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  • Minetest Lua Modding API Reference
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    • Minetest Lua Modding API Reference

    Introduction

    Content and functionality can be added to Minetest using Lua scripting in run-time loaded mods.

    A mod is a self-contained bunch of scripts, textures and other related things, which is loaded by and interfaces with Minetest.

    Mods are contained and ran solely on the server side. Definitions and media files are automatically transferred to the client.

    If you see a deficiency in the API, feel free to attempt to add the functionality in the engine and API, and to document it here.

    Programming in Lua

    If you have any difficulty in understanding this, please read Programming in Lua.

    Startup

    Mods are loaded during server startup from the mod load paths by running the init.lua scripts in a shared environment.

    Paths

    Games

    Games are looked up from:

    Where gameid is unique to each game.

    The game directory can contain the following files:

    Games can provide custom main menu images. They are put inside a menu directory inside the game directory.

    The images are named $identifier.png, where $identifier is one of overlay, background, footer, header. If you want to specify multiple images for one identifier, add additional images named like $identifier.$n.png, with an ascending number $n starting with 1, and a random image will be chosen from the provided ones.

    Mod load path

    Generic:

    In a run-in-place version (e.g. the distributed windows version):

    On an installed version on Linux:

    Mod load path for world-specific games

    It is possible to include a game in a world; in this case, no mods or games are loaded or checked from anywhere else.

    This is useful for e.g. adventure worlds.

    This happens if the following directory exists:

    $world/game/

    Mods should be then be placed in:

    $world/game/mods/

    Modpack support

    Mods can be put in a subdirectory, if the parent directory, which otherwise should be a mod, contains a file named modpack.txt. This file shall be empty, except for lines starting with #, which are comments.

    Mod directory structure

    mods |-- modname | |-- depends.txt | |-- screenshot.png | |-- description.txt | |-- settingtypes.txt | |-- init.lua | |-- models | |-- textures | | |-- modname_stuff.png | | -- modname_something_else.png | |-- sounds | |-- media | |-- locale |-- `-- another

    modname

    The location of this directory can be fetched by using minetest.get_modpath(modname).

    depends.txt

    List of mods that have to be loaded before loading this mod.

    A single line contains a single modname.

    Optional dependencies can be defined by appending a question mark to a single modname. This means that if the specified mod is missing, it does not prevent this mod from being loaded.

    screenshot.png

    A screenshot shown in the mod manager within the main menu. It should have an aspect ratio of 3:2 and a minimum size of 300×200 pixels.

    description.txt

    A file containing a description to be shown in the Mods tab of the mainmenu.

    settingtypes.txt

    A file in the same format as the one in builtin. It will be parsed by the settings menu and the settings will be displayed in the "Mods" category.

    init.lua

    The main Lua script. Running this script should register everything it wants to register. Subsequent execution depends on minetest calling the registered callbacks.

    minetest.settings can be used to read custom or existing settings at load time, if necessary. (See Settings)

    models

    Models for entities or meshnodes.

    textures, sounds, media

    Media files (textures, sounds, whatever) that will be transferred to the client and will be available for use by the mod.

    locale

    Translation files for the clients. (See Translations)

    Naming convention for registered textual names

    Registered names should generally be in this format:

    modname:<whatever>

    <whatever> can have these characters:

    a-zA-Z0-9_

    This is to prevent conflicting names from corrupting maps and is enforced by the mod loader.

    Example

    In the mod experimental, there is the ideal item/node/entity name tnt. So the name should be experimental:tnt.

    Enforcement can be overridden by prefixing the name with :. This can be used for overriding the registrations of some other mod.

    Example: Any mod can redefine experimental:tnt by using the name

    :experimental:tnt

    when registering it. (also that mod is required to have experimental as a dependency)

    The : prefix can also be used for maintaining backwards compatibility.

    Aliases

    Aliases can be added by using minetest.register_alias(name, convert_to) or minetest.register_alias_force(name, convert_to).

    This converts anything called name to convert_to.

    The only difference between minetest.register_alias and minetest.register_alias_force is that if an item called name exists, minetest.register_alias will do nothing while minetest.register_alias_force will unregister it.

    This can be used for maintaining backwards compatibility.

    This can also set quick access names for things, e.g. if you have an item called epiclylongmodname:stuff, you could do

    minetest.register_alias("stuff", "epiclylongmodname:stuff")

    and be able to use /giveme stuff.

    Mapgen aliases

    In a game, a certain number of these must be set to tell core mapgens which of the game's nodes are to be used by the core mapgens. For example:

    minetest.register_alias("mapgen_stone", "default:stone")

    Aliases needed for all mapgens except Mapgen v6

    Base terrain:

    "mapgen_stone" "mapgen_water_source" "mapgen_river_water_source"

    Caves:

    "mapgen_lava_source"

    Dungeons:

    Only needed for registered biomes where 'node_stone' is stone: "mapgen_cobble" "mapgen_stair_cobble" "mapgen_mossycobble" Only needed for registered biomes where 'node_stone' is desert stone: "mapgen_desert_stone" "mapgen_stair_desert_stone" Only needed for registered biomes where 'node_stone' is sandstone: "mapgen_sandstone" "mapgen_sandstonebrick" "mapgen_stair_sandstone_block"

    Aliases needed for Mapgen v6

    Terrain and biomes:

    "mapgen_stone" "mapgen_water_source" "mapgen_lava_source" "mapgen_dirt" "mapgen_dirt_with_grass" "mapgen_sand" "mapgen_gravel" "mapgen_desert_stone" "mapgen_desert_sand" "mapgen_dirt_with_snow" "mapgen_snowblock" "mapgen_snow" "mapgen_ice"

    Flora:

    "mapgen_tree" "mapgen_leaves" "mapgen_apple" "mapgen_jungletree" "mapgen_jungleleaves" "mapgen_junglegrass" "mapgen_pine_tree" "mapgen_pine_needles"

    Dungeons:

    "mapgen_cobble" "mapgen_stair_cobble" "mapgen_mossycobble" "mapgen_stair_desert_stone"

    Textures

    Mods should generally prefix their textures with modname_, e.g. given the mod name foomod, a texture could be called:

    foomod_foothing.png

    Textures are referred to by their complete name, or alternatively by stripping out the file extension:

    Texture modifiers

    There are various texture modifiers that can be used to generate textures on-the-fly.

    Texture overlaying

    Textures can be overlaid by putting a ^ between them.

    Example:

    default_dirt.png^default_grass_side.png

    default_grass_side.png is overlaid over default_dirt.png. The texture with the lower resolution will be automatically upscaled to the higher resolution texture.

    Texture grouping

    Textures can be grouped together by enclosing them in ( and ).

    Example: cobble.png^(thing1.png^thing2.png)

    A texture for thing1.png^thing2.png is created and the resulting texture is overlaid on top of cobble.png.

    Escaping

    Modifiers that accept texture names (e.g. [combine) accept escaping to allow passing complex texture names as arguments. Escaping is done with backslash and is required for ^ and :.

    Example: cobble.png^[lowpart:50:color.png\^[mask\:trans.png

    The lower 50 percent of color.png^[mask:trans.png are overlaid on top of cobble.png.

    Advanced texture modifiers

    Crack

    Parameters: * <t> = tile count (in each direction) * <n> = animation frame count * <p> = current animation frame

    Draw a step of the crack animation on the texture. crack draws it normally, while cracko lays it over, keeping transparent pixels intact.

    Example:

    default_cobble.png^[crack:10:1

    [combine:<w>x<h>:<x1>,<y1>=<file1>:<x2>,<y2>=<file2>:...

    Creates a texture of size <w> times <h> and blits the listed files to their specified coordinates.

    Example:

    [combine:16x32:0,0=default_cobble.png:0,16=default_wood.png

    [resize:<w>x<h>

    Resizes the texture to the given dimensions.

    Example:

    default_sandstone.png^[resize:16x16

    [opacity:<r>

    Makes the base image transparent according to the given ratio.

    r must be between 0 and 255. 0 means totally transparent. 255 means totally opaque.

    Example:

    default_sandstone.png^[opacity:127

    [invert:<mode>

    Inverts the given channels of the base image. Mode may contain the characters "r", "g", "b", "a". Only the channels that are mentioned in the mode string will be inverted.

    Example:

    default_apple.png^[invert:rgb

    [brighten

    Brightens the texture.

    Example:

    tnt_tnt_side.png^[brighten

    [noalpha

    Makes the texture completely opaque.

    Example:

    default_leaves.png^[noalpha

    [makealpha:<r>,<g>,<b>

    Convert one color to transparency.

    Example:

    default_cobble.png^[makealpha:128,128,128

    [transform<t>

    Rotates and/or flips the image.

    <t> can be a number (between 0 and 7) or a transform name. Rotations are counter-clockwise.

    0 I identity 1 R90 rotate by 90 degrees 2 R180 rotate by 180 degrees 3 R270 rotate by 270 degrees 4 FX flip X 5 FXR90 flip X then rotate by 90 degrees 6 FY flip Y 7 FYR90 flip Y then rotate by 90 degrees

    Example:

    default_stone.png^[transformFXR90

    [inventorycube{<top>{<left>{<right>

    Escaping does not apply here and ^ is replaced by & in texture names instead.

    Create an inventory cube texture using the side textures.

    Example:

    [inventorycube{grass.png{dirt.png&grass_side.png{dirt.png&grass_side.png

    Creates an inventorycube with grass.png, dirt.png^grass_side.png and dirt.png^grass_side.png textures

    [lowpart:<percent>:<file>

    Blit the lower <percent>% part of <file> on the texture.

    Example:

    base.png^[lowpart:25:overlay.png

    [verticalframe:<t>:<n>

    Crops the texture to a frame of a vertical animation.

    Example:

    default_torch_animated.png^[verticalframe:16:8

    [mask:<file>

    Apply a mask to the base image.

    The mask is applied using binary AND.

    [sheet:<w>x<h>:<x>,<y>

    Retrieves a tile at position x,y from the base image which it assumes to be a tilesheet with dimensions w,h.

    [colorize:<color>:<ratio>

    Colorize the textures with the given color. <color> is specified as a ColorString. <ratio> is an int ranging from 0 to 255 or the word "alpha". If it is an int, then it specifies how far to interpolate between the colors where 0 is only the texture color and 255 is only <color>. If omitted, the alpha of <color> will be used as the ratio. If it is the word "alpha", then each texture pixel will contain the RGB of <color> and the alpha of <color> multiplied by the alpha of the texture pixel.

    [multiply:<color>

    Multiplies texture colors with the given color. <color> is specified as a ColorString. Result is more like what you'd expect if you put a color on top of another color. Meaning white surfaces get a lot of your new color while black parts don't change very much.

    Hardware coloring

    The goal of hardware coloring is to simplify the creation of colorful nodes. If your textures use the same pattern, and they only differ in their color (like colored wool blocks), you can use hardware coloring instead of creating and managing many texture files. All of these methods use color multiplication (so a white-black texture with red coloring will result in red-black color).

    Static coloring

    This method is useful if you wish to create nodes/items with the same texture, in different colors, each in a new node/item definition.

    Global color

    When you register an item or node, set its color field (which accepts a ColorSpec) to the desired color.

    An ItemStacks static color can be overwritten by the color metadata field. If you set that field to a ColorString, that color will be used.

    Tile color

    Each tile may have an individual static color, which overwrites every other coloring methods. To disable the coloring of a face, set its color to white (because multiplying with white does nothing). You can set the color property of the tiles in the node's definition if the tile is in table format.

    Palettes

    For nodes and items which can have many colors, a palette is more suitable. A palette is a texture, which can contain up to 256 pixels. Each pixel is one possible color for the node/item. You can register one node/item, which can have up to 256 colors.

    Palette indexing

    When using palettes, you always provide a pixel index for the given node or ItemStack. The palette is read from left to right and from top to bottom. If the palette has less than 256 pixels, then it is stretched to contain exactly 256 pixels (after arranging the pixels to one line). The indexing starts from 0.

    Examples:

    Using palettes with items

    When registering an item, set the item definition's palette field to a texture. You can also use texture modifiers.

