URGENT — Guide to Keybinds in Page 7 — URGENT

[Shenanigunner]

All users who create and modify their keybinds need to know that there has been a signficant change in how the overall keybind feature works with Issue 27 Page 7.

 

• It is strongly recommended that you do not use any "save binds" command or feature, whether an Options menu command or the /bindsave and/bindsavefile slash commands. You risk losing some or all of your keybind declarations unless you use caution and are certain to have backup versions saved.

 

Once again —

 

Do not save binds from any CoX command or menu!

 

Background

With the release of Page 7, significant changes were made to the keybind system, making the largely unused "Profiles" feature more dominant and all but removing the ability to save a complete record of the keybinds in use, both default and custom.

 

This change accomplishes little or nothing for users and is reportedly driven by a Dev choice to clean up the relevant code and operations that combine keybind assignment and 'profiles.'

 

• If you don't use custom binds, you need not read further. (Although if you don't use binds, it's not clear why you're bothering to read this topic! 🙂 )
• If you use a few custom binds, entered from Chat, this will affect you in minor ways.
• If, however, you are an advanced bind user and rely on editing and loading bind files as part of your game, UI and alt management, things have changed in a considerable way and, without care and caution, you could lose all your hard-developed work in one unconsidered move.

 

Bind File Safety, post-Page 7

For "binders," the primary change to the system is that the game will no longer write back the complete set of binds; it begins by writing back a "key_profile" setting, representing one or another set of default binds, and then any custom binds that have been entered.

 

If you have a single bindfile, saving the system binds will overwrite it and potentially erase any binds that are not recognized as custom.

 

If you rely at any point on the complete set of default binds, you can no longer download them. They will all be represented in new bindsave operations by that single profile keyword.

 

If you are an advanced bind wrangler, you should first find any original, raw set of binds you may have downloaded and make sure it is protected and archived; you cannot, as of Page 7, re-acquire it.

 

If you use only one set of binds, it is STRONGLY recommended that you switch to a named file (other than the default 'keybinds.txt' to minimize the chances of a game action or mistake overwriting it with an essentially useless shortlist.

 

If you use named files for your alts or archetypes, it is recommended that you maintain separate upload and download versions. That is, use MrBadBoy-save.txt when you save or download current binds, and MrBadBoy-load.txt as your primary edit, archive and load file. And keep archive copies of everything, with every round of edits.

 

There is essentially no further value to saving/downloading binds except as a limited diagnostic tool, and that should be done with great care. Unless and until this change is reverted or modified, it is best consider binds a one-way, upload/load only process.

 

X <— Here's my one-guy, one-player, one-opinion vote that whatever further changes are made to the bind, bindfile and feeble 'Profile' system, that the ability to download a complete set of binds, including default, 'hidden,' 'system' and custom ones be restored. However irrelevant or "not broken" this change may be considered, it deeply cripples the entire save/review/edit/load/experiment cycle of bind development for all but the most dedicated and prepared players... and that's a significant loss no matter how it's considered.

[Vanden]

You're gonna have to explain how the game not saving default keybinds makes the save feature so dangerous. Why would I need those binds saved if they're default? Do you have actual documented instances of the game not recognizing custom keybinds as custom?

[Shenanigunner]

6 minutes ago, Vanden said:

You're gonna have to explain how the game not saving default keybinds makes the save feature so dangerous. Why would I need those binds saved if they're default? Do you have actual documented instances of the game not recognizing custom keybinds as custom?

 

I don't quite follow any of that.

 

With the change, the game no longer exports the complete bind set. It exports one "profile" code and any custom binds it happens to be holding. This makes what used to be a simple, open process into a cryptic one that (1) doesn't allow users to see all defined binds and (2) can overwrite an unknowing user's carefully constructed bindfile.

 

It's mostly that latter error, irretrievable if the user isn't cautious enough to keep backup and archive copies, that concerns me. Let's face it, most people don't bother to back up critical reports and homework assignments, much less something as trivial as their custom bind file, and until now you could always retrieve your binds with a save. No longer.

 

As for the first, being able to export all the currently defined binds, whether default or not, whether represented by menu items or not, is an extremely useful starting point for understanding binds and tinkering with them. Blocking this feature cripples both learning and data safety, and doing so to emphasize and stabilize a nearly useless "profile" feature is a very poorly thought-out move.

