Game Box Creation - Testing - Revision history

Rich: deleted another way section

2016-07-21T01:21:56Z

deleted another way section

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:21, 21 July 2016
Line 71:		Line 71:

	For this test use a token with a "flip" value of true. Place the token anywhere on the board or market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Flip the placed token. If the token seems to become clipped when it is fliped, then adjust the xStep value for the token sheet object and repeat the test.		For this test use a token with a "flip" value of true. Place the token anywhere on the board or market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Flip the placed token. If the token seems to become clipped when it is fliped, then adjust the xStep value for the token sheet object and repeat the test.

	~~==Another Way To Get It Tested==~~
	~~In an ideal world there would be an application called testGameBox which would do all of the above work for you.<br>~~
	~~But I currently have no such application. So I have decided to '''be''' that application.~~

	~~If you want your shiny new game box tested for you, then:~~
	* Create a directory structure that looks like this:
	~~boxes~~
	~~control~~
	~~images~~
	~~gameBoxName~~
	~~where gameBoxName is the name of your game box (for example: 1870-REP01).~~
	* Put your control file into the '''control''' directory.
	* Put all of your image files into the '''gameBoxName''' directory.
	* Zip up this directory structure.
	* Include this zip file in an Email sent to Rich Price [rich at board18.org].
	* State in this Email that you have created a new game box. Also state the game it is for and that it is an untested game box.

	~~I will test the game box and report the test results back to you in an Email.~~

Rich: /* Testing On a BOARD18 Server */ initial contents

2016-07-21T01:19:10Z

Testing On a BOARD18 Server: initial contents

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:19, 21 July 2016
Line 3:		Line 3:
	{{Game Box Creation Index}}		{{Game Box Creation Index}}
	== Testing On a BOARD18 Server ==		== Testing On a BOARD18 Server ==
			BOARD18 provides to author and admin level players the ability to upload game boxes directly from the PC running the browser to the BOARD18 database.

			If you wish to have access to this facility then contact a site
			administraator for the BOARD18 site in question and request that
			you be made an '''author''' level player. <br><span style="color: Green">
			Note that I will grant '''anyone''' author level access to
			test1.board18.org for the purpose of testing new game boxes.</span>

			A detailed discussion of the usage of this direct game box upload facility can
			be found on the [[BOARD18 Author's Guide]] page.

	==The Actual Testing==		==The Actual Testing==

Rich: Eliminate do it yourself

2016-07-21T01:13:16Z

Eliminate do it yourself

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:13, 21 July 2016
Line 2:		Line 2:

	{{Game Box Creation Index}}		{{Game Box Creation Index}}
	== ~~"Do It Yourself"~~ Testing ==		== Testing On a BOARD18 Server ==
	Here are the steps necessary to test the game box on your own PC before publishing it in any form. The setup for this procedure is not easy to do and requires a PC that can run an Apache server. If you can not or are not willing to do this, then skip to the
	~~'''[[Game_Box_Creation_-_Testing#Other_Ways_To_Get_It_Tested\|Other Ways To Get It Tested]]''' section below.~~

	~~===The Testing Environment===~~
	To test a board18 game box you must have a working BOARD18 server. Your local PC or any remote PC to which you have shell access should be able to be used for this. <br>This is especially true if you are running a Linux distribution on that PC.

	~~Installing Apache, MySql and PHP on your PC is a bit time consuming, but it can be done by following the detailed instructions available for various operating systems.~~		==The Actual Testing==

	~~For Ubuntu LINUX see~~
	~~[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ApacheMySQLPHP ApacheMySQLPHP].~~
	~~For Windows see~~
	~~[http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/platform/windows.html Apache for Windows] or~~
	~~[http://www.wampserver.com/en/ WampServer]. <br>There is much more documentation out there and it covers other operating systems too.~~

	~~===Creating The BOARD18 Test Site===~~
	~~Next you must create a BOARD18 site on your Apache server.<br>~~
	'''[[How_To_Create_a_BOARD18_WEB_Site\|<span style="color: Green">This help file</span>]] was intended for people seting up remote servers, but it has all the information that you need to create a local test server.'''

	At this point you should have a working instance of a BOARD18 web site. Test to make sure that it works '''before''' you try to use it to test your new game box. The easiest way to do this is to start a game using one of the existing game boxes. Make sure that you can drop tokens and tiles and that everything looks as it should. If it works then you can finally start testing your new game box.