    The ItemStack's color depends on the palette_index field of the stack's metadata. palette_index is an integer, which specifies the index of the pixel to use.

    Linking palettes with nodes

    When registering a node, set the item definition's palette field to a texture. You can also use texture modifiers. The node's color depends on its param2, so you also must set an appropriate paramtype2:

    To colorize a node on the map, set its param2 value (according to the node's paramtype2).

    Conversion between nodes in the inventory and the on the map

    Static coloring is the same for both cases, there is no need for conversion.

    If the ItemStack's metadata contains the color field, it will be lost on placement, because nodes on the map can only use palettes.

    If the ItemStack's metadata contains the palette_index field, it is automatically transferred between node and item forms by the engine, when a player digs or places a colored node. You can disable this feature by setting the drop field of the node to itself (without metadata). To transfer the color to a special drop, you need a drop table.

    Example:

    minetest.register_node("mod:stone", { description = "Stone", tiles = {"default_stone.png"}, paramtype2 = "color", palette = "palette.png", drop = { items = { -- assume that mod:cobblestone also has the same palette {items = {"mod:cobblestone"}, inherit_color = true }, } } })

    Colored items in craft recipes

    Craft recipes only support item strings, but fortunately item strings can also contain metadata. Example craft recipe registration:

    minetest.register_craft({ output = minetest.itemstring_with_palette("wool:block", 3), type = "shapeless", recipe = { "wool:block", "dye:red", }, })

    To set the color field, you can use minetest.itemstring_with_color.

    Metadata field filtering in the recipe field are not supported yet, so the craft output is independent of the color of the ingredients.

    Soft texture overlay

    Sometimes hardware coloring is not enough, because it affects the whole tile. Soft texture overlays were added to Minetest to allow the dynamic coloring of only specific parts of the node's texture. For example a grass block may have colored grass, while keeping the dirt brown.

    These overlays are 'soft', because unlike texture modifiers, the layers are not merged in the memory, but they are simply drawn on top of each other. This allows different hardware coloring, but also means that tiles with overlays are drawn slower. Using too much overlays might cause FPS loss.

    For inventory and wield images you can specify overlays which hardware coloring does not modify. You have to set inventory_overlay and wield_overlay fields to an image name.

    To define a node overlay, simply set the overlay_tiles field of the node definition. These tiles are defined in the same way as plain tiles: they can have a texture name, color etc. To skip one face, set that overlay tile to an empty string.

    Example (colored grass block):

    minetest.register_node("default:dirt_with_grass", { description = "Dirt with Grass", -- Regular tiles, as usual -- The dirt tile disables palette coloring tiles = {{name = "default_grass.png"}, {name = "default_dirt.png", color = "white"}}, -- Overlay tiles: define them in the same style -- The top and bottom tile does not have overlay overlay_tiles = {"", "", {name = "default_grass_side.png", tileable_vertical = false}}, -- Global color, used in inventory color = "green", -- Palette in the world paramtype2 = "color", palette = "default_foilage.png", })

    Sounds

    Only Ogg Vorbis files are supported.

    For positional playing of sounds, only single-channel (mono) files are supported. Otherwise OpenAL will play them non-positionally.

    Mods should generally prefix their sounds with modname_, e.g. given the mod name "foomod", a sound could be called:

    foomod_foosound.ogg

    Sounds are referred to by their name with a dot, a single digit and the file extension stripped out. When a sound is played, the actual sound file is chosen randomly from the matching sounds.

    When playing the sound foomod_foosound, the sound is chosen randomly from the available ones of the following files:

    Examples of sound parameter tables:

    -- Play locationless on all clients { gain = 1.0, -- default fade = 0.0, -- default, change to a value > 0 to fade the sound in pitch = 1.0, -- default } -- Play locationless to one player { to_player = name, gain = 1.0, -- default fade = 0.0, -- default, change to a value > 0 to fade the sound in pitch = 1.0, -- default } -- Play locationless to one player, looped { to_player = name, gain = 1.0, -- default loop = true, } -- Play in a location { pos = {x = 1, y = 2, z = 3}, gain = 1.0, -- default max_hear_distance = 32, -- default, uses an euclidean metric } -- Play connected to an object, looped { object = , gain = 1.0, -- default max_hear_distance = 32, -- default, uses an euclidean metric loop = true, }

    Looped sounds must either be connected to an object or played locationless to one player using to_player = name,

    SimpleSoundSpec

    Registered definitions of stuff

    Anything added using certain minetest.register_* functions get added to the global minetest.registered_* tables.

    Note that in some cases you will stumble upon things that are not contained in these tables (e.g. when a mod has been removed). Always check for existence before trying to access the fields.

    Example: If you want to check the drawtype of a node, you could do:

    local function get_nodedef_field(nodename, fieldname) if not minetest.registered_nodes[nodename] then return nil end return minetest.registered_nodes[nodename][fieldname] end local drawtype = get_nodedef_field(nodename, "drawtype")

    Example: minetest.get_item_group(name, group) has been implemented as:

    function minetest.get_item_group(name, group) if not minetest.registered_items[name] or not minetest.registered_items[name].groups[group] then return 0 end return minetest.registered_items[name].groups[group] end

    Nodes

    Nodes are the bulk data of the world: cubes and other things that take the space of a cube. Huge amounts of them are handled efficiently, but they are quite static.

    The definition of a node is stored and can be accessed by name in

    minetest.registered_nodes[node.name]

    See "Registered definitions of stuff".

    Nodes are passed by value between Lua and the engine. They are represented by a table:

    {name="name", param1=num, param2=num}

    param1 and param2 are 8-bit integers ranging from 0 to 255. The engine uses them for certain automated functions. If you don't use these functions, you can use them to store arbitrary values.

    The functions of param1 and param2 are determined by certain fields in the node definition:

    param1 is reserved for the engine when paramtype != "none":

    paramtype = "light" ^ The value stores light with and without sun in its upper and lower 4 bits respectively. Allows light to propagate from or through the node with light value falling by 1 per node. This is essential for a light source node to spread its light.

    param2 is reserved for the engine when any of these are used:

    liquidtype == "flowing" ^ The level and some flags of the liquid is stored in param2 drawtype == "flowingliquid" ^ The drawn liquid level is read from param2 drawtype == "torchlike" drawtype == "signlike" paramtype2 == "wallmounted" ^ The rotation of the node is stored in param2. You can make this value by using minetest.dir_to_wallmounted(). paramtype2 == "facedir" ^ The rotation of the node is stored in param2. Furnaces and chests are rotated this way. Can be made by using minetest.dir_to_facedir(). Values range 0 - 23 facedir / 4 = axis direction: 0 = y+ 1 = z+ 2 = z- 3 = x+ 4 = x- 5 = y- facedir modulo 4 = rotation around that axis paramtype2 == "leveled" ^ Only valid for "nodebox" with 'type = "leveled"', and "plantlike_rooted". Leveled nodebox: The level of the top face of the nodebox is stored in param2. The other faces are defined by 'fixed = {}' like 'type = "fixed"' nodeboxes. The nodebox height is (param2 / 64) nodes. The maximum accepted value of param2 is 127. Rooted plantlike: The height of the 'plantlike' section is stored in param2. The height is (param2 / 16) nodes. paramtype2 == "degrotate" ^ Only valid for "plantlike". The rotation of the node is stored in param2. Values range 0 - 179. The value stored in param2 is multiplied by two to get the actual rotation in degrees of the node. paramtype2 == "meshoptions" ^ Only valid for "plantlike". The value of param2 becomes a bitfield which can be used to change how the client draws plantlike nodes. Bits 0, 1 and 2 form a mesh selector. Currently the following meshes are choosable: 0 = a "x" shaped plant (ordinary plant) 1 = a "+" shaped plant (just rotated 45 degrees) 2 = a "*" shaped plant with 3 faces instead of 2 3 = a "#" shaped plant with 4 faces instead of 2 4 = a "#" shaped plant with 4 faces that lean outwards 5-7 are unused and reserved for future meshes. Bits 3 through 7 are optional flags that can be combined and give these effects: bit 3 (0x08) - Makes the plant slightly vary placement horizontally bit 4 (0x10) - Makes the plant mesh 1.4x larger bit 5 (0x20) - Moves each face randomly a small bit down (1/8 max) bits 6-7 are reserved for future use. paramtype2 == "color" ^ param2 tells which color is picked from the palette. The palette should have 256 pixels. paramtype2 == "colorfacedir" ^ Same as facedir, but with colors. The first three bits of param2 tells which color is picked from the palette. The palette should have 8 pixels. paramtype2 == "colorwallmounted" ^ Same as wallmounted, but with colors. The first five bits of param2 tells which color is picked from the palette. The palette should have 32 pixels. paramtype2 == "glasslikeliquidlevel" ^ Only valid for "glasslike_framed" or "glasslike_framed_optional" drawtypes. param2 values 0-63 define 64 levels of internal liquid, 0 being empty and 63 being full. Liquid texture is defined using special_tiles = {"modname_tilename.png"},

    Nodes can also contain extra data. See "Node Metadata".

    Node drawtypes

    There are a bunch of different looking node types.

    Look for examples in games/minimal or games/minetest_game.

    *_optional drawtypes need less rendering time if deactivated (always client-side).

    Node boxes

    Node selection boxes are defined using "node boxes".

    A nodebox is defined as any of:

    { -- A normal cube; the default in most things type = "regular" } { -- A fixed box (or boxes) (facedir param2 is used, if applicable) type = "fixed", fixed = box OR {box1, box2, ...} } { -- A variable height box (or boxes) with the top face position defined -- by the node parameter 'leveled = ', or if 'paramtype2 == "leveled"' -- by param2. -- Other faces are defined by 'fixed = {}' as with 'type = "fixed"'. type = "leveled", fixed = box OR {box1, box2, ...} } { -- A box like the selection box for torches -- (wallmounted param2 is used, if applicable) type = "wallmounted", wall_top = box, wall_bottom = box, wall_side = box } { -- A node that has optional boxes depending on neighbouring nodes' -- presence and type. See also connects_to. type = "connected", fixed = box OR {box1, box2, ...} connect_top = box OR {box1, box2, ...} connect_bottom = box OR {box1, box2, ...} connect_front = box OR {box1, box2, ...} connect_left = box OR {box1, box2, ...} connect_back = box OR {box1, box2, ...} connect_right = box OR {box1, box2, ...} -- The following disconnected_* boxes are the opposites of the -- connect_* ones above, i.e. when a node has no suitable neighbour -- on the respective side, the corresponding disconnected box is drawn. disconnected_top = box OR {box1, box2, ...} disconnected_bottom = box OR {box1, box2, ...} disconnected_front = box OR {box1, box2, ...} disconnected_left = box OR {box1, box2, ...} disconnected_back = box OR {box1, box2, ...} disconnected_right = box OR {box1, box2, ...} disconnected = box OR {box1, box2, ...} -- when there is no neighbour disconnected_sides = box OR {box1, box2, ...} -- when there are no neighbours to the sides }

    A box is defined as:

    {x1, y1, z1, x2, y2, z2}

    A box of a regular node would look like:

    {-0.5, -0.5, -0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5},

    Noise Parameters

    Noise Parameters, or commonly called "NoiseParams", define the properties of perlin noise.

    offset

    Offset that the noise is translated by (i.e. added) after calculation.

    scale

    Factor that the noise is scaled by (i.e. multiplied) after calculation.

    spread

    Vector containing values by which each coordinate is divided by before calculation. Higher spread values result in larger noise features.

    A value of {x=250, y=250, z=250} is common.

    seed

    Random seed for the noise. Add the world seed to a seed offset for world-unique noise. In the case of minetest.get_perlin(), this value has the world seed automatically added.

    octaves

    Number of times the noise gradient is accumulated into the noise.

    Increase this number to increase the amount of detail in the resulting noise.

    A value of 6 is common.

    persistence

    Factor by which the effect of the noise gradient function changes with each successive octave.

    Values less than 1 make the details of successive octaves' noise diminish, while values greater than 1 make successive octaves stronger.

    A value of 0.6 is common.

    lacunarity

    Factor by which the noise feature sizes change with each successive octave.

    A value of 2.0 is common.

    flags

    Leave this field unset for no special handling.

    Currently supported are defaults, eased and absvalue.

    defaults

    Specify this if you would like to keep auto-selection of eased/not-eased while specifying some other flags.

    eased

    Maps noise gradient values onto a quintic S-curve before performing interpolation. This results in smooth, rolling noise. Disable this (noeased) for sharp-looking noise. If no flags are specified (or defaults is), 2D noise is eased and 3D noise is not eased.

    absvalue

    Accumulates the absolute value of each noise gradient result.

    Noise parameters format example for 2D or 3D perlin noise or perlin noise maps:

    np_terrain = { offset = 0, scale = 1, spread = {x=500, y=500, z=500}, seed = 571347, octaves = 5, persist = 0.63, lacunarity = 2.0, flags = "defaults, absvalue" } ^ A single noise parameter table can be used to get 2D or 3D noise, when getting 2D noise spread.z is ignored.

    Ore types

    These tell in what manner the ore is generated.

    All default ores are of the uniformly-distributed scatter type.

    scatter

    Randomly chooses a location and generates a cluster of ore.

    If noise_params is specified, the ore will be placed if the 3D perlin noise at that point is greater than the noise_threshold, giving the ability to create a non-equal distribution of ore.

    sheet

    Creates a sheet of ore in a blob shape according to the 2D perlin noise described by noise_params and noise_threshold. This is essentially an improved version of the so-called "stratus" ore seen in some unofficial mods.

    This sheet consists of vertical columns of uniform randomly distributed height, varying between the inclusive range column_height_min and column_height_max. If column_height_min is not specified, this parameter defaults to 1. If column_height_max is not specified, this parameter defaults to clust_size for reverse compatibility. New code should prefer column_height_max.

    The column_midpoint_factor parameter controls the position of the column at which ore emanates from. If 1, columns grow upward. If 0, columns grow downward. If 0.5, columns grow equally starting from each direction. column_midpoint_factor is a decimal number ranging in value from 0 to 1. If this parameter is not specified, the default is 0.5.

    The ore parameters clust_scarcity and clust_num_ores are ignored for this ore type.

    puff

    Creates a sheet of ore in a cloud-like puff shape.

    As with the sheet ore type, the size and shape of puffs are described by noise_params and noise_threshold and are placed at random vertical positions within the currently generated chunk.

    The vertical top and bottom displacement of each puff are determined by the noise parameters np_puff_top and np_puff_bottom, respectively.

    blob

    Creates a deformed sphere of ore according to 3d perlin noise described by noise_params. The maximum size of the blob is clust_size, and clust_scarcity has the same meaning as with the scatter type.

    vein

    Creates veins of ore varying in density by according to the intersection of two instances of 3d perlin noise with different seeds, both described by noise_params.

    random_factor varies the influence random chance has on placement of an ore inside the vein, which is 1 by default. Note that modifying this parameter may require adjusting noise_threshold.

    The parameters clust_scarcity, clust_num_ores, and clust_size are ignored by this ore type.

    This ore type is difficult to control since it is sensitive to small changes. The following is a decent set of parameters to work from:

    noise_params = { offset = 0, scale = 3, spread = {x=200, y=200, z=200}, seed = 5390, octaves = 4, persist = 0.5, flags = "eased", }, noise_threshold = 1.6

    WARNING: Use this ore type very sparingly since it is ~200x more computationally expensive than any other ore.

    stratum

    Creates a single undulating ore stratum that is continuous across mapchunk borders and horizontally spans the world.

    The 2D perlin noise described by noise_params defines the Y co-ordinate of the stratum midpoint. The 2D perlin noise described by np_stratum_thickness defines the stratum's vertical thickness (in units of nodes). Due to being continuous across mapchunk borders the stratum's vertical thickness is unlimited.

    If the noise parameter noise_params is omitted the ore will occur from y_min to y_max in a simple horizontal stratum.

    A parameter stratum_thickness can be provided instead of the noise parameter np_stratum_thickness, to create a constant thickness.

    Leaving out one or both noise parameters makes the ore generation less intensive, useful when adding multiple strata.

    y_min and y_max define the limits of the ore generation and for performance reasons should be set as close together as possible but without clipping the stratum's Y variation.

    Each node in the stratum has a 1-in-clust_scarcity chance of being ore, so a solid-ore stratum would require a clust_scarcity of 1.

    The parameters clust_num_ores, clust_size, noise_threshold and random_factor are ignored by this ore type.

    Ore attributes

    See section "Flag Specifier Format".

    Currently supported flags: puff_cliffs, puff_additive_composition.

    puff_cliffs

    If set, puff ore generation will not taper down large differences in displacement when approaching the edge of a puff. This flag has no effect for ore types other than puff.

    puff_additive_composition

    By default, when noise described by np_puff_top or np_puff_bottom results in a negative displacement, the sub-column at that point is not generated. With this attribute set, puff ore generation will instead generate the absolute difference in noise displacement values. This flag has no effect for ore types other than puff.

    Decoration types

    The varying types of decorations that can be placed.

    simple

    Creates a 1 times H times 1 column of a specified node (or a random node from a list, if a decoration list is specified). Can specify a certain node it must spawn next to, such as water or lava, for example. Can also generate a decoration of random height between a specified lower and upper bound. This type of decoration is intended for placement of grass, flowers, cacti, papyri, waterlilies and so on.

    schematic

    Copies a box of MapNodes from a specified schematic file (or raw description). Can specify a probability of a node randomly appearing when placed. This decoration type is intended to be used for multi-node sized discrete structures, such as trees, cave spikes, rocks, and so on.

    Schematic specifier

    A schematic specifier identifies a schematic by either a filename to a Minetest Schematic file (.mts) or through raw data supplied through Lua, in the form of a table. This table specifies the following fields:

    About probability values:

    Schematic attributes

    See section "Flag Specifier Format".

    Currently supported flags: place_center_x, place_center_y, place_center_z, force_placement.

    HUD element types

    The position field is used for all element types.

    To account for differing resolutions, the position coordinates are the percentage of the screen, ranging in value from 0 to 1.

    The name field is not yet used, but should contain a description of what the HUD element represents. The direction field is the direction in which something is drawn.

    0 draws from left to right, 1 draws from right to left, 2 draws from top to bottom, and 3 draws from bottom to top.

    The alignment field specifies how the item will be aligned. It ranges from -1 to 1, with 0 being the center. -1 is moved to the left/up, and 1 is to the right/down. Fractional values can be used.

    The offset field specifies a pixel offset from the position. Contrary to position, the offset is not scaled to screen size. This allows for some precisely positioned items in the HUD.

    Note: offset will adapt to screen DPI as well as user defined scaling factor!

    Below are the specific uses for fields in each type; fields not listed for that type are ignored.

    Note: Future revisions to the HUD API may be incompatible; the HUD API is still in the experimental stages.

    image

    Displays an image on the HUD.

    text

    Displays text on the HUD.

    statbar

    Displays a horizontal bar made up of half-images.

    inventory

    waypoint

    Displays distance to selected world position.

    Representations of simple things

    Position/vector

    {x=num, y=num, z=num}

    For helper functions see "Vector helpers".

    pointed_thing

    Flag Specifier Format

    Flags using the standardized flag specifier format can be specified in either of two ways, by string or table.

    The string format is a comma-delimited set of flag names; whitespace and unrecognized flag fields are ignored. Specifying a flag in the string sets the flag, and specifying a flag prefixed by the string "no" explicitly clears the flag from whatever the default may be.

    In addition to the standard string flag format, the schematic flags field can also be a table of flag names to boolean values representing whether or not the flag is set. Additionally, if a field with the flag name prefixed with "no" is present, mapped to a boolean of any value, the specified flag is unset.

    E.g. A flag field of value

    {place_center_x = true, place_center_y=false, place_center_z=true}

    is equivalent to

    {place_center_x = true, noplace_center_y=true, place_center_z=true}

    which is equivalent to

    "place_center_x, noplace_center_y, place_center_z"

    or even

    "place_center_x, place_center_z"

    since, by default, no schematic attributes are set.

    Items

    Item types

    There are three kinds of items: nodes, tools and craftitems.

    Amount and wear

    All item stacks have an amount between 0 to 65535. It is 1 by default. Tool item stacks can not have an amount greater than 1.

    Tools use a wear (=damage) value ranging from 0 to 65535. The value 0 is the default and used is for unworn tools. The values 1 to 65535 are used for worn tools, where a higher value stands for a higher wear. Non-tools always have a wear value of 0.

    Item formats

    Items and item stacks can exist in three formats: Serializes, table format and ItemStack.

    Serialized

    This is called "stackstring" or "itemstring". It is a simple string with 1-3 components: the full item identifier, an optional amount and an optional wear value. Syntax:

    [[ ]]

    Examples:

    Table format

    Examples:

    5 dirt nodes:

    {name="default:dirt", count=5, wear=0, metadata=""}

    A wooden pick about 1/3 worn out:

    {name="default:pick_wood", count=1, wear=21323, metadata=""}

    An apple:

    {name="default:apple", count=1, wear=0, metadata=""}

    ItemStack

    A native C++ format with many helper methods. Useful for converting between formats. See the Class reference section for details.

    When an item must be passed to a function, it can usually be in any of these formats.

    Groups

    In a number of places, there is a group table. Groups define the properties of a thing (item, node, armor of entity, capabilities of tool) in such a way that the engine and other mods can can interact with the thing without actually knowing what the thing is.

    Usage

    Groups are stored in a table, having the group names with keys and the group ratings as values. For example:

    groups = {crumbly=3, soil=1} -- ^ Default dirt

    groups = {crumbly=2, soil=1, level=2, outerspace=1} -- ^ A more special dirt-kind of thing

    Groups always have a rating associated with them. If there is no useful meaning for a rating for an enabled group, it shall be 1.

    When not defined, the rating of a group defaults to 0. Thus when you read groups, you must interpret nil and 0 as the same value, 0.

    You can read the rating of a group for an item or a node by using

    minetest.get_item_group(itemname, groupname)

    Groups of items

    Groups of items can define what kind of an item it is (e.g. wool).

    Groups of nodes

    In addition to the general item things, groups are used to define whether a node is destroyable and how long it takes to destroy by a tool.

    Groups of entities

    For entities, groups are, as of now, used only for calculating damage. The rating is the percentage of damage caused by tools with this damage group. See "Entity damage mechanism".

    object.get_armor_groups() --> a group-rating table (e.g. {fleshy=100}) object.set_armor_groups({fleshy=30, cracky=80})

    Groups of tools

    Groups in tools define which groups of nodes and entities they are effective towards.

    Groups in crafting recipes

    An example: Make meat soup from any meat, any water and any bowl:

    { output = 'food:meat_soup_raw', recipe = { {'group:meat'}, {'group:water'}, {'group:bowl'}, }, -- preserve = {'group:bowl'}, -- Not implemented yet (TODO) }

    Another example: Make red wool from white wool and red dye:

    { type = 'shapeless', output = 'wool:red', recipe = {'wool:white', 'group:dye,basecolor_red'}, }

    Special groups

    Known damage and digging time defining groups

    Examples of custom groups

    Item groups are often used for defining, well, groups of items.

    Digging time calculation specifics

    Groups such as crumbly, cracky and snappy are used for this purpose. Rating is 1, 2 or 3. A higher rating for such a group implies faster digging time.

    The level group is used to limit the toughness of nodes a tool can dig and to scale the digging times / damage to a greater extent.

    Please do understand this, otherwise you cannot use the system to it's full potential.

    Tools define their properties by a list of parameters for groups. They cannot dig other groups; thus it is important to use a standard bunch of groups to enable interaction with tools.

    Tools definition

    Tools define:

    Full punch interval

    When used as a weapon, the tool will do full damage if this time is spent between punches. If e.g. half the time is spent, the tool will do half damage.

    Maximum drop level

    Suggests the maximum level of node, when dug with the tool, that will drop it's useful item. (e.g. iron ore to drop a lump of iron).

