ZERB, the ZyEl Runeword Browser

[Malakat]

Hi everybody. Long time lurker, first time poster; long time player, first time contributor.

I've been playing around with some GUI programming lately and threw together a simple little runeword browser for Zy-El: ZERB.
It grabs the list of runewords and can add a number of convenient filters to it, such as level, item type, number of sockets and sort by socket! Also has the ability to view runeword attributes from within the program.

A screenshot for your enjoyment:


A big thank you goes out to the person who compiled the list of runewords sorted by level and to all the people who contributed to the wiki. You know who you are and I have .

"How can I get ZERB, The ZyEl Runeword Browser?" I hear you ask. Easy!

All versions of the program can be downloaded from this annoyingly long url:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=d9be ... 5524bb5bda

If you're on Windows, all you need to do is download the regular version, extract the contents where ever you want and run the .exe.

For any other platform (or if you want to run it like this on Windows) you will have to grab the source code in the smaller file tagged 'noexe'. I suppose not a lot of people play ZyEl on non-windows computers, but cross-platform is cross-platform, so might as well.
Getting this to work is only slightly more troublesome:
1. ZERB is written in the Ruby programming language, which you will need to have installed to run the program. First, check to see if you have Ruby already (some Linux dists and, I think, OS X comes with Ruby preinstalled): write "ruby -v" in the command line. If you don't have it: Download and install Ruby: http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/downloads/. Make sure you get rubygems as well. It will be needed in the next step
2. Open the command line and write "gem install fxruby" (without the quotes). This is needed for Ruby to run the graphical interface ZERB uses. This will probably need to be done as su.
3. Still in command line, cd to the directory where you extracted the program and run the program by entering "ruby zerb.rb"

Feel free to report bugs or request features or anything else right here.

Enjoy!

[Hans]

Thanks.

Just downloaded and there is an issue with the browser not taking into account the Zy rune. The filter seems to cap at level 240 and not 255.

Will add this file to the wiki to be downloaded. - Done

[edit]

Here is the link that Malakat provided.
Here is the link from the Wiki.

If you have not done so you can sign on to be a member of the Wiki Malakat.

You can PM me or one of the Wiki Organizer to see about adding any updated versions of your tool.

[edit 2]
Forgot to mention a big welcome to the forums

[edit 3]
Played around with the browser and figured how to display the level 255 level runewords by typing in the level 256 and not 255.

I like the browser, simple to use and straight forward.

[Malakat]

Oh, thanks, I'd missed that (because as we all know, the first release of a program is always flawless ). The level filter only added words that were under the upper limit and not equal to it. Very easy fix though. Until I get the fixed version up you can enter a level higher than 255 yourself to include the highest ones.
EDIT: Oh, right, you figured it out yourself =)

EDIT 2: Version 0.1.1 is up! It fixes that problem and should also make the startup a bit faster

[QL]

It seems that filter doesn't work correctly. I selected the following criteria: level 1-255, Item Type: orb, Sockets: 2, and besides RWs in orbs there were Horacer77 (we,cq), Catastrophe (gl,me,cq), Arrogance (me), ZYEL(be bt he sh to we).

Edit: Check box Exlusive was unabled in previous case, when I activate it the filter works correctly

[Malakat]

Yes, that is because an orb is also a weapon (we) and melee (me). The exclusive tick will exclude these and show only the words that are specific to the item type you selected.
This also works with 'any armor' and 'any weapon'. The item type list was generated by hand, so a mistake or two may well have snuck in there. If you want to take a look at the list you have a very nice and readable version of it in lib/runeword_list.rb. I'd love a second pair of eyes on that.

Oh, and 0.1.2 is up.

[Malakat]

So, after realizing I would not be able make the program retrieve runeword attributes from the wiki because of a flaw in ruby in combination with other complications I decided to do the next best thing. Hours of making cunning use of the copy and paste functions later I have a list of every single runeword attribute that's on the wiki (hope you don't mind ), neatly compiled in a file 10 000 lines long.

Without further ado, I present to you: version 0.2! With the ability to view runeword stats from inside the program.
http://www.mediafire.com/?5tnofhjljmd

0.2 patch notes:
- Viewing runeword attributes in sidebar
- Fixed the annoying little bug that moved the socket amount up a bit in the table
- Apostrophes now show properly
- Fixed some inconsistencies in the item type table
- Increased initial size of window and made sidebar slightly wider
- If you'd like to have a look at the source code (the -noexe), it's a whole lot prettier now
- Perhaps some other stuff I forgot about

If you find any misspellings, mistakes, inconsistencies or anything of the kind, do tell me.