	~~===Loading Your Game Box===~~
	~~This step requires you to use your shell (command line) access on the web server PC.~~

	~~====Loading The Game Box Images and Control File====~~
	~~On the command line do the following:~~
	* cd to the images directory on your web server. This directory should contain sub directories with names like 1830-REP01 and 1870-REP01.
	* Create a new sub directory for your game box in this directory. The name of this sub directory must be unique!
	* Load all of your gamebox image files into this sub directory.
	* cd to the utility directory on your web server. This directory should contain a sub directory called control. If it doesn't exist, then create it.
	* Place your control file into this directory. The name of this control file must be unique!

	~~====Moving the Game Box Control File to the Database====~~
	~~To load the new game box control file into the database table, do the following (but replace boxname with the name of your control file):~~
	* Go to the utility directory on your web server.
	* Enter on the command line:
	~~<pre>~~
	~~php loadGameBox.php control/boxname.json~~
	~~</pre>~~
	* You should now see an output that looks something like this:
	~~<pre>~~
	~~Successfully created game box table row 1.~~
	~~The box name is 1826.~~
	~~The version is REP01.~~
	~~The author is Rich Price.~~
	~~The date is 2013-07-15 09:26:48.~~
	~~</pre>~~

	~~===Reloading the Modified Control File to the Database===~~
	~~While testing your game box you will probably have to modify the control file repeatedly. <br>~~
	~~Each time you do so, you will have to reload the JSON control file into the database. The following script will make doing this simple.<br>~~
	~~You can use this script to reload the JSON control file into the database without changing any other part of the table row for the game box.~~

	~~Before you start testing you should make sure that the utility/config.php file has been modified for your environment. <br>See~~
	~~[[How_To_Create_a_BOARD18_WEB_Site#Perform_these_steps_on_your_Linux_web_server \| this page]] for an explanation of the~~
	~~utility/config.php file.~~

	~~Every time that you make a change to the control file, you should reload the changed file to the database before retesting. To do this:~~

	* Start a terminal session on the web server.
	* Go to the '''utility''' directory.
	* Enter the following command on the command line:
	~~php addJSONtoBox.php control/testGame.json~~
	~~Replace '''control/testGame.json''' with the fully qualified name of your updated control file.~~
	* You should see the name, version and author of your game box displayed if the reload was successful.

	===The Actual Testing===
	The most common errors in a game box result from minor mis-measurements in the pixel counts of the images. So these are what we look at here.		The most common errors in a game box result from minor mis-measurements in the pixel counts of the images. So these are what we look at here.

	====Tile Sheet Values====		===Tile Sheet Values===
	<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>		<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>

Line 84:		Line 21:
	You will check the tile sheet yStep value later in this procedure.		You will check the tile sheet yStep value later in this procedure.

	====Token Sheet Values====		===Token Sheet Values===
	<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>		<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>

Line 97:		Line 34:
	You will check the token sheet xStep value later in this procedure.		You will check the token sheet xStep value later in this procedure.

	====Game Board Start Values====		===Game Board Start Values===
	Place the first tile on a tray on the board near the top left of the map. Does it line up within the containing hex? . . . both horizontally and vertically? If not, then adjust the start values (xStart and/or yStart) in the "board" object and repeat the test.		Place the first tile on a tray on the board near the top left of the map. Does it line up within the containing hex? . . . both horizontally and vertically? If not, then adjust the start values (xStart and/or yStart) in the "board" object and repeat the test.

	====Game Board Step Values====		===Game Board Step Values===
	Place the first tile on a tray on the board near the bottom right of the map. Does it line up within the containing hex? . . . both horizontally and vertically? If not, then adjust the step values (xStep and/or yStep) in the "board" object and repeat the test.		Place the first tile on a tray on the board near the bottom right of the map. Does it line up within the containing hex? . . . both horizontally and vertically? If not, then adjust the step values (xStep and/or yStep) in the "board" object and repeat the test.

	====Stock Market Start Values====		===Stock Market Start Values===
	Place the first token on a tray on the market in the top left price box. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Click on the four edges of the box. Is the token movement centered around the box? . . . both horizontally and vertically? If not, then adjust the start values (xStart and/or yStart) in the "market" object and repeat the test.		Place the first token on a tray on the market in the top left price box. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Click on the four edges of the box. Is the token movement centered around the box? . . . both horizontally and vertically? If not, then adjust the start values (xStart and/or yStart) in the "market" object and repeat the test.

