1 # API documentation for version 0.2.0
3 As a modder, you are free to write basically about everything and are also
4 relatively free in the presentation of information. The Documentation
5 System has no restrictions on content whatsoever.
7 In the documentation system, everything is built on categories and entries.
8 An entry is a single piece of documentation and is the basis of all actual
9 documentation. Categories group multiple entries of the same topic together.
11 Categories also define a template which is used to determine how the final
12 result in the Entry tab looks like. Entries themselves have a data field
13 attached to them, this is a table containing arbitrary metadata which is
14 used to construct the final formspec which is used on the Entry tab.
17 I present to you some possible use cases to give you a rough idea what
18 this mod is capable and how certain use casescould be implemented.
20 ### Simple use case: Minetest basics
21 I want to write in freeform short help texts about the basic concepts of
22 Minetest or my subgame. First I define a category called “Basics”, the data
23 for each of its entry is just a freeform text. The template function simply
24 creates a formspec where this freeform text is displayed.
26 ### Complex use case: Blocks
27 I could create a category called “Blocks”, and this category is supposed to
28 contain entries for every single block in the game. For this case, a freeform
29 approach would be very inefficient and error-prone, as a lot of data can be
32 Here the template function comes in handy: The internal entry data
33 contain a lot of different things about a block, like block name, identifier,
34 custom description and most importantly, the definition table of the block.
36 Finally, the template function takes all that data and turns it into
37 sentences which are just concatenated, telling as many useful facts about
38 this block as possible.
41 This is a list of all publicly available functions.
43 ### `doc.new_category(id, def)`
44 Adds a new category. You have to define an unique identifier, a name
45 and a template function to build the entry formspec from the entry
49 * `id`: Unique category identifier as a string
50 * `def`: Definition table, it has the following fields:
51 * `name`: Category name to be shown in the interface
52 * `build_formspec`: The template function. Takes entry data as its
53 only parameter (has the data type of the entry data) and must
54 return a formspec which is inserted in the Entry tab.
59 ### `doc.new_entry(category_id, entry_id, def)`
60 Adds a new entry into an existing category. You have to define the category
61 to which to insert the entry, the entry's identifier, a name and some
62 data which defines the entry. Note you do not directly define here how the
63 end result of an entry looks like, this is done by `build_formspec` from
64 the category definition.
67 * `category_id`: Identifier of the category to add the entry into
68 * `entry_id`: Unique identifier of the new entry, as a string
69 * `def`: Definition table, it has the following fields:
70 * `name`: Entry name to be shown in the interface
71 * `data`: Arbitrary data attached to the entry. Any data type is allowed;
72 The data in this field will be used to create the actual formspec
73 with `build_formspec` from the category definition
78 ### `function doc.show_doc(playername)`
79 Opens the main documentation formspec for the player (Main tab).
82 * `playername`: Name of the player to show the formspec to
84 ### `doc.show_category(playername, category_id)`
85 Opens the documentation formspec for the player at the specified category
89 * `playername`: Name of the player to show the formspec to
90 * `category_id`: Category identifier of the selected category
95 ### `doc.show_entry(playername, category_id, entry_id)`
96 Opens the documentation formspec for the player showing the specified entry
97 of a category (Entry tab).
100 * `playername`: Name of the player to show the formspec to
101 * `category_id`: Category identifier of the selected category
102 * `entry_id`: Entry identifier of the entry to show
107 ### `doc.entry_exists(category_id, entry_id)`
108 Checks if the specified entry exists and returns `true` or `false`.
111 * `category_id`: Category identifier of the category to check
112 * `entry_id`: Entry identifier of the entry to check for its existance
115 Returns `true` if and only if:
117 * The specified category exists
118 * This category contains the specified entry
120 Otherwise, returns `false`.
122 ### `doc.add_entry_alias(category_id, entry_id, alias)`
123 Adds a single alias for an entry. When an entry has an alias, attempting to open
124 an entry by an alias name results in opening the entry of the original name.
125 Aliases are true within one category only.
128 * `category_id`: Category identifier of the category of the entry in question
129 * `entry_id`: Entry identifier of the entry to create an alias for
130 * `alias`: Alias (string) for `entry_id`
135 ### `doc.add_entry_aliases(category_id, entry_id, aliases)`
136 Adds an arbitrary amount of aliases for an entry at once. Apart from that, this
137 function has the same effect as `doc.add_entry_alias`.
140 * `category_id`: Category identifier of the category of the entry in question
141 * `entry_id`: Entry identifier of the entry to create aliases for
142 * `aliases`: Table/list of aliases (strings) for `entry_id`