Installation:
Put "ds1edit Loader.exe" and "ds1edit_loader.ini" in any directory. Run the loader and select the menu item "Help->Register Extension". If all goes well, another window will pop up, telling you that the extension has successfully been registered. Click OK. Now select the menu item "Edit->Loader's .ini". Click on the "Browse" button in the following Dialog. Navigate to the directory where you installed the editor and double-click on the executable. Click on OK to keep the changes. If you have only just installed the editor and have not configured it yet, select the menu item "Edit->Editor's .ini". In the following window change the paths to the different .mpq archives (either by entering the paths manually or by using the "..." buttons. Modify any other settings as you please, but beware of the two fields with the "Rever" button next door to them, they are meant for advanced modders who have changed the .dlls.
Use:
After the installation, you can double-click on a .ds1 file to start the loader with the selected file already added to the list. You can also simply start the editor normally to begin with an empty list or drag-and-drop the file(s) onto the executable. If you have used the "File->Make Batch" command to save a .bat and/or a .ini file previously, you can use the "File->Load Batch" menu item to reload those files. To add additional maps to the list, use the "File->Add" menu item and selected the file(s) (you can select multiple ones at one go) or drag the file(s) from an explorer window onto the loader's main window. If multiple maps have the same name, a window pops up where you can choose which one you want to use. If you would like to change which one to use (you chose the wrong one or you've added a map to the loader's .ini), just double click on one of the items on the list and that same selection window will appear again. Use the menu item "File->Remove" to remove all selected files from the list. If you select the "View->Parameters" menu item, you can select additional startup parameters for the editor. These options are only available if you have one single map in the list. To add new maps to the loader's .ini or change the location of the editor, select "Edit-> Loader's ini". In the dialog that appears, use the "Browse" button to select the different location of the editor. Use the Add/Modify/Remove buttons to modify the map list in the loader's .ini. Clicking OK will make all the updates and close the window, Cancel discards all changes and closes the window. By selecting "Edit->Editor's ini" you bring up a dialog with all options that can be set in the editor's ini. At the top you will have the options "Remove comments", "Use Paul's comments" and, if the editor's ini was found and loaded successfully, "Leave current comments". These options determine what comments should be written back to the ini. The other options in the window are described in the ini itself. I must warn (again) that changing the "Size of object table in .dll" is a bad idea unless you have modified the dlls. Using the Cancel button closes the window, leaving the editor's ini unmodified. The OK button also closes the window and updates the editor's ini. The default button sets all options except the paths to the way they are in a completely unmodified .ini. Selecting the "File->Make Batch" menu item lets you enter a name (the extension is ignored, it isn't even necessary to enter one) for the .bat file (the name for the .ini is automatically the same). A batch file is then created in the specified folder with the specified name. This batch can be used to run the editor without having to start the loader, or it can be used to load the same map configuration into the loader later. If you use the "File->Run" command the loader window closes and the editor is started. When you quit from the editor, the window for the loader is re-opened. You can then view the output of the editor by selecting "View->Output". At the end of the output, the stderr.txt file and return code of the editor are displayed. The output box and parameter fields can be hidden and shown by selecting their respective menu commands. To close the loader, use the "File->Exit" menu item or click the cross in the upper-right corner.
The Parameters:
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Resize
Activating this parameter makes the editor resize the map to the sizes in the X and Y fields. Only numbers in the range of 1-255 work.
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Force .dt1
Activating this parameter makes the editor use the .dt1 files in the list which can be changed by clicking the "Configure .dt1 List" button. At least one .dt1 must be specified, and the maximum number is 32.
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Force Palette
Activating this parameter makes the editor use the palette from a the act set in the "Act" box.
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Don't Check Act
Activating this parameter stops the editor from checking that the act to which the Type Id belongs and the Act in the .ds1 are the same.
Example:
To load one of the act4/expansion/lavaXX.ds1 files, you must use the Force Palette option with Act set to 4 and the Don't Check Act option.
Changing the ds1edit_loader.ini manually:
The .ini is very easy to modify, as long as you follow some rules:
adding a semicolon (;) at the beginning of a line will make the line be completely ignored by the loader.
write the .ds1 name small
use tab to separate the entries
add entries in order: .ds1 name with extension, LvlPrest name, path, LvlType Id, LvlPrest Def
after the LvlPrest Def entry, add a tab before adding comments etc.
leave a blank line free at the end of the file
