XPath Modding Explanation Thread

Kugi · May 1

Hi, I am really new to the modding. Is there any overview about valid tags, attributes, attribute names? Or do I have to go through all existing XML from TFP to check what can be used? Some kind of XSD?

Maybe sb here is able to help me.
I want to play around with action skills. E.g. using a pickaxe increases miner69 skill. In general it already works.

I took this as an example:

<effect_group>
  <passive_effect name="HarvestCount" operation="perc_add" level="1,5" value=".2,1" tags="oreWoodHarvest"/>
  <passive_effect name="PlayerExpGain" operation="perc_add" level="1,5" value="-.1,-.4" tags="Harvesting">
    <requirement name="HoldingItemHasTags" tags="perkMiner69r"/>
  </passive_effect>
  ...
</effect_group>

Increasing the XP for the action skill looks like this (just the trigger within the effect_group):

<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfHarvestBlock" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="Miner69er_XP" operation="add" value="4">
  <requirement for stone axe />
</triggered_effect> 
<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfHarvestBlock" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="Miner69er_XP" operation="add" value="6">
  <requirement for iron axe />
</triggered_effect> 
<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfHarvestBlock" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="Miner69er_XP" operation="add" value="8">
  <requirement for steel axe />
</triggered_effect>

I would like to check the 'TraderStageTemplate' property of an item (baseTier0-3) to be able to give more XP for a steel axe than a stone axe.
How would I have to implement the <requirement tags to achieve this?
Is there any other requirement possible next to ItemHasTags and HoldingItemHasTags?

BFT2020 · May 1

33 minutes ago, Kugi said:

I would like to check the 'TraderStageTemplate' property of an item (baseTier0-3) to be able to give more XP for a steel axe than a stone axe.
How would I have to implement the <requirement tags to achieve this?
Is there any other requirement possible next to ItemHasTags and HoldingItemHasTags?

You are on the right path, but I think you are looking at it from the wrong end. Instead of looking to have different requirements, look into adding custom tags for the items.

Change

<requirement name="HoldingItemHasTags" tags="perkMiner69r"/>

to something like this

<requirement name="HoldingItemHasTags" tags="BFTIronPickaxe"/>

and then add the new tag to the item in the items.xml file

<item name="meleeToolPickT1IronPickaxe">
    <property name="Tags" value="melee,grunting,medium,tool,longShaft,attStrength,perkMiner69r,perkMotherLode,miningTool,canHaveCosmetic,harvestingSkill,BFTIronPickaxe"/>

Kugi · May 1

This is what I also had in mind. But I wanted to avoid this as I would have to update all items for this (my idea was to sooner or later replace almost all skills by action skills). Going this way I also couldn't combine my mod with other mods which add new items/weapons.
But (thinking while typing) I could update all items at once using xpath - if I was able to add a new entry to the list of tags:

Do you know if this is possible? something like <add xpath="" ...

Edited May 1 by Kugi (see edit history)

Kugi · May 3

Another question (which probably also cannot be solved):
I would like to increase the amount of healing provided by a bandage/Medikit - bases on my current level of medic perk and (more important) also relative to the base amount of healing the item gives.

This is happening within items.xml for medical bandage:

<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="medicalRegHealthAmount" operation="add" value="30"/>

If I now add the following to my medical perk, it works perfectly fine (add a value):

<effect_group>
  <requirement name="ItemHasTags" tags="medical"/>
  <triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="medicalRegHealthAmount" operation="add" value="@HealingMultiplier"/>
</effect_group>

But this adds the same amount of healing to all kind of medical stuff.
What I would like to do instead is this (multiply my facter * base value from the item):

<effect_group>
  <requirement name="ItemHasTags" tags="medical"/>
  <triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="medicalRegHealthAmount" operation="multiply" value="@HealingMultiplier"/>
</effect_group>

Unfortunately, this piece of code is being executed before the effect from the bandage has been applied. So, it is HealingFactor*0 (and afterwards + 30) = 30 instead of 30 * HealingFactor.

Is there any way to solve this other than editing all items manually by adding another tag again and checking this tag as a requirement?

Edited May 3 by Kugi
typo (see edit history)

BFT2020 · May 3

29 minutes ago, Kugi said:

Unfortunately, this piece of code is being executed before the effect from the bandage has been applied. So, it is HealingFactor*0 (and afterwards + 30) = 30 instead of 30 * HealingFactor.

Is there any way to solve this other than editing all items manually by adding another tag again and checking this tag as a requirement?

I'm no expert (so take this with a grain of salt as I don't know if this is the solution without trying it myself), but should the operation be perc_add instead of mutliply? That is typically how it is setup to do either a percentage increase or decrease in a attritubute when you level up a perk (for example 10% reduction in time would be perc_add and the value -0.1)

As for the bandages, try using the tag stopsBleeding instead of medical. That would only apply to bandages, first aid bandages, first aid kits, and sewing kits. Since regular bandages and sewing kits don't have the heal ability incorporated into them, it wouldn't give them a heal bonus based on your perk level.

That is what I would try first if I was doing what you are trying to do.

Kugi · May 3

Unfortunately, perc_add operation cannot be used within <triggered_effect>.

But I found another solution which seems to work.

In my medic perk I set the healing factor like this:

<effect_group>
  <triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="HealingFactor" operation="set" value="@PerkHealingFactor"/>	
  <triggered_effect trigger="onSelfSecondaryActionEnd" target="other" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="HealingFactor" operation="set" value="@PerkHealingFactor"/>	
</effect_group>

And then I extend the buff which handles all healing stuff and apply my healing factor.

<append	 xpath="/buffs/buff[@name='buffHealHealth']">
<effect_group name="Apply Healing Factor from Perk">
  <triggered_effect trigger="onSelfBuffStart" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="medicalRegHealthAmount" operation="multiply" value="@HealingFactor"/>
  <triggered_effect trigger="onSelfBuffStart" action="ModifyCVar" cvar=".healHealthAmountDisplay" operation="set" value="@medicalRegHealthAmount"/>
  <triggered_effect trigger="onSelfBuffRemove" action="ModifyCVar" cvar="HealingFactor" operation="set" value="1"/><!--not sure if this is needed-->
</effect_group>
</append>

At this point the medicalRegHealthAmount from the item was already set.
In Singleplayer it seems to work. But I need to check if this also works in multiplayer when healing others.

Edited May 3 by Kugi
new insights (see edit history)

Kugi · May 4

Btw... is there any Discord Channel (or similar) where I could ask for help? I have lots of questions like

Is there any trigger for lockpicking/opening a chest? Obviously none of the "onSelfXY" trigger works.
Or: Is there any trigger for taking items out of a forge/workbench?

Or: When using a wrench to disassable an object: Is it possible to find out which object it is?

And I and don't want to spam all of them within this thread.

Edited May 4 by Kugi (see edit history)

Kugi · May 9

Hi, it's me again, struggeling.

Works (while harvesting a car):

<effect_group>
	<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfHarvestBlock" action="ShowToolbeltMessage" message="Harvest vehicle!"/>
</effect_group>

Also works (while shooting a zombie - no crawler):

<effect_group>
	<requirement name="EntityTagCompare" target="other" tags="walker"/>
	<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfDamagedOther" action="ShowToolbeltMessage" message="Hit Walking Zombie!"/>
</effect_group>

Doesn't work (while harvesting a car).

<effect_group>
	<requirement name="EntityTagCompare" target="other" tags="vehicle"/>
	<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfHarvestBlock" action="ShowToolbeltMessage" message="Harvest vehicle!"/>
</effect_group>

Any ideas on how to get the last one working?

sphereii · June 26

XML / XPath modding has been further expanded in A22.

Executive Summary:

Two new features have been added to the game to support modding.

   Conditionals
   ------------
       The conditionals allow you to add if/else statements in your xml, adjusting how changes are applied based on a variety of conditions during xml loading.

       Example ( blocks.xml 😞
           If a modlet called "MyDependencyModlet" is loaded, then change the keystone block's model.

<configs>
	<conditional>
      <if cond="mod_loaded('MyDependencyModlet')">
			<set xpath="/blocks/block[@name='keystoneBlock']/property[@name='Model']/@value">@:Entities/LootContainers/luggageBigClosedPrefab.prefab</set>
		</if>
	</conditional>
</configs>

   Include
   -------
       The game can now include references to other files from the same modlet, allowing you to structure your xmls a bit better.

Conditonals and include can work together, allowing you to load custom xmls for various events.

       Example ( entityclasses.xml 😞
           Include the following three xmls as part of loading the entityclasses.xml.

<configs>
	<include filename="myEntityclasses.xml" />
    <include filename="entityclasses/feral.xml" />
    <include filename="entityclasses/bosses.xml" />
</configs>

<include:
====================

The game now supports the <include syntax in XML, enabling users to divide larger files into smaller ones or load different XML files based on conditions.

Key points:
   - You can use the <include statement in any of the game's XML files located in your mods folder to reference another file.
   - The 'filename' attribute specifies a relative path to the parent file, which, in this context, is your modified version of the XML file (e.g., Config/entityclasses.xml).
   - The 'filename' can reference files within the same folder or in sub-folders but not from different modlets.
   - There are no naming restrictions for the included XML files.
   - Each included XML file must adhere to the format and structure of the parent file, including having a top-level node.
   - Included XML files have the same xpath capabilities as the parent file.
   - Ensure the case of your reference files matches, as file references will fail on Linux and Mac if there is a case mismatch.
       
       <include filename="Bosses.xml" />
   - Included XML files can only be of the same type as the file they are added to.
       For example, entityclasses.xml can only include files that also patch entityclasses.xml.
       You cannot add an <include from entityclasses.xml to patch blocks.xml.
   - You can use conditionals to wrap <include statements (details documented below).

Here are some examples illustrating the usage of the <include syntax in XML files:

Example 1:

<include filename="Conditionals/ConditionalExamples.xml" />

Example 2:
   
   <include filename="EntityChanges/ferals.xml" />
   <include filename="EntityChanges/bosses.xml" />

Example 3:

<include filename="bosses.xml" />

These examples demonstrate how you can use the <include syntax to reference and include additional XML files within your main XML file.

Conditionals:
======================
Conditionals in XML provide a way to modify game files during the loading process, giving modders more control over their mods.

These conditions are evaluated when the player first loads the XML, whether in single-player mode or when connecting to a server.
- Conditionals are not re-evaluated during gameplay and do not respond to dynamic changes in the game. They are only checked when the XML files are loaded.
- For instance, a conditional included in a buff will not behave differently once the game is loaded, even if the buff is modified or updated.

The basic structure of a conditional statement is as follows:

<conditional>
       <if cond="mod_loaded('MyDependencyModlet')">
           
       </if>
       <if cond="mod_loaded('MyDependencyModlet2')">
           
       </if>
       
       <else>
           
       </else>
   </conditional>

Key Points:
   - Each <if /> or <else> statement must be enclosed within a <conditional> block, and <else> statements are optional.
   - If multiple <if /> are in the same level, within the same conditional, they are treated as "else-if".
       - If the first <if /> is true, then the other <if /> in the same conditionals will not be evaluated.
   - Each <if /> statement must have at least one cond that evaluates to true or false.
   - All XML files that support XPath also support conditionals.
   - Conditionals can be used to wrap <include /> statements for including files.
       - <include /> can only be in top level (ie, patch level) conditionals.
   - By default, conditionals are evaluated on the host, then sent to the clients.
       - The evaluator attribute is optional and defaults to "host".
       - If set to "client", conditionals are evaluated by the client and host.
           - Each system will evaluate the conditional independently.
       - If a conditional is placed at the top level, the evaluator is ignored, and is evaluated on the host.
           <configs>
               
               <conditional evaluator="client">
                   <if ...>
               </conditional>
           </configs>
           - This is done to properly evaluate the <include files.

