I have written my own colonization tracking tool. Beta quality software (I was the only user till now).
It was designed specifically for my playing style and conditions:
Installation:
Download and unzip into some folder (I use ED logs folder). Run it.
From my knowledge there are no extra dependencies.
Settings and markets information are saved in ED logs folder (edla_* files).
Correct your Carrier cargo:
this utility is not using API. Even in case your logs are complete, "disappearing cargo" bug was present till recent ED update. So you need correct manually in almost all cases. Related dialog is in the Settings menu and it should be more or less self explaining. Check both ways, I mean you see all (at least relevant) cargo you really have and don't see something you don't have. In case commodity is not listed, transfer it to ship and back, it should appear in the list then.
Correct manages (claimed) systems:
if your logs are incomplete (system crash, new installation, etc), "claim" messages may be not there. And that is essential for this tool to work correctly. Go to the Settings/Systems/Exclude and check you see all systems you have successfully claimed. If you miss something, fly to the system and use Settings/Systems/Include.
In case you don't have self-build markets (yet) and so you use some specific "foreign" markets, you can (temporary) "Include" corresponding systems.
You can "Exclude" systems, but that will wipe information about related markets. You will have to visit the system (to "Include" it) and visit its markets to "undo" such exclusion.
To have good market overview:
visit self-build markets. They will be saved (markets in not managed systems are ignored).
Changing what you see in the main window:
The main window shows active construction ("Cx"), carrier/ship cargo and commodities in docked market. Also it calculates "Need" and "To buy" for each commodity.
You can see construction name clicking on corresponding column header ("Cx"). From there you can also Suspend or Deactivate the construction.
Suspended or deactivated constructions are excluded from "Need" and "To buy" calculations. The difference is in display, suspended constructions are still shown.
You can reactivate construction clicking on "To buy".
You can also "suspend" carrier to exclude it from calculations.
The tool should automatically detect completed constructions. In case that doesn't work (someone else has finished the construction, logs are lost, etc.) you can Settings/Constructions/Forget manually. Revisiting incomplete construction "remember" it (in case you "forget" it by mistake).
View/Markets window:
That window helps in market selection. That only works for "self constructed" markets (and markets in manually "included" systems). '.', ',', '_', 'x', '', '*' mean "no stock, but exporting", less then 10/100/1000/10k and more then 100k. The indication is not updated when you buy commodity (except when you revisit the market and so ED update the list), that is by design since the commodity is likely re-stocked next time you return to this station.
Clicking on "Commodity" cycles shown commodities list, just "To buy", "Needed" (when different) or "All exported" (currently or before) by any registered (even when not currently shown) market. Empty lines in "All" mode is not a bug, means some registered market is/was exporting it. That includes markets in manually "included" systems (even after "excluding" them). Not/never exported commodities from "To buy" list are not shown in "All exported" mode.
By clicking on the filler header (empty rightmost column header) you can select markets with which landing pad sizes are shown. Default is "large only".
Pad size is indicated by the header character ("Sx", "Mx", "Lx"), the number there is unique and persistent (till you manually "exclude" systems), f.e. "L4" is always the same market (unlike "C4" construction site).
You can hide/unhide particular market the same way you deactivate/activate constructions. Unlike commodity list style and pad size selection, hiding is preserved when you restart the tool. There is no "forget" option since by current ED design it is not possible "destroy" markets, but "excluding" a system will "forget" its markets (and shift markets enumeration).
View/Trips computer:
Warning: it shows "true numbers". That can be disappointing.
"Trip" is flying from construction site to some market and (directly) back. If you don't fly to construction site, but flying from carrier to some marked and back, that is also registered as a "Trip". Delivering after doing something else or delivering from several markets is not counted as a trip (by design).
Sometimes you may see big numbers there, f.e. when the trip includes dinner/night/weekend/vacation.
"Undock to dock" is calculated as undocking from construction site/carrier till docking to it again (after return). "Dock to dock" is measured between docks to construction site/carrier and so it is true full time of "one trip". From comparing these numbers it is easy to understand how long you have spent on sites.
"Estimate per hour" is calculated from "Dock to dock", the same for "Trips last hour" (partial means a part of the trip was during last hour).
Flights are updated independent from trips and calculated as "undock to dock".
View/Location:
shows station economies. It is working on any station (I mean not only in managed systems).
From Elite player since 1991.
Happy hauling
It was designed specifically for my playing style and conditions:
- for "lonely architects" only, it doesn't upload anything to the net and so it can't help with "cooperative" constructions
- for playing on a single computer (required consistent local logs)
- for playing with two monitors (designed for multiple windows and mouse interaction)
- * personal colonization target is establishing a set of systems which produce all required for constructions commodities and increase the speed of constructing.