    This is not automated; it is the responsibility of the node definition to implement this.

    Uses

    Determines how many uses the tool has when it is used for digging a node, of this group, of the maximum level. For lower leveled nodes, the use count is multiplied by 3^leveldiff.

    Maximum level

    Tells what is the maximum level of a node of this group that the tool will be able to dig.

    Digging times

    List of digging times for different ratings of the group, for nodes of the maximum level.

    For example, as a Lua table, times={2=2.00, 3=0.70}. This would result in the tool to be able to dig nodes that have a rating of 2 or 3 for this group, and unable to dig the rating 1, which is the toughest. Unless there is a matching group that enables digging otherwise.

    If the result digging time is 0, a delay of 0.15 seconds is added between digging nodes; If the player releases LMB after digging, this delay is set to 0, i.e. players can more quickly click the nodes away instead of holding LMB.

    Damage groups

    List of damage for groups of entities. See "Entity damage mechanism".

    Example definition of the capabilities of a tool

    tool_capabilities = { full_punch_interval=1.5, max_drop_level=1, groupcaps={ crumbly={maxlevel=2, uses=20, times={[1]=1.60, [2]=1.20, [3]=0.80}} } damage_groups = {fleshy=2}, }

    This makes the tool be able to dig nodes that fulfil both of these:

    Table of resulting digging times:

    crumbly 0 1 2 3 4 <- level -> 0 - - - - - 1 0.80 1.60 1.60 - - 2 0.60 1.20 1.20 - - 3 0.40 0.80 0.80 - -

    level diff: 2 1 0 -1 -2

    Table of resulting tool uses:

    -> 0 - - - - - 1 180 60 20 - - 2 180 60 20 - - 3 180 60 20 - -

    Notes:

    Entity damage mechanism

    Damage calculation:

    damage = 0 foreach group in cap.damage_groups: damage += cap.damage_groups[group] * limit(actual_interval / cap.full_punch_interval, 0.0, 1.0) * (object.armor_groups[group] / 100.0) -- Where object.armor_groups[group] is 0 for inexistent values return damage

    Client predicts damage based on damage groups. Because of this, it is able to give an immediate response when an entity is damaged or dies; the response is pre-defined somehow (e.g. by defining a sprite animation) (not implemented; TODO). Currently a smoke puff will appear when an entity dies.

    The group immortal completely disables normal damage.

    Entities can define a special armor group, which is punch_operable. This group disables the regular damage mechanism for players punching it by hand or a non-tool item, so that it can do something else than take damage.

    On the Lua side, every punch calls:

    entity:on_punch(puncher, time_from_last_punch, tool_capabilities, direction, damage)

    This should never be called directly, because damage is usually not handled by the entity itself.

    To punch an entity/object in Lua, call:

    object:punch(puncher, time_from_last_punch, tool_capabilities, direction)

    Node Metadata

    The instance of a node in the world normally only contains the three values mentioned in "Nodes". However, it is possible to insert extra data into a node. It is called "node metadata"; See NodeMetaRef.

    Node metadata contains two things:

    Some of the values in the key-value store are handled specially:

    Example stuff:

    local meta = minetest.get_meta(pos) meta:set_string("formspec", "size[8,9]".. "list[context;main;0,0;8,4;]".. "list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]") meta:set_string("infotext", "Chest"); local inv = meta:get_inventory() inv:set_size("main", 8*4) print(dump(meta:to_table())) meta:from_table({ inventory = { main = {[1] = "default:dirt", [2] = "", [3] = "", [4] = "", [5] = "", [6] = "", [7] = "", [8] = "", [9] = "", [10] = "", [11] = "", [12] = "", [13] = "", [14] = "default:cobble", [15] = "", [16] = "", [17] = "", [18] = "", [19] = "", [20] = "default:cobble", [21] = "", [22] = "", [23] = "", [24] = "", [25] = "", [26] = "", [27] = "", [28] = "", [29] = "", [30] = "", [31] = "", [32] = ""} }, fields = { formspec = "size[8,9]list[context;main;0,0;8,4;]list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]", infotext = "Chest" } })

    Item Metadata

    Item stacks can store metadata too. See ItemStackMetaRef.

    Item metadata only contains a key-value store.

    Some of the values in the key-value store are handled specially:

    Example stuff:

    local meta = stack:get_meta() meta:set_string("key", "value") print(dump(meta:to_table()))

    Formspec

    Formspec defines a menu. Currently not much else than inventories are supported. It is a string, with a somewhat strange format.

    Spaces and newlines can be inserted between the blocks, as is used in the examples.

    Examples

    Chest

    size[8,9] list[context;main;0,0;8,4;] list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]

    Furnace

    size[8,9] list[context;fuel;2,3;1,1;] list[context;src;2,1;1,1;] list[context;dst;5,1;2,2;] list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]

    Minecraft-like player inventory

    size[8,7.5] image[1,0.6;1,2;player.png] list[current_player;main;0,3.5;8,4;] list[current_player;craft;3,0;3,3;] list[current_player;craftpreview;7,1;1,1;]

    Elements

    size[<W>,<H>,<fixed_size>]

    position[<X>,<Y>]

    anchor[<X>,<Y>]

    container[<X>,<Y>]

    container_end[]

    list[<inventory location>;<list name>;<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;]

    list[<inventory location>;<list name>;<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<starting item index>]

    listring[<inventory location>;<list name>]

    listring[]

    listcolors[<slot_bg_normal>;<slot_bg_hover>]

    listcolors[<slot_bg_normal>;<slot_bg_hover>;<slot_border>]

    listcolors[<slot_bg_normal>;<slot_bg_hover>;<slot_border>;<tooltip_bgcolor>;<tooltip_fontcolor>]

    tooltip[<gui_element_name>;<tooltip_text>;<bgcolor>;<fontcolor>]

    image[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>]

    item_image[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<item name>]

    bgcolor[<color>;<fullscreen>]

    background[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>]

    background[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>;<auto_clip>]

    pwdfield[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>]

    field[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>;<default>]

    field[<name>;<label>;<default>]

    field_close_on_enter[<name>;<close_on_enter>]

    textarea[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>;<default>]

    label[<X>,<Y>;<label>]

    vertlabel[<X>,<Y>;<label>]

    button[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>]

    image_button[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>;<name>;<label>]

    image_button[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>;<name>;<label>;<noclip>;<drawborder>;<pressed texture name>]

    item_image_button[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<item name>;<name>;<label>]

    button_exit[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>]

    image_button_exit[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>;<name>;<label>]

    textlist[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<listelem 1>,<listelem 2>,...,<listelem n>]

    textlist[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<listelem 1>,<listelem 2>,...,<listelem n>;<selected idx>;<transparent>]

    tabheader[<X>,<Y>;<name>;<caption 1>,<caption 2>,...,<caption n>;<current_tab>;<transparent>;<draw_border>]

    box[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<color>]

    checkbox[<X>,<Y>;<name>;<label>;<selected>]

    scrollbar[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<orientation>;<name>;<value>]

    table[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<cell 1>,<cell 2>,...,<cell n>;<selected idx>]

    tableoptions[<opt 1>;<opt 2>;...]

    tablecolumns[<type 1>,<opt 1a>,<opt 1b>,...;<type 2>,<opt 2a>,<opt 2b>;...]

    Note: do not use a element name starting with key_; those names are reserved to pass key press events to formspec!

    Inventory locations

    Player Inventory lists

    ColorString

    #RGB defines a color in hexadecimal format.

    #RGBA defines a color in hexadecimal format and alpha channel.

    #RRGGBB defines a color in hexadecimal format.

    #RRGGBBAA defines a color in hexadecimal format and alpha channel.

    Named colors are also supported and are equivalent to CSS Color Module Level 4. To specify the value of the alpha channel, append #AA to the end of the color name (e.g. colorname#08). For named colors the hexadecimal string representing the alpha value must (always) be two hexadecimal digits.

    ColorSpec

    A ColorSpec specifies a 32-bit color. It can be written in either: table form, each element ranging from 0..255 (a, if absent, defaults to 255): colorspec = {a=255, r=0, g=255, b=0} numerical form, the raw integer value of an ARGB8 quad: colorspec = 0xFF00FF00 or string form, a ColorString (defined above): colorspec = "green"

    Escape sequences

    Most text can contain escape sequences, that can for example color the text. There are a few exceptions: tab headers, dropdowns and vertical labels can't. The following functions provide escape sequences:

    Spatial Vectors

    For the following functions, v, v1, v2 are vectors, p1, p2 are positions:

    For the following functions x can be either a vector or a number:

    Helper functions

    Translations

    Texts can be translated client-side with the help of minetest.translate and translation files.

    Translating a string

    Two functions are provided to translate strings: minetest.translate and minetest.get_translator.

    As an extra commodity, if textdomain is nil, it is assumed to be "" instead.

    For instance, suppose we want to translate "@1 Wool" with "@1" being replaced by the translation of "Red". We can do the following:

    local S = minetest.get_translator() S("@1 Wool", S("Red"))

    This will be displayed as "Red Wool" on old clients and on clients that do not have localization enabled. However, if we have for instance a translation file named wool.fr.tr containing the following:

    @1 Wool=Laine @1 Red=Rouge

    this will be displayed as "Laine Rouge" on clients with a French locale.

    Operations on translated strings

    The output of minetest.translate is a string, with escape sequences adding additional information to that string so that it can be translated on the different clients. In particular, you can't expect operations like string.length to work on them like you would expect them to, or string.gsub to work in the expected manner. However, string concatenation will still work as expected (note that you should only use this for things like formspecs; do not translate sentences by breaking them into parts; arguments should be used instead), and operations such as minetest.colorize which are also concatenation.

    Translation file format

    A translation file has the suffix .[lang].tr, where [lang] is the language it corresponds to. The file should be a text file, with the following format:

    Escapes

    Strings that need to be translated can contain several escapes, preceded by @.

    minetest namespace reference

    Utilities

    Logging

    Registration functions

    Call these functions only at load time!

    Global callback registration functions

    Call these functions only at load time!

    Other registration functions

    Authentication

    minetest.set_player_password, minetest_set_player_privs, minetest_get_player_privs and minetest.auth_reload call the authentication handler.

    Chat

    Environment access

    Mod channels

    You can find mod channels communication scheme in docs/mod_channels.png.

    Inventory

    minetest.get_inventory(location): returns an InvRef

    Formspec

    Item handling

    Rollback

    Defaults for the on_* item definition functions

    These functions return the leftover itemstack.

    Defaults for the on_punch and on_dig node definition callbacks

    Sounds

    Timing

    Server

    Bans

    Particles

    Schematics

    HTTP Requests:

    Storage API:

    Misc.

    Global objects

    Global tables

    Class reference

    ModChannel

    An interface to use mod channels on client and server

    Methods

    MetaDataRef

    See StorageRef, NodeMetaRef and ItemStackMetaRef.

    Methods

    NodeMetaRef

    Node metadata: reference extra data and functionality stored in a node. Can be obtained via minetest.get_meta(pos).

    Methods

    ItemStackMetaRef

    ItemStack metadata: reference extra data and functionality stored in a stack. Can be obtained via item:get_meta().

    Methods

    StorageRef

    Mod metadata: per mod metadata, saved automatically. Can be obtained via minetest.get_mod_storage() during load time.

    Methods

    NodeTimerRef

    Node Timers: a high resolution persistent per-node timer. Can be gotten via minetest.get_node_timer(pos).

    Methods

    ObjectRef

    Moving things in the game are generally these.

    This is basically a reference to a C++ ServerActiveObject

    Methods

    LuaEntitySAO-only (no-op for other objects)
    Player-only (no-op for other objects)

    InvRef

    An InvRef is a reference to an inventory.

    Methods

    AreaStore

    A fast access data structure to store areas, and find areas near a given position or area. Every area has a data string attribute to store additional information. You can create an empty AreaStore by calling AreaStore(), or AreaStore(type_name). If you chose the parameter-less constructor, a fast implementation will be automatically chosen for you.

    Methods

    ItemStack

    An ItemStack is a stack of items.