   - Host evaluated conditionals are not included in `ConfigsDump`; only their final evaluated results are stored.
   - Conditionals can be placed at any level within the XML.
   - Conditionals cannot evaluate based on other XML properties from the game.
       For example, you cannot use a block's property value as a condition.
   - Conditional checks are done by using NCalc.
       - https://github.com/ncalc/ncalc

<if /> statements contain a cond attribute that can be used to evaluate a conditional.
   - A cond needs to evaluate to true or false based on the "equation".
   - A cond can be read by non-programmers as:
       - if this mod is loaded, do this
       - if this mod is at version 2.2, do this
   - A cond may contain multiple equations, separated by "and" and "or".
   - Equations support the following operands:
       >=   :    Equal or Greater
       <=   :    Equal or Less Than
       >   :    Greater Than
       <   :    Less Than
       ==       :    Equal To
       !=       :    Not Equal To
       <>       :    Not Equal To

   - If the return type is a number or boolean, you do not need to use quotes after the operand.
   - If the return type is a string, you will need to use quotes for the comparison value.
       - <if cond="mod_loaded('mymod') == true" />
       - <if cond="gamepref('OptionsDynamicMusicEnabled') == 1" />
       - <if cond="serverinfo('ServerName') == 'Testing'" />
           - since ServerName is a string, you must wrap the word Testing in single quotes.
   - If the return type is a boolean, the operand can be omitted if you want to test for true.
           <if cond="mod_loaded('myModlet')" /> is equivalent to <if cond="mod_loaded('myModlet') == true" />

       -If you want to reverse the condition,
           <if cond="mod_loaded('myModlet') == false" />
   - If a conditional has multiple <if /> statements, only the first statement that is evaluated as true is used.
       - Other <if /> statements in the same conditional will not be evaluated, even if they are testing different things.

   - These are defined in XmlPatchConditionEvaluator class in the NCalcEvaluateFunction().

Additional custom classes were added to the game to extend basic ncalc functions:
   - The list below is formatted as such:
       - First part is the return type.
       - Second part is the 'method' being called
       - Third part is the parameter, if any, that is needed.

- The return type "Version" is Microsoft's .NET Version.
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.version?view=net-8.0

   bool mod_loaded( "modlet name")
       - Returns true if the modlet is loaded, otherwise returns false if it is not.
       - Uses the ModInfo.xml's name="" value.
       - All modlets are loaded by the time this is evaluated, regardless of load order.

   Version mod_version( "modlet name" )
       - Returns the Version of modlet if it is loaded.
       - If the modlet is not loaded, it returns a Version of 0.0.
       - The version() format below can be used to compare against it.

   Version game_version()
       - Returns the current game Version.
       - The version() format below can be used to compare against it.

   Version version( x,y,z)
       - Converts the numbers into a Version, which can be used to compare against mod_version and game_version.
       - y and z can be omitted if you do not need them.
           - For example, if you only wanted to compare "22" instead of "22.1.0".
       - You can ommit y and z, or z.
       - You cannot ommit y if you want to evaluate against z.
       - Examples:
           - <if cond="game_version() == version(22)" >
               True if Game Version was 22.x.x.
           - <if cond="game_version() == version(22,1)" >
               True if Game Version was 22.1.x.
           - <if cond="game_version() == version(21,1)" >
               False if Game Version was 22.x.x.
           - <if cond="game_version() >= version(22)" >
               True if the Game Version was 22.x.x.
           - <if cond="game_version() >= version(22)" >
               True if the Game Version was 22.1.2.
           - <if cond="game_version() >= version(22)" >
               False if the Game Version was 21.x.x.

   int/string/bool serverinfo( "server property" )
       - Returns the property value passed in, such as "GameName"
       - Returns an int if the value is a number, a string if it's a word, or a true/false if it's boolean.

