1 Minetest Lua Modding API Reference 0.4.5
2 ==========================================
3 More information at http://c55.me/minetest/
7 Content and functionality can be added to Minetest 0.4 by using Lua
8 scripting in run-time loaded mods.
10 A mod is a self-contained bunch of scripts, textures and other related
11 things that is loaded by and interfaces with Minetest.
13 Mods are contained and ran solely on the server side. Definitions and media
14 files are automatically transferred to the client.
16 If you see a deficiency in the API, feel free to attempt to add the
17 functionality in the engine and API. You can send such improvements as
18 source code patches to <celeron55@gmail.com>.
22 If you have any difficulty in understanding this, please read:
23 http://www.lua.org/pil/
27 Mods are loaded during server startup from the mod load paths by running
28 the init.lua scripts in a shared environment.
32 RUN_IN_PLACE=1: (Windows release, local build)
33 $path_user: Linux: <build directory>
34 Windows: <build directory>
35 $path_share: Linux: <build directory>
36 Windows: <build directory>
38 RUN_IN_PLACE=0: (Linux release)
39 $path_share: Linux: /usr/share/minetest
40 Windows: <install directory>/minetest-0.4.x
41 $path_user: Linux: ~/.minetest
42 Windows: C:/users/<user>/AppData/minetest (maybe)
46 Games are looked up from:
47 $path_share/games/gameid/
48 $path_user/games/gameid/
49 where gameid is unique to each game.
51 The game directory contains the file game.conf, which contains these fields:
52 name = <Human-readable full name of the game>
53 common_mods = <Comma-separated list of common mods>
56 common_mods = bucket, default, doors, fire, stairs
58 Common mods are loaded from the pseudo-game "common".
60 The game directory can contain the file minetest.conf, which will be used
61 to set default settings when running the particular game.
66 $path_share/games/gameid/mods/
67 $path_share/mods/gameid/
68 $path_user/games/gameid/mods/
69 $path_user/mods/gameid/ <-- User-installed mods
72 In a run-in-place version (eg. the distributed windows version):
73 minetest-0.4.x/games/gameid/mods/
74 minetest-0.4.x/mods/gameid/ <-- User-installed mods
75 minetest-0.4.x/worlds/worldname/worldmods/
77 On an installed version on linux:
78 /usr/share/minetest/games/gameid/mods/
79 ~/.minetest/mods/gameid/ <-- User-installed mods
80 ~/.minetest/worlds/worldname/worldmods
82 Mod load path for world-specific games
83 --------------------------------------
84 It is possible to include a game in a world; in this case, no mods or
85 games are loaded or checked from anywhere else.
87 This is useful for eg. adventure worlds.
89 This happens if the following directory exists:
92 Mods should be then be placed in:
97 Mods can be put in a subdirectory, if the parent directory, which otherwise
98 should be a mod, contains a file named modpack.txt. This file shall be
99 empty, except for lines starting with #, which are comments.
101 Mod directory structure
102 ------------------------
108 | | |-- modname_stuff.png
109 | | `-- modname_something_else.png
116 The location of this directory can be fetched by using
117 minetest.get_modpath(modname)
120 List of mods that have to be loaded before loading this mod.
121 A single line contains a single modname.
124 The main Lua script. Running this script should register everything it
125 wants to register. Subsequent execution depends on minetest calling the
126 registered callbacks.
128 minetest.setting_get(name) and minetest.setting_getbool(name) can be used
129 to read custom or existing settings at load time, if necessary.
131 textures, sounds, media:
132 Media files (textures, sounds, whatever) that will be transferred to the
133 client and will be available for use by the mod.
135 Naming convention for registered textual names
136 ----------------------------------------------
137 Registered names should generally be in this format:
138 "modname:<whatever>" (<whatever> can have characters a-zA-Z0-9_)
140 This is to prevent conflicting names from corrupting maps and is
141 enforced by the mod loader.
143 Example: mod "experimental", ideal item/node/entity name "tnt":
144 -> the name should be "experimental:tnt".
146 Enforcement can be overridden by prefixing the name with ":". This can
147 be used for overriding the registrations of some other mod.
