[Senior_Drill]

Uploaded and pending authorization in the Downloads Toolbox section are copies of some database editors that I have made.

There are Microsoft Access Database editors for CC3, CC3 CoI, CC4, CC5, CCMT and a CC4 and beyond format Elements Editor. One must have MS Access to use the forms in the DB editors, so they are not for everyone, unfortunately. A .MDB Viewer will not be enough because you will only see the tables, not the forms. The tables are the same you would see in the CC Data Workbooks or QClone.

These are not be-all, end-all wonder editing tools, either. BGEdit is far, far superior for editing Force Pools and Battle Groups for instance. And as completely open permissions DB's, they can easily be corrupted and broken.

But they do work well as a visual aid to data editing and are intended to be used as an adjunct to data editing in QClone and spreadsheets. The tables that the DB editors use can be easily reloaded with the data from your favorite mod. Just remember the GIGO principle. Garbage data in will produce garbage data out.

Hopefully, someone with programming experience can take these far beyond what they are now and make truely useful editing tools out of them.

The complete all-in-one ReadMe for them is reproduced below.

Close Combat Data Editors ReadMe
Revision 1, 13 March 2008
Senior Drill

These editors are all based off of one very early, partially completed and severely crippled MS Access Database that Atomic Games, Inc. had done for the creation of Close Combat Marines. It had its basis in a CC3 style editor with some CC5 objects added and was still a mish-mash of CC3, CC5 and CCM tables and object dependencies.

When I first started to attempt to finish off the incomplete and unusable DB to simplify the task of editing the CCM data for CCRAF, I knew absolutely nothing about MS Access. I had to learn as I went from reading on-line and from books I purchased or got from the local library.

These Close Combat Data Editors are therefore at the limit of my knowledge and understanding of MS Access and VB code and in all probability contain errors, not to mention lacking things that would improve them. Specific things that don’t work are addressed below. Oh, well! Take it or leave it.

Fair Warning!: These Editors are set with completely open permissions. Anyone can change anything within them, deliberately or not. I strongly suggest that any design changes to the forms or tables be done on a copy of the DB rather than your original. Successful edits can be imported, correcting a mistake in your only copy is a lot harder. DB’s can be fragile things and can easily be corrupted, so take care.

These Editors were created in MS Access 2003. I do not know if they will upgrade properly to MS Access 2007, although they should, and I have no idea if they will be compatible with other DB applications.

Versions Currently Available

The versions that I’ve uploaded are:

CC3
CC3 CoI
CC4
CC5
CCMT
Elements

These contain the Stock and Patched versions of the respective data in their tables. See below for how to mod them for your use.

The Elements editor was done as a stand alone editor because of its’ size and multiple tabs. Other than the first tab and first five column editing objects, it is entirely my work and my interpretation of the element columns based on information supplied by TheBlood! from the source codes. It is designed for CC4 and beyond and contains the CCMT elements data. The Elements editor can be easily reloaded for CC4 and CC5 and can also be used for CC3 and CC3 CoI. You will need to do some column reordering to import the data and then delete the “new” columns from the exported text file and do some column reordering before plugging it into the game. A “attention to the details” job when done in conjunction with the CC3 and CC4 Data Workbooks. I know it can be done because that is what I did for CC3 CoI.

I never did do ones for RtB and CCM v3.1. If you want to make one for those two games, use the CCMT Database Editor as a starter file and follow the instructions for CC4 and CC5. (Rev 1. Add: ) You will also need to import the Force Pool and Battle Group forms and associated tables and update the data. Maybe I will do new editors for these after all, since it is more than a simple task.

Things To Do Before You Get Started:

Visit the MicroSoft Updates website and ensure that you have the latest service and security pack upgrades installed.

If you are using MS Access 2003 and install the MS Office 2003 Service Pack 3, then you MUST download and install the post-Service Pack 3 Hot Fix available from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945674 . You MUST. I guarantee you.

