w3o to textfile(s) converter

OK, my other thread seems to be getting ignored but this should be a simple request. Is there something available that can take the object data from a warcraft map and produce nice text files, like one for units, one for items, etc., that simply lists each object and its associated properties. The txt files and slk files that you normally can extract from maps and mpq's are a mess. I want something simple and straightforward so I can make a script for my website that reads the files and automatically generates nice web pages describing the units/items/abilities.

I know back in the day there were all sorts of Spell Editors and Unit Editors that must have collated all those scattered txt and slk files. So there must be something at least halfway like what I want and it shouldn't be too hard form somebody too build what I'm asking for.

Thanks in advance to anybody that knows anything.

Well the unit/ability/whatever data is stored in war3map.w3a, war3map.w3u etc. and these files are pretty much textual.

1) widgetizer converts object data to slk
2) slk are txetfiles.

connect the dots.

1. Widgetizer converts object data into 51 different txt AND slk files. These files break the data up by race, object type (ability, units, upgrade...), and some other ways that make no sense to me, like HumanAbilityFunc.txt and HumanAbilityStrings.txt. Don't ask me what the rhyme or reason is with the organization of the slk files but there are a lot of those too.

2. Slk files are spreadsheet files not text files.

I could try to make something that reassembles all those files into what I want (Abilities.txt, Units.txt, Upgrades.txt, Items.txt). But that seems like a lot of stupid pointless work. Widgetizer, and probably other things scramble all that data up into various files and then it needs to be put back together. It would be better to just avoid the scrambling part. Or maybe that is just how Warcraft stores the data in maps internally, and the Object Editor assembles it all together for convenient editing. But then there should be some way to copy what the object editor does or maybe somebody has already done something like that.

On some other forum I found a reference to a utility that converts object data to text files, but the person never gave a link.

SLK files are textfiles, seriously.

As I said, you cannot wait till somebody makes a tool for you, for starters tools take compiler time, and as with "air" you don't want to waste it so you would have to be lucky enough to find someone that needs the exact same weapon so he makes it for you or you'd have to pay somebody.

It is way easier IMO to take the file format specs file and make your own data reader.

File format specs file?

I only dare to ask for this to be made (if it has to) because I think it could be useful for a lot of people.

Programming a tool that combines everything into a single file is a lot of work.
And none of the existing tools needs that, since that's just not the way data is organized in war3.

I'm pretty sure you won't find anyone who wants to waste his time on it, considering how useless (imo) it is. Well, I know what you would use it for, but then again I fail to see what a website that lists the stats of units/spells is good for.

I can provide c++ code for reading .w3u, .w3a etc and wts files, but i think that's not needed because you would be better off simply gethering all the info from a widgetized version of the map.

If you have code for reading w3u/w3a files isn't that combining all of the data into one file and thus the work is done?

Most serious games have websites somewhere that you can see what all is available within the game. It helps newcomers see what the game has to offer and helps experienced players develop strategies. It can even serve as a helpful reference for myself since I can't remember the stats for everything in my map and it can be quicker to browse than the Object Editor.

I'd be more interested in a semi-standalon object editor, so I don't have to load we just for a few changes here and there.

Thats the same thing this topic made me think of... A 'better' object editor would rock.

No, first you have to gather the default values from all SLK and TXT files.
Then you can apply the changes from the w3u/w3a.
Think about it, it's possible that you have some stats which you havn't modified compared to the base object, because you just happened to need the same value as the base object already had.
W3u/w3a files only contain the delta compared to the original objects.

So in any case you need code that reads all the SLK and TXT files.

Ah...crap.