[Guide] Setting up Visual Studio for Programmable Block Scripting

First watch this video. The important parts to watch are till 3:35.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAh1bNfRLPw

In addition to the using statements they include in this video, you also need to include this:

Code:

using Sandbox.ModAPI.Ingame;
using Sandbox.ModAPI.Interfaces;

Add this as a local variable of your script class

Code:

IMyGridTerminalSystem GridTerminalSystem;

From there intellisence is magic.

A sample c# class should look like below.

Code:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Sandbox.Common;
using Sandbox.Common.Components;
using Sandbox.Common.ObjectBuilders;
using Sandbox.Definitions;
using Sandbox.Engine;
using Sandbox.ModAPI.Ingame;
using Sandbox.ModAPI.Interfaces;
using Sandbox.Game;
 
<div>namespace Scripts
{
    class StatusReport
    {
        IMyGridTerminalSystem GridTerminalSystem;
        //http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=360966557
</div> 
<div>        void Main()
        {
            List&lt;IMyTerminalBlock> blocks;
 
            blocks = new List&lt;IMyTerminalBlock>();
            GridTerminalSystem.GetBlocksOfType&lt;IMyRadioAntenna>(blocks);
            if (blocks.Count == 0) return;
            IMyRadioAntenna antenna = blocks[0] as IMyRadioAntenna;
 
            antenna.SetCustomName("Hello Galaxy!");
        }
</div>    }
}

When copying and pasting from Visual Studio to in game

• Do not copy any of the using statements
• Do not copy the namespace
• Do not copy the class
• Do not copy the "IMyGridTerminalSystem GridTerminalSystem;" line
• Basically just copy any local variables, the main method, and any other sub-methods you make
• Makes sure to not include any closing curly braces for the class / namespace

Example:

Code:

<div>        void Main()
        {
            List&lt;IMyTerminalBlock> blocks;
 
            blocks = new List&lt;IMyTerminalBlock>();
            GridTerminalSystem.GetBlocksOfType&lt;IMyRadioAntenna>(blocks);
            if (blocks.Count == 0) return;
            IMyRadioAntenna antenna = blocks[0] as IMyRadioAntenna;
 
            antenna.SetCustomName("Hello Galaxy!");
        }
</div>

 

Cheers dude.

Been looking for something like this for a good while now
Love programming but never know where to start and when I do I get confused a bit cause I don't know what all the variables can be used or what can be used and stuff.

This made it so much easier =3

 

Updated. Should also use Sandbox.ModAPI.Interfaces

 

Finally got it. Thanks CV

 

Hello everyone,

What better way to introduce myself than posting a little tibdit of a test I made yesterday :

Code:

void Main() 
{ 
        List<IMyTerminalBlock> blocks = new List<IMyTerminalBlock>();  
        Sandbox.ModAPI.Interfaces.ITerminalAction ba; 

        GridTerminalSystem.GetBlocksOfType<IMyInteriorLight>(blocks);  

        blocks.ForEach(delegate(IMyTerminalBlock b)
        { 
                ba=b.GetActionWithName("OnOff_Off"); 
                ba.Apply(b); 
        } );
}

It basically turns off all Interior Lights in the current grid, using a Lambda function (delegate/anonymous, which I thought didn't work as per KSW's instructions) that describes what to do with each light object.
Also, since the ForEach word is not working, I instead used the generic function ForEach contained within ALL collections declared of the type List<T>.
My pc slowed down quite a lot for a moment when I ran it, but I don't know if it's a performance issue of the ForEach function itself, or because my station has well over a hundred lights to turn off. I'm not native to C#, I'm more into Java (desktop, not mobile) and PHP, so I can't know for certain.

This programmable block is a fun addition indeed, but as a programmer myself, I must admit it isn't precisely a user-friendly thing, since regular folk aren't programmers, probably something worth checking out, providing sample scripts and the like, since the guide was helpful for me even if I had to work it out a little, but assumes advanced programming knowledge (most notably, how class inheritance and class templating works) that isn't precisely day-to-day stuff.

Regards.

 

Little update for better styling:

Code:

#region pre_script
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Sandbox.Common;
using Sandbox.Common.Components;
using Sandbox.Common.ObjectBuilders;
using Sandbox.Definitions;
using Sandbox.Engine;
using Sandbox.ModAPI.Ingame;
using Sandbox.ModAPI.Interfaces;
using Sandbox.Game;
namespace Scripts
{
    class ExampleScipt
    {
        IMyGridTerminalSystem GridTerminalSystem;
#endregion pre_script
[COLOR= #880000]/* http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=360966557 */[/COLOR]
void Main()
{
    List<IMyTerminalBlock> blocks  = new List<IMyTerminalBlock>();
    GridTerminalSystem.GetBlocksOfType<IMyRadioAntenna>(blocks);
    if (blocks.Count == 0) return;
    IMyRadioAntenna antenna = blocks[0] as IMyRadioAntenna;
    antenna.SetCustomName("Hello Galaxy!");
}
#region post_script
    }
}
#endregion post_script

So now you can collapse pre and post regions, and only script body will be displayed in VS editor.

