this item has no properties in this context

i am new to isboxer, maybe that's why i have come to hate this sentence. my first reaction is: what does it do here then, why is it on the list. the explanation given, the same for all, does not help much unless you already know what to do. and that is my biggest problem with isboxer: it is written for people who know. if you dont know, you can try the chat room, and who knows, you might get lucky, or most probably not.
i am new to isboxer and i think it has in it the potential to be a great application, but as it is ,it is an esoteric, cryptic piece of programing that expects too much of its users and does not give enough in the beginning. of course, in a couple of months i will , hopefully, be laughing at how dense i was then. hopefully, because i am not laughing now. and Mirai? ilove your videos. but they are made in the same spirit as is boxer, you get the most of them if you already know what it is about. they are more refreshers' material that newbies. that is too bad, because you are really talented.

[lax]

I understand your frustration. Your criticism is relatively fair, but at the same time completely wrong. How would I gain new customers if my software, and indeed MiRai's videos, was "not much help unless you already know what to do". Yet somehow you're here, along with dozens of other new people every day. Some of whom need help following instructions or videos, some don't.

So about "This item has no properties in this context." Why is it there? How should I know, you didn't mention what it is that you clicked on that has no properties, or in what context. There's a ton of things you can click on and see this message, for different reasons. Usually it includes more of an explanation. If you think a particular one should get more information, then it would help us both for you to ask me something specific, instead of complaining that the entire ISBoxer interface sucks and MiRai's videos suck and it's impossible to use this software and the videos are impossible to follow.

Here's an example of one that doesn't provide much information... select "Game Helpers" in the top left pane. All it says is it has no properties in this context. I suppose I could understand flipping your lid over this one, but it has an expander next to it and World of Warcraft underneath it, which is what you would select to get an edit context in the bottom half instead of this message.

The ISBoxer editor is context-dependent. If, in the top left pane, you select a Character Set... then the bottom half of ISBoxer is reserved for editing your Character Set. Because that's what the top left pane and bottom halves are for. (The User Manual page of the documentation (at the top of the Help menu) explains the basic usage of the ISBoxer interface.)

I suppose the "Variable Keystrokes" page could be confusing you. If you select Variable Keystrokes in the top left pane, there is no "main options" for Variable Keystrokes so when it is first selected, the bottom right pane says "This item has no properties in this context" -- meaning the selected item in the bottom left pane. Sure, this could be replaced with information about Variable Keystrokes.

But again, you have not directed me to anything specific, so I can't specifically address anything you're trying to say. Love to help otherwise!

that's just it lax, your explanations need explanations. i am sorry to say that the interface really sucks, while the functionality, for what i have learned to use, and from what i can understand watching the video's, is really great. so no, i cannot be more specific, because it is the interface as a whole that i am struggling with.
an example: "drag a map key from the main tree to the tree on the left". what the hell does that mean. and it goes on an on at very click. is it me, am i too stupid to understand evident things?
ideally one should learn to use an application armed only with a reasonable common sense and the documentation. now i feel the for every function i want to learn, i have to ask how to do it., because what i read does not make much sense to me. i have learned in the 80's to program the x86 in assembler, and i have difficulties understanding isboxer. the quantity of text and the number of directions one has to follow (click this on the top, that on the bottom, dont forget the middle panel), is really pre-ms-dos era.
so sorry for all this negative remarks, but yes, i am pissed. this program deserves a much better interface, and so do we.

[lax]

You're right, the interface could be completely overhauled, and could use some pretty pictures. But the interface is not likely going to be completely overhauled until ISBoxer's replacement, and I don't have an ETA for you on that. My work is cut out for me.

"drag a map key from the main tree to the tree on the left". what the hell does that mean.

Well, sir, the main tree is where you find all of the major pieces of your ISBoxer configuration. It's the top left pane. If you have looked for a single thing in ISBoxer, you would probably understand that as being the main tree. I get that "the tree on the left" is ambiguous and could now be taken as either the top left, or bottom left, but given the context and that there is generally only one, or sometimes two, trees, it is easy to infer the meaning. Because I linked this and because you said you were armed with the documentation, I also have to assume you have seen the following image which is on the User Manual page (which explains the flow of the ISBoxer interface and basic usage of ISBoxer):

The numbers 1 2 and 3 are the order in which you would expect to navigate through the ISBoxer interface.

