Use HUD instead of chat messages

README.md

@@ -74,8 +74,14 @@ Rhotator Testing Cube: a Rhotator Screwdriver and any wool block
 
 # Usage feedback
 
-At the beginning of [init.lua](/init.lua) there is a line reading `local enable_chat_notifications = false` - set it to `true` if you want the tool to send you chat messages about the operations it performs and in particular about nodes that aren't currently supported (if you enable the chat notifications you'll receive messages like these:
+An HUD message will show usage feedback, in particular it will inform you about nodes that aren't currently supported.
 
+Here are possible messages you can receive:
+
+- Rotated pointed face clockwise (right click)
+- Rotated pointed face counter-clockwise (sneak + right click)
 - Pushed closest edge (left click)
-- Rotated pointed face (right click)
+- Pulled closest edge (sneak + left click)
 - Cannot rotate node with paramtype2 == glasslikeliquidlevel
+- Unsupported node type: modname:nodename
+

init.lua

@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ rhotator.mod_path = minetest.get_modpath(minetest.get_current_modname())
 
 local matrix = dofile(rhotator.mod_path .. "/lib/matrix.lua")
 
-local enable_chat_notifications = false
-
 -- constants
 
 local POS = {}
@@ -20,11 +18,14 @@ NEG.Y = 5
 PRIMARY_BTN = 1
 SECONDARY_BTN = 2
 
--- helper tables
+-- helper variables
 
 local rot_matrices = {}
 local dir_matrices = {}
 
+local huds = {}
+local hud_timeout_seconds = 3
+
 -- init
 
 local function init_transforms()
@@ -172,12 +173,6 @@ local function matrix_to_facedir(mtx)
 	return rhotator._matrix_to_facedir[key]
 end
 
-local function notify(playername, message)
-	if enable_chat_notifications then
-		minetest.chat_send_player(playername, "[rhotator] " .. message)
-	end
-end
-
 local function vector_to_dir_index(vec)
 	local main_axis = extract_main_axis(vec)
 	if main_axis == "x" then return (vec.x > 0) and POS.X or NEG.X end
@@ -185,6 +180,51 @@ local function vector_to_dir_index(vec)
 	return (vec.y > 0) and POS.Y or NEG.Y
 end
 
+-- hud functions
+
+local function hud_remove(player)
+	local playername = player:get_player_name()
+	local hud = huds[playername]
+	if not hud then return end
+	if os.time() < hud_duration_time + hud.time then
+		return
+	end
+	player:hud_remove(hud.id)
+	huds[playername] = nil
+end
+
+local function hud_create(player, message)
+	local playername = player:get_player_name()
+	local id = player:hud_add({
+		text = message,
+		hud_elem_type = "text",
+		name = "rhotator_feedback",
+		direction = 0,
+		position = { x = 0.1, y = 0.9},
+		alignment = { x = 1, y = -1},
+		number = 0xFFFFFF,
+	})
+	huds[playername] = {
+		id = id,
+		time = os.time(),
+	}
+end
+
+local function notify(player, message)
+	message = "[rhotator] " .. message
+	local playername = player:get_player_name()
+	local hud = huds[playername]
+	if not hud then
+		hud_create(player, message)
+	else
+		player:hud_change(hud.id, "text", message)
+		hud.time = os.time()
+	end
+	minetest.after(hud_timeout_seconds, function()
+		hud_remove(player)
+	end)
+end
+
 -- rhotator main
 
 local function interact(itemstack, player, pointed_thing, click)
@@ -196,12 +236,12 @@ local function interact(itemstack, player, pointed_thing, click)
 	local def = minetest.registered_nodes[node.name]
 
 	if not node or not def then
-		notify(player:get_player_name(), "Unsupported node type: " .. node.name)
+		notify(player, "Unsupported node type: " .. node.name)
 		return
 	end
 
 	if def.paramtype2 ~= "facedir" then
-		notify(player:get_player_name(), "Cannot rotate node with paramtype2 == " .. def.paramtype2)
+		notify(player, "Cannot rotate node with paramtype2 == " .. def.paramtype2)
 		return
 	end
 
@@ -216,17 +256,17 @@ local function interact(itemstack, player, pointed_thing, click)
 		transform = dir_matrices[vector_to_dir_index(unit.thumb)]
 		if controls.sneak then
 			rotation = rot_matrices[3]
-			notify(player:get_player_name(), "Pulled closest edge (sneak + left click)")
+			notify(player, "Pulled closest edge (sneak + left click)")
 		else
-			notify(player:get_player_name(), "Pushed closest edge (left click)")
+			notify(player, "Pushed closest edge (left click)")
 		end
 	else
 		transform = dir_matrices[vector_to_dir_index(unit.back)]
 		if controls.sneak then
 			rotation = rot_matrices[3]
-			notify(player:get_player_name(), "Rotated pointed face counter-clockwise (sneak + right click)")
+			notify(player, "Rotated pointed face counter-clockwise (sneak + right click)")
 		else
-			notify(player:get_player_name(), "Rotated pointed face clockwise (right click)")		
+			notify(player, "Rotated pointed face clockwise (right click)")		
 		end
 	end