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The size of the distance measurement should scale with zoom levels [ Ruler ]

This still needs fixing as part of the ruler tool, but here's an awkward workaround I've used. You can use aura radius as a sort of ruler, temporarily. Suppose you're wondering "is that within 1 km range of this weapon?" Then set the token's aura to 1 km. Don't leave it that way, but at least then you can see whether it reaches some particular point on the map.  'For the DM trying to measure things secretly, you can do the same on your enemy tokens on the GM layer -- or make sure the aura is not visible to your players.  To avoid awkwardness of aura-adjusting on the fly, I've also made a series of "invisible" tokens with preset player-invisible auras at various distances. Then I can drag from the character section as a quick temporary ruler. Use aura1 with some short distance (so you can find the token to click and delete it again) and aura 2 as the unit of distance you're measuring. 
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Ziechael
Forum Champion
Sheet Author
API Scripter
I do a similar thing to Jen's suggestion however I use the tokenMod API script (available in any game created by a Pro account holder). With a simple macro I can quickly set a tokens aura radius as well as whether or not it is visible to players/editors of a token or not. Of course there are times when only a ruler will do so I'll maintain my vote on this suggestion to the bitter end regardless of my work around ;)
Definitely +1
Connor F. said: +1, playing a game with mecha where some gunfights are over a kilometer and I am using a 10m Scale. RIP me trying to read the ruler. It is hard to measure for hidden units when I need my players to tell me the measurement. The idea of pop up box that displays measurement to the user is something I could see it being an easy quick fix. and less numbers to put in when figuring out zoom and appropriate scales. also in this same boat, really fast Mecha... super large battle map purchased in the market that's "playable" 120x120... if I could only read my ruler. 
+1, very plus one.
+1 
+1
Please. Jheez. +1
also +1 :)
+1
The Aaron said: Additional note, it might make sense to have a UI scale in the settings tab. Some people might have a hard time reading it at normal zooms already. Thx for thinking of the older people.
Volomon said: Thx for thinking of the older people. And anyone else with vision impairment, yes. Control-plus and control-minus work already to adjust zoom levels, to an extent, but not on the ruler.
yes.. this woulc be awesome!! 
I just use the measurement script where you click on source and target and it outputs to chat what the distance is.  Seems to work WAY easier than turning on the measurement tool and then turning it off again.
Which script are you using, Omegaman? 
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MadCoder
Pro
Sheet Author
@jen I think if you have the Pro subscription you can copy the script. Here's what I did. &nbsp; I went to the landing page of my Campaign, where you can post a blog entry.&nbsp; Click on Settings -&gt; API Scripts If you have never entered any scripts, you'll probably see the error message about failing to load scripts Click on the tab "New Scripts" Name the script Measure.js&nbsp; Now after some digging I found the following script that does the measuring.&nbsp; <a href="https://github.com/shdwjk/Roll20API/blob/master/Me" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/shdwjk/Roll20API/blob/master/Me</a>... Copy the code over to new script you made on step 5 Press Save script I don't know if you have reload your campaign map, but load your campaign. Select two or more tokens, then in the chat box type !measure. The chat will show you the distance between each token.&nbsp; I found more info on this forum page. <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/slug%7D" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/slug%7D</a>
Ken F. said: I found more info on this forum page. <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/slug%7D" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/slug%7D</a> This doesn't seem to link to anything. Just brings me back to the My Games screen. Also, does it work for measuring distance that don't have tokens there? Like from your token to a particular spot on the map?
The forum link is:&nbsp; <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/large-ma" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/large-ma</a>... To use after you add the script to your campaign, select two tokens and type !measure or !wmeasure (to whisper)
Jen said: The forum link is:&nbsp; <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/large-ma" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/1588022/large-ma</a>... To use after you add the script to your campaign, select two tokens and type !measure or !wmeasure (to whisper) Must be the Pro forums that I don't have access to. =/ Guess I'll have to live with the assumption that it doesn't do what I asked based on your response though.
Correct, it doesn't do what was originally requested in this post. It just gives distance between two selected tokens (which can be hard to select at, you know... distance.) You'd need a Pro subscription to use the API scripts anyway. In other words, we still need the ruler tool's legibility fixed! I hope their new dev comes through on some of these suggestion forum posts.
This is good news -- Roll20 mentioned this suggestion specifically as "penciled in in the near future" on their development roadmap. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRrxsfMYCW8&feature=youtu.be&t=9m22s" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRrxsfMYCW8&feature=youtu.be&t=9m22s</a>
Jen said: This is good news -- Roll20 mentioned this suggestion specifically as "penciled in in the near future" on their development roadmap. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRrxsfMYCW8&feature=youtu.be&t=9m22s" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRrxsfMYCW8&feature=youtu.be&t=9m22s</a> I didn't even realize this thread was top five now. Back when I first found it it was so young... not "low" on the list, but definitely not top 5. Glad to see it's getting attention and that other things are getting done. ;) Soon... soon...
Uuggh make it so already. Please LOL This makes complete sense. I'm a guy who worships a word known as convenient. As it would be 'convenient.' &nbsp;
Poking this thread and giving it an upvote to keep it on the front page.
This borders on a bug. We intend to fix this at some point when we make a Canvas pass, but are uncertain of a timeline.
