Mii Editor Blog

I developed the XML format for the Miis with two things in mind: Ease of use and scalability. With XML, you get a text format which is easy to read and modify. That in itself makes the format easy to use. People can easy take a Mii XML file and modify it to their own liking using a simple text editor.

With scalability I wanted something that I wouldn't have to worry about modifying continuously over time should the need arise. As a result I took into consideration what possibilities the XML format might need to account for. One of those was the pie in the sky possibility that the Mii Editor might one day also include a Mii Plaza capable of maintaining any number of Mii characters on your computer. To be able to let you save those characters into a single file, the Mii XML was organized to facilitate more than one Mii character even though the Mii Editor can currently only edit one.

Then you have XSL – a style sheet format for XML. The Mii XML uses an XSL style sheet to convert the XML into an HTML page for viewing your Mii XML files. Unfortunately, because of security restrictions, an XML file on your hard drive or a different domain should not be able to access the XSL style sheet used on the MiiEditor.com web site. As a result, this almost makes having the XSL useless as I didn't figure people would copying the XSL for their own use and modifying the XML to point to their version (which you can do to make it work), but I figured I would keep it around in case it was ever needed. Similarly, the XSL transformation to HTML uses a simple version of the Mii Editor to display Mii characters in a preview. Because I thought no one was using the XSL I never kept up with updating this version which currently breaks the preview.

Apparently I was wrong.

So in the next day or so, I will try to update the preview file so it will work with XML + XSL. I don't know how well it will work since a few things have changed since it did work, but we'll see what can be done about it. Thanks.

Labels: upcoming, update, xml

The new Mii Editor is now live. If you have used the Mii Editor before you may need to clear your cache as older assets will prevent the editor from working correctly, though I hopefully have resolved that issue in this update (?). Other updates include:

• Lip colors (finally!)
• Updated an eye icon
• Lowered freckles
• Character is now in full view on the first "General information" tab
• Versioning is available on the main File screen
  
• Updated the Image Export
• You can now export as PNG(!)
  
• Background color can now be set and can be transparent for a PNG export
  
• The Mii can be zoomed in the view using the Zoom slider
  
• The Mii can be moved in the view by clicking and dragging in the view
• The downloadable AIR version of the Mii Editor has been updated to this version
• It now supports drag and drop for Mii binary and XML files
• File uploads for XML should now work for the AIR version as well

The drag and drop feature I implemented litterally this morning, so it may not be 100% - and to be honest, I didn't really test this build much at all so there could be potential issues. Anything found I will try to update as quickly as possible, just let me know.

Labels: air, beta, binary, color, desktop, export, fix, gui, lips, update, xml

The Mii Editor has been updated. You may need to clear your browser's cache to see the new features (the editor may also break if you don't in the case that some but not all of the dependant files used by the editor are reloaded causing a conflict within internal definitions). Updates include:

• Inclusion of Mii Body
• Image export size and background are retained when returning to the File screen
  
• Update of Export Preview when a new Mii is loaded
• Fixed error causing screen (tab) to change in the editor when a new Mii is loaded
• Added a simple scrollbar to the XML text output
• Most buttons now have visual feedback for when they are pressed (darken)
• Some hairstyles have been adjusted to be cleaner
• Some colors have been adjusted (i.e. the white favorite color is now less white)

I think now I need to add some more image export options to facilitate the body. I will work on that next.

Labels: beta, body, color, export, fix, gui, hair, update, xml

I'm pushing the new version of the Mii Editor with the updated eye graphics and the new XML format implemented. Its not well tested and the eyes have not been correctly positioned or sized, so they're bound to be off still, but I wanted something new out there for all the kids to play with. Hopefully I didn't break it ;)

If you've used the Mii Editor before, you may need to refresh/clear your cache before seeing the updates.

Labels: beta, eyes, update, xml

If loading a Mii or XML file wasn't working before, it should be working now. I think that there was a problem that is now fixed. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm going to go with yeah, it was there and now it's fixed.

Labels: beta, binary, fix, xml

I took a break from doing visual improvements on character rendering and have turned focus instead to the XML. The idea behind the XML was to create a human-readable version of the Mii format which could be edited in simple text editors and uploaded back in the Mii Editor interface. I also wanted the XML to function as a file format that could support multiple Mii definitions.

The current format for the XML now supports that - more than one Mii can be placed in a single XML file. This, however, has not yet been implemented into the Mii Editor beta. So far all I have is an example (with a DTD and XSL for styling):

• example.xml

Right-click and download to see the XML, or simply click it to open it in your browser with the XSL applied (you can also view source from that to see the XML).

The XSL transformation includes a run-down of Mii character properties, a preview using the "view" Flash movie, and a link back the editor to edit it directly. Unfortunately, due to IE's active content issues, all previews will appear black until you click on them... why black, I don't know. The imagery should technically still show. Clicking should only be required for interactivity... but this is IE we're talking about so who knows (not me at least, not yet, but I will look into it).

I guess it should be noted that the preview is generated by a hex string coded into the XML by the editor (the same one used in URLs). If other properties in the XML are changed, the preview will not reflect those changes unless that hex string is updated as well.

... oh yeah, the format is not 100% complete either. I still want to transform type values to match their location in the interface. For instance the first type on the first page of the hair tab in the Wii has a value other than 0 - its like 16 or something. I want to make the XML values match what is more naturally assumed - the first being 0, the second 1, etc.

Update: I narrowed the black preview in IE to be a result of using 100% to size the SWF object. I just hardcoded in the size now and it seems to work fine.

Labels: links, upcoming, update, website, xml

The XML format has now changed slightly. Hopefully most people are using URLs now and not XML so this shouldn't be a big issue. But values for vertical position (those ending in "Y" like "eyeY") now have their values reversed. This means a value of 0 is low on the face and a value of 18 would be high on the face. Before this was reversed - and a little confusing. Now it makes a little more sense. That's the purpose of XML after all, human-readable information that makes sense.

More complete documentation on the XML format will be provided when it has been finalized.

Labels: beta, update, xml

I hooked in the "Classic UI" to the current character rendering and you can now use it to change most of the values: Classic UI Preview. Basically the only thing you can't change are the colors. Also, there is no load or save features in this UI yet and no icons for characteristic types. You can scroll through the pages of types available, but you can't tell what you're looking at until you select something and the preview is updated.

I did allow XML editing through the File button. This will let you bring in XML from the Alpha version, edit the character through this UI, and take it back over to the alpha to save.

More information in regards to the additional options (Mii ID and Mii MAC) can be found on the FAQ of MiiEditor.com.

Labels: alpha, gui, update, xml

The Mii Editor allows you to import and export Mii data as XML. You can also view and edit a Mii's XML directly within the Mii Editor window. Currently, this is the only way to edit Miis created by or loaded into the editor.

Use the Show XML to load the XML data from the current Mii into the XML editing pane. Edit the values as needed keeping them within the ranges indicated by the min, max, and maxChars attributes. When finished, click on the Read XML button to save the changes and update the Mii character in the editor.

Note: The XML format is subject to change as the Mii Editor is developed further.

Labels: alpha, update, xml