Difference between revisions of "Modding:Modder Guide/Tutorial Mod"

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#REDIRECT [[Modding:Modder Guide/Get Started]]
 
 
Ready to make your own mod? This page will help you create your first SMAPI mod and use the available APIs and events.
 
 
 
==Quick start==
 
The rest of this page will help you create a mod. If you're experienced enough to skip the tutorial, here's a quick summary of what this page will walk you through:
 
 
 
# Create an empty C# class library project.
 
# Target .NET Framework 4.5 (for Linux compatibility).
 
# Reference the [https://github.com/Pathoschild/Stardew.ModBuildConfig <tt>Pathoschild.Stardew.ModBuildConfig</tt> NuGet package] to automatically add the right references depending on the platform the mod is being compiled on.
 
# Create an entry class which subclasses <tt>StardewModdingAPI.Mod</tt>.
 
# Override the <tt>Entry</tt> method, and write your code using the [[#Mod APIs|SMAPI events and APIs]].
 
# Create a [[#Add your manifest|<tt>manifest.json</tt> file]] which describes your mod for SMAPI.
 
# Create [[#Release your mod|a zip file containing the mod ffiles]] for release.
 
 
 
==Intro==
 
* '''What is SMAPI?'''
 
*: A SMAPI mod uses the [https://github.com/Pathoschild/SMAPI SMAPI] modding API to extend the game logic. You can run code when something happens (e.g. mouse clicked or menu opened), or periodically (e.g. once per game tick). SMAPI mods are written in C# using the .NET Framework. Stardew Valley also uses XNA (on Windows) or MonoGame (on Linux and Mac) for the fundamental game logic (drawing to the screen, user input, etc).
 
 
 
* '''Can I make a mod?'''
 
*: The next few sections will walk you through creating a very simple mod. If you follow along, you'll have created a mod! All that will be left is making it do what you want.
 
*:* <p>'''Scenario A: you're new to programming.'''<br />Many mod developers start with little or no programming experience. You can certainly learn along the way if you're determined, but you should be prepared for a steep learning curve. Don't be too ambitious at first; it's better to start with a small mod when you're figuring it out. It's easy to become overwhelmed at first and give up. The modding community is very welcoming, so don't be afraid to ask questions!</p><p>Since mods are written in C#, it's a good idea to get acquainted with it first. [https://mva.microsoft.com/en-us/training-courses/c-fundamentals-for-absolute-beginners-16169 ''C# Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners''] will walk you through the basics of C# needed to write SMAPI mods, from the basic concepts to event-driven programming (which is what SMAPI mods use).</p>
 
*:* '''Scenario B: you already have programming experience.'''<br />You should be fine. Programming experience in C# or Java will make things easier, but it isn't critical. If you're unfamiliar with C#, you can skim through [https://mva.microsoft.com/en-us/training-courses/c-fundamentals-for-absolute-beginners-16169 ''C# Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners''] to fill in any gaps.
 
 
 
* '''What do I need?'''
 
*: Before you start:
 
*:# You should read the [[Modding:Index#Using mods|intro for players]] to learn the basic concepts and install SMAPI.
 
*:# You should install:
 
*:## Stardew Valley;
 
*:## SMAPI;
 
*:## and [https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/community/ Visual Studio 2017 Community] (on Windows) or [http://www.monodevelop.com/ MonoDevelop] (on Linux/Mac).
 
*:# If you're not familiar with Visual Studio 2017 (on Windows) or MonoDevelop (on Linux/Mac), [[Modding:IDE reference]] explains how to do the important stuff you need for this guide.
 
 
 
* '''<span id="help">Where can I get help?</span>'''
 
*: The Stardew Valley modding community is very welcoming. Feel free to [https://discord.gg/kH55QXP come chat on Discord] or [http://community.playstarbound.com/forums/mods.215/ post in the forums].
 
 
 
==Create a mod==
 
A SMAPI mod is a compiled library (DLL) with an entry method that gets called by SMAPI, so let's set that up.
 
 
 
===Create the project===
 
# Open Visual Studio 2017 or MonoDevelop.
 
# Create a solution with a C# class library project (see [[Modding:IDE reference#create-project|how to]]).
 
# Change the target framework to .NET Framework 4.5 for compatibility with Linux (see [[Modding:IDE reference#set-target-framework|how to]]).
 