If you're asking me about "map key" you should note that the term is capitalized and, alone, conveys meaning. It's either a "Mapped Key", or a "Key Map". If you don't know what these things ARE, then absolutely, refer to the documentation. But, briefly, a Mapped Key is usually a key that is mapped. Like a Hotkey, which would be mapped to do something, like send a key to another window. A "Key Map" is a collection of Mapped Keys.

So yeah.. if you want to get into the meat of using everything ISBoxer has to offer, you're going to need to know how to follow the flow of the interface... and what a Mapped Key is.

Beyond that... well, let me know if you would actually like help with something.

[Alge]

is it me, am i too stupid to understand evident things?

Yes.

At this point you have 3 options as I see it:

1. Ask Lax for a refund. Goodbye, good riddance IMO.
2. Work it all out on your own because you have alienated a lot of the community here already. I plan to never knowingly help you in the future given your rudeness to me in IRC and your rudeness on the forums.
3. Apologise and start mending bridges. This is an enthusiast community so you have a lot of work to do.

Alge

[vecter]

I think you are going about this in the wrong frame of mind. Boxing isn't easy and nothing can be delivered on a silver platter to make it so. I really does take some effort beyond the "start up application and go."

On basic terms one could look through the howto's, FAQ's and videos, fire up ISBoxer, run the wizard, export, launch the team set and be off and running. That wont get you too far, but it's a start and gets you accustomed to interacting with your characters. Now what happens if you can't get passed the howto's, FAQ's and videos? I hate to say it, but not much can be done. The community has produced some excellent guides and many of the videos are spot on and quite professional. But at the end of the day it does take some intelligence, patience, and skill to get things working.

Now while I agree the interface leaves much to desire, it actually has gotten a lot better, believe me Much improved context help, better copy/pasting, and the wizard is kick ass. Always think of ISBoxer as working from the top down. You select something at the top, and edit that item at the bottom. For the most part this does the trick. Remember selecting the main category within the top left section of the ISBoxer window will not give you anything, you must click the little + box to expand the category to then select a sub-category. Selecting a sub-category will render a new section in the bottom half of the ISBoxer window. This is where a lot of the magic happens. This is where you add, edit, move, copy, paste items which in turn create usable functionality within the game you are playing (as long as it is supported.)

Read the guides and watch the videos. And if you have questions be specific.

[Ualaa]

Read through and follow the Key Map examples in this guide: http://isboxer.com/index.php/guides/9-w ... oxer-guide

Although many of these are included in the wizard now... so you don't actually need to do many of these...
They'll get you familiar with the interface.
At which point, you'll be able to follow a video or written guide more easily.

is it me, am i too stupid to understand evident things?

Yes.

At this point you have 3 options as I see it:

1. Ask Lax for a refund. Goodbye, good riddance IMO.
2. Work it all out on your own because you have alienated a lot of the community here already. I plan to never knowingly help you in the future given your rudeness to me in IRC and your rudeness on the forums.
3. Apologise and start mending bridges. This is an enthusiast community so you have a lot of work to do.

Alge

well, alge, if i have been rude to you i do apologize, but where the rest is concerned: this may be a community, but isboxer is not freeware, and because people have to pay to use it they are entitled not only to their opinions, but also to a certain level of professionalism. you are reacting as an enthousiast defending his hobby, which you have every right to do. i am reacting as a customer giving feedback on a product that i have purchased. i like the functionality of the program, i just wish that the learning curse was not so stiff. i prefer lax's answer which i consider fair enough: the interface needs an overhaul, but that's not something that can happen quickly, so try to make the best out of it.

[Alge]

Thanks for the apology. I apologise in turn for being heavy-handed.

Please read some of the advice above. It is good advice. That will be all from me.

i am finished as well. i intend to learn multiboxing and will invest time and energy in learning isboxer, but sometimes i get frustrated at my lack of comprehension and at the slow progress. thank you all for your understanding.