Between the time I had last used the DB editors in the Fall of 2007 and mid December of 2007 when I revisited my DB folder, I had installed the MS Office SP3. Unbeknownst to me, there were bugs in the update that caused me no end of head banging and hair pulling and hours upon hours of wailing against the wilderness and gnashing of teeth as one after the other of the DB’s corrupted and cause crashes. Once I finally found and installed the Hot Fix the day before writing this ReadMe ( Rev 1 edit: fix found on 11 March, 2008), all the problems magically went away. Go figure.


Initial Default Folder

These DB’s are all set to use a default folder location for the exported text files. You can put them in any folder on any drive that you want, but you will have to edit the path within the CC Main form VB code for the exports.

The default location for the folders is C:\Close Combat DB Editors\ and the exports are subfolders within this folder named:

Exports CC3
Exports CC3 CoI
Exports CC4
Exports CC5
Exports CCMT
Exports Elements

To change this to the location of your choice, I strongly suggest that you first create a new folder where you want the DB’s to be, create the sub folder or folders for the exported text files where you want them to be and then make copies of the DB’s that you then place in the new folder. Just in case.

Next, open the DB. It will open to the CC Main form. From Task Bar select View\Design View, or from the Menu Bar select the DB Window button.

In CC Main form Design View or from the Database Window with \Forms\CC Main highlighted, open the VB Code window for the CC Main form (Code button on the Menu Bar).

For CC3, CC3 CoI and CCMT, there will be five export lines. For CC4 and CC5, there will be seven. Either type in the new relative path on each line or use Edit\ Select All\ Replace /Match Case to change all the default paths to your new folder location in one go.

Select Debug\ Compile Rebuild, then Save and close the VB window.

Test the change by going to the Export Tab and pressing each of the Export buttons. You should be rewarded with a Export Complete message window. If you get an error window, choose Debug and check the edits you just made. Ensure that the names of the folders you made earlier and the text you typed match.

If everything has worked well, you should find new text files in the new Exports CC* folder. At that point, you can delete the default folder, sub-folders and DB’s.

Use this same process to make dedicated folders for individual mod versions.


Using the Close Combat Data Editors

NOTE: The Close Combat Data Editor form and table column order and headings match the CC Data Workbooks and the Tab Delimited .TXT file exports using the Revised QClone for CC2 to CC5 and the Revised QClone for RtB and CCM v3.1. DO NOT USE Tab Delimited .TXT file exports from the original QClone. They will not match and will result in numerous paste errors. They simply will not work. Get the revised versions of QClone, or sit and spin.

The Editors display and update the CC data based on entries in the tables. Any change made on a form is immediately and permanently changed in the data table. There is no Undo, no going back. It is a done deal for that copy of your DB, so ALWAYS START ANY EDITING ON A COPY of your DB.

The tables and the properties of the drop down menu control boxes dictate what you see on the form, not what is entered in to the data table. You will in most cases see a text choice offered, but the table will be updated with the appropriate number.

As with editing CC data in text files, spreadsheets or QClone, one has to remember to change many things to have a complete and functioning team or vehicle in the game. For instance, adding a soldier to a team: You have to remember for yourself to also change the Team Size number. The Editor will not do this for you or even remind you to do it.

Work from the premise that the CC Database Editors are a visual display tool that allows you to holistically see your editing, rather than a wonder weapon editing tool. Adding weapons, teams, soldiers and vehicles is best done in a spreadsheet to set or adjust index numbers, create new classes or delete data. The new spreadsheet data can then be put in to the DB editor to check and fine tune the changes you made outside of it. In many cases, you cannot change the data table’s index or class numbers on the records with the DB forms. This is a deliberate form and table design to insure that game data is not corrupted by inadvertently duplicating these numbers or skipping one or more, which will cause the game to crash.

Loading a Mod’s Data In To an Editor

First make a copy of the appropriate game’s stock .MDB and rename it for your mod and open it. Open the Database Window and close any open form. Select Tables from the menu on the left.

Have the mod’s data ready in spreadsheets such as the CC Data Workbooks or as Tab Delimited .TXT files exported with the Revised QClone (I’ll repeat – the Revised QClone, not the original).

In any order:

1. Select all the mod’s data from one of the spreadsheets or text files. Just the data, not the headers and footers or line count/version lines and copy it to clipboard.

2. In the DB Editor, open the appropriate data Table and select Edit\Select All Records, then Delete All Records and select “Yes” at the prompt.

Next place your cursor in the margin box of the first line (the * line) of the table and right click. Select Paste and select “Yes” at the prompt. Then select “Save” and close the table. Repeat for all the applicable tables.

For the *Teams tables (or Teams, *), Soldier table and Weapons table, add a -1 class record with “None” as its name by typing “None” into the Name field of the “*” record at the bottom of the table. While not needed, it will put “none” in the forms where there is no applicable soldier or weapon. It is outside the export range and will not be included in the exported text files.

Next you must change the data in the following tables:

Sides (if applicable)
Team Icons
Team Name Graphics (CC3 and CC3 CoI only. Can be done for the others, but is not used.)
Weapons Icons
Weapons Sounds

These tables contain two, three, four or even five columns of data from the data tables, sometimes with column order juxtaposed. This is simple cut and paste work on an unused area of the mod’s spreadsheets. Just pay attention to the DB’s Table headings for the proper order. Use the same Select All Records\ Delete and Paste procedure as above.

Prior to opening any of the forms to check you new DB, it is advised to compact the database by selecting Tools\ Compact and Repair Database.

If you paid attention to detail and with a little luck and the blessings of the CC Gods, all should be well.

Potential Errors:

When importing the game data, you may encounter a “Paste Error” window. Lines of data that cannot be entered will be put in a Paste Errors table the DB will create.

The cause of most paste errors is a name that is too long. In general, the DB Editors will accept a name that is longer than the game will normally allow. See below for potential errors on using the new data in the games.

Sometimes paste errors may be due to a non-data line being selected as part of the copy range, like the QClone header line, or a footer description line.

If you have an error like this, the simplest way to deal with it is to correct the problem line of data in the spreadsheet or text file and repeat the entire record delete – paste new record process for that table.

Once resolved, the Paste Errors table the DB created can be deleted.

Of special note to importing Revised QClone for CC2 to CC5 Tab Delimited Export data files: The DB will accept the words FALSE and TRUE for the Boolean columns for CC4 through CCM v3.1. Don’t change these in the spreadsheet or text file to -1’s and 0’s.

Problems with Force Pools for CC4 and CC5

Rev 1 Edit: The non-functioning text removed.

Rev 1 Add: While not a serious problem, editing the Force Pools will be a long a laborious task even with the CC Database Editors and mega amounts of RAM. CC4 has over two thousand lines of data and CC5 has almost seven thousand. It takes time to scroll through the records and one can easily overload the buffers by attempting to scroll too far, too quickly.

I recommend using BGEdit instead, but if you insist on using these editors for BG's and FP's the you should work in sections by BG and Day, using an open spreadsheet as a reference. You can type the number of the line you want to jump to in the record window at the bottom of (full screen) form and press “Enter” in order to minimize the amount of time spent scrolling.


Using the Exported Data in the Games

None of the Close Combat Database Editors export tab delimited text files that are game or QClone ready. They all need some additional editing in a spreadsheet or text editor.

For CC3, CC3 CoI and CCMT:

Copy the data range from the tab delimited text file found in the appropriate Exports folder to the like game Data\Base file or CC Data Workbook spreadsheet, preserving any file version or header lines. For CCMT, it is recommended to put this back into the CC Data Workbook and adjust the Ammo Count columns before copying the data to the Data\Base files. (Those don’t exist in CC3 or CC3 CoI.)

For CC3 and CC3 CoI, you do not need to use the Revise QClone for CC2 to CC5 as the game files are text files and the CC Data Workbooks are all that you could possibly need. But if you really insist on doing so, follow the instructions below for CC4 to CCM v3.1.

For CCMT, you will need to double check the line count number in cell A1 to ensure that it agrees with your data.

For CC4, CC5, RtB and CCM v3.1

Copy the data range from the tab delimited text file found in the appropriate Exports folder to the like game tab delimited text file or CC Data Workbook spreadsheet, preserving the file version and header lines and adjust the Ammo Count columns.

While the DB accepted the words FALSE and TRUE in the Boolean columns for imported data, it exports the game used -1’s and 0’s. You will need to open the file, preferably as a spreadsheet and select the range of cells for these types of columnar data. Then do a Edit\Replace All to change -1’s to FALSE and 0’s to TRUE prior to importing the data back into the Revised QClone for CC2 to CC5 or Revised QClone for RtB and CCM v3.1 for repacking the .ADB file. I think. I can’t remember if that is really necessary. It’s been a while.

Also, trying to include the non-game data such as the Vehicles armor calculator columns in CC4 and CC5 will cause problems. Just leave those out of the copy – paste range.


Potential Errors in Using CC DB Editor Date in Game Files

The most prevalent errors that may occur are names being too long. The game will let you know a line number it is upchucking on and you need to find the offending one in the file and shorten it to a game acceptable length.

Other errors may occur from the copy and paste transfers leaving data out, including non- game data, or having duplicate index numbers (caused by importing, say 75 weapons back into a file that had 76 weapons and forgetting to delete the extra line).

(Rev 1 Add: ) There may also be an error created by one or more of the Editors not entering a default value in one or more cells and exporting the text file with a blank, or empty cell. This happened to me on one of the myriad of copies of copies of backup copies I had created during the buggy MS Office 2003 SP3 days. I believe it was the CCMT version and the Vehicles.txt file. I can’t remember if I got that part fixed.

The Usual Disclaimers

Use at own risk, not responsible, no guarantees, not endorsed or associated, use no hooks, no animals were harmed, not blessed by any high priest, postage and batteries not included, cannot be opened in DOS, will not get rid of your wife or remove embarrassing stains from contoured sheets, cash value 1/100 of one US cent, not redeemable for merchandise after Dec 7th, 1941, does not protect from harmful UV rays, contains 0% trans fat, cannot be used to clean dentures and will not change into a nine year old Hindu boy or vengeful winged demon from Hell when used as directed.

There are probably things I am forgetting to discuss here. Let me know and we can all work at getting these completed and updated.

Have fun!

[squadleader_id]

Thanks a lot for making these available, SrDrill! :drink2

[Senior_Drill]

I'm happy to do so. Or will be once they are finally up. The shame is that most people don't have MS Access, so won't be able to use them. But I do hope that they can be improved from what I have done and form the basis of stand alone programs one day.

[CSO_Talorgan]

I have popped the question here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=40575&highlight=mdb+file+format

for the benefit of us poor people.

Has anyone ever heard of Knoda?

[CSO_Talorgan]

Tried Knoda but no luck.

[Senior_Drill]

Yeah, I tried as well with out any luck. The most that any of the other applications that I've tried can do is view the database files, which are the same as the CC workbooks pages or a text export from QClone. None so far can view or use the forms, which are what make the Access database useful.

I'm hoping that someone out there with programming skills can convert the Access forms to Windows dialog boxes to make a stand alone editor that anyone can open and use. My computer programming skills kind of break down much beyond "Hello World."

[CSO_Talorgan]

Kexi doesn't work either.

[Therion]

I'm going to try to make an .odb database for CCMT.

[RaphaelB]

Hello Senior_Drill,
Very useful tool, thank you very much, but I have a bug in CCMT DATA EDITOR when I open the file “Soldiers” in CC forms, the following message appears: ”Error executing ’2465’ Unable to find the “Weapon1” to which it is referred to in your expression.” What should we do . Thank you.