Config Files

The majority of config development involves creating and manipulating configuration files. In the context of config development, configuration files (or simply configs) are files contained within a config pack that define data that Terra uses to determine how worlds generate.

File Formats

Typically, configuration file formats in applications are based on data-serialization languages such as JSON, XML, and YAML.

In Terra the file formats used in config packs are flexible, as the functionality for reading and parsing different formats is provided via addons - this allows flexibility for developers to use whatever format they’re most comfortable in. Files contained inside a config pack will only attempt to load as configuration files if a language addon is installed that supports the file type.

YAML

The standard file format / language supported in Terra configurations is YAML, as support for it comes pre-installed as a language addon with standard Terra releases. Because of this, YAML will be the primary language used in examples and guides on this wiki.

The YAML language addon attempts to load all text files with the extension .yml contained inside config packs, which are required to abide by the YAML spec in order to load correctly.

Creating a Config File

If you have not installed any other language addons, the assumed process of creating a standard config file simply involves creating a new text file with the extension .yml within your config pack directory.

Otherwise, when prompted to create a new config file, it is implied that you should create a new file using a format supported by your installed language addon(s).

Config File Organization

As a general rule of thumb, a config file’s file name and subdirectory within the config pack is mostly ignored by Terra. Because of this you’re free to name your config files however you want and organize them in whatever directory structure you’d like. The pack manifest is the one exception, and is required to be defined directly in the pack directory, using the name pack (excluding the file extension).