This unofficial TaleSpire plugin for transferring data from D&D Beyond to Talespire in near real time. While the Beyond Link Plugin uses a General Data Parser for allowing data from different sources, it does not parse D&D Beyond Data well because the JSON data has a list of features that are part of the character but not the stat totals. This means the parser needs to perform calculations to obtain the totals. The Beyond Link Via Chrome Plugin changes that. It is specifically for D&D Beyond only but it is able to read the final totals from the D&D Beyond characters. This plugin, updates current HP, max HP, AC, used HD and total HD. This plugin also updates DSM files with ability score rolls, save rolls, skill rolls and attack rolls, if you want to use the Dice Selection plugin in conjunction with this plugin. However, if the Dice Selection plugin is not used, this plugin can still be used to get the benefits of updating the main stats.
The design uses a 3 component solution: the Chrome Extension, the Beyond Link Server and the actual TaleSpire BeyondLinkViaChrome plugin. However, the Beyond Link Server is mostly transparent to the user - it is started by the plugin and closes itself automatically if TaleSpire is stopped. However, this 3 component implementation means that the TaleSpire plugin portion is never waiting for data. The data exchange is done between the Chrome Extension and the Beyond Link Server. Since the Beyond Link Server runs outside of TaleSpire (stand alone), if the communication fails or is slow it will not have any direct impact (i.e. block) on TaleSpire GUI (beyond general device resources). The Beyond Link Server makes any data changes available to the plugin via local files which means any failures to update statistics will just make the plugin use the old value and pick up the new value on the next pass.
1.0.0: Initial release
Note: The Chrome Extension has, intentionally, not been packaged so that the user can see and potentially edit what the extension does.
There are two mode of using this plugin: Basic and Advanced.
Basic Mode involves using this to update the current HP, max HP, AC, used HD and total HD on minis. Advanced Mode involves also using the plugin, in conjunction with the Dice Selection Plugin, to make rolls.
The Beyond Link Via Chrome plugin automatically makes corresponding DSM files used by the Dice Selection plugin. These are also updated in near real time but the issue is that Dice Selection plugin only reads the configruation files on startup to avoid introducing performance hits. This means by the time the plugin synchronizes the D&D Beyond roll information, Dice Selection plugin has already read the old configuration and the updated rolls will not be used until next time.
There are two work-arounds to get your D&D Beyond rolls updated with Dice Selection plugin:
One way to update the rolls from D&D Beyond is to start Talespire using the instruction in the Basic Mode and then wait about 10 seconds for the data to update. This will also update the DSM files. Now restart Talespire. Please note that exiting to the main menu is not sufficient, you must close down TaleSpire. Restart Talespire and your rolls will be updated.
Typically this is the easiest way to update the rolls and since rolls don't typically need to be updated frequently (usually only when you level up or get new equipment), restarting is not a big deal.
It is possible to run a component of the Beyond Link Via Chrome stand alone to get it to sync all the D&D Beyond rolls before starting TaleSpire. The steps for this are as follows:
BeyondLinkServer LearnNote: You do not need to do this every time. You only need to do these steps when rolls change such as when you level up (and your proficient changes or you get an ASI) or when your equipment changes.