I don't think anyone would object to someone starting an AGS branch to re-implement setup for a future version. S/he could even allow an AGS game to be interrogated via the command line, thereby enabling external setup applications.By the way, I wrote a post regarding this year ago: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=49969.msg636517935#msg636517935
I didn't mean it as a resource, more like a file with a specific name and that must have a specific size, located in the .exe's folder. If it's there, then display the image. If it's not, then don't. Same thing for the custom hyperlink: if the correpsonding custom entry is in the configuration file, then display it. otherwise don't.That's relatively easier to implement on its own, but having picture that may or not be there still would require to overhaul the arrangement in the setup window, which I simply won't do right now.
I don't think anyone would object to someone starting an AGS branch to re-implement setup for a future version. S/he could even allow an AGS game to be interrogated via the command line, thereby enabling external setup applications.By the way, I wrote a post regarding this year ago: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=49969.msg636517935#msg636517935
I was leaning towards plugin interface though, although I won't object having some info returned to std output, which could be used as an alternative.
The reason why I was thinking about plugin, is that it gives engine little more control over what setup program does. For instance, in the AGS 3.3.5 I modified winsetup's module so that it no longer saves or loads config from the disk on its own, it just gets the strings map from the engine and works with that; and only engine knows where to load and save things at (this would also free setup from need to have a config file parser).
Naturally, plugin interface would require more work, because we would need to design a good API for enumerating and iterating some data from the engine, and send it back.
hiding all this stuff inside the AGS game file, strikes me as a step backwards. (Also, if settings are stored in the game file, doesn't that conflict with this whole security thing about not writing to the install directory?)I never said about writing settings in the game file. What I meant was that the engine knows where the config file is being written, loads and saves it how it needs, and only passes data to setup program. This way setup program's function is only to display these settings on screen and handle user modifications, then let engine store the settings as engine needs.