   int/string/bool gamepref( "gamePref" )
       - Returns the preference value passed in, such as "OptionsDynamicMusicEnabled"
       - Returns an int if the value is a number, a string if it's a word, or a true/false if it's boolean.

   bool event("event name")
       - Returns true or false, depending on if the passed in event is active.
       - Defined in events.xml.
           Events.xml allow you to set up 'events' based on dates.
           - This allows for adjusting the user experience without pushing a new set of files.
           - For example, during the Easter event time window, you can change birds' nests into more colourful versions.
           - Once the event is over, the next time the player loads, they'll get the regular birds nest.
           - See events.xml for more details.

int time_minutes()
- Returns the current minute at the time of parsing.

bool game_loaded()
- Returns true or false, depending on if the game is loaded.

Examples:

       
       <conditional>
           <if cond="mod_loaded('MyDependencyModlet')">
               <include filename="NPCs/entityclasses.xml" />
           </if>
       </conditional>

<conditional>
           <if cond="mod_loaded('MyDependencyModlet') == false">
           </if>
       </conditional>


       
       <conditional>
           <if cond="mod_version('MyDependencyModlet') >= version(22,0)">

           </if>
       </conditional>

<conditional evaluator="client" >
           <if cond="gamepref('OptionsDynamicMusicEnabled')">

           </if>
       </conditional>


       
       <conditional>
           <if cond="(time_minutes() % 2) == 0">
           </if>
       </conditional>

<conditional>
           <if cond="(time_minutes() <= 25) and (time_minutes() >= 20) ">
           </if>
       </conditional>

<conditional>
           <if cond="game_loaded() and serverinfo('GameName') == 'Testing'">
           </if>
       </conditional>

       
       <conditional>
           <if cond="(time_minutes() <= 20)">
           </if>
           <else>
               <if cond="(time_minutes() <= 25)">
               </if>
               <else>
                   <if cond="(time_minutes() <= 30)">
                   </if>
               </else>
           </else>
       </conditional>

       
       <conditional>
           <if cond="(time_minutes() <= 20)">
               
           </if>
           <if cond="(time_minutes() <= 25)">
               
           </if>
           <if cond="(time_minutes() <= 30)">
               
           </if>
           <else>

           </else>
       </conditional>

       
       <conditional>
           
           
           <if cond="game_version() >= version(22,0)">
           </if>
       </conditional>

<conditional>
           <if cond="mod_loaded('0-XNPCCore') and mod_loaded('0-SCore_sphereii)">
               <include filename="NPCs/entityclasses.xml" />
           </if>
       </conditional>

More examples syntax can be found in the A22-XML-Xamples/Config/Conditionals/ConditionalExamples.xml.

https://github.com/SphereII/7D2DConfig/releases/tag/XMLSamples

BFT2020 · June 27

@sphereiiHats off to you

imajackastro · July 3

Good evening,

I am just trying my hand at modding by tweaking some things, the video tutorials in the other threads have been helpful but pretty straightforward so far. However I'm kind of stumped with how to do the following:

I wanted to give an inherent nerd outfit buff specifically to any person who is using a skill magazine for a perk they've leveled up.

for example: when a person with N points in Salvage operations reads the Scrapping4Fun magazine, they get a [N * 10] % chance of getting double points, similar to how the nerd outfit gives that buff.

I obviously don't want to add a million different buffs, so instead I looked at the class magazines in the items.xml:

<item name="salvageToolsSkillMagazine">
	<property name="Tags" value="salvageToolsCSM,csm"/>
	<property name="Extends" value="masterSkillMagazine"/>
	<property name="CustomIcon" value="bookScrapping4Fun"/>
	<property name="DescriptionKey" value="salvageToolsSkillMagazineDesc"/>
	<property name="Unlocks" value="craftingSalvageTools"/>

	<effect_group tiered="false">
		<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="AddProgressionLevel" progression_name="craftingSalvageTools" level="1"/> <!-- level="-1" sets a perk to max level -->
		<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="GiveExp" exp="50"/>
		<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="AddProgressionLevel" progression_name="craftingSalvageTools" level="1">
			<requirement name="HasBuff" buff="buffNerdOutfit"/>
			<requirement name="RandomRoll" seed_type="Random" min_max="0,100" operation="LTE" value="@$nerdOutfitSkillPointChance"/>
		</triggered_effect>
  </effect_group>

This is essentially saying, "when players clicks read, give them 1 point. Then, give them another point IF:

(requirement HasBuff) - They have a nerd outfit on

(requirement RandomRoll) - they succeed a roll based on the quality of the outfit.

