View source for Talk:Helpful Scripts

One question -- should relay override scripts be distinguished from those that create entirely new pages, or should we just rename them to "relay browser scripts" (or something like that)? (Asking because I'm not entirely sure where the ZLib variable editor would fall.) --[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 22:47, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

* That's a toughie! Dunno. Maybe we should categorize relay overrides based on what they do, rather than the fact that they work with the relay browser. So, my Slime Tubing override would go into Turn-burning while zlib variable editor can go under... I dunno, just tuck it right under zlib and nobody will get too upset about it I guess... --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 07:51, 2 June 2010 (UTC)
** I simply sorted them in function of the kolmafia subforum where they are located, but maybe other categories would be better, like "Quests", "Combat", "Relay Override", "User Interface Script", "Informational", "Libraries" etc... [[User:Slyz|Slyz]] 08:03, 2 June 2010 (UTC)
*** Both suggestions have merit, but I'm leaning a bit closer toward "new category", if not only because the UI scripts need to go in the relay folder, as opposed to the scripts folder.  --[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 02:15, 3 June 2010 (UTC)
** For everything other than UI scripts, the mafia subforum describes what they do. Even relay override scripts have the common element of modifying the KoL interface. However, the UI scripts do such wildly different things that they break the meaning of the categorization. Perhaps we'll just let UI scripts wander around this list based on their purpose. --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 09:07, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

Also, what format should we make the standard? Already I see two different ones: <br>'''autoBasement''' - ([http://kolmafia.us/showthread.php?3113 download here]) '''Author:''' Rinn<br>and<br>'''ZLib''' by Zarqon ([http://kolmafia.us/showthread.php?2072 download here])

--[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 22:51, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

* That was kinda a work in progress. I never intended to leave it with two different formats, I just ran out of time and had to quit half-way. It's settled now. Does it look good? --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 07:51, 2 June 2010 (UTC)
** Yup, looks great! (Also, I guessed that was the case after looking at the revision history a bit more carefully but wasn't entirely sure.) --[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 02:15, 3 June 2010 (UTC)


I saw Icon315's edit to add his Daily Info script and thought that maybe script authors shouldn't put their own scripts on this page.
I don't have anything against Daily Info of course, and the original list was very subjective to start with, but I think we should put here other people's scripts that we think would be useful to a large community of Mafia users. Otherwise this page would end up being too big to actually be useful. Any thoughts on this?--[[User:Slyz|Slyz]] 14:08, 4 June 2010 (UTC)

*Sorry about that, i just thought it was really helpful. I won't add any more scripts to this page. Also if you want you can remove it.I do agree though --[[User:Icon315|Icon315]] 20:25, 4 June 2010 (UTC)
**No no, your edit just made me think about what people might start doing, maybe my wording wasn't well chosen. From reading your script's thread, it seems people do like it, and it is useful. I simply wanted to start a talk on how scripts get put here.--[[User:Slyz|Slyz]] 12:23, 5 June 2010 (UTC)
***Can I vouch for "if people other than the author refer to it to solve certain problems or whatever, then it's safe to put it on here"? That'd be at least one of the criteria, I'd hope. Also, for libraries, I guess if they're widely used or used by one of the scripts here? I'm still not sure whether to put my DateLib.ash on here, since it still seems like it'd be too limited in its applications. --[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 15:30, 5 June 2010 (UTC)
***Agreed on both counts. A script here should have more than a handful of people that find it helpful. A library script (no matter how clever) shouldn't be listed unless there is more than 1 script on the mafia forum that makes use of it. --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 16:55, 5 June 2010 (UTC)


== To list or not to list ==

potionBuy? Seriously? I wrote the script, but I doubt it is really more than a marginal script of interest to edge cases. I've only been notified by 8 users. Do we want to make the list that complete? Or is it good to list such minor scripts.? --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 16:16, 6 June 2010 (UTC)
*Well hey, hatter.ash only has one notification. To be fair, it also isn't that old. Honestly, though, I don't know. We have examples of most of the other [[Miscellaneous_ASH_Features#Additional_Script_Uses|event-driven scripts]] listed, but those are more widely used and, well, more complex. --[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 21:53, 6 June 2010 (UTC)
**By notifications do you mean the whole notify; thing? If so i don't think we should base the scripting on this too much. Mostly because there is a difference between Helpful and Not used. Also i think people remove that command from their scripts alot. My script has had many downloads but only half of that in notifications --[[User:Icon315|Icon315]] 23:08, 6 June 2010 (UTC)
**I would have put potionBuy up here, but I'm not sure it's still useful: doesn't Mafia check mall prices before creating things?--[[User:Slyz|Slyz]] 02:36, 8 June 2010 (UTC)
**Yes. Mafia even started detecting if saucerors would make three of them. potionBuy only exists for the neurotic. I've never really approved of it since it panders to people who believe making potions as a non-sauceror is never right. They're wrong. It's not really any use, except as an example of a buyScript. --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 19:25, 7 June 2010 (UTC)
***[http://kolmafia.us/showthread.php?2815-7760-Start-of-major-concoctions-overhaul-The-mixing-type-in-concoctions.txt-can-..&p=19190&viewfull=1#post19190 This post by JH] suggests otherwise -- if you have all the ingredients already, Mafia won't check prices. I haven't actually looked at the code, but it would make sense for Mafia to check prices for items you don't have at various stages of the process. --[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 22:17, 7 June 2010 (UTC)

My 2 cents: there's merit in having an example of each unique type of script (in this case a buyScript), so I'd say even if it isn't what the author considers "top-tier," it's better than nothing. Also, wanted to chime in on the whole "listing one's own scripts" issue (but just haven't had much time lately): if one looks at the list of script authors, and then looks at the list of wiki contributors, one notices a lot of overlap. The list of currently-active KoLmafia enthusiasts is pretty small, and in large part said people contribute both in writing scripts and in editing the wiki. So I wouldn't worry about it, but if anyone reverts an addition, please discuss here before un-reverting. Though, since the list is pretty well fleshed out, it's less of an issue now. --[[User:StDoodle|StDoodle (#1059825)]] 02:09, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

* There are unique types of script not linked here. Anyway, potionBuy is listed as an example as a buyScript in the section of this wiki that discusses buy scripts. This page doesn't really need such a narrow example. As the script's author, I don't think it belongs in the company of these other wonderful scripts, so I'm deleting it. --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 03:39, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

* Concerning listing one's own scripts, StDoodle makes a good point that many of the script authors are also involved as wiki editors. It's a bit incestuous, but that's just the inevitable consequence of having such a small gene pool. --[[User:Bale|Bale]] 03:39, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

This raises (NOT "begs," grr...) another question... should script authors be allowed to summarily remove their scripts? ;) --[[User:StDoodle|StDoodle (#1059825)]] 03:37, 9 June 2010 (UTC)
*Well hey, if they don't want certain scripts listed, they wrote them, so they should be permitted to remove them at will. --[[User:Heeheehee|Heeheehee]] 05:30, 9 June 2010 (UTC)