will be mentally capable of using such comands like this anyhow... Even if they were, they couldn't. Since most servers don't have npcs servers. We shouldn't have to spoon-feed newbies. We'll let them learn the errors of their ways. Maybe they will think before they script?

I'd support this, it'd certainly help with my 3D engine project in terms of storing the 3D models. And I think encryption wouldn't be too bad, at least not in terms of processor time. Not many of these things are gonna be bigger than 1k or so, and that's a heck of a lot smaller than some of the pngs Graal decodes in real time.

*shrugs*

Personally I think simple checksum protection would be fine. But whatever works.

I guess you could encrypt it with something very very minor. It would make it hard to edit on a whim. Still not sure it's entirely necissary though, but whatever floats the boat.

Stefan could code a Graal Text Editor.

The files could have an extension of *.gtf, *.gtxt, or something of the sort.
The files would be encryted and the GTE would automatically decrypt for editing and encrypt the information on saving.

Oddly enough I'd been thinking of something like this.


I have a certain project stewing in the back of my head that needs better data storage to ever have a chance, and believe you me it's a yummy one.

Amen!

It would be ultimate for things like storing books and stuff for players to read on the server... things like that would be good.

Since only 2k2 gets the "mudlib" with all the data stored in it. =/

From how Er1c talks about it, mudlib isn't a really good thing to have anyhow. o.o

ADDED: textlen(textfile)