SMART Advanced Input (bringing the advanced input into the 21st century :P)

[andy1976uk]

SMART Advanced Input:


I'd like to propose some changes to the Adv. Input that could DRAMATICALLY increase the tool's versatility.


1) Firstly, we could add the following inputs: CurrentVal, Start, End, Rate, DoIncrease, DoDecrease

and these outputs: ReachedStart, ReachedEnd, IsIncreasing, IsDecreasing

The alternative to this would be adding a bunch of stuff to the STool itself, which would make it far too centralized and inflexible IMO, therefore I think the additional inputs approach is probably the best way to go. You'd be able to connect your Smart Adv. Inputs to e-gates, CPUs, conventional gates etc and perform some extremely elaborate input operations. The only change to the STool I'd consider recommending would be support for multiple numpad buttons, but perhaps something like an "Triple Input" or "Quad Input" (as opposed to current Dual Input) would be better for this.


2) Secondly, and lastly, a Preset dropdown box - that exists in practically every single Wire tool (even Laser Receiver FFS!) is desperately needed for a tool like this.

These small changes could literally make Advanced input many times more powerful, allow full integration with the rest of Wire and perhaps see it employed much more often.

[tomb332]

SMART Advanced Input:


I'd like to propose some changes to the Adv. Input that could DRAMATICALLY increase the tool's versatility.


1) Firstly, we could add the following inputs: CurrentVal, Start, End, Rate, DoIncrease, DoDecrease

and these outputs: ReachedStart, ReachedEnd, IsIncreasing, IsDecreasing

The alternative to this would be adding a bunch of stuff to the STool itself, which would make it far too centralized and inflexible IMO, therefore I think the additional inputs approach is probably the best way to go. You'd be able to connect your Smart Adv. Inputs to e-gates, CPUs, conventional gates etc and perform some extremely elaborate input operations. The only change to the STool I'd consider recommending would be support for multiple numpad buttons, but perhaps something like an "Triple Input" or "Quad Input" (as opposed to current Dual Input) would be better for this.

Andy the Adv Input is a numpad based input that means no start and stop inputs. It would be like giving the Normal Numpad input an activate input. If you want the functionality of the adv input thats based entirely in wire use an increment/decrement chip or a simple E-Gate chip.

2) Secondly, and lastly, a Preset dropdown box - that exists in practically every single Wire tool (even Laser Receiver FFS!) is desperately needed for a tool like this.

if i can figure out the moved around stool files id add this if possible

[andy1976uk]

Andy the Adv Input is a numpad based input that means no start and stop inputs. It would be like giving the Normal Numpad input an activate input. If you want the functionality of the adv input thats based entirely in wire use an increment/decrement chip or a simple E-Gate chip.

I'm not 100% sure I understand. The Adv Input already has 1 input (Reset) and the Numpad Output also has a single input. Why isn't Start and Stop possible? By this, I mean the numeric ranges that the adv. input works with (my bad: I should have referred to them as Min and Max). Are the other inputs and outputs I mentioned possible?

if i can figure out the moved around stool files id add this if possible

Thanks, this'd be kewl, save lots of time.

[tomb332]

I'm not 100% sure I understand. The Adv Input already has 1 input (Reset) and the Numpad Output also has a single input. Why isn't Start and Stop possible? By this, I mean the numeric ranges that the adv. input works with (my bad: I should have referred to them as Min and Max). Are the other inputs and outputs I mentioned possible?

Ok start and stop were the wrong inputs as i read them wrong the ones i was refering to were DoIncrease And DoDecrease.
Basically taking a wire object that is mean to recieve input from numpad controls. ie
Advanced Input
Numpad Input

then adding wire inputs to trigger its output is well just a little pointless as the uses that require those inputs might aswell just use an expression gate that can increment and decrement.

[shadowkeeper]

inputs:

Min and Max inputs: could be usefull if you need dynamic limiting of those values for some reason ... usefull

rate: could be used if you want it to speed up/slow down as you reach certain values ... potentialy usefull

currentval: well, you could use it as a reset or a way to force a setting, but it might interfere with the actual inputs from numpad and since we allready have reset ... redundant/useless

DoInrease/decrease: no, this ain't an increment/decrement chip ... wrong chip

outputs:

Reached- Min/Max: usefull if you want to asosiate anything special to exactly that point no matter the value they are at (ie even it's 100 or a 1000 it will output 1 when reaching the upper or lower limit, this also works nicely if you use the dynamic range I told you about earlyer) ... usefull

Is- Increasing/Decreasing: again, usefull if you want to actually trigger something specific for these conditions ... potentialy usefull

[andy1976uk]

I guess if you needed to automate the increase/decrease functionality, you could use Numpad Output, I just thought this would be cleaner and save numpad keys. *Alt-Tabs into GMod to try Numpad Output approach*

[shadowkeeper]

well the thing about advanced input is to allow more control over what your numpad keys do so I'd find it only natrual that the smart-expantion expands on that by giving it more functionality via the extra in and outputs

[tomb332]

shodow keeper has the idea.
Andy what it is is that you dont automate the function of a numpad based input as if you are then why are the numpad keys required just use a exp-gate or standard chip.

[andy1976uk]

The idea is to make the Adv. Input more versatile, to give people a choice of whether they use it with numpad keys or by plugging it into the rest of Wire.

Anyway, even if there's no demand for what I was proposing there, it still makes nothing but sense to put the Presets in. It's all about time-saving.

[shadowkeeper]

I'd say: get to coding this usefull piece of equipment
that we think so or so inputs don't belong there don't mean they can't be there, who knows, they might come in handy for someting or other
I know I'd use it, more so if it can truly be used with dynamic min/max values, those could be very usefull