 

Great idea!

 

I just wanted to suggest instead of Visual Studio Express, Use Visual Studio 2013 Community Edition. It's the most up to date version that's free and it allows the use of extensions/packages through Nuget unlike Express.

 

I also suggest that when you want modify a script you open with your favorite IDE the file here:

C:\Users\$username\AppData\Roaming\SpaceEngineers\IngameScripts\local\$name_of_the_script\Script.cs

 

And sometimes you want/need

using VRageMath;

to use different types and classes (e.g. Color, Vectors)

 

I think there may have been an update because when I make a script it isn't there. Do I need to save it somewhere outside the programmable block?

 

May I suggest that this guide is updated to use the new base class?

 

I can do you one better.

 

Does not change my suggestion, the script setups should use the MyGridProgram base class

 

I used your new interface, not your base class, I will try some tests with the base, I did not want your wiring getting in the way of testing however it might not cause an issue.

 

There should (hopefully) be no problems. What you do is use the base class for the script template, but cast to the interface in any testing framework you'd like to use in order to simulate its features. This is what the PB now does, actually. But it was meant as a suggestion, nothing else.

 

Just dabbling in the coding side of things for the first time, thought I'd make it a bit easier on myself with visual studio.
I followed the instructions via the video link in the OP.
However when it comes to linking the references I got a little stuck.
It seems keen has rearranged the files in the bin folder and some of the files specified to reference were no longer present and there are a bunch of new ones in there too.
You guys know which .dll files I need to incorporate into my VS document?

I have a ridiculously good idea for a script that I can't wait to create.

 

You can use my templates (instructions included) if you like, the references are pre-wired, you only need to put in the location of the install.

UPDATE: Added a VISX installer to auto-copy the templates, just run the VISX and look for templates starting with the name BSET. For more info check out the wiki.

 

All scripts are derived from MyGridProgram so -

Code:

 class ExampleScipt : MyGridProgram 

is more accurate to use as a wrapper class, it removes the need for declaring your own GridTerminalSystem and exposes Me, Storage, etc.
Which is nice

 

When the programming libraries have been updated, how do I make sure my local ones I've linked to in Visual Studio are also updated? Or is it done automatically?
Thanks!

 

It should happen automatically when you update your game, assuming you linked the ones in the game directory and didn't make local copies for some reason.

 

Good to know. Thanks!

 

I have two problems, i can not find the VRage.common.dll (ive searched it with the explorer, not only visually) and i can not use Sandbox.Common.ObjectBuilders which gives an error saying ObjectBuilders is not found in Sandbox.common. I suppose ObjectBuilders is defined in the missing dll?

Ps.: Why is not this thread pinned?

 

Solved, i include VRage.Game.dll and that's it.

 

Ah, I was wondering about that one. Just added it. Do I have to do "using VRage.Game.ObjectBuilders" or something like that?

I also added VRage.Native.dll. I don't know if that does anything, though.

 

Honestly i have no idea what's included in ObjectBuilders, i have not searched it in the documentation, but i have it just as the KSH's video says: using Sandbox.Common.ObjectBuilders;
Though it seems to be in the VRage dll that using line gives me no errors, so...

Now i have other problems ops:, f.i. it seems that don't recognize Echo and Storage.

 

Have you done the MyGridProgram change?

class ExampleScript : MyGridProgram

Someone mentioned that this opens up Storage... don't know if it opens access to Echo.

 

Oh, tks, no errors now in Main and in methods, but still errors in classes... should i create all the classes that way? o_O

Edit: sorry, the error in the classes is: Cannot access a non-static member of outer type 'Sandbox.ModAPI.Ingame.MyGridProgram' via nested type 'Scripts.ExampleScript.Leg'

Edit2: I answer myself: yes, i should create them that way, no errors now I suppose i should delete the ':' part when pasting to SE

 

I have it like this:

class ExampleScript : MyGridProgram {

And I got no errors. I put this before right before the section I am going to use for the in-game script. After this, I start my variable/constant declarations and go into the script. I close it ("}") at the end of the whole script - after the bit I'm using for the in-game script.

I also remove "IMyGridTerminalSystem GridTerminalSystem;"

The only part you need to paste into SE is the script section... which comes after "class ExampleScript : MyGridProgram {" - actually the stuff between that and its closing bracket. All the stuff previous is just to get it working in VS.

 

I know that.

Man, what a shock, you have to open the F**** region when you load the script, i thought i lost all the work cause i didn't saw the code!!!!ops: