startLoadingScreen

Description

Shows loading screen with the given text, using the given resource. While loading screen is shown, simulation and scene drawing is disabled, user control is disabled, mouse cursor is hidden, scripts run at full speed (50ms per frame instead of 3ms per frame for Scheduled Scripts).

Note

By default, startLoadingScreen will use "RscDisplayNotFreeze" resource.

A custom resource can be defined in Description.ext, and a full black background will be used by default - the following controls are supported by the engine:

• idc = 101 - text (type = 0) or picture (type = 48). The text will be set to the value provided by the command argument.
• idc = 103 - progress (type = 8) or animated texture (type = 45). This control indicates global hardcoded mission loading progress and is useless after the mission is loaded.
• idc = 104 - progress (type = 8). This control's progress is initially set to 0 and can be manipulated with progressLoadingScreen command.

Resource can be defined in Description.ext; it must NOT be defined as RscTitles!

// basic defines - pre "import" keyword in v2.02
class RscText
{
    type = 0;
    idc = -1;
    x = 0;
    y = 0;
    h = 0.037;
    w = 0.3;
    style = 0x100;
    font = Zeppelin32;
    SizeEx = 0.03921;
    colorText[] = { 1, 1, 1, 1 };
    colorBackground[] = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };
    linespacing = 1;
};

class RscPicture
{
    access = 0;
    type = 0;
    idc = -1;
    style = 48;
    colorBackground[] = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };
    colorText[] = { 1, 1, 1, 1 };
    font = "TahomaB";
    sizeEx = 0;
    lineSpacing = 0;
    text = "";
};

class RscLoadingText : RscText
{
    style = 2;
    x = 0.323532;
    y = 0.666672;
    w = 0.352944;
    h = 0.039216;
    sizeEx = 0.03921;
    colorText[] = { 0.543, 0.5742, 0.4102, 1.0 };
};

class RscProgress
{
    x = 0.344;
    y = 0.619;
    w = 0.313726;
    h = 0.0261438;
    texture = "\ca\ui\data\loadscreen_progressbar_ca.paa";
    colorFrame[] = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };
    colorBar[] = { 1, 1, 1, 1 };
};

class RscProgressNotFreeze
{
    idc = -1;
    type = 45;
    style = 0;
    x = 0.022059;
    y = 0.911772;
    w = 0.029412;
    h = 0.039216;
    texture = "#(argb,8,8,3)color(0,0,0,0)";
};

// end of basic defines

class WIKI_loadingScreen
{
    idd = -1;
    duration = 10e10;
    fadein = 0;
    fadeout = 0;
    name = "loading screen";
    class controlsBackground
    {
        class blueBackground : RscText // covers the black screen
        {
            x = safezoneXAbs;
            y = safezoneY;
            w = safezoneWAbs;
            h = safezoneH;
            text = "";
            colorText[] = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };
            colorBackground[] = { 0, 0, 1, 1 };
        };

        class nicePic : RscPicture
        {
            style = 48 + 0x800; // ST_PICTURE + ST_KEEP_ASPECT_RATIO
            x = safezoneX + safezoneW/2 - 0.25;
            y = safezoneY + safezoneH/2 - 0.2;
            w = 0.5;
            h = 0.4;
            text = "img\nicePic.paa";
        };
    };

    class controls
    {
        class Title1 : RscLoadingText
        {
            text = "$STR_LOADING"; // "Loading" text in the middle of the screen
        };

        class CA_Progress : RscProgress // progress bar, has to have idc 104
        {
            idc = 104;
            type = 8; // CT_PROGRESS
            style = 0; // ST_SINGLE
            texture = "\ca\ui\data\loadscreen_progressbar_ca.paa";
        };

        class CA_Progress2 : RscProgressNotFreeze // progress bar that will go reverse
        {
            idc = 103;
        };

        class Name2 : RscText // the text on the top-left
        {
            idc = 101;
            x = 0.05;
            y = 0.029412;
            w = 0.9;
            h = 0.04902;
            text = "";
            sizeEx = 0.05;
            colorText[] = { 0.543, 0.5742, 0.4102, 1.0 };
        };
    };
};

Warning

• The loading screen does not end by itself and absolutely needs a call to endLoadingScreen command
• Game simulation is disabled during Loading Screen operation (at least in single player):
  • do not use the sleep command between startLoadingScreen and endLoadingScreen as it may freeze the game - use uiSleep instead
  • waitUntil can be used to wait for variable initialisation or script loading

Note

Arma 3:

• Use BIS_fnc_startLoadingScreen to prevent potential usage conflicts.
• The loading screen can be force-ended with the ENDLOAD cheat code.

Syntax

startLoadingScreen [text, resource]

Parameters:

• text: String
• resource: String - (Optional)

Returns: Nothing

Examples

Example 1

startLoadingScreen ["Loading My Mission, please wait..."];

Example 2

startLoadingScreen ["Can't skip loading time...", "MyLoadingRsc"];

Example 3

startLoadingScreen ["Loading My Mission"];
// code
progressLoadingScreen 0.5;
// code
endLoadingScreen;

Example 4

// this structure prevents error-prone or lengthy code to miss endLoadingScreen.
private _maxTime = diag_tickTime + 30; // max 30s of loading

startLoadingScreen ["Loading"];
private _handle = 0 spawn {
    // code that may crash or take too long
};

waitUntil { uiSleep .1; scriptDone _handle || diag_tickTime > _maxTime };
endLoadingScreen;

See also

endLoadingScreen · progressLoadingScreen · BIS_fnc_startLoadingScreen · import (Config)