Call for character sheets (from all systems)

[MJEggertson]

I've been playing around with a few ideas for the last month or two, and a few days ago, I they sorta fell in place and I began coding.

What I'm trying to build is PC sheet record keeper, one that is generic to all systems, and allows anyone with good HTML design to make their own template sheets. Basically, the program provides the mechanics of saving/opening any type of character sheet you throw at it. It works by using HTML templates as the basis for the sheet, and populates the template with data from your specific character. Note that though it uses HTML templates, this is not an online resource.

Read: it if you can make a template for the system of interest, you can have a character sheet. The idea I'm going after here is nothing new, but I think the flexibility is. You can have any character sheet layout you desire. To be honest, the program wouldn't even be restricted to PC sheets: anything that you can design an HTML template for will work. Any data found in the modified template is saved and restored next time you open your character.

So, I'm going to be busy wresting with C++ for a while, which isn't going to give me much time to do sheet design. This is where I was hoping from some help from you. The success of this program will depend on the community's desire to get involved, since really, there is little use for another PC record keeping program. What there is room for though, is one that can handle any system you throw at it, from 3E D&D, to First Edition, from Rifts, to Ye Olde Custom Game of choice.

So: Is anyone interested in designing some PC sheets? Its really not that hard if you have a good grasp on HTML and CSS. I have one character sheet from my online service (click here) that I will be adapting into the program. I also may write one or two more class specific ones if time permits. When the program is done (a month or two?), I'd like to release it with a small collection of template sheets. And I'd like to support continued releases of new templates.

If you guys think this is a good idea, and you think you want to get involved, just respond, and I'll post more details about how the mechanics of it all works. In a few days, I may even have a (very rough) shell of a program available.

-Mike

 

[MJEggertson]

Heh, ok. To prove I'm not preaching vaporware, here's the current build.

3eprofiler.com/PCProfiler.zip (~1 MB)
Requirements: Explorer 4.0 or higher. Windows.

I didn't make a fancy install program or anything, this is just the zipped executable. Its huge too...because there's no install program. All files it's dependent on are linked directly into the exe. Except for Explorer.

The only thing that works so far is saving/loading documents. I've only been coding this for three days, and they've been work days too, so there really isn't much else there yet.

Try making a new file, saving it. You should see that it works. Also note there is scripting in the file. Almost anything you can do on a normal HTML document, you can do in your template (read the notes when the program starts up).

Support for multiple templates isn't built in yet, but you can use your template if replace the existing default.pcpt file. Note the pcpt file is just an html file, with a different extention.