1) Develop a wupget, either in SDD folder or as a raw file. Engine doesn't notice changes, so every time you change a file you need to do something to reload it (call some VFS. function if it's a widget, call /reloadceg if it's a CEG, etc). Currently this can't be automated well because you need to poll all potential changed files (load file, compare, reload if different). You can make some assumptions (e.g. force a check on alt-tab) but that is fragile. See e.g. https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason/pull/3651
2) Have a crude widget that accepts live external input via some .txt file, because files are way more beginner friendly than sockets for multiple reasons. Same story here - you gotta poll the file for changes, you can miss a quick change if the rate is slow and will waste performance if the rate is high.
Proposal
add unsynced wupget:FileChanged(path) callin that runs when a file changes.
by default, should monitor files within VFS, i.e. loaded SDDs and data folders (as defined by SpringData springsetting and/or the --read-dir cli param)
contents of sdz/sd7 don't need to be handled
optionally there could be VFS.MonitorRawPathForChanges(path) to start receiving updates for given VFS.RAW file outside data dirs.
optionally any raw file outside data dirs that gets passed to other VFS interfaces could start being monitored as well.
User stories
1) Develop a wupget, either in SDD folder or as a raw file. Engine doesn't notice changes, so every time you change a file you need to do something to reload it (call some
VFS.function if it's a widget, call/reloadcegif it's a CEG, etc). Currently this can't be automated well because you need to poll all potential changed files (load file, compare, reload if different). You can make some assumptions (e.g. force a check on alt-tab) but that is fragile. See e.g. https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason/pull/36512) Have a crude widget that accepts live external input via some .txt file, because files are way more beginner friendly than sockets for multiple reasons. Same story here - you gotta poll the file for changes, you can miss a quick change if the rate is slow and will waste performance if the rate is high.
Proposal
wupget:FileChanged(path)callin that runs when a file changes.SpringDataspringsetting and/or the--read-dircli param)VFS.MonitorRawPathForChanges(path)to start receiving updates for givenVFS.RAWfile outside data dirs.