# Delete the <tt>Class1.cs</tt> or <tt>MyClass.cs</tt> file (see [[Modding:IDE reference#delete-file|how to]]).
 
 
 
===Configure the build===
 
# Reference the [https://github.com/Pathoschild/Stardew.ModBuildConfig <tt>Pathoschild.Stardew.ModBuildConfig</tt> NuGet package] (see [[Modding:IDE reference#add-nuget|how to]]). This will automatically configure your project to load the right modding dependencies for the current platform, so your mod can be built on Linux, Mac, or Windows. It also adds support for debugging the mod in-game.
 
# ''(optional)'' See ''[https://github.com/Pathoschild/Stardew.ModBuildConfig#simplify-mod-development simplify mod development]'' to automatically package your mod into your mod folder and enable debugging while the game is running.
 
 
 
That's it! Try building the project and make sure you don't get any errors. If you get an error like "failed to find the game install path", see [https://github.com/Pathoschild/Stardew.ModBuildConfig#troubleshoot the package's ''Troubleshooting'' section].
 
 
 
===Add your manifest===
 
The mod manifest tells SMAPI about your mod.
 
 
 
<ol>
 
<li>Add a file named <tt>manifest.json</tt> to your project.</li>
 
<li>Paste this code into the file (replacing the <tt>&lt;...&gt;</tt> placeholders):
 
<source lang="json">
 
{
 
  "Name": "<your project name>",
 
  "Author": "<your name>",
 
  "Version": {
 
      "MajorVersion": 1,
 
      "MinorVersion": 0,
 
      "PatchVersion": 0,
 
      "Build": null
 
  },
 
  "Description": "<One or two sentences about the mod>",
 
  "UniqueID": "<your name>.<your project name>",
 
  "EntryDll": "<your project name>.dll"
 
}
 
</source></li>
 
</ol>
 
 
 
This will be listed in the console output when the game is launching. (For more info about the version number, see [http://semver.org/ semantic versioning].)
 
 
 
===Write the code===
 
Almost done! Now for the code SMAPI will run.
 
 
 
<ol>
 
<li>Add a C# class file called <tt>ModEntry.cs</tt> to your project.</li>
 
<li>Put this code in the file (replace <tt>&lt;your project name&gt;</tt> with the name of your project):
 
<source lang="c#">
 
using System;
 
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;
 
using StardewModdingAPI;
 
using StardewModdingAPI.Events;
 
using StardewValley;
 
namespace <your project name>
 
{
 
    /// <summary>The mod entry point.</summary>
 
    public class ModEntry : Mod
 
    {
 
        /*********
 
        ** Public methods
 
        *********/
 
        /// <summary>The mod entry point, called after the mod is first loaded.</summary>
 
        /// <param name="helper">Provides simplified APIs for writing mods.</param>
 
        public override void Entry(IModHelper helper)
 
        {
 
            ControlEvents.KeyPressed += this.ControlEvents_KeyPress;
 
        }
 
 
 
        /*********
 
        ** Private methods
 
        *********/
 
        /// <summary>The method invoked when the player presses a keyboard button.</summary>
 
        /// <param name="sender">The event sender.</param>
 
        /// <param name="e">The event data.</param>
 
        private void ControlEvents_KeyPress(object sender, EventArgsKeyPressed e)
 
        {
 
            this.Monitor.Log($"Player pressed {e.KeyPressed}.");
 
        }
 
    }
 
}
 
</source></li>
 
</ol>
 
 
 
===Try your mod===
 
# Build the project.
 
# Copy your mod into your game's <tt>Mods</tt> folder (only if you didn't do step 2 of ''[[#Configure the build|configure the build]]'').
 
# In the game's <tt>Mods</tt> directory, add a folder with your mod's name.
 
# Copy your <tt>manifest.json</tt> and compiled files (see [[Modding:IDE reference#build-output|how to find them]]) into the folder you created.
 
# Run the game through SMAPI.
 
 
 
The mod so far will just send a message to the console window whenever you press a key in the game. If that didn't work, something went wrong. Try reviewing the above instructions, or [[#help|ask for help]]. :)
 
 
 
==Mod APIs==
 
Now that you have a basic mod, see [[Modding:SMAPI APIs]] for the SMAPI features you can use to do more.
 
 
 
==Final considerations==
 
===Crossplatform support===
 
SMAPI will automatically adjust your mod so it works on Linux, Mac, and Windows. However, there are a few things you should do to avoid problems:
 
 
 
<ol>
 
<li>Use the [https://github.com/Pathoschild/Stardew.ModBuildConfig#readme crossplatform build config] package to automatically set up your project references. This makes crossplatform compatibility easier and lets your code compile on any platform. (If you followed the above guide, you already have this.)</li>
 
 
 
<li>Use <tt>Path.Combine</tt> to build file paths, don't hardcode path separators since they won't work on all platforms.
 
