How to Create a HTML Asset

HTML assets in TANE consist of several parts:-

• a config.txt file which is mandatory
• one or more graphic files of type .jpg, .tga, .png, .bmp. One of these must be the asset thumbnail.
• (optionally) one or more HTML formatted text files of type .htm, .html
• (optionally) one or more sound files of type .wav
• (optionally) one or more folders

Config.txt

A standard config.txt file that must include the following tags:-

• kind set to "html-asset"
• username set to the page title
• kuid a unique ID number
• category-class set to "YH"
• thumbnails a 240 by 180 pixel image

While not mandatory, the following tag is useful:-

• category-class set to "YH"

An example (the order of the "tags" is not important):-

kuid                                    <kuid:45176:100207>
username                                "TGR Fingal Line 1955 - Mixed Goods Sessions HTML"
trainz-build                            4.5
kind                                    "html-asset"
description                             "HTML data for TGR Fingal Line 1955 Conara Mixed Goods Sessions - all versions"
category-class                          "YH"
thumbnails
{
  0
  {
    image                               "thumbnail.jpg"
    width                               240
    height                              180
  }
}

• The <kuid> is unique to every asset which is why it is not advisable to select your own. This will be automatically generated by the Content Manager program when a new asset is created.
• The username is your name for the asset and the name that other users will see. It is advisable to make it compact and meaningful.
• The trainz-build identifies the minimum Trainz version for this asset. A list of asset trainz-build numbers and their corresponding Trainz versions can be found at "Trainz-build"_number
• The kind identifies the type of asset and the types of files that Trainz will expect to find in the asset. It also tells Trainz how to render and error check the asset. A list of asset kinds can be found at KIND Hierarchy
• The category-class identifies the intent of the asset and is important in classifying it for filtering and searching. A list of category classes can be found at Category-class
• The description provides more detail than the username.
• The thumbnails is the preview image of the asset shown by the Content Manager program and the Web version of the DLS. Information on thumbnails can be found at Thumbnails

Graphic Files

There are some differences in the graphic files supported between TANE HTML and Web HTML.

Graphic Format	TANE	Web	Main Points	Recommendation
GIF	not supported	supported		Do not use
JPG	supported	supported	lossy compression no transparency	Avoid if possible
BMP	supported	supported	lossless but no compression limited transparency	Avoid
PNG	supported	supported	lossless compression transparency	Use if compatibility with older Trainz versions is NOT needed
TGA	supported	not supported	lossless with optional compression optional transparency	Use if compatibility with older Trainz versions is needed

For Trainz HTML pages displayed on the screen during gameplay, the most commonly used image formats seem to be JPG and TGA. However, if you are going to test your pages on a standard web browser before testing them in TANE (a method that will save both time and frustration) be aware that TGA format files will not be visible in the web browser.

There must be at least one image in the asset - the thumbnail. It must be:-

• JPG format.
• 240 pixels wide by 180 pixels tall.
• It does not have to be named Thumbnail.jpg as long as the name used is in the Thumbnails container in the config.txt file.