Where is that damn counter . . . a finding tool

DougRim

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Tired of trying to find motorcycle counters in VASL? Or Out of Gas or NVR counters?

I have built a quick and dirty search tool to help.

If you would like to try it, click here to download a test VASL module.

To use, set up a new game or open a saved game using the test module. Then click on the "Ctr Search" button located between the INFO and Night buttons on the toolbar.

You will have two ways to locate a counter:

(1) Enter a counter name in the text box with the text "Enter Counter Name". Then click the "Search" button. The location of the counter will show up in the other text box. If nothing shows then the counter name did not find a match. This will happen. For example, looking for bicycle counters - enter "Bicycle". You will get a result. Enter "Bicycles" will get you no joy. You can just keep entering different counter names. Clicking on Clear will reset the text boxes to their original state but is not required between individual searches.

(2) Scroll through the list. Scroll down the list until you find the counter you want in the left-hand column. The right-hand column will tell you were it is in the counter palette.

In both cases, what you get is the location of the counter in the counter palette (what you see when you click on the German 467 icon on the tool bar). You will not be taken to that location, you have get there yourself. Just navigate through the tabs and panels as you normally would.

This is meant to handle those hard to find counters. It won't work for units: infantry, vehicles, guns, and planes. Basically anything that is found under the Axis O/B or Allied O/B tabs is excluded (with some exceptions like Bicycles, Dozers). It is also not going to find counters in extensions, such as KFW.

Feedback appreciated. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down? Worth including in VASL6.4.5 coming this spring? If so, I can pretty-up the interface a bit.
 

BigAl737

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Need to get you a leader counter Doug!
 

Carln0130

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While personally luke warm on the original post query, mostly because I know where most of the counters are in VASL due to being a slavish whore of it, I do have one correction for the next version. I was setting up a playtest scenario on board 52 today and noticed that light woods and Woods-Roads become paths, seems to be incompatible. The woods changed to light woods everywhere but where the woods-roads were. So the non woods-road hexes looked like the light woods change took, but the woods-road, now converted to woods-path, stayed the old dark green woods color.

Just thought I would throw that out there as a possible fix. I have no idea if that is just a board 52 issue or is an issue across the spectrum of boards.
Thanks guys. Awesome work as always that is very much appreciated. If it wasn't for the work of the VASL gnomes, I would be practically out of the hobby.
 

DougRim

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While personally luke warm on the original post query, mostly because I know where most of the counters are in VASL due to being a slavish whore of it, I do have one correction for the next version. I was setting up a playtest scenario on board 52 today and noticed that light woods and Woods-Roads become paths, seems to be incompatible. The woods changed to light woods everywhere but where the woods-roads were. So the non woods-road hexes looked like the light woods change took, but the woods-road, now converted to woods-path, stayed the old dark green woods color.

Just thought I would throw that out there as a possible fix. I have no idea if that is just a board 52 issue or is an issue across the spectrum of boards.
Thanks guys. Awesome work as always that is very much appreciated. If it wasn't for the work of the VASL gnomes, I would be practically out of the hobby.
Thanks for this. The issue you describe is almost certainly a bd52 bug and I will post it as such. It certainly has nothing to do with counters. Thanks for letting us know. . . can't fix bugs we don't know about!
 

stuh42asl

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Doug the counter search thingy is awesome.................great for a old timer with a memory like a sieve.
 

Michael R

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I like the concept. I recommend two things: a blurb stating that the search is case-sensitive and a "not found" feedback. How would I search for a "RAMP DOWN" counter?
 

DougRim

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I like the concept. I recommend two things: a blurb stating that the search is case-sensitive and a "not found" feedback. How would I search for a "RAMP DOWN" counter?
First two things I can do. As for RAMP DOWN, I don't think it exists as a separate counter. If you have an LC counter, right click and select Ramp from the popup. A RAMP DOWN counter will appear . . . just like a CE counter. If RAMP DOWN is in the counter palette, I haven't found it.
 

zgrose

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Can’t you just toLower() the user input and the string to which you are comparing? Java also has a pretty decent RegEx class, too.
 

jrv

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Is it diacritic insensitive? If I search for rene will it find René?

JR
 

DougRim

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I thought it would search labels too. No?

JR
It won't search labels unless I tell it to! Not sure that counters in the counter palette actually have labels to search.

At the moment I set up a xml file that contains a name and location for about 400 counters (most of the remaining 6000+ counters in VASL are unit counters and excluded from the search tool). In some cases I had to fudge the name because the actual name of the counter is not something that any one would think to use as a search term. I can make search function case-insensitive and I can add multiple search terms for the same counter (so "cycle", "cycles", "Cycle", and "Cycles"). Waiting to see what kind of feedback the current version gets before deciding what changes/additions to make. So far, helpful comments.
 
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Look just add the FINAL fire to the appropriate menu and all will be well.

The appropriate menu is where the FF and Prep fire counter is.

I will overcook your eggs until this is complete.
 

DougRim

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Look just add the FINAL fire to the appropriate menu and all will be well.

The appropriate menu is where the FF and Prep fire counter is.

I will overcook your eggs until this is complete.
I see what you are doing here, jamming your favourite pet peeve into a totally unrelated thread. Clever, but it won't work Winnifred. LOL!

Seriously, this part of the toolbar is customizable as you can see from hongkongwargamer's post. Individual players can do just what he has done (or something else) if they want to.
 
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This is find non unit counters? That was all I could see on the list....
 
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