Easier to upgrade: Allowing local settings to override defaults in vbs scripts?

[jarr3]

I have posted this question on VPF and an issue on github as well... 

 

Currently it is "meant" that you change your local "vpmkeys.vbs" file to change certain defaults. (keyStagedFlipperL, toggleKeyCoinDoor among others)

A serious problem with this is that it gets more and more complicated to do updates of the components, and that you easily can overwrite your local changes to these files on each update.

 

I am thinking on how to allow storing settings to certain variables in a local vbs file, which is only loaded when it exists. Could it be possible?

 

This is what I finally ended up with doing: (in WPC.vbs, Bally.vbs and so on)

 

Private Sub LoadCore
    On Error Resume Next

    If VPBuildVersion < 0 Or Err Then
        Dim fso : Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") : Err.Clear
                ExecuteGlobal fso.OpenTextFile("core.vbs", 1).ReadAll    : If Err Then MsgBox "Can't open ""core.vbs""" : Exit Sub
                ExecuteGlobal fso.OpenTextFile("VPMKeysCustom.vbs", 1).ReadAll : If Err and Err.Number <> 53 Then MsgBox "Error loading your custom ""VPMKeysCustom.vbs"": " & Err.Number
                ExecuteGlobal fso.OpenTextFile("VPMKeys.vbs", 1).ReadAll : If Err Then MsgBox "Can't open ""VPMKeys.vbs"":" & Err.Number: Exit Sub
        Else
                ExecuteGlobal GetTextFile("core.vbs")    : If Err Then MsgBox "Can't open ""core.vbs"""    : Exit Sub
                ExecuteGlobal GetTextFile("VPMKeysCustom.vbs") : If Err and Err.Number > 0 Then MsgBox "Error loading your custom ""VPMKeysCustom.vbs"":" & Err.Number
                ExecuteGlobal GetTextFile("VPMKeys.vbs") : If Err Then MsgBox "Can't open ""VPMKeys.vbs"":" & Err.Number: Exit Sub
        End If
End Sub

 

And then in VPMKeysCustom.vbs

 

' Changing the defaults from VPMKeys.vbs

Const toggleKeyCoinDoor	 = False
Const inverseKeyCoinDoor = True

 

What happens here is that before loading VPMKeys, it will load VPMKeysCustom and here you can define the values to your constants.

In VPMKeys there is an "On Error Resume Next" statement, so that any exception regarding already defined values is ignored...

 

You can find these tests in my fork on GitHub 

 

What do you think?

Edited February 21, 2025 by jarr3
Added link to github