149 Example: Any mod can redefine experimental:tnt by using the name
150 ":experimental:tnt" when registering it.
151 (also that mod is required to have "experimental" as a dependency)
153 The ":" prefix can also be used for maintaining backwards compatibility.
157 Aliases can be added by using minetest.register_alias(name, convert_to)
159 This will make Minetest to convert things called name to things called
162 This can be used for maintaining backwards compatibility.
164 This can be also used for setting quick access names for things, eg. if
165 you have an item called epiclylongmodname:stuff, you could do
166 minetest.register_alias("stuff", "epiclylongmodname:stuff")
167 and be able to use "/giveme stuff".
171 Mods should generally prefix their textures with modname_, eg. given
172 the mod name "foomod", a texture could be called
173 "foomod_foothing.png"
175 Textures are referred to by their complete name, or alternatively by
176 stripping out the file extension:
177 eg. foomod_foothing.png
182 Only OGG files are supported.
184 For positional playing of sounds, only single-channel (mono) files are
185 supported. Otherwise OpenAL will play them non-positionally.
187 Mods should generally prefix their sounds with modname_, eg. given
188 the mod name "foomod", a sound could be called
189 "foomod_foosound.ogg"
191 Sounds are referred to by their name with a dot, a single digit and the
192 file extension stripped out. When a sound is played, the actual sound file
193 is chosen randomly from the matching sounds.
195 When playing the sound "foomod_foosound", the sound is chosen randomly
196 from the available ones of the following files:
198 foomod_foosound.0.ogg
199 foomod_foosound.1.ogg
201 foomod_foosound.9.ogg
203 Examples of sound parameter tables:
204 -- Play locationless on all clients
206 gain = 1.0, -- default
208 -- Play locationless to a player
211 gain = 1.0, -- default
213 -- Play in a location
216 gain = 1.0, -- default
217 max_hear_distance = 32, -- default
219 -- Play connected to an object, looped
221 object = <an ObjectRef>,
222 gain = 1.0, -- default
223 max_hear_distance = 32, -- default
224 loop = true, -- only sounds connected to objects can be looped
229 eg. "default_place_node"
231 eg. {name="default_place_node"}
232 eg. {name="default_place_node", gain=1.0}
234 Registered definitions of stuff
235 --------------------------------
236 Anything added using certain minetest.register_* functions get added to
237 the global minetest.registered_* tables.
239 minetest.register_entity(name, prototype table)
240 -> minetest.registered_entities[name]
242 minetest.register_node(name, node definition)
243 -> minetest.registered_items[name]
244 -> minetest.registered_nodes[name]
246 minetest.register_tool(name, item definition)
247 -> minetest.registered_items[name]
249 minetest.register_craftitem(name, item definition)
250 -> minetest.registered_items[name]
252 Note that in some cases you will stumble upon things that are not contained
253 in these tables (eg. when a mod has been removed). Always check for
254 existence before trying to access the fields.
256 Example: If you want to check the drawtype of a node, you could do:
258 local function get_nodedef_field(nodename, fieldname)
259 if not minetest.registered_nodes[nodename] then
262 return minetest.registered_nodes[nodename][fieldname]
264 local drawtype = get_nodedef_field(nodename, "drawtype")
266 Example: minetest.get_item_group(name, group) has been implemented as:
268 function minetest.get_item_group(name, group)
269 if not minetest.registered_items[name] or not
270 minetest.registered_items[name].groups[group] then
273 return minetest.registered_items[name].groups[group]
278 Nodes are the bulk data of the world: cubes and other things that take the
279 space of a cube. Huge amounts of them are handled efficiently, but they
282 The definition of a node is stored and can be accessed by name in
283 minetest.registered_nodes[node.name]
284 See "Registered definitions of stuff".
286 Nodes are passed by value between Lua and the engine.
287 They are represented by a table:
288 {name="name", param1=num, param2=num}
290 param1 and param2 are 8 bit integers. The engine uses them for certain
291 automated functions. If you don't use these functions, you can use them to
292 store arbitrary values.