	====Stock Market Step Values====		===Stock Market Step Values===
	Place the first token on a tray in a price box on the right edge of the market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Click on the four edges of the box. Is the token movement centered horizontally around the box? If not, then adjust the xStep value in the "market" object and repeat the test.		Place the first token on a tray in a price box on the right edge of the market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Click on the four edges of the box. Is the token movement centered horizontally around the box? If not, then adjust the xStep value in the "market" object and repeat the test.

	Place the first token on a tray in a price box on the bottom edge of the market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Click on the four edges of the box. Is the token movement centered vertically around the box? If not, then adjust the yStep value in the "market" object and repeat the test.		Place the first token on a tray in a price box on the bottom edge of the market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Click on the four edges of the box. Is the token movement centered vertically around the box? If not, then adjust the yStep value in the "market" object and repeat the test.

	====Tile Sheet yStep Value====		===Tile Sheet yStep Value===
	<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>		<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>

Line 118:		Line 55:
	For this test use a tile with six rotations. Place the tile anywhere on the board. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Rotate the placed tile. If the tile seems to become more and more clipped as it is rotated, then adjust the yStep value for the tile sheet object and repeat the test.		For this test use a tile with six rotations. Place the tile anywhere on the board. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Rotate the placed tile. If the tile seems to become more and more clipped as it is rotated, then adjust the yStep value for the tile sheet object and repeat the test.

	====Token Sheet xStep Value====		===Token Sheet xStep Value===
	<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>		<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>

Rich: /* Token Sheet xStep Value */

2015-07-12T17:25:43Z

Token Sheet xStep Value

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:25, 12 July 2015
Line 121:		Line 121:
	<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>		<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>

	Do this step for each ~~tile~~ sheet on the trey. Use the trey menu to display each tile sheet.		Do this step for each token sheet on the trey. Use the trey menu to display each tile sheet.
	But skip this test for any token sheet that has no tokens with a "flip" value of true.		But skip this test for any token sheet that has no tokens with a "flip" value of true.

Rich: /* The Actual Testing */ removed section on map height/width

2015-07-12T17:22:03Z

The Actual Testing: removed section on map height/width

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:22, 12 July 2015
Line 70:		Line 70:
	===The Actual Testing===		===The Actual Testing===
	The most common errors in a game box result from minor mis-measurements in the pixel counts of the images. So these are what we look at here.		The most common errors in a game box result from minor mis-measurements in the pixel counts of the images. So these are what we look at here.

	~~====Height and Width of Board and Market====~~
	~~<span style="color: Fuchsia">Since the "imgHght" and "imgWdth" parameters are no longer used as of 0.3.0; you can skip this test.</span>~~

	Start a game using your new game box, Does the board display correctly? If not check the "imgHght" and "imgWdth" parameters in the "board" object. Make any needed corrections and/or adjustments. Then reload the game board and test again. Be sure to check that the hexes are proportioned correctly.

	~~Do the same for the Stock Market.~~

	====Tile Sheet Values====		====Tile Sheet Values====

Rich: /* Other Ways To Get It Tested */ rename section

2014-11-13T02:33:29Z

Other Ways To Get It Tested: rename section

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 13 November 2014
Line 133:		Line 133:
	For this test use a token with a "flip" value of true. Place the token anywhere on the board or market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Flip the placed token. If the token seems to become clipped when it is fliped, then adjust the xStep value for the token sheet object and repeat the test.		For this test use a token with a "flip" value of true. Place the token anywhere on the board or market. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MOVE. Flip the placed token. If the token seems to become clipped when it is fliped, then adjust the xStep value for the token sheet object and repeat the test.

	==~~Other Ways~~ To Get It Tested==		==Another Way To Get It Tested==
	In an ideal world there would be an application called testGameBox which would do all of the above work for you.<br>		In an ideal world there would be an application called testGameBox which would do all of the above work for you.<br>
	But I currently have no such application. So I have decided to '''be''' that application.		But I currently have no such application. So I have decided to '''be''' that application.

Rich: /* Other Ways To Get It Tested */ Removed reference to forum

2014-11-13T02:28:59Z

Other Ways To Get It Tested: Removed reference to forum

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:28, 13 November 2014
Line 147:		Line 147:
	* Put all of your image files into the '''gameBoxName''' directory.		* Put all of your image files into the '''gameBoxName''' directory.
	* Zip up this directory structure.		* Zip up this directory structure.
	* Go to ~~the~~ [~~http://forum.~~board18.org~~/index.php?t=thread&frm_id=6 BOARD18 Developer Forum~~].		* Include this zip file in an Email sent to Rich Price [rich at board18.org].
	* ~~Log~~ in ~~to the forum. Join if you're not already a member.~~		* State in this Email that you have created a new game box. Also state the game it is for and that it is an untested game box.
	* Create a new topic in the forum stating that you have created a new game box, the game it is for and that it is an untested game box.
	* Attach the game box zip file to this topic before posting it.