    It can be created via ItemStack(x), where x is an ItemStack, an itemstring, a table or nil.

    Methods

    PseudoRandom

    A 16-bit pseudorandom number generator. Uses a well-known LCG algorithm introduced by K&R.

    It can be created via PseudoRandom(seed).

    Methods

    PcgRandom

    A 32-bit pseudorandom number generator. Uses PCG32, an algorithm of the permuted congruential generator family, offering very strong randomness.

    It can be created via PcgRandom(seed) or PcgRandom(seed, sequence).

    Methods

    SecureRandom

    Interface for the operating system's crypto-secure PRNG.

    It can be created via SecureRandom(). The constructor returns nil if a secure random device cannot be found on the system.

    Methods

    PerlinNoise

    A perlin noise generator. It can be created via PerlinNoise(seed, octaves, persistence, scale) or PerlinNoise(noiseparams). Alternatively with minetest.get_perlin(seeddiff, octaves, persistence, scale) or minetest.get_perlin(noiseparams).

    Methods

    PerlinNoiseMap

    A fast, bulk perlin noise generator.

    It can be created via PerlinNoiseMap(noiseparams, size) or minetest.get_perlin_map(noiseparams, size).

    Format of size is {x=dimx, y=dimy, z=dimz}. The z component is omitted for 2D noise, and it must be must be larger than 1 for 3D noise (otherwise nil is returned).

    For each of the functions with an optional buffer parameter: If buffer is not nil, this table will be used to store the result instead of creating a new table.

    Methods

    VoxelManip

    About VoxelManip

    VoxelManip is a scripting interface to the internal 'Map Voxel Manipulator' facility. The purpose of this object is for fast, low-level, bulk access to reading and writing Map content. As such, setting map nodes through VoxelManip will lack many of the higher level features and concepts you may be used to with other methods of setting nodes. For example, nodes will not have their construction and destruction callbacks run, and no rollback information is logged.

    It is important to note that VoxelManip is designed for speed, and not ease of use or flexibility. If your mod requires a map manipulation facility that will handle 100% of all edge cases, or the use of high level node placement features, perhaps minetest.set_node() is better suited for the job.

    In addition, VoxelManip might not be faster, or could even be slower, for your specific use case. VoxelManip is most effective when setting large areas of map at once - for example, if only setting a 3x3x3 node area, a minetest.set_node() loop may be more optimal. Always profile code using both methods of map manipulation to determine which is most appropriate for your usage.

    A recent simple test of setting cubic areas showed that minetest.set_node() is faster than a VoxelManip for a 3x3x3 node cube or smaller.

    Using VoxelManip

    A VoxelManip object can be created any time using either: VoxelManip([p1, p2]), or minetest.get_voxel_manip([p1, p2]).

    If the optional position parameters are present for either of these routines, the specified region will be pre-loaded into the VoxelManip object on creation. Otherwise, the area of map you wish to manipulate must first be loaded into the VoxelManip object using VoxelManip:read_from_map().

    Note that VoxelManip:read_from_map() returns two position vectors. The region formed by these positions indicate the minimum and maximum (respectively) positions of the area actually loaded in the VoxelManip, which may be larger than the area requested. For convenience, the loaded area coordinates can also be queried any time after loading map data with VoxelManip:get_emerged_area().

    Now that the VoxelManip object is populated with map data, your mod can fetch a copy of this data using either of two methods. VoxelManip:get_node_at(), which retrieves an individual node in a MapNode formatted table at the position requested is the simplest method to use, but also the slowest.

    Nodes in a VoxelManip object may also be read in bulk to a flat array table using:

    See section 'Flat array format' for more details.

    It is very important to understand that the tables returned by any of the above three functions represent a snapshot of the VoxelManip's internal state at the time of the call. This copy of the data will not magically update itself if another function modifies the internal VoxelManip state. Any functions that modify a VoxelManip's contents work on the VoxelManip's internal state unless otherwise explicitly stated.

    Once the bulk data has been edited to your liking, the internal VoxelManip state can be set using:

    The parameter to each of the above three functions can use any table at all in the same flat array format as produced by get_data() etc. and is not required to be a table retrieved from get_data().

    Once the internal VoxelManip state has been modified to your liking, the changes can be committed back to the map by calling VoxelManip:write_to_map()

    Flat array format

    Let Nx = p2.X - p1.X + 1, Ny = p2.Y - p1.Y + 1, and Nz = p2.Z - p1.Z + 1.

    Then, for a loaded region of p1..p2, this array ranges from 1 up to and including the value of the expression Nx * Ny * Nz.

    Positions offset from p1 are present in the array with the format of:

    [
    (0, 0, 0),   (1, 0, 0),   (2, 0, 0),   ... (Nx, 0, 0),
    (0, 1, 0),   (1, 1, 0),   (2, 1, 0),   ... (Nx, 1, 0),
    ...
    (0, Ny, 0),  (1, Ny, 0),  (2, Ny, 0),  ... (Nx, Ny, 0),
    (0, 0, 1),   (1, 0, 1),   (2, 0, 1),   ... (Nx, 0, 1),
    ...
    (0, Ny, 2),  (1, Ny, 2),  (2, Ny, 2),  ... (Nx, Ny, 2),
    ...
    (0, Ny, Nz), (1, Ny, Nz), (2, Ny, Nz), ... (Nx, Ny, Nz)
]

    and the array index for a position p contained completely in p1..p2 is:

    (p.Z - p1.Z) * Ny * Nx + (p.Y - p1.Y) * Nx + (p.X - p1.X) + 1

    Note that this is the same "flat 3D array" format as PerlinNoiseMap:get3dMap_flat(). VoxelArea objects (see section 'VoxelArea') can be used to simplify calculation of the index for a single point in a flat VoxelManip array.

    Content IDs

    A Content ID is a unique integer identifier for a specific node type. These IDs are used by VoxelManip in place of the node name string for VoxelManip:get_data() and VoxelManip:set_data(). You can use minetest.get_content_id() to look up the Content ID for the specified node name, and minetest.get_name_from_content_id() to look up the node name string for a given Content ID. After registration of a node, its Content ID will remain the same throughout execution of the mod. Note that the node being queried needs to have already been been registered.

    The following builtin node types have their Content IDs defined as constants:

    Mapgen VoxelManip objects

    Inside of on_generated() callbacks, it is possible to retrieve the same VoxelManip object used by the core's Map Generator (commonly abbreviated Mapgen). Most of the rules previously described still apply but with a few differences:

    Other API functions operating on a VoxelManip

    If any VoxelManip contents were set to a liquid node, VoxelManip:update_liquids() must be called for these liquid nodes to begin flowing. It is recommended to call this function only after having written all buffered data back to the VoxelManip object, save for special situations where the modder desires to only have certain liquid nodes begin flowing.

    The functions minetest.generate_ores() and minetest.generate_decorations() will generate all registered decorations and ores throughout the full area inside of the specified VoxelManip object.

    minetest.place_schematic_on_vmanip() is otherwise identical to minetest.place_schematic(), except instead of placing the specified schematic directly on the map at the specified position, it will place the schematic inside the VoxelManip.

    Notes

    Methods

    VoxelArea

    A helper class for voxel areas. It can be created via VoxelArea:new{MinEdge=pmin, MaxEdge=pmax}. The coordinates are inclusive, like most other things in Minetest.

    Methods

    Settings

    An interface to read config files in the format of minetest.conf.

    It can be created via Settings(filename).

    Methods

    Raycast

    A raycast on the map. It works with selection boxes. Can be used as an iterator in a for loop.

    The map is loaded as the ray advances. If the map is modified after the Raycast is created, the changes may or may not have an effect on the object.

    It can be created via Raycast(pos1, pos2, objects, liquids) or minetest.raycast(pos1, pos2, objects, liquids) where: * pos1: start of the ray * pos2: end of the ray * objects : if false, only nodes will be returned. Default is true. * `liquids' : if false, liquid nodes won't be returned. Default is false.

    Methods

    Mapgen objects

    A mapgen object is a construct used in map generation. Mapgen objects can be used by an on_generate callback to speed up operations by avoiding unnecessary recalculations, these can be retrieved using the minetest.get_mapgen_object() function. If the requested Mapgen object is unavailable, or get_mapgen_object() was called outside of an on_generate() callback, nil is returned.

    The following Mapgen objects are currently available:

    voxelmanip

    This returns three values; the VoxelManip object to be used, minimum and maximum emerged position, in that order. All mapgens support this object.

    heightmap

    Returns an array containing the y coordinates of the ground levels of nodes in the most recently generated chunk by the current mapgen.

    biomemap

    Returns an array containing the biome IDs of nodes in the most recently generated chunk by the current mapgen.

    heatmap

    Returns an array containing the temperature values of nodes in the most recently generated chunk by the current mapgen.

    humiditymap

    Returns an array containing the humidity values of nodes in the most recently generated chunk by the current mapgen.

    gennotify

    Returns a table mapping requested generation notification types to arrays of positions at which the corresponding generated structures are located within the current chunk. To set the capture of positions of interest to be recorded on generate, use minetest.set_gen_notify(). For decorations, the returned positions are the ground surface 'place_on' nodes, not the decorations themselves. A 'simple' type decoration is often 1 node above the returned position and possibly displaced by 'place_offset_y'.

    Possible fields of the table returned are:

    Decorations have a key in the format of "decoration#id", where id is the numeric unique decoration ID.

    Registered entities

    L-system trees

    Tree definition

    treedef={ axiom, --string initial tree axiom rules_a, --string rules set A rules_b, --string rules set B rules_c, --string rules set C rules_d, --string rules set D trunk, --string trunk node name leaves, --string leaves node name leaves2, --string secondary leaves node name leaves2_chance,--num chance (0-100) to replace leaves with leaves2 angle, --num angle in deg iterations, --num max # of iterations, usually 2 -5 random_level, --num factor to lower nr of iterations, usually 0 - 3 trunk_type, --string single/double/crossed) type of trunk: 1 node, -- 2x2 nodes or 3x3 in cross shape thin_branches, --boolean true -> use thin (1 node) branches fruit, --string fruit node name fruit_chance, --num chance (0-100) to replace leaves with fruit node seed, --num random seed, if no seed is provided, the engine will create one. }

    Key for Special L-System Symbols used in Axioms

    Example

    Spawn a small apple tree:

    pos = {x=230,y=20,z=4} apple_tree={ axiom="FFFFFAFFBF", rules_a="[&&&FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&++++FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&----FFFFF&&FFFF]", rules_b="[&&&++FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&--FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&------FFFFF&&FFFF]", trunk="default:tree", leaves="default:leaves", angle=30, iterations=2, random_level=0, trunk_type="single", thin_branches=true, fruit_chance=10, fruit="default:apple" } minetest.spawn_tree(pos,apple_tree)

