Any interest in a Mount & Blade IDE?

[kefka95]

Lately I've become somewhat intrigued with the notion of creating an IDE that's designed specifically for the Mount & Blade module system.  By IDE, I mean a code editor that features context-sensitive autocomplete, syntax error checking, auto-indent, operator definitions that are visible while you type, etc.  There seem to be lots of existing editors for the "itemized" components of the module system (ie, things that are in a concrete pre-defined format, such as items, troops, parties, etc).  However, there don't seem to be many tools available for actually writing code.

This is of course assuming I could even manage to create such a thing (I believe I could, although I may also just fall on my face!). 

A few questions first:

• Is the M&B modding community still active enough that there would be interest in something like this?  I assume that modding activity is already tapering off in anticipation of Bannerlord (or just the fact that Warband is getting on in age), but it also may be a while before Bannerlord is released, and I'm not sure to what extent existing mods would continue to be maintained after Bannerlord is released.
  
• Is there even a need for a real IDE, or are most modders perfectly happy with the tools they have (ie, Notepad++ or whatever other text editors people use)?
  
• Has there been any indication of what modding capabilities Bannerlord will have?  Another reason to do this would be to prepare for the release of Bannerlord, on the assumption that it will have similar modding capabilities (and assuming that Taleworlds doesn't release an editor of their own).  Even if it has an entirely different modding system, it would at least be good practice for building a Bannerlord IDE.

In any case, I may do it anyway just for fun, even if it never turns into a "real" full-featured thing.  If nothing else, it seems like an interesting challenge.  However, if people tell me that it's an utterly stupid and pointless idea, then I probably won't waste any time on it.  Any feedback you have to offer would be appreciated!

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

It's a good idea, and would help cut down on the common error of misplaced brackets/commas. But you'd have to write different syntaxes for many of the module_file.py files, since a lot of them run differently. That and the fact that ssme of the files have changes in code structure mid-file.

The IDE for python in notepad++ is already quire flexible and picks up on about 70% of syntax errors. There are probably tutorials on how to add plugins to it (I'm not sure about the difficulty of something like that). That might be a little better than making a text editor from scratch, since most people here seem to use notepad++, and probably are quite attached to the features on it.

 

[Kelthin]

I am too used to Notepad++, but i'd definitely take a shot at this if you did, and i think it could be useful for the new people coming, and even intermediate coders.

 

[Pumpkin Lord]

I would definitely use such an editor. Go for it, kefka.

 

[ArchieDuke]

Pretty good idea, I'd definitely use it!

 

[Heroes_Witch_King]

I'm also quite interested in this, I think you should give it a try kefka95, if you need any help whilst making this, just shoot me a PM and I will see what I can do to help you out.

 

[kefka95]

Thanks for the feedback.  I've already gotten started, although I wouldn't expect to see a working product for a while yet!

 

[Swyter]

Thanks for the feedback.  I've already gotten started, although I wouldn't expect to see a working product for a while yet!

An open source Notepad++ plugin for M&B modding is an excellent idea, and could simplify it a lot, giving you already much of the needed framework.