How to use templates in info

Sometimes when we need to add more same entries, but just with one, two or three values different, then we don't have to add whole entry, but we can use Templates.

An example of normal, longer use:

<field hash="CB3EDEF1" type="String">CPreConditionKnowledge</field>

</object>

<field hash="CB3EDEF1" type="String">CPreConditionKnowledge</field>

</object>

<field hash="CB3EDEF1" type="String">CPreConditionKnowledge</field>

</object>

This is not so long, but there are other, a very long entries, for example in patch.dbt.fcb.

So, all three entries are the same, only field with hash 2AB6B940 (ID) is different.

Now, we define new tag named Templates in root of info_replace.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>

<Games>

</Games>

<DefaultInclude>false</DefaultInclude>

<Name>Faith After Liberation</Name>

<Description>Faith also appear after Henbane is liberated.</Description>

...

</Replaces>

</Templates>

</PackageInfoReplace>

Now we add our first template. It need attribute named id, which is needed for further use, it can be anything -- number, string (case sensitive):

<field hash="2AB6B940" templateValue="ID" type="BinHex">a default value</field>

<field hash="CB3EDEF1" type="String">CPreConditionKnowledge</field>

</object>

</Template>

And we put it into Templates

You can see I added to a field with hash 2AB6B940 new attribute named templateValue. It means this field will be used as a variable, so its value will change in every use of template, more later. Value of the attribute can be also anything, if it will be string, then it is case sensitive.

You can add as many templateValue as you want, so basically every field can have its own templateValue.

Now how to use the template?

I changed the first example, so it will now have a template. It means I delete all objects with hash 9E036BCA. So:

</object>

You just define tag named template and add to it attribute named id which is name, id of our template and special tag templateValueID. FIrst part is templateValue -- this identifying that we want to use a variable, but you must also define which variable in template you want to change, so you add the same which you defined in template in templateValue as its value, it was ID, so then templateValueID.

And value of templateValueID is what you want, in this case we wanted different ID.

By this way we saved many lines and also xml is more readable and clearer. Also, you can add new entries by this way without using non-templates way with adding addNode="1"

.............

Note: if your template has variables and when you define the template and you don't define a value of a variable, then default will be used.

Example:

This is a defined variable ID with no default value, so if you don't define the variable when calling a template, it will raise an error during processing.

...

</object>

</Template>

So, two ways - define default value or set the variable ID in calling template, or both:

...

</object>

</Template>

The default value can be useful if you're using the template in more places and only once you want to change the value of the variable.

.............

Whole info_replace will look like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>

<Games>

</Games>

<DefaultInclude>false</DefaultInclude>

<Name>Faith After Liberation</Name>

<Description>Faith also appear after Henbane is liberated.</Description>

</object>

</Replace>

</Replaces>

<field hash="CB3EDEF1" type="String">CPreConditionKnowledge</field>

</object>

</Template>

</Templates>

</PackageInfoReplace>

Processing templates

This is a special advanced usage. You must be 100% sure before using it.

If you use it, MI will process the template, which means by default MI doesn't check any MI attributes in the template like count, clearNodeBeforeInsert, removeObject, etc...

So if you need it, add attribute process="1" to the template definition:

<field hash="CB3EDEF1" type="String">CPreConditionKnowledge</field>

</object>

</Template>

</Templates>

Note: if you use Options in template, it will work without using process.