DnD 4e Compendium 0.4.6

The latest version of the DnD 4e Compendium for webOS has been released!

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New features

• Types without search results are no longer displayed in the basic search results.
• Filtered searches. When the app starts, it will spend a couple of seconds loading the filters, then move to the main search scene. If you select a Type, the filters for that type will then appear below. Filtered searches do not require any query text.
• Results which have a level value (including monsters, traps and items) now display their level instead of the sourcebook they're in. Everything else still displays the sourcebook.

I've also updated the icon to use a new colour scheme.

Known issues

• Some filters don't currently have all options - cost and XP values are missing (see below).
• The filter options don't always load properly. If your filter selectors only contain an "All" option, close the app and open it again, and they should load.
• The filter loading sometimes causes lag on the search entry scene. It shouldn't impact the searches themselves, but the interface might be unresponsive for a couple of seconds after it loads.
• Searches can cause hangs if there are a large number of results. Be as specific as possible when searching to avoid this - search titles only, or use the filters to narrow down the results. Don't try to get a list of every power, item or monster.

Upcoming features
The priority for the next release will be the XP and Cost filters for the types that require them. Most of the code is there to support it, but I've got to do some work to figure out the best way to get them into the UI.

If there are any other features you'd like to see, let me know and I'll do what I can to include them.

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Field Test Results

Last night's D&D game was the first opportunity I've had to test my app in a real-world situation: at the table, with people asking questions about rules, powers and items.

It went very well, and in addition to helping us work out exactly what a Woundpatch does, I managed to find a couple of bugs - both in the DnD 4e Compendium and the Wizards.com API.

One of the recent changes I've made is to allow filtered searches to find unlevelled results - items and powers that don't have a required level for using them; like race or class abilities or the Adventurer's Kit. I'd made a slight error when coding that bit though, which resulted in the inability to view any Power results.

Another issue I discovered is that the Wizards API, when running a simple keyword search or a filter search (with no filters provided) has an indication of whether the item is available publicly as a teaser, or if you'll need a D&D Insider account to view the full compendium entry. I was hoping to use that to provide an indication in the app, but if you do pass filters for a search it's marking everything as requiring an Insider account. So, that particular feature is going to be boxed indefinitely, since I can't get it to work consistently without some changes on Wizards' end.

I've also made some changes to the way results are displayed: a simple search now only lists the types that have results, and any filtered or type results with a level value now display that next to their entry instead of the source name.

There's some more testing to do over the coming days, but I'm still hopeful that the next version will be available for download this weekend.

Update and feedback request

I'm putting together the last few touches for the next release of the DnD 4e Compendium for webOS; I'm hoping to test it during a game tomorrow night, make any tweaks/fixes necessary on Tursday and Friday, and have it available for download over the weekend.

The big change is the addition of filters for searches; most of the options available on the Compendium website will be in the app, with a couple of exceptions - XP rewards for monsters, and cost for weapons/rituals being the main ones. This isn't a technical challenge so much as a UI one; it'll take some work to get the fields in properly.

I've also made some minor changes to the way results are displayed: if no type is specified then that results list won't include any types with no results, and some types (items, monsters and powers) will have the level next to the name.

I've also played around with using text colours to denote Insider-only information, but I've not found anything I'm happy with yet.

Anyway, I'd like some feedback, if anybody's used the app so far. What would you like to see, either in terms of new features or fixes?

More progress

After a few hiccups and design decisions, I'm on the way to getting the next version of the Compendium to a releasable state. However, it's presented me with an opportunity to rework some of the previous iteration's functionality, so there's still a while to go yet.

Depending on how much time I get in the next few days, I'm hoping to have the next version stable enough for field testing during our D&D game on Wednesday night, and available for download by this time next week.

DnD 4e Compendium - 0.3.1

A webOS app for the Palm Pre and Pixi to search the official Wizards.com D&D 4th Edition Compendium.

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Even the most enthusiastic D&D player can't carry all their sourcebooks with them at all times, but you never know which books you'll need for any given game. The DnD 4e Compendium uses the official Wizards.com API to provide you with access to all the information you'll need to settle rule disagreements, check the stats on your new weapon, or just satisfy your curiosity about any race or class you meet.

Note: Some pages will require an active D&D Insider subscription to view.

Features

• Provides links to the offical Compendium pages for full details on every class, race, monster, item and more from every official sourcebook.
• Uses the official Compendium API to search the database
• Restrict searches to a specific type
• Search titles only
• Initial release version 0.3.1

Planned additions

• Search with filters
• Type-specific data
• Indicator for entries requiring DDI subscription
• Saved searches (if requested)

Known Issues

• The first search request after opening the app sometimes doesn't complete properly, or times out. To get around this, go back to the Search page and re-submit the search - it will complete correctly the second time, and all subsequent searches will work fine.
• Searches with a large number of results (e.g., searching for "Damage") will cause the app, and eventually the entire device, to freeze. These should be avoided - be as specific as possible when searching.

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If you have any suggestions or feeback regarding the app, please leave a comment here. DnD 4e Compendium is currently in Beta Release, and any user comments will be greatly appreciated.

Welcome

This blog is about my development efforts for the Palm Pre - the first time I've ever tried writing anything for public consumption beyond a few Wordpress skins.

Nothing to see here yet; I'm currently putting the finishing touches to my first application for submission - at the moment I'm waiting for the opportunity to test it in anger, and looking into some potential legal hurdles (nothing serious, I just want to be sure) - and will update with more here as and when it seems appropriate. :)