Echo Hub

📂 Echo Hub

The Echo Hub is the central management utility for Echo Engine projects, developed by Jack Murray (Nova Foundry). It serves as the primary gateway for project creation, version control (import/export), maintenance, and launching associated tools like the Echo Editor and ASCII Art Converter.

It is the primary interface for managing the contents of the local Working Directory (Working_game/). It is currently designated as v1.2.1 (Internal Version 2.5).

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🚀 Project Management & Main Actions

The Hub focuses on robust file management and uses multi-threading for all heavy operations (Import, Export, Clear) to maintain UI responsiveness.

Button	Function	Description
New Project	copy_folder_contents()	Creates a new project by copying the clean template files from the Engine_base directory into the Working Directory (Working_game/). Overwrites existing files after user confirmation.
Import Project	import_zip()	Imports a compressed Echo Project file (.echo). It extracts the entire archive into the Working Directory, overwriting the current project's contents upon confirmation.
Export Project	export_zip()	Packages the current contents of the Working Directory into a single compressed .echo archive, suitable for distribution or backup.
Clear Working Directory	clear_folder()	Permanently deletes all files and subdirectories within the Working_game/ folder after a mandatory confirmation prompt. Used to completely reset the workspace.

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🛠 Project Status & Integrated Tools

Status Indicator

• Project Title: The label in the center of the Hub displays the game's title, dynamically pulled from the active project's configuration file (Working_game/Text/Misc/Title.txt).
• Progress Area: During any multi-file task (Import/Export/Clear), the application window temporarily expands to reveal a status area featuring:
  • An overall task Status Label.
  • A Progress Bar for visualization.
  • A File Status Label detailing the specific file currently being added, extracted, or deleted.

Tool Launchers

The Hub provides one-click access to major components of the Echo Engine suite:

• Open Project in Editor: Launches the main Echo_editor.exe GUI tool, which is used for all asset configuration and level design, then closes the Hub.
• ASCII Art Generator: Launches the auxiliary Ascii_generator.exe application, allowing users to create text-based assets, then closes the Hub.

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🔄 Automatic Update System

The Hub incorporates an internal update check, which runs on startup to ensure users have the latest features and fixes.