Compiletime and Runtime

Compiletime

Note: this program only generates the neccessary files needed for compilation. You will have to compile the captions and convert the main directory to a VPK.

Command-Line syntax: <generator executable path> <source file> [-o, --outputdir] [-h, --help]

• <generator executable path> - File path to the generator.
• <source file> - Path to file used for compilation.
• -h, --help - Displays the help menu.
• -o, --output-dir - Output directory for configuration and caption files.

How do I use it?

1. Download the generator.

2. Create a file with the contents being your choice. You can use an example from this wiki.

3. Drag the file you created onto the generator.

You can also just use the command line if you want more customization.

Runtime

After compiling your command menus you then drop the output folder into <gamepath>/custom or just <gamepath> if there is no custom folder (e.g tf/custom). Now you need to execute "exec activate_cvm" before using your voicemenus' command menus, otherwise they will not work; this can be done manually or by putting the aformentioned line into a CFG file executed automatically.

To actually use the command menu you want, you first need to peer into your compiled command menu folder (and then the cfg folder), and then use the formatted and unformatted names of your command menus to figure the file of the wanted command menu. After that it's as simple just execing that command menu. Now the method used to run your command menus is based on preference, but I have templates of some methods below if you don't want to work out how to open them yourself.

Code template if you want to open/close a command menu by holding/releasing a key:

alias +<name> "exec $cmenu_<unformatted command menu name>"
alias -<name> "cmenu.exitmenu"
bind <KEY> +<name>

Code template if you want to open/close a command menu by pressing a key once/twice:

bind <KEY> +<name>
alias +<name 1> "exec $cmenu_<unformatted command menu name>"
alias -<name 1> "alias -<name> -<name 2>; alias +<name>	+<name 2>"
alias +<name 2> "cmenu.exitmenu"
alias -<name 2> "alias -<name> -<name 1>; alias +<name> +<name 1>"
-<name 2>

To open the command menu you want simply look into the complied command menu folder for the target command menu's unformatted name, which is prepended with "$cmenuopen_". If your compiled command menu is a VPK, then open it with either GCFScape or the VPK compiler that generally comes with your target Source game.

(If you need to change the cc_lang cvar at any time, the caption language that this program uses is commandmenu)

The Displays

If your command menus use captions, then you may notice that the display is slow and not where you want it to be. This is likely the result of your HUD. To change it locate your HUD's "hudlayout.res" file and find the "HudCloseCaption" element. The HUD element should look close to this:

HudCloseCaption
{
	"fieldName" "HudCloseCaption"
	"visible"	"1"
	"enabled"	"1"
	"xpos"		"c-250"
	"ypos"		"276"	[$WIN32]
	"ypos"		"236"	[$X360]
	"wide"		"500"
	"tall"		"136"	[$WIN32]
	"tall"		"176"	[$X360]

	"BgAlpha"	"128"

	"GrowTime"		"0.25"
	"ItemHiddenTime"	"0.2"  // Nearly same as grow time so that the item doesn't start to show until growth is finished
	"ItemFadeInTime"	"0.15"	// Once ItemHiddenTime is finished, takes this much longer to fade in
	"ItemFadeOutTime"	"0.3"
	"topoffset"		"0"
}

Note that the actual HudCloseCaption you need to modify will vary based on the HUD itself.

Now set GrowTime, ItemHiddenTime, ItemFadeInTime, and ItemFadeOutTime to 0; those values delay the appearance and disappearance of captions, which is bad if your command menu(s) use(s) captions to display your binds. The other values are up to your choosing, as their optimal values are subjective.