Minefield Grid Widget by Autowar

https://github.com/Autowar/Minefield_Grid

press Alt-D while selecting blastwings, roaches, ticks, or skuttles, to make than spread apart so they don't chain explode.
This widgets works for up to 25 units, and spreads them in a square grid.
The grid is not generated, i input the values for each location manually.
Feel free to critique or make pull requests.

Where do i find the values for the keyboard keys? I only know the the "D" key id is "100" because of ivand's self-reclaim widget.

function widget:KeyPress(key, mods, isRepeat)
--somehow "D" key id is 100
local dKey=100
D key is 100 because https://github.com/spring/spring/blob/develop/cont/base/springcontent/LuaHandler/Utilities/keysym.lua
=>
include("keysym.h.lua")
local dKey = KEYSYMS.D

Your commands are always given with {"shift"}) no matter if player pressed that key or not.

Might want to look into:
-custom commands
-whatever zK does for hotkey system



[b]local tickAOE = 196 --armtick
...

if spGetUnitDefID(selectedUnits[i]) == UnitDefNames["armtick"].id then
unitAOE=tickAOE
elseif spGetUnitDefID(selectedUnits[i]) == UnitDefNames["corroach"].id then
unitAOE=roachAOE
elseif spGetUnitDefID(selectedUnits[i]) == UnitDefNames["corsktl"].id then
unitAOE=skuttleAOE
elseif spGetUnitDefID(selectedUnits[i]) == UnitDefNames["blastwing"].id then
unitAOE=blastwingAOE[/b]

-same thing multiple times: spGetUnitDefID(selectedUnits[i])
-the conditons look messy, the unit's name are not so lost in all the ([]=][[){])

Imo nicer to read like:

selectedUnitName = UnitDefs[spGetUnitDefID(selectedUnits[i])]
if (selectedUnitName == "corroach") then
unitAOE=roachAOE
elseif (selectedUnitName == "corskt")
then unitAOE=skuttleAOE
elseif (selectedUnitName == "blastwing") then
unitAOE=blastwingAOE
end



BUT:
=> Lua can read unit & weapon defs: https://springrts.com/wiki/Lua_UnitDefs , https://springrts.com/wiki/Lua_WeaponDefs

And/or use a table instead of the if-chain like:
[b]
unitsSeperationDistance =
{
[UnitDefNames["blastwing"].id] = 50,
[UnitDefNames["corsktl"].id] = 100,
...
}[/b]



This is 25 times similiar thing:
[b]
if i==1 then
x,y,z = spGetUnitPosition(selectedUnits[i])
spGiveOrderToUnit(selectedUnits[i], CMD_MOVE, {x,0,z}, {"shift"})
elseif i==2 then
spGiveOrderToUnit(selectedUnits[i], CMD_MOVE, {x,0,z+unitAOE}, {"shift"})
...
elseif i==25 then --
spGiveOrderToUnit(selectedUnits[i], CMD_MOVE, {x+(unitAOE*2),0,z-(unitAOE*2)}, {"shift"})
[/b]

Find a better way to convert the unit's number i to X-Z coordinates.

Something along:
[b]
function getXZ(i)
local size = 4
return i%size, math.floor(i/size)
end
...
local x,z = getXZ (i)
spGiveOrderToUnit(selectedUnits[i], CMD_MOVE, {x+(unitAOE*2),0,z-(unitAOE*2)} [/b]

or

[b]
--define the coordinates of each position
position [1] = {x=0,z=0}
position [2] = {x=0,z=1}
position [2] = {x=1,z=1}
...
position [15] = {x=7,z=2}

function getXZ (i)
return position[i].x * seperationDistance, position[i].z * seperationDistance
end
[/b]


At top of file, all this:
local blablabla.Thing = blaThing
Maybe personal taste, but I find it not helpful.
For performance it is mostly irrelevant except for drawing graphics etc.

Half the local-things you do not even use. = Forms bad habits.

