Struggling with Append Command

[Scyth]

I'm working on a mod to debuff building and mining on our server - mostly so the molemen don't need to feel bad about hopping on grinding out while they are on a business meeting.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to get PlayerExpGain to work as an Append. If I edit the XML directly, it works just fine. If I try to do it properly, it doesn't work.
 

<!--Test Case Eliminate XP-->
<append xpath="items/item[starts-with(@name, 'meleeToolRepair']/effect_group[starts-with(@name, 'meleetoolRepair')]">
<effect_group>
	<passive_effect name="PlayerExpGain" operation="perc_add" value="-1" />
</effect_group>
</append>

Edited February 14, 2022 by Scyth (see edit history)

[Cranberry Monster]

Are you trying to add it as an effect_group within the existing effect_group? Because that's how the code reads. If it's just a single passive_effect you want to stick into the existing effect_group, remove the <effect_group> and </effect_group> lines.

 

My apologies if things have changed drastically in items.xml in alpha 20. I'm at work and only have the a19 configs to look at.

[Scyth]

I had tried that earlier, and it didn't work, and I saw a suggestion somewhere about using a second effect group, so I figured I'd try it and see if any of the spaghetti stuck to the wall.

[Cranberry Monster]

Okay, here's an idea: try making the second effect_group independent of the first, rather than nested inside it. To do that, I'd change your "append xpath" to "insertAfter xpath" in the code and see if that works. I do see instances in the vanilla configs of items with a second un-named effect_group after the first.

[BFT2020]

Also look into your configdump folder (located in the saves folder) to see how the game is editing the xml code based on your modlet