Standalone Puppack: Extra Parameters In CustomPos Should Be Ignored

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Introduction

In this article, we will explore a bug in the PupPack, a popular add-on for PinballX, a front-end for pinball machines. The bug is related to the CustomPos parameter in the Screen section of the screens.pup file. We will examine the issue, provide a solution, and discuss the implications of this bug.

Enabling PupPack

To enable PupPack, you need to modify the vbs file by setting the enablePupPack and enablePupDMD constants to True. Here is an example of the modified vbs file:

Const enablePupPack		= True
Const enablePupDMD      = True ' Enable PupPack must be true if this is set to true

Minimal Screens.pup File

To reproduce the bug, we need to create a minimal screens.pup file. We will remove some lines from the original file to create a simplified version. Here is the modified screens.pup file:

ScreenNum,ScreenDes,PlayList,PlayFile,Loopit,Active,Priority,CustomPos
2,Backglass,,,0,ForceBack,,
13,Overlay,,,0,ForceOn,,"2,0,0,100,100,4"

Triggers.pup File

The triggers.pup file is used to define triggers for the pinball machine. In this case, we have two triggers: one for the default backglass and another for the overlay image. Here is the triggers.pup file:

ID,Active,Descript,Trigger,ScreenNum,PlayList,PlayFile,Volume,Priority,Length,Counter,RestSeconds,Loop,Defaults
4,1,DefaultBackGlass,D0,2,Backglass,Backglass.mp4,,1,,,,SetBG,0
30,1,BackGlassAlpha,D0,13,PuPAlphas,Overlay.png,,2,,,,normal,0

Displaying the Overlay Image

When we run the pinball machine on Windows, the overlay image is displayed correctly on top of the backglass video. However, when we run the same machine on Linux, the overlay image is not displayed.

The Bug

After investigating the issue, we found that the problem lies in the CustomPos parameter in the screens.pup file. The CustomPos parameter has six values: 2,0,0,100,100,4. However, according to the PupPack documentation, the CustomPos parameter should have only five values: pupid # source screen,xpos,ypos,width,height. The extra parameter is causing the bug.

Fixing the Bug

To fix the bug, we need to modify the screens.pup file to remove the extra parameter from the CustomPos parameter. Here is the corrected screens.pup file:

ScreenNum,ScreenDes,PlayList,PlayFile,Loopit,Active,Priority,CustomPos
2,Backglass,,,0,ForceBack,,
13,Overlay,,,0,ForceOn,,"2,0,0,100,100"

Conclusion

In this article, we explored a bug in the PupPack related to the CustomPos parameter in the screens.pup file. We found that the bug was caused by an extra parameter in the CustomPos parameter, which was not documented in the PupPack documentation. We provided a solution to the bug by removing the extra parameter from the CustomPos parameter. We also discussed the implications of this bug and how it affected the display of the overlay image on Linux.

Recommendations

To avoid this bug, we recommend that users of the PupPack ensure that the CustomPos parameter in the screens.pup file has only five values: pupid # source screen,xpos,ypos,width,height. We also recommend that the PupPack developers document the correct format for the CustomPos parameter to prevent similar bugs in the future.

Future Work

In the future, we plan to investigate other potential bugs in the PupPack and provide solutions to these bugs. We also plan to work with the PupPack developers to improve the documentation and testing of the PupPack to prevent similar bugs in the future.

References

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored a bug in the PupPack related to the CustomPos parameter in the screens.pup file. We found that the bug was caused by an extra parameter in the CustomPos parameter, which was not documented in the PupPack documentation. In this article, we will provide a Q&A section to answer some common questions related to this bug.

Q: What is the PupPack?

A: The PupPack is a popular add-on for PinballX, a front-end for pinball machines. It provides a range of features and functionality to enhance the pinball experience.

Q: What is the CustomPos parameter?

A: The CustomPos parameter is a setting in the screens.pup file that allows users to specify the position of a screen on the pinball machine's display.

Q: What is the correct format for the CustomPos parameter?

A: The correct format for the CustomPos parameter is pupid # source screen,xpos,ypos,width,height. This format specifies the source screen, position, and size of the screen.

Q: Why is the extra parameter in the CustomPos parameter causing a bug?

A: The extra parameter in the CustomPos parameter is causing a bug because it is not documented in the PupPack documentation. This means that users are not aware of the correct format for the CustomPos parameter, and are therefore using an incorrect format, which is causing the bug.

Q: How can I fix the bug?

A: To fix the bug, you need to modify the screens.pup file to remove the extra parameter from the CustomPos parameter. Here is an example of the corrected screens.pup file:

ScreenNum,ScreenDes,PlayList,PlayFile,Loopit,Active,Priority,CustomPos
2,Backglass,,,0,ForceBack,,
13,Overlay,,,0,ForceOn,,"2,0,0,100,100"

Q: What are the implications of this bug?

A: The implications of this bug are that the overlay image is not displayed correctly on Linux. This means that users may not be able to see the overlay image, which can affect the overall pinball experience.

Q: How can I prevent this bug in the future?

A: To prevent this bug in the future, you can ensure that you use the correct format for the CustomPos parameter. You can also check the PupPack documentation to ensure that you are using the latest and correct version of the PupPack.

Q: What is the next step in fixing this bug?

A: The next step in fixing this bug is to work with the PupPack developers to improve the documentation and testing of the PupPack. This will help to prevent similar bugs in the future and ensure that users have a smooth and enjoyable pinball experience.

Conclusion

In this article, we provided a Q&A section to answer some common questions related to the bug in the PupPack. We hope that this article has been helpful in understanding the bug and how to fix it. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us.

References