Sort and fix Spectra NetKAN Provides/conflicts/depends/suggests/rec

[Avera9eJoe]

I updated Spectra used this time to fix its NetKAN. I moved minor mods from Recommends to Suggests (added suggests), removed PlanetShine-config from Provides (No longer providing), removed GreenSkullRevived and PlanetShine-config from Conflicts (no longer conflicting), and removed Scatterer-sunflare-default from Depends (no longer depends).

I hope this looks in order, the file did not have suggests before this change, I added it from scratch based on the NetKAN of other mods. The goal is for all the mods in "recommends" to be auto-ticked when you install, and the mods in "suggests" to not.

I also reworked x_netkan_override. This might be set up incorrectly, though it doesn't matter as much as the rest. The current release of Spectra (1.3) is backwards compatible all the way to KSP version 1.3. Is this set up correctly?

[HebaruSan]

For the version compatibility, would you be interested in adding a KSP-AVC .version file to this mod? Netkan (and KSP-AVC) can parse these to get the compatibility info automatically per-version, which tends to be more maintainable than tracking it in netkan overrides. If that sounds appealing we can help with figuring out the details.

[HebaruSan]

Checking the latest download, there's still a dependency on Scatterer-sunflare-default in GameData/Spectra/Spectra_scatterer/Sunflares/Phi/Sun.cg:

@Scatterer_sunflare:AFTER[scatterer]
{

[Avera9eJoe]

If that's a cleaner solution, that's alright with me, though it might be simpler to just remove it entirely? I'm even less familiar with KSP-AVC than than CKAN, but recall LinuxGuruGamer's toolbar controller/click-through-blocker requiring zeroAVC, too though that might be unrelated.

[Avera9eJoe]

It looks incompatible but it should work fine. It requires the default Sunflare to be installed and usesmodulemanager to overwrite it. The Sunflare doesn't work unlesst the default Sunflare isalso installed, same with base Scatterer.

[HebaruSan]

Confirmed that the changes for PlanetShine (the cfg patches the default config) and GreenSkullRevived (no more visor in the TextureReplacer folder) look correct.

The goal is for all the mods in "recommends" to be auto-ticked when you install, and the mods in "suggests" to not.

Yup, that's exactly how those are meant to be used! 👍

[HebaruSan]

It requires the default Sunflare to be installed and usesmodulemanager to overwrite it. The Sunflare doesn't work unlesst the default Sunflare isalso installed, same with base Scatterer.

Yeah, that's what I was saying, it requires the default Sunflare to be installed, so that dependency should probably stay.

[Avera9eJoe]

Oh, my bad sorry- Spectra only technically requires ModuleManager since you don't have to run all of its features if you don't want. You don't have to install Scatterer or ScattererSunflare if you want to run a lighter version. Sorry to be confusing, in a nutshell the only required mod is ModuleManager, and all other normal required mods are just recommends.

[HebaruSan]

You don't have to install Scatterer or ScattererSunflare if you want to run a lighter version.

True for Scatterer, but there are reasons for depending on the default sunflare.

There are alternate sunflares available (see #3950 and #6521), and if Spectra doesn't depend on the default sunflare, then the user will be prompted to choose a sunflare when they install Scatterer. If they choose the wrong one, then they would end up with a sunflare that is not compatible with Spectra's sunflare patches. Keeping the depends will ensure that only the right sunflare is installed.

[Avera9eJoe]

Ah that makes sense, putting it that way does make sense to needing Scatterer-Sunflare. Should I make a new commit to re-add it?

[HebaruSan]

I'm even less familiar with KSP-AVC than than CKAN, but recall LinuxGuruGamer's toolbar controller/click-through-blocker requiring zeroAVC, too though that might be unrelated.

That was specifically for MiniAVC, KSP-AVC is closely related but separate (and fortunately unaffected by that issue).

If that's a cleaner solution, that's alright with me, though it might be simpler to just remove it entirely?

OK, here's how a version file would look based on the current metadata:

{
    "NAME":     "Spectra",
    "DOWNLOAD": "https://spacedock.info/mod/1505/Spectra/download/1.3",
    "URL":      "<SEE NOTE BELOW>",
    "VERSION": {
        "MAJOR": 1,
        "MINOR": 3
    },
    "KSP_VERSION_MIN": {
        "MAJOR": 1,
        "MINOR": 3
    },
    "KSP_VERSION_MAX": {
        "MAJOR": 1,
        "MINOR": 9
    }
}

If you save that in a file called Spectra.version, include it the download, and update it when there's a new release, we can set up Netkan to pull the info automatically, no override pull request required.

The "URL" property is special. If you store a copy of the version file online somewhere and save its URL in the "URL" property, then any changes that you make to it can also apply to existing downloads without changing them. For example, if you someday discover that Spectra 1.3 works on KSP 1.10, just updating the online version file would make that change in CKAN (and KSP-AVC) as well. (This is also how KSP-AVC alerts the user to available upates.) Most mod authors use GitHub to host these files, although some use http://ksp-avc.cybutek.net/ (the workings of which I do not personally understand).

[Avera9eJoe]

Nice! Yeah, I'll definitely do that. Its good to know that this is unrelated to MiniAVC too. I'm getting some things setup and I'll probably have another small commit soon.

[Avera9eJoe]

Another strange instance, when I uninstall Scatterer, it seems to uninstall Spectra as well because of the dependency with Scatterer Sunflare. I'm not sure how to fix this yet.

[HebaruSan]

Hmm, I tried installing Spectra with the current recommendations just now and then uninstalling Scatterer, and it didn't do that:

$ ckan.exe remove scatterer
About to remove:

 * scatterer 3:v0.0610
 * Scatterer Default Config 3:v0.0610

Continue? [Y/n] 

Is it possible you also selected to uninstall the sunflare?

[Avera9eJoe]

That was the culprit, many thanks. Should I close this and start a new commit, or revert the Scatterer Sunflare changes here?

[HebaruSan]

I'd say it's better to keep one pull request alive and update it until everything is in order. Go ahead and push a commit here if you're comfortable doing so, and I can help with any glitches that come up.

[HebaruSan]

Looks pretty good now; I'll merge it to master, and if you need any further changes just let us know.