294 The functions of param1 and param2 are determined by certain fields in the
296 param1 is reserved for the engine when paramtype != "none":
298 ^ The value stores light with and without sun in it's
299 upper and lower 4 bits.
300 param2 is reserved for the engine when any of these are used:
301 liquidtype == "flowing"
302 ^ The level and some flags of the liquid is stored in param2
303 drawtype == "flowingliquid"
304 ^ The drawn liquid level is read from param2
305 drawtype == "torchlike"
306 drawtype == "signlike"
307 paramtype2 == "wallmounted"
308 ^ The rotation of the node is stored in param2. You can make this value
309 by using minetest.dir_to_wallmounted().
310 paramtype2 == "facedir"
311 ^ The rotation of the node is stored in param2. Furnaces and chests are
312 rotated this way. Can be made by using minetest.dir_to_facedir().
314 facedir modulo 4 = axisdir
315 0 = y+ 1 = z+ 2 = z- 3 = x+ 4 = x- 5 = y-
316 facedir's two less significant bits are rotation around the axis
318 Nodes can also contain extra data. See "Node Metadata".
322 There are a bunch of different looking node types. These are mostly just
323 copied from Minetest 0.3; more may be made in the future.
325 Look for examples in games/minimal or games/minetest_game.
339 - nodebox -- See below. EXPERIMENTAL
343 Node selection boxes are defined using "node boxes"
345 The "nodebox" node drawtype allows defining visual of nodes consisting of
346 arbitrary number of boxes. It allows defining stuff like stairs. Only the
347 "fixed" box type is supported for these.
348 ^ Please note that this is still experimental, and may be incompatibly
349 changed in the future.
351 A nodebox is defined as any of:
353 -- A normal cube; the default in most things
357 -- A fixed box (facedir param2 is used, if applicable)
359 fixed = box OR {box1, box2, ...}
362 -- A box like the selection box for torches
363 -- (wallmounted param2 is used, if applicable)
364 type = "wallmounted",
371 {x1, y1, z1, x2, y2, z2}
372 A box of a regular node would look like:
373 {-0.5, -0.5, -0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5},
377 These tell in what manner the ore is generated.
378 All default ores are of the uniformly-distributed scatter type.
381 Randomly chooses a location and generates a cluster of ore.
382 If noise_params is specified, the ore will be placed if the 3d perlin noise at
383 that point is greater than the noise_threshhold, giving the ability to create a non-equal
386 Creates a sheet of ore in a blob shape according to the 2d perlin noise described by noise_params.
387 The relative height of the sheet can be controlled by the same perlin noise as well, by specifying
388 a non-zero 'scale' parameter in noise_params. IMPORTANT: The noise is not transformed by offset or
389 scale when comparing against the noise threshhold, but scale is used to determine relative height.
390 The height of the blob is randomly scattered, with a maximum height of clust_size.
391 clust_scarcity and clust_num_ores are ignored.
392 This is essentially an improved version of the so-called "stratus" ore seen in some unofficial mods.
393 - claylike - NOT YET IMPLEMENTED
394 Places ore if there are no more than clust_scarcity number of specified nodes within a Von Neumann
395 neighborhood of clust_size radius.
397 Representations of simple things
398 --------------------------------
400 {x=num, y=num, z=num}
401 Currently the API does not provide any helper functions for addition,
402 subtraction and whatever; you can define those that you need yourself.
406 {type="node", under=pos, above=pos}
407 {type="object", ref=ObjectRef}
411 Node (register_node):
412 A node from the world
413 Tool (register_tool):
414 A tool/weapon that can dig and damage things according to tool_capabilities
415 Craftitem (register_craftitem):
418 Items and item stacks can exist in three formats:
420 Serialized; This is called stackstring or itemstring:
422 eg. 'default:pick_wood 21323'
426 eg. {name="default:dirt", count=5, wear=0, metadata=""}
428 eg. {name="default:pick_wood", count=1, wear=21323, metadata=""}
429 ^ a wooden pick about 1/3 weared out
430 eg. {name="default:apple", count=1, wear=0, metadata=""}
434 C++ native format with many helper methods. Useful for converting between
435 formats. See the Class reference section for details.
