I know how to draw a GUI from a png.

Then, I wondered, can the GUI shift dynamically with the tileEntites?

 

For example, can I add another row of slot if I detect chest Blocks nearby?

Or can I "erase" the Slot GUI when it is raining?

Or can I adjust GUI slot count based on nearby block count? (Of course I will implement method to deal with overflowing.)

Of course you can make custom slot invisible. (Yes, your own custom slot is needed)

In my dev env(Forge 1.7.10-10.13.0.1160) there is a method: 'Slot#func_111238_b()' which disables highlighting when your mouse is on the slot.

You can return false there, and return empty icon on the Slot#getBackgroundIconIndex().

I mean:

Suppose there are no slots in my GUI

I want to count the number of chest blocks nearby and update my slot count PER TICK

like 1 chest = 1 slot

Can I do that?

If you have no slots in your GUI, how are you displaying a chest in a slot?

 

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/well_2.png[/img]

I mean

suppose I have a strange logic to set the number of slots in GUI / Container to number of chests nearby

So that 5 chests nearby makes 5 slots in the Gui / Container

Would that work?

Yes, you can supply a slot that corresponds to another container.

Oh great, now that I know I can make my mod possible

 

EDIT: By the way, how do I use this logic?

That depends entirely on what it is you are trying to do.  Clarify your idea.

 

But I'm not writing the code for you (not unless you want to pay me).

One thing I'd mention is that the GuiScreen has a method called updateScreen() which is separate from drawScreen(). I usually put any logic for changing the GUI, such as hiding a button if I want it deactivated at some point, in that method.

 

Regarding changing slots dynamically, the tricky part is that they will automatically be in the position you set even if your graphic changes so it looks like there is no slot. I'm not really sure how to avoid that, but maybe you could move the slot to a position off the screen or something. Alternatively, you could actually switch to a new GUI (of course you'd want to transfer the container contents over when doing so).

One thing I'd mention is that the GuiScreen has a method called updateScreen() which is separate from drawScreen(). I usually put any logic for changing the GUI, such as hiding a button if I want it deactivated at some point, in that method.

 

Regarding changing slots dynamically, the tricky part is that they will automatically be in the position you set even if your graphic changes so it looks like there is no slot. I'm not really sure how to avoid that, but maybe you could move the slot to a position off the screen or something. Alternatively, you could actually switch to a new GUI (of course you'd want to transfer the container contents over when doing so).

 

You can set up the container's constructor to pass a tile entity and then only add slot objects if it's supposed to.

Regarding changing slots dynamically, the tricky part is that they will automatically be in the position you set even if your graphic changes so it looks like there is no slot.

 

You can have the slot graphic portion exist separately from the background and draw it only when needed, like how the furnace draws the arrow filling up or the heat meter going down.  Only instead of a progress bar, it'd be a yes/no type thing.

Regarding changing slots dynamically, the tricky part is that they will automatically be in the position you set even if your graphic changes so it looks like there is no slot.

 

You can have the slot graphic portion exist separately from the background and draw it only when needed, like how the furnace draws the arrow filling up or the heat meter going down.  Only instead of a progress bar, it'd be a yes/no type thing.

 

No, the problem is that the slot is still there even if there is not graphic to show its position -- you could still place an item in that location for example, and if you hover over it there will be an indication that it is there. You'd have to deactivate or move the actual slot as well, not just the graphic for the slot.

I already said how to do it..

 

As long as for 'Forge 1.7.10-10.13.0.1160' there is a method: 'Slot#func_111238_b()' which disables highlighting when your mouse is on the slot.

You can return false there, and return empty icon on the Slot#getBackgroundIconIndex().

And when someone tries to get some item into the slot, do not allow it using Slot#canTakeStack and Slot#putStack.

Okay, in 1.8 that function is called canBeHovered().

 

But the point then is that you need a custom slot then and the code in those methods would have to somehow get the information from the gui state, I guess via container then inventory?

But the point then is that you need a custom slot then and the code in those methods would have to somehow get the information from the gui state, I guess via container then inventory?

 

Yup!