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Open Brush, Open Blocks, Icosa Gallery•2y ago

Adding new stuff to .sketch file save/load

OK. I'm going to have to refresh my own memory of this! If I were you I'd start by changing this setting:

No description

70 Replies

andybakOP•2y ago

That makes Open Brush save sketches as a folder instead of the default (a zip file with .sketch extension) - this will make it easier to check the JSON to see if you're doing what you think you're doing. Just don't commit that change! Next - have a look at SketchMetadata.cs. Anything related to layers is a good model to follow as that was the last change to the file format we made.

    [Serializable]
    public class LayerMetadata
    {
        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)]
        public string Name;
        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)]
        public bool Visible;
    }

    [Serializable]
    public class LayerMetadata
    {
        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)]
        public string Name;
        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)]
        public bool Visible;
    }

That defines a class for each layer.

        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)]
        public LayerMetadata[] Layers { get; set; }

        [JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)]
        public LayerMetadata[] Layers { get; set; }

That declares it in the SketchMetadata class and makes sure JSON.Net knows what to do with it

andybakOP•2y ago

That property is used in 3 places:

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andybakOP•2y ago

Also - there are 5 places that the LayerMetaData class itself is referenced:

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andybakOP•2y ago

Look at the code in those places and see how it's done. @Seethrough - is that enough to get you started? I'd like to have some input into the data structure you decide on. And - I also want to add a transform property to the LayerMetadata as I am going to try implementing moveable layers soon. Bear that in mind.

Seethrough•2y ago

yes this is excellent the simplest way I was thinking of was just adding an array wrapper around the already existing formatting for the layers in json, along with some variable for the framerate of the animation but I doubt that's going to be the best way to do it long term A dict might be better as 2D array not be good for sparse layer usage (in the case there are a lot of empty canvases)

andybakOP•2y ago

Remember Layers != Canvases They do currently - but not after your changes. "Layers" conceptually are the top level things.

Seethrough•2y ago

yup sorry slip of the tongue

andybakOP•2y ago

the simplest way I was thinking of was just adding an array wrapper around the already existing formatting for the layers in json

But that doesn't make sense then surely? There won't be an array of Layers - you're adding a new thing beneath that for frames. Maybe I'm misunderstanding you. Here's how I see it conceptually: Layer 1 > Frame1, Frame2 etc Layer 2 > Frame1 Frame2 etc Before your changes Layer==Canvas. After your changes Frame==Canvas

Seethrough•2y ago

oh nono each frame has a list of layers I've sorted it by time first and then layer second

andybakOP•2y ago

What does the user think is a "Layer"? it's the thing on the layers panel.

Seethrough•2y ago

the user can think of layers as the number of canvases each frame has frame being a unit of time

andybakOP•2y ago

These are layers:

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Seethrough•2y ago

okay so those

andybakOP•2y ago

They contain frames.

Seethrough•2y ago

I suppose the right word would be layer tracks?

andybakOP•2y ago

No. They are layers! we've already named them

Seethrough•2y ago

when they click on the button they'll be drawing on the same layer number for each frame I didn't necessarily mean in code but just as a way of understanding basically

andybakOP•2y ago

A Layer contains Frames. I don't see how anything else makes sense.

Seethrough•2y ago

Conceptually that makes sense too

andybakOP•2y ago

Can you paste in your current UI for comparison?

Seethrough•2y ago

but in code to make it easier I've organized it so that frames contain the layers

andybakOP•2y ago

forget the code we can rename the code

Seethrough•2y ago

oh in that case then you're right sure it hasn't changed hang on

Seethrough•2y ago

No description

Seethrough•2y ago

my headset isn't on so lets just use this to save time only difference is timeline is at the top and the play button has an icon

andybakOP•2y ago

Yeah - each row is a Layer. Each dot is a frame

Seethrough•2y ago

yeah

andybakOP•2y ago

right. we agree 🙂

Seethrough•2y ago

yes

andybakOP•2y ago

So the thing in the JSON should match the user's understanding. (and so should the code eventually)

Seethrough•2y ago

well the reason I organized it the other way around is that playback is easier to think about when coding just one frame after the other

andybakOP•2y ago

currently we have something like:

    Layers: [
        {Name: "Layer1", Visible: true},
        {Name: "Layer2", Visible: true},
    }

    Layers: [
        {Name: "Layer1", Visible: true},
        {Name: "Layer2", Visible: true},
    }

What data do you need per frame?