437 When an item must be passed to a function, it can usually be in any of
442 In a number of places, there is a group table. Groups define the
443 properties of a thing (item, node, armor of entity, capabilities of
444 tool) in such a way that the engine and other mods can can interact with
445 the thing without actually knowing what the thing is.
448 - Groups are stored in a table, having the group names with keys and the
449 group ratings as values. For example:
450 groups = {crumbly=3, soil=1}
451 ^ Default dirt (soil group actually currently not defined; TODO)
452 groups = {crumbly=2, soil=1, level=2, outerspace=1}
453 ^ A more special dirt-kind of thing
454 - Groups always have a rating associated with them. If there is no
455 useful meaning for a rating for an enabled group, it shall be 1.
456 - When not defined, the rating of a group defaults to 0. Thus when you
457 read groups, you must interpret nil and 0 as the same value, 0.
459 You can read the rating of a group for an item or a node by using
460 minetest.get_item_group(itemname, groupname)
464 Groups of items can define what kind of an item it is (eg. wool).
468 In addition to the general item things, groups are used to define whether
469 a node is destroyable and how long it takes to destroy by a tool.
473 For entities, groups are, as of now, used only for calculating damage.
474 The rating is the percentage of damage caused by tools with this damage group.
475 See "Entity damage mechanism".
477 object.get_armor_groups() -> a group-rating table (eg. {fleshy=100})
478 object.set_armor_groups({fleshy=30, cracky=80})
482 Groups in tools define which groups of nodes and entities they are
485 Groups in crafting recipes
486 ---------------------------
487 An example: Make meat soup from any meat, any water and any bowl
489 output = 'food:meat_soup_raw',
495 -- preserve = {'group:bowl'}, -- Not implemented yet (TODO)
497 An another example: Make red wool from white wool and red dye
501 recipe = {'wool:white', 'group:dye,basecolor_red'},
506 - immortal: Disables the group damage system for an entity
507 - level: Can be used to give an additional sense of progression in the game.
508 - A larger level will cause eg. a weapon of a lower level make much less
509 damage, and get weared out much faster, or not be able to get drops
510 from destroyed nodes.
511 - 0 is something that is directly accessible at the start of gameplay
512 - There is no upper limit
513 - dig_immediate: (player can always pick up node without tool wear)
514 - 2: node is removed without tool wear after 0.5 seconds or so
516 - 3: node is removed without tool wear immediately (torch)
517 - disable_jump: Player (and possibly other things) cannot jump from node
518 - fall_damage_add_percent: damage speed = speed * (1 + value/100)
519 - bouncy: value is bounce speed in percent
520 - falling_node: if there is no walkable block under the node it will fall
521 - attached_node: if the node under it is not a walkable block the node will be
522 dropped as an item. If the node is wallmounted the
523 wallmounted direction is checked.
525 Known damage and digging time defining groups
526 ----------------------------------------------
527 - crumbly: dirt, sand
528 - cracky: tough but crackable stuff like stone.
529 - snappy: something that can be cut using fine tools; eg. leaves, small
530 plants, wire, sheets of metal
531 - choppy: something that can be cut using force; eg. trees, wooden planks
532 - fleshy: Living things like animals and the player. This could imply
533 some blood effects when hitting.
534 - explody: Especially prone to explosions
535 - oddly_breakable_by_hand:
536 Can be added to nodes that shouldn't logically be breakable by the
537 hand but are. Somewhat similar to dig_immediate, but times are more
538 like {[1]=3.50,[2]=2.00,[3]=0.70} and this does not override the
539 speed of a tool if the tool can dig at a faster speed than this
540 suggests for the hand.
542 Examples of custom groups
543 --------------------------
544 Item groups are often used for defining, well, //groups of items//.
545 - meat: any meat-kind of a thing (rating might define the size or healing
546 ability or be irrelevant - it is not defined as of yet)
547 - eatable: anything that can be eaten. Rating might define HP gain in half
549 - flammable: can be set on fire. Rating might define the intensity of the
550 fire, affecting eg. the speed of the spreading of an open fire.
