Disabled Items!?!

[Smileyman]

Andi has started a conversation with Chris in the TrainzDev forum about disabled items, and seeing as I can't post there, I wanted to ask something here.

As far as I'm aware, ever since the creation of Content Manager, disabling items in CM meant they didn't show up in Surveyor lists (as expected), but still allowed those assets to be used when routes needed to use them.

The reason I bring this up, if you haven't read the TrainzDev thread, is because Chris is saying that the assets that are disabled in T:ANE CM are no longer available to use by any route that uses them, and that this is intended behaviour.
Essentially, the items are "virtually" deleted from the game, and not loaded up.

I never used this method extensively in the past, on older versions of Trainz, but I'm sure I dabbled with it in the early days.
I'm just wondering if this is something that changed at some point in Trainz's evolution, or whether Chris is wrong, and that it's a bug in T:ANE.

I intend to test it later in TS12, as I don't have the time right now, but I just wanted to hear what anyone else has to say on this.
It might help Andi or Chris in the TrainzDev discussion.

Brian.

 

[andi06]

Thanks, watch this space

 

[Paul_Bert]

Brian, I wish what you said was indeed true, but when I tested it out last week on a real case I didn't see that happening.

A little history. Several years ago I built a route and somehow added a platform announce sound. In TS12 and TANE is ends up going into a endless annoying loop. I tried to delete it In TS12 but could not find the asset even in the grid mode. I then disabled the asset but as you mentioned it still appeared in my route. I finally just went in an edited out the sound loop and all is fine.

When I transferred the route to TANE I had the same problem, tried the same fixes with the same results. Based upon your comments I really need to go back into TANE again and verify that disabling does not eliminate the asset from existing routes. I wish it did. If TANE in fact does disable an asset from being used in current routes and not being visible for new routes I would consider this a real feature, not a bug.

 

[Smileyman]

Hi Paul.

In the thread in the TrainzDev forum, Andi found that the assets he disabled were unavailable for use in routes that use them.
That's what didn't sound right to me, because as far as I remember, they were only supposed to be hidden in all previous versions of Trainz.

In Andi's latest post in that thread, he has tested it in TS12, and it behaves as I remember it, where it hides the assets, but routes that contain them still use them.

It seems you are getting a different result with that sound asset, so maybe the bug doesn't apply to all assets?
That could help them find the bug.

But first Chris has to admit it's a bug :hehe:.
But I'm pretty sure it is a bug.
Unless they've purposely changed how it works, then it's intended behaviour has always been to simply hide assets from lists.
In fact, I would put money on the fact that I can vaguely remember a conversation in the forums (could have been the beta forum) where some people wanted to be able to virtually delete the assets, as appears to be the case in T:ANE, and either Tony or Chris explained in great detail why this was a bad idea.
We're talking a very long time ago though.
But it's there in the back of my mind for some reason.

Once Chris comes to the conclusion that it's a bug, and they fix it, his suggestion of being able to do either "Hide" or "Disable" may be something they can add down the line.

Having said that, having read what James Moody said on G+ recently, I'm wondering how much further "down the line" there is.
(But that's a discussion for another time and place).

Still haven't tested in TS12, and even though Andi has tested it, I'm going to give it a go now, just for clarity.

Brian.

 

[Shortline2]

I had read on the forum over the years that disabling in CM meant it was not visible in the "pick an item and use it" windows, but would still show up in maps created with the item from earlier or by others.

Getting TANE I was wanting to rid my self from older low resolution textures so I had no time lost trying to find good ones, so I spent some time disabling them in CM, only to suddenly find lot of ground missing in some old maps of mine where I had used those textures.

At first I did not understand and left TANE and rebooted and all as I had other issues before with stuff not showing up and a reboot fixed those, but nope, I still had holes in my ground, strange...

A check in TS2010 and TS12 told me that the textures used in those areas was indeed some I now had disabled in TANE, so, I undid my disable and suddenly ground was no longer see-through but actually there. But, now I have these old textures to wade through again in my texture list...

I felt it was a bug, but never used it before really I was to afraid (yes, I am that stupid sometimes) to say something and I just let it by till Andi suddenly posted about it, and then got sort of shot down for it by Chris... I probably should test it in earlier Trainz my self, but hardly using any of them makes it a chore just to test it...

I also like Brian saw the mention of G+ and changes and all that, makes me really wonder and think...

Thanks for listing, I mean, reading.

Linda

 

[JCitron]

I know it's a bug too. :hehe:

You should ask to join the group as you'll have a lot of good stuff to bring to the table.

John

 

[Smileyman]

Finally got around to testing it in TS12, and as expected, the assets are hidden in the list, but show up in routes that use them.
You can even use the get asset tool and place copies of them on the route, even though they're not showing up as selected in the list.

So, definitely loaded and usable, just not listed.

 

[clam1952]

Pure guess here but lets assume that this part in T:ANE was coded by someone with no experience of previous versions who has assumed that label disabled actually meant disabled and not it's still here but not in your surveyor list! and coded it accordingly?

More of an unplanned change rather than a bug perhaps? Been trying to double check that TS12 SP1 is behaving the same as TS12 and before however it's doing a 15,000 validation check................ (61388 is Going to hit the recycle bin soon, 49922 and for that matter TANE are far less of a pain)

Think we need both Brian and Linda in the group.

 

[Paul_Bert]

The one function cannot serve two different roles. It sounds like we need two different functions to serve the two different roles.

The first function would simply hide the asset in surveyor but still allow its use in routes and sessions.
The other function would truly disable the asset both in current routes/ sessions and also from appearing in surveyor. For my purposes I need the second option - disable.

 

[andi06]

For my purposes I need the second option - disable.

No. You need the BEST option - Repair