	I will test the game box and report the results to ~~your forum topic~~.		I will test the game box and report the test results back to you in an Email.

Rich: /* Reloading the Modified Control File to the Database */

2014-07-24T01:52:32Z

Reloading the Modified Control File to the Database

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:52, 24 July 2014
Line 65:		Line 65:
	* Enter the following command on the command line:		* Enter the following command on the command line:
	php addJSONtoBox.php control/testGame.json		php addJSONtoBox.php control/testGame.json
	Replace '''control/testGame.json''' with the fully qualified name of your control file.		Replace '''control/testGame.json''' with the fully qualified name of your updated control file.
	* You should see the name, version and author of your game box displayed if the reload was successful.		* You should see the name, version and author of your game box displayed if the reload was successful.

Rich: /* Reloading the Modified Control File to the Database */ Updated for new utility

2014-07-24T01:50:38Z

Reloading the Modified Control File to the Database: Updated for new utility

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:50, 24 July 2014
Line 55:		Line 55:
	You can use this script to reload the JSON control file into the database without changing any other part of the table row for the game box.		You can use this script to reload the JSON control file into the database without changing any other part of the table row for the game box.

	~~====Setup the Reload Procedure====~~		Before you start testing you should make sure that the utility/config.php file has been modified for your environment. <br>See
	Before you start testing you should ~~setup~~ the ~~reload script, called addJSONtoBox~~. ~~Do these steps to accomplish~~ this:		[[How_To_Create_a_BOARD18_WEB_Site#Perform_these_steps_on_your_Linux_web_server \| this page]] for an explanation of the
			utility/config.php file.

	* Note down the database_name, the user_name and the password for the BOARD18 database. They are in the php/config.php file.
	* Start a terminal session on the database server.
	* Enter the following command on the command line:
	~~mysql -u ''user_name'' -p''password'' ''database_name''~~
	~~Do not leave a space between -p and the password!~~
	* Enter mysql command:
	~~select box_id, bname from box;~~
	* You should see output similar to the following:
	~~+--------+---------+~~
	~~\| box_id \| bname \|~~
	~~+--------+---------+~~
	~~\| 1 \| testBox \|~~
	~~+--------+---------+~~
	~~1 row in set (0.00 sec)~~
	* '''Make note of the box id for your testBox.'''
	* Exit mysql.
	* Start an edit session on the utility/addJSONtoBox file.
	* Find the line that reads '''mysql -u board18 -pboard18 <<QUERY_INPUT'''.
	* If necessary, change the user id and the password to match the values in the php/config.php file.
	* Find the line that reads '''use board18'''.
	* If necessary, change board18 to the database name in the php/config.php file.
	* Save the changed script file.

	~~====Do an Actual Reload====~~
	Every time that you make a change to the control file, you should reload the changed file to the database before retesting. To do this:		Every time that you make a change to the control file, you should reload the changed file to the database before retesting. To do this:

Line 87:		Line 64:
	* Go to the '''utility''' directory.		* Go to the '''utility''' directory.
	* Enter the following command on the command line:		* Enter the following command on the command line:
	.~~/addJSONtoBox box_id~~ control/testGame.json		php addJSONtoBox.php control/testGame.json
	Replace '''~~box_id''' with the value that you got from MySQL and '''~~testGame.json''' with the name of your control file.		Replace '''control/testGame.json''' with the fully qualified name of your control file.
	* You should see the name, version and author of your game box displayed if the reload was successful.		* You should see the name, version and author of your game box displayed if the reload was successful.

Rich: /* Token Sheet xStep Value */ added note

2014-07-08T17:06:22Z

Token Sheet xStep Value: added note

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:06, 8 July 2014
Line 149:		Line 149:

	====Token Sheet xStep Value====		====Token Sheet xStep Value====
			<span style="color: Fuchsia">If you used the provided GIMP Python scripts to produce the sheet then this test is probably not necessary.</span>

	Do this step for each tile sheet on the trey. Use the trey menu to display each tile sheet.		Do this step for each tile sheet on the trey. Use the trey menu to display each tile sheet.
	But skip this test for any token sheet that has no tokens with a "flip" value of true.		But skip this test for any token sheet that has no tokens with a "flip" value of true.