    Definition tables

    Object Properties

    { hp_max = 1, -- ^ For players: Defaults to minetest.PLAYER_MAX_HP_DEFAULT breath_max = 0, -- ^ For players only. Defaults to minetest.PLAYER_MAX_BREATH_DEFAULT zoom_fov = 0.0, -- ^ For players only. Zoom FOV in degrees. -- Note that zoom loads and/or generates world beyond the server's -- maximum send and generate distances, so acts like a telescope. -- Smaller zoomFOV values increase the distance loaded and/or generated. -- Defaults to 15 in creative mode, 0 in survival mode. -- zoom_fov = 0 disables zooming for the player. eye_height = 1.625, -- ^ For players only. Camera height above feet position in nodes. -- Defaults to 1.625. physical = true, collide_with_objects = true, -- ^ Collide with other objects if physical = true. weight = 5, collisionbox = {-0.5, 0.0, -0.5, 0.5, 1.0, 0.5}, selectionbox = {-0.5, 0.0, -0.5, 0.5, 1.0, 0.5}, -- ^ Default, uses collision box dimensions when not set. -- ^ For both boxes: {xmin, ymin, zmin, xmax, ymax, zmax} in nodes from -- object position. pointable = true, -- ^ Overrides selection box when false. visual = "cube" / "sprite" / "upright_sprite" / "mesh" / "wielditem", -- ^ "cube" is a node-sized cube. -- ^ "sprite" is a flat texture always facing the player. -- ^ "upright_sprite" is a vertical flat texture. -- ^ "mesh" uses the defined mesh model. -- ^ "wielditem" is used for dropped items -- (see builtin/game/item_entity.lua). -- For this use 'textures = {itemname}'. -- If the item has a 'wield_image' the object will be an extrusion of -- that, otherwise: -- If 'itemname' is a cubic node or nodebox the object will appear -- identical to 'itemname'. -- If 'itemname' is a plantlike node the object will be an extrusion of -- its texture. -- Otherwise for non-node items, the object will be an extrusion of -- 'inventory_image'. visual_size = {x = 1, y = 1}, -- ^ x multiplies horizontal (X and Z) visual size. -- ^ y multiplies vertical (Y) visual size. mesh = "model", textures = {}, -- ^ Number of required textures depends on visual. -- ^ "cube" uses 6 textures in the way a node does. -- ^ "sprite" uses 1 texture. -- ^ "upright_sprite" uses 2 textures: {front, back}. -- ^ "wielditem" expects 'textures = {itemname}' (see 'visual' above). colors = {}, -- ^ Number of required colors depends on visual. spritediv = {x = 1, y = 1}, -- ^ Used with spritesheet textures for animation and/or frame selection -- according to position relative to player. -- ^ Defines the number of columns and rows in the spritesheet: -- {columns, rows}. initial_sprite_basepos = {x = 0, y = 0}, -- ^ Used with spritesheet textures. -- ^ Defines the {column, row} position of the initially used frame in the -- spritesheet. is_visible = true, makes_footstep_sound = false, automatic_rotate = 0, -- ^ Set constant rotation in radians per second, positive or negative. -- ^ Set to 0 to disable constant rotation. stepheight = 0, automatic_face_movement_dir = 0.0, -- ^ Automatically set yaw to movement direction, offset in degrees, -- 'false' to disable. automatic_face_movement_max_rotation_per_sec = -1, -- ^ Limit automatic rotation to this value in degrees per second, -- value < 0 no limit. backface_culling = true, -- ^ Set to false to disable backface_culling for model. glow = 0, -- ^ Add this much extra lighting when calculating texture color. -- Value < 0 disables light's effect on texture color. -- For faking self-lighting, UI style entities, or programmatic coloring -- in mods. nametag = "", -- ^ By default empty, for players their name is shown if empty. nametag_color = , -- ^ Sets color of nametag as ColorSpec. infotext = "", -- ^ By default empty, text to be shown when pointed at object. static_save = true, -- ^ If false, never save this object statically. It will simply be -- deleted when the block gets unloaded. -- The get_staticdata() callback is never called then. -- Defaults to 'true' }

    Entity definition (register_entity)

    { -- Deprecated: Everything in object properties is read directly from here

    initial_properties = --[[]],

    on_activate = function(self, staticdata, dtime_s), on_step = function(self, dtime), on_punch = function(self, puncher, time_from_last_punch, tool_capabilities, dir), on_rightclick = function(self, clicker), get_staticdata = function(self), -- ^ Called sometimes; the string returned is passed to on_activate when -- the entity is re-activated from static state

    custom_field = whatever, -- ^ You can define arbitrary member variables here (see item definition -- for more info) by using a '' prefix. }

    ABM (ActiveBlockModifier) definition (register_abm)

    { label = "Lava cooling", ^ Descriptive label for profiling purposes (optional). Definitions with identical labels will be listed as one. nodenames = {"default:lava_source"}, ^ Apply action function to these nodes. ^ group:groupname can also be used here. neighbors = {"default:water_source", "default:water_flowing"}, ^ Only apply action to nodes that have one of, or any combination of, these neighbors. ^ If left out or empty, any neighbor will do. ^ group:groupname can also be used here. interval = 1.0, ^ Operation interval in seconds. chance = 1, ^ Chance of triggering action per-node per-interval is 1.0 / this value. catch_up = true, ^ If true, catch-up behaviour is enabled: The chance value is temporarily reduced when returning to an area to simulate time lost by the area being unattended. Note that the chance value can often be reduced to 1. action = function(pos, node, active_object_count, active_object_count_wider), ^ Function triggered for each qualifying node. ^ active_object_count is number of active objects in the node's mapblock. ^ active_object_count_wider is number of active objects in the node's mapblock plus all 26 neighboring mapblocks. If any neighboring mapblocks are unloaded an estmate is calculated for them based on loaded mapblocks. }

    LBM (LoadingBlockModifier) definition (register_lbm)

    { label = "Upgrade legacy doors", -- ^ Descriptive label for profiling purposes (optional). -- Definitions with identical labels will be listed as one. name = "modname:replace_legacy_door", nodenames = {"default:lava_source"}, -- ^ List of node names to trigger the LBM on. -- Also non-registered nodes will work. -- Groups (as of group:groupname) will work as well. run_at_every_load = false, -- ^ Whether to run the LBM's action every time a block gets loaded, -- and not just for blocks that were saved last time before LBMs were -- introduced to the world. action = func(pos, node), }

    Item definition (register_node, register_craftitem, register_tool)

    { description = "Steel Axe", groups = {}, -- key = name, value = rating; rating = 1..3. if rating not applicable, use 1. e.g. {wool = 1, fluffy = 3} {soil = 2, outerspace = 1, crumbly = 1} {bendy = 2, snappy = 1}, {hard = 1, metal = 1, spikes = 1} inventory_image = "default_tool_steelaxe.png", inventory_overlay = "overlay.png", ^ An overlay which does not get colorized. wield_image = "", wield_overlay = "", palette = "", --[[ ^ An image file containing the palette of a node. ^ You can set the currently used color as the ^ "palette_index" field of the item stack metadata. ^ The palette is always stretched to fit indices ^ between 0 and 255, to ensure compatibility with ^ "colorfacedir" and "colorwallmounted" nodes. ]] color = "0xFFFFFFFF", ^ The color of the item. The palette overrides this. wield_scale = {x = 1, y = 1, z = 1}, stack_max = 99, range = 4.0, liquids_pointable = false, tool_capabilities = { full_punch_interval = 1.0, max_drop_level = 0, groupcaps = { -- For example: choppy = {times = {[1] = 2.50, [2] = 1.40, [3] = 1.00}, uses = 20, maxlevel = 2}, }, damage_groups = {groupname = damage}, }, node_placement_prediction = nil, --[[ ^ If nil and item is node, prediction is made automatically ^ If nil and item is not a node, no prediction is made ^ If "" and item is anything, no prediction is made ^ Otherwise should be name of node which the client immediately places on ground when the player places the item. Server will always update actual result to client in a short moment. ]] node_dig_prediction = "air", --[[ ^ if "", no prediction is made ^ if "air", node is removed ^ Otherwise should be name of node which the client immediately places upon digging. Server will always update actual result shortly. ]] sound = { breaks = "default_tool_break", -- tools only place = --[[]], },

    on_place = func(itemstack, placer, pointed_thing), --[[ ^ Shall place item and return the leftover itemstack ^ The placer may be any ObjectRef or nil. ^ default: minetest.item_place ]] on_secondary_use = func(itemstack, user, pointed_thing), --[[ ^ Same as on_place but called when pointing at nothing. ^ The user may be any ObjectRef or nil. ^ pointed_thing : always { type = "nothing" } ]] on_drop = func(itemstack, dropper, pos), --[[ ^ Shall drop item and return the leftover itemstack ^ The dropper may be any ObjectRef or nil. ^ default: minetest.item_drop ]] on_use = func(itemstack, user, pointed_thing), --[[ ^ default: nil ^ Function must return either nil if no item shall be removed from inventory, or an itemstack to replace the original itemstack. e.g. itemstack:take_item(); return itemstack ^ Otherwise, the function is free to do what it wants. ^ The user may be any ObjectRef or nil. ^ The default functions handle regular use cases. ]] after_use = func(itemstack, user, node, digparams), --[[ ^ default: nil ^ If defined, should return an itemstack and will be called instead of wearing out the tool. If returns nil, does nothing. If after_use doesn't exist, it is the same as: function(itemstack, user, node, digparams) itemstack:add_wear(digparams.wear) return itemstack end ^ The user may be any ObjectRef or nil. ]] custom_field = whatever, --[[ ^ Add your own custom fields. By convention, all custom field names should start with `` to avoid naming collisions with future engine usage. ]] }

    Tile definition

    Tile animation definition

    { type = "vertical_frames", aspect_w = 16, -- ^ specify width of a frame in pixels aspect_h = 16, -- ^ specify height of a frame in pixels length = 3.0, -- ^ specify full loop length }

    { type = "sheet_2d", frames_w = 5, -- ^ specify width in number of frames frames_h = 3, -- ^ specify height in number of frames frame_length = 0.5, -- ^ specify length of a single frame }

    Node definition (register_node)

    { -- ,

    drawtype = "normal", -- See "Node drawtypes" visual_scale = 1.0, --[[ ^ Supported for drawtypes "plantlike", "signlike", "torchlike", ^ "firelike", "mesh". ^ For plantlike and firelike, the image will start at the bottom of the ^ node, for the other drawtypes the image will be centered on the node. ^ Note that positioning for "torchlike" may still change. ]] tiles = {tile definition 1, def2, def3, def4, def5, def6}, --[[ ^ Textures of node; +Y, -Y, +X, -X, +Z, -Z ^ Old field name was 'tile_images'. ^ List can be shortened to needed length ]] overlay_tiles = {tile definition 1, def2, def3, def4, def5, def6}, --[[ ^ Same as tiles, but these textures are drawn on top of the ^ base tiles. You can use this to colorize only specific parts of ^ your texture. If the texture name is an empty string, that ^ overlay is not drawn. Since such tiles are drawn twice, it ^ is not recommended to use overlays on very common nodes. ]] special_tiles = {tile definition 1, Tile definition 2}, --[[ ^ Special textures of node; used rarely ^ Old field name was 'special_materials'. ^ List can be shortened to needed length ]] color = ColorSpec, --[[ ^ The node's original color will be multiplied with this color. ^ If the node has a palette, then this setting only has an effect ^ in the inventory and on the wield item. ]] use_texture_alpha = false, ^ Use texture's alpha channel. palette = "palette.png", --[[ ^ The node's param2 is used to select a pixel from the image ^ (pixels are arranged from left to right and from top to bottom). ^ The node's color will be multiplied with the selected pixel's ^ color. Tiles can override this behavior. ^ Only when paramtype2 supports palettes. ]] post_effect_color = "green#0F", ^ Screen tint if player is inside node, see "ColorSpec". paramtype = "none", --[[ ^ See "Nodes". ^ paramtype = "light" allows light to propagate from or through the ^ node with light value falling by 1 per node. This line is essential ^ for a light source node to spread its light. ]] paramtype2 = "none", -- See "Nodes" place_param2 = nil, -- Force value for param2 when player places node is_ground_content = true, ^ If false, the cave generator will not carve through this node. sunlight_propagates = false, ^ If true, sunlight will go infinitely through this. walkable = true, -- If true, objects collide with node pointable = true, -- If true, can be pointed at diggable = true, -- If false, can never be dug climbable = false, -- If true, can be climbed on (ladder) buildable_to = false, -- If true, placed nodes can replace this node floodable = false, --[[ ^ If true, liquids flow into and replace this node. ^ Warning: making a liquid node 'floodable' will cause problems. ]] liquidtype = "none", -- "none"/"source"/"flowing" liquid_alternative_flowing = "", -- Flowing version of source liquid liquid_alternative_source = "", -- Source version of flowing liquid liquid_viscosity = 0, -- Higher viscosity = slower flow (max. 7) liquid_renewable = true, --[[ ^ If true, a new liquid source can be created by placing two or more sources nearby. ]] leveled = 16, --[[ ^ Only valid for "nodebox" drawtype with 'type = "leveled"'. ^ Allows defining the nodebox height without using param2. ^ The nodebox height is 'leveled' / 64 nodes. ^ The maximum value of 'leveled' is 127. ]] liquid_range = 8, -- number of flowing nodes around source (max. 8) drowning = 0, ^ Player will take this amount of damage if no bubbles are left. light_source = 0, --[[ ^ Amount of light emitted by node. ^ To set the maximum (currently 14), use the value ^ 'minetest.LIGHT_MAX'. ^ A value outside the range 0 to minetest.LIGHT_MAX causes undefined ^ behavior.]] damage_per_second = 0, ^ If player is inside node, this damage is caused. node_box = {type="regular"}, -- See "Node boxes" connects_to = nodenames, --[[ ^ Used for nodebox nodes with the type == "connected" ^ Specifies to what neighboring nodes connections will be drawn ^ e.g. {"group:fence", "default:wood"} or "default:stone" ]] connect_sides = { "top", "bottom", "front", "left", "back", "right" }, -- [[ ^ Tells connected nodebox nodes to connect only to these sides of this ^ node. ]] mesh = "model", selection_box = {type="regular"}, --[[ ^ See "Node boxes". ^ If drawtype "nodebox" is used and selection_box is nil, then node_box ^ is used. ]] legacy_facedir_simple = false, ^ Support maps made in and before January 2012. legacy_wallmounted = false, ^ Support maps made in and before January 2012. waving = 0, --[[ ^ Valid for mesh, nodebox, plantlike, allfaces_optional nodes. ^ 1 - wave node like plants (top of node moves, bottom is fixed) ^ 2 - wave node like leaves (whole node moves side-to-side) ^ caveats: not all models will properly wave. ^ plantlike drawtype nodes can only wave like plants. ^ allfaces_optional drawtype nodes can only wave like leaves. --]] sounds = { footstep = , dig = , -- "__group" = group-based sound (default) dug = , place = , place_failed = , }, drop = "", ^ Name of dropped node when dug. Default is the node itself. ^ Alternatively: drop = { max_items = 1, -- Maximum number of items to drop. items = { -- Choose max_items randomly from this list. { items = {"foo:bar", "baz:frob"}, -- Items to drop. rarity = 1, -- Probability of dropping is 1 / rarity. inherit_color = true, -- To inherit palette color from the node. }, }, },