And some feedback is always nice too.

Enjoy

[Hans]

I will download later. I am not home at the moment still waiting for the furnace to be fixed.

[edit]
I will change the runewords page and just leave a link to your downloads page and note to check this post for information on the latest version. When the updates are not as frequent then we can put the file there.

[edit 2]
Malakat you are now a member of the Wiki.

[edit 3]
I think this should be put in the stickies section.

[Al-T]

I also think this is good enough to warrant being given a link on Kato's Official Website.

Outstanding piece of work Malakat .

[EDIT] Malakat: To make Zerb completely polished, how about adding a search function? Sometimes that is all I need to do just to check the runes I need for runewords I have made in the past. The Ruby runtime should make that reasonably easy to do.

N.B. Some minor display peculiarities I have noticed:

1. Blase runeword does not display the name correctly in the left hand column. 3 soc ar level 8 (Nef, Nef, Nef).

2. Facade does not display correctly in the left hand column and shows base type as "Facade" in the attributes table when it should be cw. 3 soc cw level 80 (Io, Sol, Thul).

[EDIT 2] I have still to check the 4,5 & 6 soc runewords and will report any findings when I get a chance.

[Malakat]

Thanks guys!

Malakat: To make Zerb completely polished, how about adding a search function? Sometimes that is all I need to do just to check the runes I need for runewords I have made in the past. The Ruby runtime should make that reasonably easy to do.

Yeah, I've left this out because I figured it wouldn't be necessary at first. Actually using the program has shown that that's not the case, so yeah, I'll add it.

1. Blase runeword does not display the name correctly in the left hand column. 3 soc ar level 8 (Nef, Nef, Nef).

I'm aware of this. The priority for fixing it is really low though, as the runeword still links properly to its attributes. It's just more work than it's worth.
I could of course just change the é to an e, and that would "fix" it... I hadn't thought of that before.

... and shows base type as "Facade" in the attributes table

Noted and fixed

[Malakat]

ZERB 0.2.1 - now with at least as much awesome and twice the nice.

What's new?
- Introducing the name filter
- Does away with the 'apply filters' button. Instead, filters are applied every time a change is made
- Several visual tweaks and improvements
- The order of the item type list now makes more sense (first all armors, then weapons, class items and lastly charms)
- Several fixes in the runeword and attribute lists
- Probably more

Enjoy

[Hans]

I pm'd Kato about adding it to the main website and as well as having this thread stickied.

[Al-T]

I think we should also add this as an announcement on the News Page of the Wiki. I might get a chance later today to do this. I need to tidy up that page anyway.

[EDIT] Done Check it out here

[Hans]

That is what I forgot to do. Thanks Al.

[JrEye]

Id thought Id chime in some thoughts:

Remember with runewords that if it is accessible to different types (ie charms or what not), attributes from said runeword will be different. Also All charm runewords are roughly 50% from their other item counterparts

with any runeword that requires jwl/gmj you could possibly add the tag Attributes from Jewel / Attributes from Gem/Jewel

[Jarcho]

I'd have to agree with JrEye. Perhaps some sort of tabbing system at the top of the attributes box so you can select which item type you would to view would be appropriate.

I've noticed that Zac503 is listed twice with the same stats. The variant without the jewel seems to be missing it's stats, and is replaced by the stats with the other one.

Edit: Same problem with the wiki, they both link to the same page.

[JrEye]

its possible someone hasnt created the variant, in most cases of adding a jewel for the new runeword its the same rw only with gem/jewel attributes

[Malakat]

I guess it's about time to add a few notes. I know about how runewords work in charms, and at this point the program simply assumes that the user does too. This isn't very user friendly, so I'll look into a little further guidance.

I can tell you right away not to expect any major changes in the attribute list, at least not manual ones or anytime soon. This means that there won't be more than one single set of attributes for any item. The ability to view attributes in ZERB is not meant to replace the wiki, but rather to give a rough estimate of what the item will look like.