- supposed to work automatically, including detecting claimed systems, staring new constructions and visiting self-build markets.
- The main window shows constructions in progress, carrier/ship cargo and docked markets commodities.
- Markets window shows which commodities are available in self-constructed markets
- Tips window is a specialized for construction "trip computer".
- Location window shows economies of the station.
- 200kBytes single executable
Installation:
Download and unzip into some folder (I use ED logs folder). Run it.
From my knowledge there are no extra dependencies.
Settings and markets information are saved in ED logs folder (edla_* files).
Correct your Carrier cargo:
this utility is not using API. Even in case your logs are complete, "disappearing cargo" bug was present till recent ED update. So you need correct manually in almost all cases. Related dialog is in the Settings menu and it should be more or less self explaining. Check both ways, I mean you see all (at least relevant) cargo you really have and don't see something you don't have. In case commodity is not listed, transfer it to ship and back, it should appear in the list then.
Correct manages (claimed) systems:
if your logs are incomplete (system crash, new installation, etc), "claim" messages may be not there. And that is essential for this tool to work correctly. Go to the Settings/Systems/Exclude and check you see all systems you have successfully claimed. If you miss something, fly to the system and use Settings/Systems/Include.
In case you don't have self-build markets (yet) and so you use some specific "foreign" markets, you can (temporary) "Include" corresponding systems.
You can "Exclude" systems, but that will wipe information about related markets. You will have to visit the system (to "Include" it) and visit its markets to "undo" such exclusion.
To have good market overview:
visit self-build markets. They will be saved (markets in not managed systems are ignored).
Changing what you see in the main window:
The main window shows active construction ("Cx"), carrier/ship cargo and commodities in docked market. Also it calculates "Need" and "To buy" for each commodity.
You can see construction name clicking on corresponding column header ("Cx"). From there you can also Suspend or Deactivate the construction.
Suspended or deactivated constructions are excluded from "Need" and "To buy" calculations. The difference is in display, suspended constructions are still shown.
You can reactivate construction clicking on "To buy".
You can also "suspend" carrier to exclude it from calculations.
The tool should automatically detect completed constructions. In case that doesn't work (someone else has finished the construction, logs are lost, etc.) you can Settings/Constructions/Forget manually. Revisiting incomplete construction "remember" it (in case you "forget" it by mistake).
View/Markets window:
That window helps in market selection. That only works for "self constructed" markets (and markets in manually "included" systems). '.', ',', '_', 'x', '', '*' mean "no stock, but exporting", less then 10/100/1000/10k and more then 100k. The indication is not updated when you buy commodity (except when you revisit the market and so ED update the list), that is by design since the commodity is likely re-stocked next time you return to this station.
Clicking on "Commodity" cycles shown commodities list, just "To buy", "Needed" (when different) or "All exported" (currently or before) by any registered (even when not currently shown) market. Empty lines in "All" mode is not a bug, means some registered market is/was exporting it. That includes markets in manually "included" systems (even after "excluding" them). Not/never exported commodities from "To buy" list are not shown in "All exported" mode.
By clicking on the filler header (empty rightmost column header) you can select markets with which landing pad sizes are shown. Default is "large only".
Pad size is indicated by the header character ("Sx", "Mx", "Lx"), the number there is unique and persistent (till you manually "exclude" systems), f.e. "L4" is always the same market (unlike "C4" construction site).
You can hide/unhide particular market the same way you deactivate/activate constructions. Unlike commodity list style and pad size selection, hiding is preserved when you restart the tool. There is no "forget" option since by current ED design it is not possible "destroy" markets, but "excluding" a system will "forget" its markets (and shift markets enumeration).
View/Trips computer:
Warning: it shows "true numbers". That can be disappointing.
"Trip" is flying from construction site to some market and (directly) back. If you don't fly to construction site, but flying from carrier to some marked and back, that is also registered as a "Trip". Delivering after doing something else or delivering from several markets is not counted as a trip (by design).
Sometimes you may see big numbers there, f.e. when the trip includes dinner/night/weekend/vacation.
"Undock to dock" is calculated as undocking from construction site/carrier till docking to it again (after return). "Dock to dock" is measured between docks to construction site/carrier and so it is true full time of "one trip". From comparing these numbers it is easy to understand how long you have spent on sites.
"Estimate per hour" is calculated from "Dock to dock", the same for "Trips last hour" (partial means a part of the trip was during last hour).
Flights are updated independent from trips and calculated as "undock to dock".
View/Location:
shows station economies. It is working on any station (I mean not only in managed systems).
From Elite player since 1991.
Happy hauling
