/CastFORM

A Pokemon TCG Deck Registration Sheet generator in Flutter

Primary LanguageHTMLGNU General Public License v3.0GPL-3.0

CastFORM

GitHub release (latest by date) Code Style: Google platform | windows MVP GitHub search hit counter GitHub all releases

CastFORM is an easy-to-use Pokémon TCG Deck Registration Sheet generator.
CastFORM offers an elegant graphical interface for filling in Pokémon deck lists for tournaments, and creates beautiful PDFs from user input. This reduces the likelihood of human errors associated with filling out of forms by hand, and also integrates well with existing players' workflows, given the popularity of deck strings (of various formats) in the Pokémon TCG community.

This project is based on Brandon Nguyen's CLI Python script that served a similar purpose. CastFORM was spearheaded in response to the high demand for a user-friendly program in his local TCG community, most of whom were not comfortable with CLI tools.

Gallery

Light mode: light mode screenshot

Dark mode dark mode screenshot

Installation & Usage Instructions

Note: Only 64-bit Windows 11 machines are officially supported.

ZIP Archive (Portable)

This is the portable/standalone version that can be used immediately after unzipping

  1. Download castform.zip from the releases page
    • Note: actual file name may vary
  2. Unzip it into your desired install location
  3. Run CastFORM.exe from that location
    • You can hold SHIFT and right-click it, then under Send to select Desktop to create a desktop shortcut
    • Uninstall by deleting the folder

Windows Installer - New (WiX)

  1. Download CastFORM_Installer_x64.msi from the releases page
  2. Double-click on the installer (installs to C:\Program Files\CastFORM)
  3. CastFORM should now be available in the Start menu
    • Uninstall method 1: Open Start menu, and start typing "CastFORM", you should see the context menu for CastFORM, with the option to uninstall
    • Uninstall method 2: Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, clicking on the ellipsis for CastFORM and selecting Uninstall

Windows Installer - Old (IExpress)

  1. Download CastFORM_x64.exe from the releases page
  2. Run it as administrator to install CastFORM to C:\Program Files\CastFORM
  3. Run CastFORM.exe from C:\Program Files\CastFORM\CastFORM.exe, and/or create a shortcut for it
    • Uninstall by deleting the folder with administrator permissions

Video Instructions

Technical Information

CastFORM is built with Flutter 3.13.9 for 64-bit Windows 11, and targets **Google's Dart style guide **.
For testing, we aim to provide complete coverage for API behaviour internally by release.

Development Environment Set-up

  1. Install Flutter and add it to PATH
  2. Clone the repository
  3. Open the repository in IntelliJ
    • You may use your IDE of choice, but we prefer IntelliJ here at BAA Studios
    • Make sure you install the Dart and Flutter Plugin for IntelliJ
  4. Make sure Windows (desktop) is selected in the list of devices
    • The location of the button differs depending on IntelliJ version
    • For IntelliJ 2022.3 use the drop-down menu at the top right: illustration of where the menu is found
  5. Hit the Run button at the top right of the window
    • The location of the button differs depending on IntelliJ version
    • For IntelliJ 2022.3 click here: illustration of where to click

Internal Package API

API docs for the business logic are included as static HTML files in the repository.
After cloning the repository, navigate to the respective package to open them:

  • packages/deck_string_parser/doc/api/index.html
  • packages/pokemon_pdf_builder/doc/api/index.html

Toolchain

A number of standalone Python scripts have been make to automate metadata fetching and template creation:

  • ForeCAST
    • Uses Bulbapedia's REST APIs to get all known set abbreviations
  • WEATHERBall
    • Remote mode: Scrapes the official Pokémon website for the registration form templates
    • Local mode: Converts PDF files to WebP
      • Added as a fallback option upon discovery that Pokémon uses Incapsula as an anti-scraping measure
  • SunnyFORM
    • A WiX Toolset project for a custom Windows Installer for CastFORM
    • This is our new packaging method, intended for CastFORM v3 onwards
  • RainyFORM
    • A new consolidated dependency generator for CastFORM that consolidates and replaces ForeCAST and WEATHERBall
    • This is a work in progress, slated for CastFORM v3
    • Repository to be made public once we have completed migration of internal processes

Build Instructions

  1. Run flutter build windows
  2. Navigate to the output folder /build/windows/runner/Release
  3. Add the following dlls (which can be found in a Visual Studio 2022 installation folder, e.g. C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\VC\Redist\MSVC\14.32.31326\x64\Microsoft.VC143.CRT)
    • msvcp140.dll
    • vcruntime140.dll
    • vcruntime140_1.dll
  4. Package the contents of this folder as a ZIP file
    • Users can unzip to their desired location and run CastFORM.exe from there

Bundle with Windows Installer (New - WiX Toolset)

A sample WiX-based project has been made to simplify this. Refer to SunnyFORM's README for instructions.

Bundle with Windows Installer (Legacy)

Note: This assumes you've already run through steps 1-4 of the build instructions
First time bundling:

  1. Add a batch script setup.bat (refer to /sample_setup.bat for template)
  2. Run iexpress.exe as administrator
  3. Select Create new Self Extraction Directive file, and hit Next
  4. Select Extract files and run an installation command, and hit Next
  5. Input a title (e.g. CastFORM Installer), and hit Next
  6. Select No prompt, and hit Next
  7. Select Do not display a license, and hit Next
  8. Use the Add button to add all the files in the output folder from above, and hit Next
    • The file picker dialog box allows CTRL + A to select all files
    • The file picker dialog box ignores folders, and does not add them recursively
    • You may use CTRL + A on the output folder and repeat for all nested folders to quickly add everything
  9. In the Install Program field, click on it and manually replace with cmd /c setup.bat, and hit Next
    • You are able to type in this drop down box
    • The cmd /c part is REQUIRED
    • IExpress simply bundles/extracts as well as wrap around a batch script, so all installation logic should be written in setup.bat
  10. Select Default, and hit Next
  11. Input a message if you like, and hit Next
  12. Click Browse and select an output folder for the resulting installer EXE, and give it a name
  13. Check Store files using Long File Name inside Package, and hit Next
  14. Select No restart, and hit Next
  15. Select Save Self Extraction Directive (SED) file, and use Browse to choose a save location, then hit Next
    • The SED file contains all the configuration you've done up to this point
    • Importing this file will allow you to reuse the same configuration for future bundling attempts
  16. On the Create package page, hit Next to start the bundling process, and then Finish once it's done

For subsequent bundling:

  1. Run iexpress.exe as administrator
  2. Select Open existing Self Extraction Directive file, and select the SED file with Browse
  3. Select Create Package
  4. On the Create package page, hit Next to start the bundling process, and then Finish once it's done

Disclaimer

CastFORM is an open-source program for a generating a niche type of PDF documents. CastFORM is not affiliated with Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, or any Pokémon-related organisations fan-driven or otherwise. CastFORM is non-monetised, and provided as is. Every reasonable effort has been taken to ensure correctness and reliability of * CastFORM. We will not be liable for any special, direct, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action if contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in connection with the use of CastFORM (in part or in whole).