[Request] Advanced settings

[Gael de Sailly]

Hello !

I have a feature request :
making a convenient way to set the settings of minetest.conf without having to open and write manually in the file.
We can make a dialog, with a scrollable textlist : each line is a setting of the minetest.conf, sorted alphabetically if possible. We select the setting to change, and click on a button (perhaps "Change", or "Set") and then we can see another dialog with a field to write the new value. Or, if the setting is not in the list (not already defined in our minetest.conf), we can click on another button : "Add", which shows a third dialog with 2 fields : the name of the setting (for example "mgv6_spflags"), and the value.

I've briefly watched the builtin code and the menu_lua_api.txt and I think we lack a function to get ALL of the fields stored in minetest.conf, or simply its path to get it by the Settings API. If I study the builtin code in more details, I will probably be able to implement these dialogs, but if we really lack this feature (tell me if not the case), I can't add it myself, because of my knowleadges in C++ which aren't sufficients.

You can react if you support the project, or not.

[Inocudom]

I support this addition to Minetest.

[Esteban]

I support this project. I wish you good luck! :)

[Gael de Sailly]

I will report it in github.

[Wuzzy]

This is a good suggestion. I would add to this suggestion that optionally a setting can also have a short description about valid parameters or what the setting means.

IMO the “deep” settings aren’t documented so well anyways.

[ExeterDad]

This is a good suggestion. I would add to this suggestion that optionally a setting can also have a short description about valid parameters or what the setting means.

IMO the “deep” settings aren’t documented so well anyways.

Amen. Was digging through it earlier today only half certain of what affected what.

[Irish]

I think this is a very good suggestion. Maybe also add a "Default" button to return a value to its default setting in case overzealous setting changes break the game.

[Don]

I love this idea.

[kaadmy]

I agree, but reviving a year-old topic?

[Dragonop]

Yes, it's called bumpimg :B
And, well, we still need advanced settings, it's better bump something than waiting for somebody elso to post a new thread.
+1 for advanced settings

[kaadmy]

I'd like advanced settings(like Xonotic's), but I don't think it's a problem for me to just change the file.

[Dragonop]

Maybe it could be useful for users on a phone/tablet?

[kaadmy]

Maybe it could be useful for users on a phone/tablet?

Didn't think of that, but again I don't think anybody with a mobile device would attempt to put text into a text field :)

[Minetestforfun]

Damn, this is a really good idea...

Why nobody do this since 2014... ?

[Dragonop]

Because the developers usually won't care about the forums, if you want something, post it at Github, they will notice you there, but on the forums... well, there are not many things that posted here actually get to be developed on the game.

[rubenwardy]

The developers have discussed such a feature, however they have a lot more important things to do other than this.

Also: https://github.com/minetest/minetest/issues/1736

[Don]

Because the developers usually won't care about the forums, if you want something, post it at Github, they will notice you there, but on the forums... well, there are not many things that posted here actually get to be developed on the game.

I question this. I have seen the developers on the forums. They seem to care about the forums but might not reply to everything. I do not know what the developers are doing but from what I have seen, they care about the community.
Besides, this is a free open source game. If the developers are not up to peoples standards then they can fork the project and make it how they feel. I like the efforts the team puts into the project and even though I disagree with a few things I do understand that they give their free time to developing minetest and I might actually be wrong in my opinion.

[Dragonop]

@Don: Never said they don't care, but usually the developers will focus more on requests on github than a post on the forums, I think that this is because of how the forums are organized, and how everything is pretty much mixed together.
I can't blame them, I would do the same, Github is pretty much a serious platform for developing, and requests, etc can be organized better.
The devs are at the forums, but I have seen little changes inspired by a forum post. I mean, have you seen the "Vote for subgames to be boundled with Minetest" thread? It's there, and none of those subgames have made it to Minetest (well, not in the last year), not even some that are very polished and could be easily drag-dropped to the master branch on Git.
Probably this is good, I see it like a filter:
>>Request on forums>>Discussion>>Offtopic chat that is somehow needed>>Interested user>>Request on Github>>Profit?

[Gael de Sailly]

I agree, but reviving a year-old topic?

I've not forgotten it. I thought about it recently but haven't the time to code it.

[Glorfindel]

I'd like this implemented as well.

[kaadmy]

It's already in the latest git.

[Gael de Sailly]

It's already in the latest git.

Yes and no. I was meaning that ALL settings that are in minetest.conf should appear, even settings that are defined by mods, with possibility to add or remove lines.
And it may be a mistake to remove the old interface that was incomplete but more intuitive. The best woud be to have both, with a button "Show/Hide advanced settings" to switch between the 2 interfaces.

But that's still very good, PilzAdam :)

[kaadmy]

It's already in the latest git.

[...]
even settings that are defined by mods
[...]

That would be impossible with the current mod configuration, as the mods are not run in the main menu, but after the game starts.

[Don]

Could you look for a specific file in each mod folder and if it exists then add it to the menu? Then each mod owner would be responsible for the information presented.

[rubenwardy]

It's already in the latest git.

Yes and no. I was meaning that ALL settings that are in minetest.conf should appear, even settings that are defined by mods, with possibility to add or remove lines.
And it may be a mistake to remove the old interface that was incomplete but more intuitive. The best woud be to have both, with a button "Show/Hide advanced settings" to switch between the 2 interfaces.

But that's still very good, PilzAdam :)

It's already in the latest git.

[...]
even settings that are defined by mods
[...]

That would be impossible with the current mod configuration, as the mods are not run in the main menu, but after the game starts.

Could you look for a specific file in each mod folder and if it exists then add it to the menu? Then each mod owner would be responsible for the information presented.

The ability for mods and subgames to define settings is added by commit 6f2d9d, now merged.

[Don]

Wow! That was fast.

[rubenwardy]

He was working on it before you suggested it. It's an obvious improvement to make.