    on_construct = func(pos), --[[ ^ Node constructor; called after adding node ^ Can set up metadata and stuff like that ^ Not called for bulk node placement (i.e. schematics and VoxelManip) ^ default: nil ]]

    on_destruct = func(pos), --[[ ^ Node destructor; called before removing node ^ Not called for bulk node placement (i.e. schematics and VoxelManip) ^ default: nil ]]

    after_destruct = func(pos, oldnode), --[[ ^ Node destructor; called after removing node ^ Not called for bulk node placement (i.e. schematics and VoxelManip) ^ default: nil ]]

    on_flood = func(pos, oldnode, newnode), --[[ ^ Called when a liquid (newnode) is about to flood oldnode, if ^ it has floodable = true in the nodedef. Not called for bulk ^ node placement (i.e. schematics and VoxelManip) or air nodes. If ^ return true the node is not flooded, but on_flood callback will ^ most likely be called over and over again every liquid update ^ interval. Default: nil. ^ Warning: making a liquid node 'floodable' will cause problems. ]]

    preserve_metadata = func(pos, oldnode, oldmeta, drops) --[[ ^ Called when oldnode is about be converted to an item, but before the ^ node is deleted from the world or the drops are added. This is ^ generally the result of either the node being dug or an attached node ^ becoming detached. ^ drops is a table of ItemStacks, so any metadata to be preserved can ^ be added directly to one or more of the dropped items. See ^ "ItemStackMetaRef". ^ default: nil ]]

    after_place_node = func(pos, placer, itemstack, pointed_thing) --[[ ^ Called after constructing node when node was placed using ^ minetest.item_place_node / minetest.place_node ^ If return true no item is taken from itemstack ^ placer may be any valid ObjectRef or nil ^ default: nil ]]

    after_dig_node = func(pos, oldnode, oldmetadata, digger), --[[ ^ oldmetadata is in table format ^ Called after destructing node when node was dug using ^ minetest.node_dig / minetest.dig_node ^ default: nil ]]

    can_dig = function(pos, [player]) --[[ ^ returns true if node can be dug, or false if not ^ default: nil ]]

    on_punch = func(pos, node, puncher, pointed_thing), --[[ ^ default: minetest.node_punch ^ By default: Calls minetest.register_on_punchnode callbacks ]]

    on_rightclick = func(pos, node, clicker, itemstack, pointed_thing), --[[ ^ default: nil ^ itemstack will hold clicker's wielded item ^ Shall return the leftover itemstack ^ Note: pointed_thing can be nil, if a mod calls this function ^ This function does not get triggered by clients <=0.4.16 if the ^ "formspec" node metadata field is set ]]

    on_dig = func(pos, node, digger), --[[ ^ default: minetest.node_dig ^ By default: checks privileges, wears out tool and removes node ]]

    on_timer = function(pos,elapsed), --[[ ^ default: nil ^ called by NodeTimers, see minetest.get_node_timer and NodeTimerRef ^ elapsed is the total time passed since the timer was started ^ return true to run the timer for another cycle with the same timeout ^ value. ]]

    on_receive_fields = func(pos, formname, fields, sender), --[[ ^ fields = {name1 = value1, name2 = value2, ...} ^ Called when an UI form (e.g. sign text input) returns data ^ default: nil ]]

    allow_metadata_inventory_move = func(pos, from_list, from_index, to_list, to_index, count, player), --[[ ^ Called when a player wants to move items inside the inventory ^ Return value: number of items allowed to move ]]

    allow_metadata_inventory_put = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player), --[[ ^ Called when a player wants to put something into the inventory ^ Return value: number of items allowed to put ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory ]]

    allow_metadata_inventory_take = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player), --[[ ^ Called when a player wants to take something out of the inventory ^ Return value: number of items allowed to take ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory ]]

    on_metadata_inventory_move = func(pos, from_list, from_index, to_list, to_index, count, player), on_metadata_inventory_put = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player), on_metadata_inventory_take = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player), --[[ ^ Called after the actual action has happened, according to what was ^ allowed. ^ No return value ]]

    on_blast = func(pos, intensity), --[[ ^ intensity: 1.0 = mid range of regular TNT ^ If defined, called when an explosion touches the node, instead of removing the node ]] }

    Recipe for register_craft (shaped)

    { output = 'default:pick_stone', recipe = { {'default:cobble', 'default:cobble', 'default:cobble'}, {'', 'default:stick', ''}, {'', 'default:stick', ''}, -- Also groups; e.g. 'group:crumbly' }, replacements = --[[]] }

    Recipe for register_craft (shapeless)

    { type = "shapeless", output = 'mushrooms:mushroom_stew', recipe = { "mushrooms:bowl", "mushrooms:mushroom_brown", "mushrooms:mushroom_red", }, replacements = --[[]] }

    Recipe for register_craft (tool repair)

    { type = "toolrepair", additional_wear = -0.02, }

    Recipe for register_craft (cooking)

    { type = "cooking", output = "default:glass", recipe = "default:sand", cooktime = 3, }

    Recipe for register_craft (furnace fuel)

    { type = "fuel", recipe = "default:leaves", burntime = 1, }

    Ore definition (register_ore)

    See 'Ore types' section above for essential information.

    { ore_type = "scatter", ore = "default:stone_with_coal", ore_param2 = 3, -- ^ Facedir rotation. Default is 0 (unchanged rotation) wherein = "default:stone", -- ^ a list of nodenames is supported too clust_scarcity = 8 * 8 * 8, -- ^ Ore has a 1 out of clust_scarcity chance of spawning in a node -- ^ If the desired average distance between ores is 'd', set this to -- ^ d * d * d. clust_num_ores = 8, -- ^ Number of ores in a cluster clust_size = 3, -- ^ Size of the bounding box of the cluster -- ^ In this example, there is a 3 * 3 * 3 cluster where 8 out of the 27 -- ^ nodes are coal ore. y_min = -31000, y_max = 64, -- ^ Lower and upper limits for ore. flags = "", -- ^ Attributes for this ore generation, see 'Ore attributes' section -- ^ above. noise_threshold = 0.5, -- ^ If noise is above this threshold, ore is placed. Not needed for a -- ^ uniform distribution. noise_params = { offset = 0, scale = 1, spread = {x = 100, y = 100, z = 100}, seed = 23, octaves = 3, persist = 0.7 }, -- ^ NoiseParams structure describing one of the perlin noises used for -- ^ ore distribution. -- ^ Needed by "sheet", "puff", "blob" and "vein" ores. -- ^ Omit from "scatter" ore for a uniform ore distribution. -- ^ Omit from "stratum ore for a simple horizontal strata from y_min to -- ^ y_max. biomes = {"desert", "rainforest"} -- ^ List of biomes in which this decoration occurs. -- ^ Occurs in all biomes if this is omitted, and ignored if the Mapgen -- ^ being used does not support biomes. -- ^ Can be a list of (or a single) biome names, IDs, or definitions. column_height_min = 1, column_height_max = 16, column_midpoint_factor = 0.5, -- ^ See 'Ore types' section above. -- ^ The above 3 parameters are only valid for "sheet" ore. np_puff_top = { offset = 4, scale = 2, spread = {x = 100, y = 100, z = 100}, seed = 47, octaves = 3, persist = 0.7 }, np_puff_bottom = { offset = 4, scale = 2, spread = {x = 100, y = 100, z = 100}, seed = 11, octaves = 3, persist = 0.7 }, -- ^ See 'Ore types' section above. -- ^ The above 2 parameters are only valid for "puff" ore. random_factor = 1.0, -- ^ See 'Ore types' section above. -- ^ Only valid for "vein" ore. np_stratum_thickness = { offset = 8, scale = 4, spread = {x = 100, y = 100, z = 100}, seed = 17, octaves = 3, persist = 0.7 }, stratum_thickness = 8, -- ^ See 'Ore types' section above. -- ^ The above 2 parameters are only valid for "stratum" ore. }

    Biome definition (register_biome)

    { name = "tundra", node_dust = "default:snow", -- ^ Node dropped onto upper surface after all else is generated. node_top = "default:dirt_with_snow", depth_top = 1, -- ^ Node forming surface layer of biome and thickness of this layer. node_filler = "default:permafrost", depth_filler = 3, -- ^ Node forming lower layer of biome and thickness of this layer. node_stone = "default:bluestone", -- ^ Node that replaces all stone nodes between roughly y_min and y_max. node_water_top = "default:ice", depth_water_top = 10, -- ^ Node forming a surface layer in seawater with the defined thickness. node_water = "", -- ^ Node that replaces all seawater nodes not in the defined surface -- ^ layer. node_river_water = "default:ice", -- ^ Node that replaces river water in mapgens that use -- ^ default:river_water. node_riverbed = "default:gravel", depth_riverbed = 2, -- ^ Node placed under river water and thickness of this layer. y_max = 31000, y_min = 1, -- ^ Upper and lower limits for biome. -- ^ Alternatively you can use xyz limits as shown below. max_pos = {x = 31000, y = 128, z = 31000}, min_pos = {x = -31000, y = 9, z = -31000}, -- ^ xyz limits for biome, an alternative to using 'y_min' and 'y_max'. -- ^ Biome is limited to a cuboid defined by these positions. -- ^ Any x, y or z field left undefined defaults to -31000 in 'min_pos' or -- ^ 31000 in 'max_pos'. vertical_blend = 8, -- ^ Vertical distance in nodes above 'y_max' over which the biome will -- ^ blend with the biome above. -- ^ Set to 0 for no vertical blend. Defaults to 0. heat_point = 0, humidity_point = 50, -- ^ Characteristic temperature and humidity for the biome. -- ^ These values create 'biome points' on a voronoi diagram with heat and -- ^ humidity as axes. The resulting voronoi cells determine the -- ^ distribution of the biomes. -- ^ Heat and humidity have average values of 50, vary mostly between -- ^ 0 and 100 but can exceed these values. }

    Decoration definition (register_decoration)

    { deco_type = "simple", -- See "Decoration types" place_on = "default:dirt_with_grass", -- ^ Node (or list of nodes) that the decoration can be placed on sidelen = 8, -- ^ Size of the square divisions of the mapchunk being generated. -- ^ Determines the resolution of noise variation if used. -- ^ If the chunk size is not evenly divisible by sidelen, sidelen is made -- ^ equal to the chunk size. fill_ratio = 0.02, -- ^ The value determines 'decorations per surface node'. -- ^ Used only if noise_params is not specified. noise_params = { offset = 0, scale = 0.45, spread = {x = 100, y = 100, z = 100}, seed = 354, octaves = 3, persist = 0.7, lacunarity = 2.0, flags = "absvalue" }, -- ^ NoiseParams structure describing the perlin noise used for decoration -- ^ distribution. -- ^ A noise value is calculated for each square division and determines -- ^ 'decorations per surface node' within each division. biomes = {"Oceanside", "Hills", "Plains"}, -- ^ List of biomes in which this decoration occurs. Occurs in all biomes -- ^ if this is omitted, and ignored if the Mapgen being used does not -- ^ support biomes. -- ^ Can be a list of (or a single) biome names, IDs, or definitions. y_min = -31000 y_max = 31000 -- ^ Lower and upper limits for decoration. -- ^ These parameters refer to the Y co-ordinate of the 'place_on' node. spawn_by = "default:water", -- ^ Node (or list of nodes) that the decoration only spawns next to. -- ^ Checks two horizontal planes of 8 neighbouring nodes (including -- ^ diagonal neighbours), one plane level with the 'place_on' node and a -- ^ plane one node above that. num_spawn_by = 1, -- ^ Number of spawn_by nodes that must be surrounding the decoration -- ^ position to occur. -- ^ If absent or -1, decorations occur next to any nodes. flags = "liquid_surface, force_placement, all_floors, all_ceilings", -- ^ Flags for all decoration types. -- ^ "liquid_surface": Instead of placement on the highest solid surface -- ^ in a mapchunk column, placement is on the highest liquid surface. -- ^ Placement is disabled if solid nodes are found above the liquid -- ^ surface. -- ^ "force_placement": Nodes other than "air" and "ignore" are replaced -- ^ by the decoration. -- ^ "all_floors", "all_ceilings": Instead of placement on the highest -- ^ surface in a mapchunk the decoration is placed on all floor and/or -- ^ ceiling surfaces, for example in caves. -- ^ Ceiling decorations act as an inversion of floor decorations so the -- ^ effect of 'place_offset_y' is inverted. -- ^ If a single decoration registration has both flags the floor and -- ^ ceiling decorations will be aligned vertically and may sometimes -- ^ meet to form a column.

    ----- Simple-type parameters decoration = "default:grass", -- ^ The node name used as the decoration. -- ^ If instead a list of strings, a randomly selected node from the list -- ^ is placed as the decoration. height = 1, -- ^ Decoration height in nodes. -- ^ If height_max is not 0, this is the lower limit of a randomly -- ^ selected height. height_max = 0, -- ^ Upper limit of the randomly selected height. -- ^ If absent, the parameter 'height' is used as a constant. param2 = 0, -- ^ Param2 value of decoration nodes. -- ^ If param2_max is not 0, this is the lower limit of a randomly -- ^ selected param2. param2_max = 0, -- ^ Upper limit of the randomly selected param2. -- ^ If absent, the parameter 'param2' is used as a constant. place_offset_y = 0, -- ^ Y offset of the decoration base node relative to the standard base -- ^ node position. -- ^ Can be positive or negative. Default is 0. -- ^ Effect is inverted for "all_ceilings" decorations. -- ^ Ignored by 'y_min', 'y_max' and 'spawn_by' checks, which always refer -- ^ to the 'place_on' node.

    ----- Schematic-type parameters schematic = "foobar.mts", -- ^ If schematic is a string, it is the filepath relative to the current -- ^ working directory of the specified Minetest schematic file. -- ^ - OR -, could be the ID of a previously registered schematic -- ^ - OR -, could instead be a table containing two mandatory fields, -- ^ size and data, and an optional table yslice_prob: schematic = { size = {x = 4, y = 6, z = 4}, data = { {name = "default:cobble", param1 = 255, param2 = 0}, {name = "default:dirt_with_grass", param1 = 255, param2 = 0}, {name = "air", param1 = 255, param2 = 0}, ... }, yslice_prob = { {ypos = 2, prob = 128}, {ypos = 5, prob = 64}, ... }, }, -- ^ See 'Schematic specifier' for details. replacements = {["oldname"] = "convert_to", ...}, flags = "place_center_x, place_center_y, place_center_z", -- ^ Flags for schematic decorations. See 'Schematic attributes'. rotation = "90", -- ^ Rotation can be "0", "90", "180", "270", or "random". place_offset_y = 0, -- ^ If the flag 'place_center_y' is set this parameter is ignored. -- ^ Y offset of the schematic base node layer relative to the 'place_on' -- ^ node. -- ^ Can be positive or negative. Default is 0. -- ^ Effect is inverted for "all_ceilings" decorations. -- ^ Ignored by 'y_min', 'y_max' and 'spawn_by' checks, which always refer -- ^ to the 'place_on' node. }

    Chat command definition (register_chatcommand)

    { params = " ", -- Short parameter description description = "Remove privilege from player", -- Full description privs = {privs=true}, -- Require the "privs" privilege to run func = function(name, param), -- Called when command is run. -- Returns boolean success and text -- output. }

    Note that in params, use of symbols is as follows:

    Detached inventory callbacks

    { allow_move = func(inv, from_list, from_index, to_list, to_index, count, player), -- ^ Called when a player wants to move items inside the inventory -- ^ Return value: number of items allowed to move

    allow_put = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player), -- ^ Called when a player wants to put something into the inventory -- ^ Return value: number of items allowed to put -- ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory

    allow_take = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player), -- ^ Called when a player wants to take something out of the inventory -- ^ Return value: number of items allowed to take -- ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory

    on_move = func(inv, from_list, from_index, to_list, to_index, count, player), on_put = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player), on_take = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player), -- ^ Called after the actual action has happened, according to what was -- ^ allowed. -- ^ No return value }

    HUD Definition (hud_add, hud_get)

    { hud_elem_type = "image", -- see HUD element types -- ^ type of HUD element, can be either of "image", "text", "statbar", "inventory". position = {x=0.5, y=0.5}, -- ^ Left corner position of element name = "", scale = {x = 2, y = 2}, text = "", number = 2, item = 3, -- ^ Selected item in inventory. 0 for no item selected. direction = 0, -- ^ Direction: 0: left-right, 1: right-left, 2: top-bottom, 3: bottom-top alignment = {x=0, y=0}, -- ^ See "HUD Element Types" offset = {x=0, y=0}, -- ^ See "HUD Element Types" size = { x=100, y=100 }, -- ^ Size of element in pixels }

    Particle definition (add_particle)

    { pos = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, velocity = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, acceleration = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, -- ^ Spawn particle at pos with velocity and acceleration expirationtime = 1, -- ^ Disappears after expirationtime seconds size = 1, collisiondetection = false, -- ^ collisiondetection: if true collides with physical objects collision_removal = false, -- ^ collision_removal: if true then particle is removed when it collides, -- ^ requires collisiondetection = true to have any effect vertical = false, -- ^ vertical: if true faces player using y axis only texture = "image.png", -- ^ Uses texture (string) playername = "singleplayer", -- ^ optional, if specified spawns particle only on the player's client animation = {Tile Animation definition}, -- ^ optional, specifies how to animate the particle texture glow = 0 -- ^ optional, specify particle self-luminescence in darkness }

    ParticleSpawner definition (add_particlespawner)

    { amount = 1, time = 1, -- ^ If time is 0 has infinite lifespan and spawns the amount on a -- ^ per-second basis. minpos = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, maxpos = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, minvel = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, maxvel = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, minacc = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, maxacc = {x=0, y=0, z=0}, minexptime = 1, maxexptime = 1, minsize = 1, maxsize = 1, -- ^ The particle's properties are random values in between the bounds: -- ^ minpos/maxpos, minvel/maxvel (velocity), -- ^ minacc/maxacc (acceleration), minsize/maxsize, -- ^ minexptime/maxexptime (expirationtime). collisiondetection = false, -- ^ collisiondetection: if true uses collision detection collision_removal = false, -- ^ collision_removal: if true then particle is removed when it collides, -- ^ requires collisiondetection = true to have any effect attached = ObjectRef, -- ^ attached: if defined, particle positions, velocities and -- ^ accelerations are relative to this object's position and yaw. vertical = false, -- ^ vertical: if true faces player using y axis only texture = "image.png", -- ^ Uses texture (string) playername = "singleplayer" -- ^ Playername is optional, if specified spawns particle only on the -- ^ player's client. animation = {Tile Animation definition}, -- ^ optional, specifies how to animate the particle texture glow = 0 -- ^ optional, specify particle self-luminescence in darkness }

    HTTPRequest definition (HTTPApiTable.fetch_async, HTTPApiTable.fetch_async)

    { url = "http://example.org", timeout = 10, -- ^ Timeout for connection in seconds. Default is 3 seconds. post_data = "Raw POST request data string" OR {field1 = "data1", field2 = "data2"}, -- ^ Optional, if specified a POST request with post_data is performed. -- ^ Accepts both a string and a table. If a table is specified, encodes -- ^ table as x-www-form-urlencoded key-value pairs. -- ^ If post_data ist not specified, a GET request is performed instead. user_agent = "ExampleUserAgent", -- ^ Optional, if specified replaces the default minetest user agent with -- ^ given string. extra_headers = { "Accept-Language: en-us", "Accept-Charset: utf-8" }, -- ^ Optional, if specified adds additional headers to the HTTP request. -- ^ You must make sure that the header strings follow HTTP specification -- ^ ("Key: Value"). multipart = boolean -- ^ Optional, if true performs a multipart HTTP request. -- ^ Default is false. }

    HTTPRequestResult definition (HTTPApiTable.fetch callback, HTTPApiTable.fetch_async_get)

    { completed = true, -- ^ If true, the request has finished (either succeeded, failed or timed out). succeeded = true, -- ^ If true, the request was successful timeout = false, -- ^ If true, the request timed out code = 200, -- ^ HTTP status code data = "response" }

    Authentication handler definition

    { get_auth = func(name), -- ^ Get authentication data for existing player name (nil if player doesn't exist). -- ^ returns following structure: -- ^ {password=<string>, privileges=<table>, last_login=<number or nil>} create_auth = func(name, password), -- ^ Create new auth data for player name -- ^ Note that password is not plain-text but an arbitrary -- ^ representation decided by the engine delete_auth = func(name), -- ^ Delete auth data of player name, returns boolean indicating success -- ^ (false if player nonexistant). set_password = func(name, password), -- ^ Set password of player name to password Auth data should be created if not present set_privileges = func(name, privileges), -- ^ Set privileges of player name -- ^ privileges is in table form, auth data should be created if not -- ^ present. reload = func(), -- ^ Reload authentication data from the storage location -- ^ Returns boolean indicating success record_login = func(name), -- ^ Called when player joins, used for keeping track of last_login iterate = func(), -- ^ Returns an iterator (use with for loops) for all player names -- ^ currently in the auth database. }

    Errors

    The Kittn API uses the following error codes:

    Error Code Meaning
    400 Bad Request -- Your request is invalid.
    401 Unauthorized -- Your API key is wrong.
    403 Forbidden -- The kitten requested is hidden for administrators only.
    404 Not Found -- The specified kitten could not be found.
    405 Method Not Allowed -- You tried to access a kitten with an invalid method.
    406 Not Acceptable -- You requested a format that isn't json.
    410 Gone -- The kitten requested has been removed from our servers.
    418 I'm a teapot.
    429 Too Many Requests -- You're requesting too many kittens! Slow down!
    500 Internal Server Error -- We had a problem with our server. Try again later.
    503 Service Unavailable -- We're temporarily offline for maintenance. Please try again later.
    lua