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MadCoder
Pro
Sheet Author
Thanks for the update Nolan!
Would love a fix/work-around as we near the 2-year anniversery of this suggestion/bug.
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Ada L.
Marketplace Creator
Sheet Author
API Scripter
Nolan T. J. said: This borders on a bug. We intend to fix this at some point when we make a Canvas pass, but are uncertain of a timeline. One way you could implement this is to draw the ruler's line and numbers in screen space instead of in world space. That way you'd be drawing them without any scale transform reducing their size. Here's an idea on how to do this: I'll assume that to draw the ruler, you are taking the screen coordinates of the mouse on the canvas and converting them to world coordinates using the inverse of the map's current scene graph transform. If you're drawing the ruler in world coordinates (which I suspect you are given that it is using the scale component of the map's scene graph transform), then DON'T. Please stop doing that. Convert the mouse's screen coordinates to world coordinates for the purpose of getting the map coordinates (that is in the map's in-game units - ft, meters, etc.) for the ruler's endpoints (so you can accurately measure the distances), but don't draw the ruler in world space. Instead, draw it in screen space.&nbsp; If the map is scrolling around while using the ruler, we have the added complexity of the origin point of the ruler changing. To get around this, you can take the world coordinates of the ruler's endpoints and multiply them by the map's current scene graph transform to get them in screen coordinates. Then draw the ruler and its numbers using these screen coordinates.
bump
Additional bumpification.
please
Voting on this. I want this. This is needed badly
Having almost no experience with JavaScript canvas, I was able to do&nbsp; this . Baffling that there's not a proper solution after three+ years. Bump.
Just a bump for this. It is quite frustrating, even just measuring over 60 squares or so.
MCF said: Having almost no experience with JavaScript canvas, I was able to do&nbsp; this . Baffling that there's not a proper solution after three+ years. Bump. Is there a way we can implement that locally as a stopgap meanwhile?
MCF said: Having almost no experience with JavaScript canvas, I was able to do&nbsp; this . Baffling that there's not a proper solution after three+ years. Bump. Is that API script or how did you do it?
I note that this was requested 4+ years ago in the original suggestions forums and has been what I would consider a bug since then.&nbsp; &nbsp;This thread is almost 2 years old. Until roll20 adds this and a mouse scrollable mini-map it's pretty much unusable for large maps and things like wargaming.&nbsp;&nbsp; Why not open source your core code and let us fix this for you?&nbsp; It's mind blowing how bad the map tools are, this feature alone could be fixed by a couple lines of javascript as shown above.&nbsp; Continue making your money off hosting and modules like you are doing now and let the rest of us move your webapp into 2018 and beyond.&nbsp; That canvas is your core product, find a way to love it!
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Edited 1527521033
Laurent
Pro
Sheet Author
API Scripter
Todd K. said: Until roll20 adds this and a mouse scrollable mini-map it's pretty much unusable for large maps and things like wargaming.&nbsp;&nbsp; This is the first time I see this suggestion for a mini-map. That would be excellent indeed!
Agreed, this only makes sense.&nbsp; If you can't make it automatic, then let them change the size manually?
+1
+1
MCF said: Having almost no experience with JavaScript canvas, I was able to do&nbsp; this . Baffling that there's not a proper solution after three+ years. Bump. But how....
I agree too ! +1 !
+1, I've been waiting for this one for a long while. It's a PITA to read distances on large maps.
Mr. Farlops said: +1, I've been waiting for this one for a long while. It's a PITA to read distances on large maps. Indeed. My group primarily plays RIFTS. Lots of guns &amp; distance effects. The ruler issue sucks bad enough, we've just had to go "map is for placement guys, and distances approximate"
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Sabrina A. said: Indeed. My group primarily plays RIFTS. Lots of guns &amp; distance effects. The ruler issue sucks bad enough, we've just had to go "map is for placement guys, and distances approximate" And combat on outdoor maps where opponents are flying and have fast movement, or there are archers and peltasts. The matter comes up a lot. And it seems like an easy fix. I vote the Orr Group Devs bump this and all the other high vote, "Long Term Dev" stuff to the top of the list and bang it all out in in the next big update. Either that or point to list in the Roll20 documentation Wiki of various client side workarounds that have slowly built up over the last three or so years.&nbsp;
I mean, come on Orr group. Instead of focusing your efforts to ONE game system (which, btw, there's competition which is doing as good or better), how about buffing up what makes Roll20, YOU: being system agnostic, so that with some work by a GM(I.e.creature compendiums w info entered by the game's GM that can be imported into another game of the same rule system run by same GM), you have a site that is usable regardless of the genre or rule system you're playing from. Maps are in easy to sort folders, rules can be viable beyond a hundred feet in a modern or Sci-fi game, etc. Cuz right now, I'm not seeing a lot of value-added to continue my Pro status, and certainly nothing worth encouraging my players to pony up any money if they aren't running games.
+1 Nolan T. J. said: This borders on a bug. We intend to fix this at some point when we make a Canvas pass, but are uncertain of a timeline. OMG this is 3 years old and this 'Bug' is still here?
This still badly needs a fix... +1
Anyone following will notice this just changed to in development! That's great news!