 

But mostly I'd like to make sure as many bind-manglers as possible know they can lose years of work in one casual move if they're not aware the function of bind_save has changed.

[Vanden]

9 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

With the change, the game no longer exports the complete bind set. It exports one "profile" code and any custom binds it happens to be holding. This makes what used to be a simple, open process into a cryptic one that (1) doesn't allow users to see all defined binds and (2) can overwrite an unknowing user's carefully constructed bindfile.

 

The profile code is just a line in the bind file that says KeyProfile (Classic/Default/whatever), and saving binds to an existing file would already overwrite that file if it existed. The only thing that's changed is that it won't write binds that are default on the chosen profile. And since those binds haven't been changed, why save them?

 

Could you describe a common, step-by-step bind customization procedure you'd normally do that worked with the old patches that doesn't work with the current?

Edited March 6 by Vanden

[Shenanigunner]

1 minute ago, Vanden said:

 

The profile code is just a line in the bind file that says KeyProfile (Classic/Default/whatever), and saving binds to an existing file would already overwrite that file if it existed. The only thing that's changed is that it won't write binds that are default on the chosen profile. And since those binds haven't been changed, why save them?

 

How is any user to know what the binds are if they can't export them? I don't argue that there's no real reason to do it on every save, but completely removing the ability to list the defaults breaks the informational/troubleshooting loop.

 

The profiles are as close to worthless as any leftover element of the game. There are three with extremely minor shifts of the control keys, and one with joystick binds. Fine, great, wonderful... but without that system being expandable, and without profiles that make real changes to the overall UI or can be saved as custom options, it's just fribble-frabble. Removing the ability to export the binds, once or every time, breaks an essential customization process.

[Vanden]

26 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

How is any user to know what the binds are if they can't export them? I don't argue that there's no real reason to do it on every save, but completely removing the ability to list the defaults breaks the informational/troubleshooting loop.

 

Why can't they export them? Does that mean something different than using the bindsave commands?

[Shenanigunner]

18 hours ago, Vanden said:

 

Why can't they export them? Does that mean something different than using the bindsave commands?

 

You can't export the default binds, of any 'profile,' at all under the new regime. Are you unaware or that or... just sort of arguing to argue, here?

[Vanden]

3 hours ago, Shenanigunner said:

You can't export the default binds, of any 'profile,' at all under the new regime. Are you unaware or that or... just sort of arguing to argue, here?

 

I'm trying to understand what the issue is. You need to be able to see what the default binds are? Is that what you're saying?

[Shenanigunner]

I am not sure what topic you're reading, here. I think the OP makes all the issues quite clear, but you keep asking very sideways questions as if you don't quite grasp anything about what it says, or how keybinds are managed beyond typing the odd one in via Chat. We seem to be down to a semantic debate over "export" vs "save" vs, I dunno, "Have Ms Liberty read them from a scroll" or something.

 

I think between the OP and repeated answers to the same effect, I've explained it as well as it can be explained. Maybe if you review the original post in RFC mode, and have some question you really think it doesn't address, I'll do my best with it.

• Extreme TL;DR version: As of P7, the game no longer exports the full set of keybinds with the bind-save commands or in any other way. This is a problem in at least two ways: it makes essential user information opaque/hard to determine, and it risks overwriting existing bindfiles and losing their content.

[Digirium]

Thanks for the heads-up, someone else also posted a warning about this issue elsewhere.

 

How about managing binds, or wrangling them a completely different way like creating a file that resets all binds then adds binds common to all your characters. Then creating a second file that contains binds for each character. I think it is never good practice to bind-on-the-fly in-game especially if there are now bad consequences.

 

For example, create and edit manually Reset.txt as follows:

f "follow"$$UnbindAll
alt+a ah
...

 

Then create and edit manually a file for each character (it could be loaded from a PopMenu listing all your characters).

 

This way you have a set of common binds, a specific set of binds per character and way to reset binds and a way re-establish them. The PopMenu that loads the character-specific binds could also offer to load the Reset too. If you want to switch the bind to another key, edit the Reset or the character file and Reset and load the character file. I think this is a clean way to manage bindings. No need to ever use BindSaveFile at all and you're totally in control.

 

And happily oblivious and unconcerned about the existence of profiles.

 

 

Edited March 7 by Digirium