A few words on how I made the list, though:
Weapons/armor always had priority over charms, then the one with the most created was chosen.
The base item listed first is typically the one in which the runeword was created.
Runewords created in charms are labeled "Attributes (x charm):", to further stress that it's only about half as strong as the regular item.

You're supposed to estimate what the word would look like in different items yourself. Or even check the wiki, for that matter.

I could, of course, go through each of the runewords to pick out the stats that are from runes, but doing it by hand would be an unreasonable amount of work for something a trained eye spots more or less immediately.
Never say never though, you can always wait and see what the future has in store

Oh, and about the name appearing twice: The words have the exact same names, which makes them link to the same attributes. I could fix this using a sneaky little method, but as long as the wiki also mixes the pages together, I'm just gonna leave it the way it is.

And thank you Hans and Al-T for the recommendation, the news post and the general enthusiasm. It's much appreciated

[JrEye]

Browser is a nice alternative say, if you are offline though, so it could be helpful, if it is possible to do those fixes

[Al-T]

I know about how runewords work in charms, and at this point the program simply assumes that the user does too. This isn't very user friendly, so I'll look into a little further guidance.

It's a fair assumption to make. I wouldn't make this a priority if I were you, simply because it's a lot of work and we already have the Wiki, not to mention Kato's 67 Page manual and a lot of posts in this forum telling us about it. The letters RTFM spring to mind

Keep up the good work Malakat and happy Zy-Elling

[Hans]

Malakat, follow the KISS rule. The Keep It Simple Stupid rule. I know many of you would think it would be this KISS

[Malakat]

What I meant by 'a little guidance' is likely just a short text file with a few notes; a few minutes' work.

A wise man once said: "Every time you add an option you ask the user to make a choice." ZERB lives by this, and this KISS rule of which you speak.

[Malakat]

Well, it's been a while, but here I am again with a brand new version of ZERB. The biggest change is that the item type drop-down menu has been greatly improved (really, it was absolutely horrible. I'm surprised no one has complained about it). Also it's now possible go up and down the runeword list using the arrow keys. It's a detail, but I'm sure it's been thoroughly missed by regular users. And I updated the runeword attribute list with a few new ones from the wiki.

As usual it can be found on Mediafire:
zerb-0.2.2.rar
zerb-0.2.2-noexe.rar
Whole folder and older versions

This will probably be the only update for a while. When or if I do eventually return I'll be looking at new features surrounding stats. If I'm able to store the runeword stats in variables instead of plain text I'd be able to do some pretty fancy things with them. Not only would the attribute display be uniform and without errors; you could for instance, oh I don't know, browse runewords by stat. Also it would make it possible and easy to add runeword stats yourself from within the program, and the changes could be stored in a file and then merged into a collective database, or just exported in a wiki-friendly format. Pretty neat stuff, huh? =)
Why am I teasing you with this and why is it a problem? Well, writing expressions and a script to find attributes and their values is far from impossible. That is, if they all looked the same. It's the human factor. Different people who contributed to the wiki write differently (just how do you write the +x to y based on character level? See, it's not that easy), there may be spelling errors, some may have left out the stats from the runes... I could go on, but you probably get the point. The thing is, computers can't think, so the attribute list would have to be perfectly uniform for the script to work, and there are a lot of runewords. I guess what I'm saying is, copying the attributes from the wiki was a terrible experience. This is worse. So don't expect any miracles.

Oh anyway, enjoy!

[laheja]

Um i have a problem with ZERB.
I click on it and try to get it work then computer think a little if check to task manager it shows that ZERB.exe is working and then poofs it just shuts down again.
Just thinks a little exe starts working and then closes again.
So how should i fix it?

[Malakat]

Is this the latest version? What OS? Remember that you have to have the lib-folder and runewords.txt in the same folder as the exe when you run it. If all else fails, you can always try running it from source with the noexe-version.
Hope it works out!

[laheja]

Yeah using last version and yes lib is in the same folder as the exe is. I downloaded older version as well but i never had the need to use it so i don't know if the older version had same problem or not.
the system requiments which i have are following :
Windows xp professional, 1 GB of Ram , processor 3400+ with 1,81 ghz not quite sure what video card, harddrive about 1,25 TB-s and free sace about 900 GB-s.(yeah i know very lousy processor )

How should i run it from source ? Little sleepy , slow thinking right now. (solution is probably very easy , lol)