Can I add something very similar for what I want? I was thinking just appending to each of the skill magazines, right before the end of the </effect_group> end tag, but this is what I'm currently stuck at:

		<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="AddProgressionLevel" progression_name="craftingSalvageTools" level="1">
			<requirement name="ProgressionLevel" progression_name="perkSalvageOperations" operation="GTE" value="1"/>
			<requirement name="RandomRoll" seed_type="Random" min_max="0,5" operation="LTE" value="@$perkSalvageOperations"/>
		</triggered_effect>

Does this ... look right at all? whats the best way I can essentially do the nerd outfit criteria, but instead make the requirements:

(requirement) - user has at least 1 pt in corresponding perk skill

(requirement) - succeed a roll based on level of the skill they have invested.

goldfantast · July 24

Good day friends, I have such a question - I want to completely rewrite the file biomes.xml how can I realize it? I understand that the command set - changes the current value of the string to your value, apend - adds and in principle through the command set can rewrite all the values for each biome, but I want to do remove biomes.xml and write a completely new biomes.xml

**meganoth** · July 24

1 hour ago, goldfantast said:

Good day friends, I have such a question - I want to completely rewrite the file biomes.xml how can I realize it? I understand that the command set - changes the current value of the string to your value, apend - adds and in principle through the command set can rewrite all the values for each biome, but I want to do remove biomes.xml and write a completely new biomes.xml

Use "<remove xpath=""">

You can remove anything, from a single line to the complete contents of a file, depending where you point the xpath at.

Explained on the first page

Edited July 24 by meganoth (see edit history)

BFT2020 · July 24

2 hours ago, goldfantast said:

Good day friends, I have such a question - I want to completely rewrite the file biomes.xml how can I realize it? I understand that the command set - changes the current value of the string to your value, apend - adds and in principle through the command set can rewrite all the values for each biome, but I want to do remove biomes.xml and write a completely new biomes.xml

Set can be used to change the entire value, Khaine did it in the past for Darkness Falls. I believe it is something like:

<set xpath="/biomes">



your code here



</set>

Couple of things to bring up about doing it this way.

Using Set to change everything means that any mods you have that make the changes prior to your mod loading up will be erased
Mass changing everything means that updates by TFP in the future won't be captured until you update them yourself (even values that you don't modify for your likening).

Personally, I would never recommend changing the file this way because of the two reasons above. I always use remove and set / append / insertAfter / insertBefore in a targeted manner. That way if something else changes that I am not changing for my purpose. the game will implement those changes without me going back into my code to update those changes. In addition, it makes it easier to me to make smaller changes down the road when something is not working out the way I want to and easier to located (I use comments in my mods when they start getting lengthy to find the areas I am specifically looking for), and more than likely my mods won't conflict with other mods if someone wants to use mine.

Another benefit about using a targeted approach is that I can comment out specific parts of my code to revert back to vanilla settings if I am on the fence on a change and wanting to try it again in vanilla. Again, the targeted approach makes it easier to do this.

Shino · July 29

A small modding question.
Are the biome's difficulty bonus display hardcoded? I changed the values on biomes.xml to make it so biome gamestage progression happens in increments of 1 and biome lootstage progression goes in .75, problem is, the game still shows half a skull in the burnt biome.

I tried doing a wide search on the xmls for words like "biome" "bonus" "difficulty" "display" "skull" but nothing so far in the xui side of things.
Am I overlooking something here?

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