 
 
<source lang="c#">
 
// ✘ Don't do this! It will crash on Linux/Mac.
 
string path = helper.DirectoryPath + "\assets\asset.xnb";
 
 
 
// ✓ This is OK
 
string path = Path.Combine(helper.DirectoryPath, "assets", "asset.xnb");
 
</source></li>
 
 
 
<li>Use <tt>helper.DirectoryPath</tt>, don't try to determine the mod path yourself.
 
 
 
<source lang="c#">
 
// ✘ Don't do this! It will crash if SMAPI rewrites the assembly (e.g. to update or crossplatform it).
 
string modFolder = Assembly.GetCallingAssembly().Location;
 
 
 
// ✓ This is OK
 
string modFolder = helper.DirectoryPath;
 
</source></li>
 
</ol>
 
 
 
===Test on all platforms===
 
If you want to test your mod on all platforms, there's some first-time setup you need to get out of the way. Essentially you need to test your mod twice: once on Windows, and again on Linux or Mac. You can do that by testing one version on your computer, and the other in a virtual machine.
 
 
 
* '''If your main computer is Windows:'''
 
*# Install [https://www.virtualbox.org/ VirtualBox].
 
*# Add [https://www.dropbox.com/s/nrq9xsde2afp4ey/StardewValleyLinuxModding.7z this premade Linux virtual machine] (requires a 64-bit computer).<br /><small>''In VirtualBox, click Machine » Add and choose the downloaded <tt>.vbox</tt> file. This is a [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] virtual machine with Chromium (web browser), Steam, and [http://www.monodevelop.com/ MonoDevelop] preinstalled.''</small>
 
*# Launch the virtual machine, and install Stardew Valley from the Steam client (preinstalled) or GOG website.<br /><small>''Tip: don't change the default install path, or you'll need to customise the mod's build configuration.''</small>
 
 
 
* '''If your main computer is Linux or Mac:'''
 
*# Install [https://www.virtualbox.org/ VirtualBox].
 
*# [http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/run-windows-10-on-your-mac-using-virtualbox-3621650/ Create a VM with Windows].
 
*# Install [https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/community/ Visual Studio Community] in your VM.
 
*# Install Stardew Valley in your VM.
 
 
 
===Release your mod===
 
Ready to share your mod with the world? Let's say you created a mod named ''Pineapples Everywhere''
 
which turns all NPCs into pineapples; here's how you would release it for others to use.
 
 
 
<ol>
 
<li>Copy your compiled mod and <tt>manifest.json</tt> into a folder matching your mod's name.</li>
 
 
 
<li>Create a zip archive with your mod's name and version.
 
 
 
Your mod structure should look something like this:
 
 
 
<pre>
 
PineapplesEverywhere-1.0.zip
 
  PineapplesEverywhere/
 
      PineapplesEverywhere.dll
 
      PineapplesEverywhere.pdb
 
      config.json
 
      manifest.json
 
</pre></li>
 
 
 
<li>Upload your mod to [http://www.nexusmods.com/stardewvalley Nexus Mods], the [http://community.playstarbound.com/forums/mods.215/ official modding forums], or both.</li>
 
</ol>
 
 
 
==Decompile the game code==
 
When you start working on more complex mods, you may need to look at how the game code works.
 
 
 
Here's how to decompile the game code so you can look at it:
 
 
 
# Open <tt>StardewValley.exe</tt> in [https://www.jetbrains.com/decompiler/ dotPeek].
 
# Right-click on ''Stardew Valley'' and choose ''Export to Project''. Accept the default options to create a decompiled project you can open in Visual Studio. (Note that the decompiled code will not be functional due to limitations of the decompiler, but you'll be able to read the game code.)
 
 
 
Here's how to unpack the XNB data files:
 
 
 
# Download the [http://community.playstarbound.com/threads/modding-guides-and-general-modding-discussion-redux.109131/page-6#post-2837587 Easy XNB Pack/UnPack Toolkit].
 
# Copy the entire <tt>Stardew Valley\Content</tt> game folder into <tt>XNB-Mod-Toolkit\Packed</tt>.
 
# Run <tt>XNB-Mod-Toolkit\UNPACK FILES.bat</tt> to unpack the files into <tt>XNB-Mod-Toolkit\Unpacked</tt>.
 
 
 
[[Category:Modding]]
 

Latest revision as of 15:34, 3 September 2018