Seethrough•2y ago

I suppose so. I think even without looking at code my brain organizes it into frames first that might be where the confusion comes from

andybakOP•2y ago

I don't really understand how you see it. frames belong to layers, yes? You can have one layer with 20 frames and another layer with 1 frame. Correct? And a frame is never associated with more than one layer?

Seethrough•2y ago

Atm each frame is a list of layers, plus a deleted variable for undoing that's not needed for saving though so just the list no not really

andybakOP•2y ago

Atm each frame is a list of layers, plus a deleted variable for undoing

is that using your "swapped around" terminology?

Seethrough•2y ago

each layer has to have the same number of frames

andybakOP•2y ago

Let's temporarily use new words to force us both to use the same taxonomy. Otherwise we keep meaning different things.

Seethrough•2y ago

each frame is just a timestamp that can be filled but isn't necessarily. That's what the filled dots are supposed to depict

andybakOP•2y ago

Let's use "Track" and "SingleThing" - just for now, ok?

Seethrough•2y ago

yes yes

andybakOP•2y ago

stop a sec i'm completely lost until we sort out terminology

Atm each frame is a list of layers, plus a deleted variable for undoing

this made my brain melt. Let's start again using new words Stop me if i say anything thats incorrect.

Seethrough•2y ago

ok

andybakOP•2y ago

Atm each "Track: is a list of "SingleThing"s, plus a deleted variable for undoing

ok? And a "SingleThing" can never belong to more than one "Track"? And "Tracks" have multiple "SingleThings"?

Seethrough•2y ago

Yes except the deleted variable at the moment yes yes again

andybakOP•2y ago

ok. good. so:

Tracks: [
        {Name: "Track1", Visible: true, Things: [...]},
        {Name: "Track2", Visible: true, Things: [...]},
    }

Tracks: [
        {Name: "Track1", Visible: true, Things: [...]},
        {Name: "Track2", Visible: true, Things: [...]},
    }

OK?

Seethrough•2y ago

yup that's doable haha sorry for the confusion

andybakOP•2y ago

So - forget what things are called in the code. Think what the User will see "Tracks" should be called "Layers" ok?

Seethrough•2y ago

yep

andybakOP•2y ago

and "Things" are what the user will regard as "Frames"? so - that's what I will call them. If you have it the other way in your head then keep it to yourself 😉

Seethrough•2y ago

this feels blasphemous but okay I'll need to rewrite the code to reflect it so I don't go insane

andybakOP•2y ago

You nearly sent me insane using the terms the other way around! 😉

Seethrough•2y ago

haha okay is the json really this simple though?

andybakOP•2y ago

I don't know - i wanted to make sure we had the hierarchy correct first.

Seethrough•2y ago

Okay no worries I'm used to json so I'm just surprise you can use it In previous project I've had to make my own file types

andybakOP•2y ago

Here's the real JSON from a save on my drive:

  "Layers": [
    {
      "Name": "Main Canvas",
      "Visible": true
    },
    {
      "Name": "Layer Foo",
      "Visible": true
    }
  ],

  "Layers": [
    {
      "Name": "Main Canvas",
      "Visible": true
    },
    {
      "Name": "Layer Foo",
      "Visible": true
    }
  ],

Seethrough•2y ago

wow what about the data? the strokes

andybakOP•2y ago

totally separate. that's stored in a binary blob

Seethrough•2y ago

in a different file? that makes more sense

andybakOP•2y ago

No description

andybakOP•2y ago

That's the contents of a .sketch file

Seethrough•2y ago

ohh okay when you say .sketch is that the compressed version? like a zip?

andybakOP•2y ago

it literally is a zip.

Seethrough•2y ago

or is it stored as 3 separate files in a folder okay awesome

andybakOP•2y ago

rename any .sketch to .zip and you can see those 3 files

Seethrough•2y ago

okay this helps a lot I thought the save file would just be one

andybakOP•2y ago

but remember where i said:

No description

andybakOP•2y ago

change that while developing this to make life easier then it won't zip the sketch when you save

Seethrough•2y ago

yeah already did that thanks for the help navigating all of that would have been a nightmare

andybakOP•2y ago

Shame we used the word "Layer" prematurely. If we'd stuck to Canvas until now we'd have been fine! Maaaaybe. We could keep "Layer" to mean frame. And use "Track" when we're talking about animation? i'd be open to persuasion on that.

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