It only saves 5 characters to type sp VS Spring.
If removing those 5 letters are supposed to make a line of code look nicer, then the chance is there is too much things in one line anyway.
This is not even shorter:
CMD_MOVE = CMD.MOVE


Declarations of constants or variables sometimes get mixed into the local-things, like here:

...
local CMD_MOVE = CMD.MOVE
local CMD_UNIT_SET_TARGET = 34923 // this one is not like the others!
local CMD_GUARD = CMD.GUARD
...

Looking at variables/constants is quick way to figure out what a script does:
This makes them harder to spot.
Also seeing the CMD_GUARD makes reader assume it will be used in script, but it is not.


Risk to accidently create evil errors like:
local spGetMyTeamID = Spring.GetMyTeamID()
VS
local spGetMyTeamID = Spring.GetMyTeamID

Inb4 that stack overflow zalgo answer.

quote: Your commands are always given with {"shift"}) no matter if player pressed that key or not.

I don't understand the impact of using "shift" versus "ctrl" and "alt". What problem is that particular usage causing?

quote: local CMD_UNIT_SET_TARGET = 34923 // this one is not like the others!

I don't know how to properly reference CMD_UNIT_SET_TARGET. What am i doing something wrong in that implementation?

quote: At top of file, all this: local blablabla.Thing = blaThing Maybe personal taste, but I find it not helpful. For performance it is mostly irrelevant except for drawing graphics etc. ... It only saves 5 characters to type sp VS Spring. If removing those 5 letters are supposed to make a line of code look nicer, then the chance is there is too much things in one line anyway. This is not even shorter: CMD_MOVE = CMD.MOVE

I copied that behavior from widgets/gadgets written by GoogleFrog, because it looks cleaner and neater to my eyes. Is there something objectively performance reducing about those methods?

[quote]
-same thing multiple times: spGetUnitDefID(selectedUnits[i])
-the conditons look messy, the unit's name are not so lost in all the ([]=][[){])
...
If removing those 5 letters are supposed to make a line of code look nicer, then the chance is there is too much things in one line anyway.
[/quote]

The more compressed code is, the harder i find it to decode mentally, and even harder to debug. Is that a bad habit/mindset/lack of skill i need to change?

quote: Half the local-things you do not even use. = Forms bad habits. ... Looking at variables/constants is quick way to figure out what a script does: This makes them harder to spot. Also seeing the CMD_GUARD makes reader assume it will be used in script, but it is not.

Ok, i can fix that! I will comment out all of the locals i am not using.

I am working to generate a copy of all the various useful spring functions to keep locally in all of my widgets, so i can stop getting lost in the spring-wiki and other such reference sources to double-check how something should be used!

Thanks for the explanations Sprung! I understood most of your suggestions and will try to implement them in the future :D

quote: Set target is not an engine command, which means the engine does not put its ID in the CMD table. Behold: you can include a header file containing custom commands' IDs to use the CMD_BLA mnemonics instead of numbers thus (at least in ZK): VFS.Include("LuaRules/Configs/customcmds.h.lua")

where do i find the engine commands? i've been looking for "guard" and have yet to find it inside the ZK master.

quote: Why not improve the wiki for everyone instead?

I am an amateur, my idea of "improving" would make the whole wiki even more of a mess.

[Spoiler]

quote: The stacked if's are non-scaling because making the widget support eg. 500 units with this method would be insane, whereas creating a loop is not only much cleaner but allows you to work with arbitrarily high numbers.

This is good to know! I would like to use a for loop for the placement of units, but it is currently beyond my capacity to properly envision the logic for these things, even though [2up]knorke and ikinz and one or two others have spelled it out for me! :(

Pull request has been merged into main! I'll test it now.

quote: They are in the CMD global table. In this case that'd be CMD.GUARD

I do not know where/recognize the CMD global table can be found. What is the filepath?

quote: I do not know where/recognize the CMD global table can be found.

It's available by default. You can for example type CMD.GUARD and it's valid without any prerequisites.