Some of you may have noticed the Extra Data option added (almost) recently. This can be used alongside modifiable dependencies to modify and update trigger libraries of mods from within a map file, all without changing documents. For those of us working on large scale projects that use a mod (or handful of mods) across multiple maps, this feature is a huge workflow improvement.
How to:
1. Open up your dependencies and right click the desired mod in the left pane. Check "Modifiable"
2. In the trigger module, click on Data > Extra Data
3. Ensuring the desired mod is in your StarCraft II/Mods folder, select the desired mod and hit "OK"
4. Notice that marking your mod as modifiable changes it's color to blue in the library pane of the trigger module, allowing you to make changes to the library. Unsaved changes are marked by an asterisk next to the library's name. Adding the mod as extra data allows you to save changes made to the mod, overwriting the mod file and applying your changes to all maps using the mod.
CAVEATS
There may be more undiscovered features within Extra Data yet to be documented. Extra Data only works with mods saved as .SC2Mods and not with .SC2Components. It appears that you can only save the mod if StarCraft 2 is not currently running an instance of a map using the mod (ie, you have to close the game to save the mod before relaunching to test the map)—which is unfortunate, but still a significant improvement over the previous document-switching method.
Extra data and modifiable dependencies allow you to make changes to trigger libraries within the mod. This has no impact on game data, as the data module always modifies the current document's XML.
Some of you may have noticed the Extra Data option added (almost) recently. This can be used alongside modifiable dependencies to modify and update trigger libraries of mods from within a map file, all without changing documents. For those of us working on large scale projects that use a mod (or handful of mods) across multiple maps, this feature is a huge workflow improvement.
How to:
1. Open up your dependencies and right click the desired mod in the left pane. Check "Modifiable"
2. In the trigger module, click on Data > Extra Data
3. Ensuring the desired mod is in your StarCraft II/Mods folder, select the desired mod and hit "OK"
4. Notice that marking your mod as modifiable changes it's color to blue in the library pane of the trigger module, allowing you to make changes to the library. Unsaved changes are marked by an asterisk next to the library's name. Adding the mod as extra data allows you to save changes made to the mod, overwriting the mod file and applying your changes to all maps using the mod.
CAVEATS
There may be more undiscovered features within Extra Data yet to be documented. Extra Data only works with mods saved as .SC2Mods and not with .SC2Components. It appears that you can only save the mod if StarCraft 2 is not currently running an instance of a map using the mod (ie, you have to close the game to save the mod before relaunching to test the map)—which is unfortunate, but still a significant improvement over the previous document-switching method.
@PirateArcade | I make games | Ask me things on Discord
Tried changing a unit name in a mod, added as a dependency (modifiable), through a map. Opening the mod doesn't have the saved changes.
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@GnaReffotsirk: Go
Extra data and modifiable dependencies allow you to make changes to trigger libraries within the mod. This has no impact on game data, as the data module always modifies the current document's XML.
@PirateArcade | I make games | Ask me things on Discord