551 - wool: any wool (any origin, any color)
554 - heavy: anything considerably heavy
556 Digging time calculation specifics
557 -----------------------------------
558 Groups such as **crumbly**, **cracky** and **snappy** are used for this
559 purpose. Rating is 1, 2 or 3. A higher rating for such a group implies
562 The **level** group is used to limit the toughness of nodes a tool can dig
563 and to scale the digging times / damage to a greater extent.
565 ^ PLEASE DO UNDERSTAND THIS, otherwise you cannot use the system to it's
568 Tools define their properties by a list of parameters for groups. They
569 cannot dig other groups; thus it is important to use a standard bunch of
570 groups to enable interaction with tools.
573 * Full punch interval
575 * For an arbitrary list of groups:
576 * Uses (until the tool breaks)
577 * Maximum level (usually 0, 1, 2 or 3)
581 **Full punch interval**:
582 When used as a weapon, the tool will do full damage if this time is spent
583 between punches. If eg. half the time is spent, the tool will do half
586 **Maximum drop level**
587 Suggests the maximum level of node, when dug with the tool, that will drop
588 it's useful item. (eg. iron ore to drop a lump of iron).
589 - This is not automated; it is the responsibility of the node definition
593 Determines how many uses the tool has when it is used for digging a node,
594 of this group, of the maximum level. For lower leveled nodes, the use count
595 is multiplied by 3^leveldiff.
596 - uses=10, leveldiff=0 -> actual uses: 10
597 - uses=10, leveldiff=1 -> actual uses: 30
598 - uses=10, leveldiff=2 -> actual uses: 90
601 Tells what is the maximum level of a node of this group that the tool will
605 List of digging times for different ratings of the group, for nodes of the
607 * For example, as a lua table, ''times={2=2.00, 3=0.70}''. This would
608 result in the tool to be able to dig nodes that have a rating of 2 or 3
609 for this group, and unable to dig the rating 1, which is the toughest.
610 Unless there is a matching group that enables digging otherwise.
613 List of damage for groups of entities. See "Entity damage mechanism".
615 Example definition of the capabilities of a tool
616 -------------------------------------------------
617 tool_capabilities = {
618 full_punch_interval=1.5,
621 crumbly={maxlevel=2, uses=20, times={[1]=1.60, [2]=1.20, [3]=0.80}}
623 damage_groups = {fleshy=2},
626 This makes the tool be able to dig nodes that fullfill both of these:
627 - Have the **crumbly** group
628 - Have a **level** group less or equal to 2
630 Table of resulting digging times:
631 crumbly 0 1 2 3 4 <- level
637 level diff: 2 1 0 -1 -2
639 Table of resulting tool uses:
646 - At crumbly=0, the node is not diggable.
647 - At crumbly=3, the level difference digging time divider kicks in and makes
648 easy nodes to be quickly breakable.
649 - At level > 2, the node is not diggable, because it's level > maxlevel
651 Entity damage mechanism
652 ------------------------
655 foreach group in cap.damage_groups:
656 damage += cap.damage_groups[group] * limit(actual_interval / cap.full_punch_interval, 0.0, 1.0)
657 * (object.armor_groups[group] / 100.0)
658 -- Where object.armor_groups[group] is 0 for inexisting values
661 Client predicts damage based on damage groups. Because of this, it is able to
662 give an immediate response when an entity is damaged or dies; the response is
663 pre-defined somehow (eg. by defining a sprite animation) (not implemented;
665 - Currently a smoke puff will appear when an entity dies.
667 The group **immortal** completely disables normal damage.
669 Entities can define a special armor group, which is **punch_operable**. This
670 group disables the regular damage mechanism for players punching it by hand or
671 a non-tool item, so that it can do something else than take damage.
673 On the Lua side, every punch calls ''entity:on_punch(puncher,
674 time_from_last_punch, tool_capabilities, direction)''. This should never be
675 called directly, because damage is usually not handled by the entity itself.
676 * ''puncher'' is the object performing the punch. Can be nil. Should never be
677 accessed unless absolutely required, to encourage interoperability.
678 * ''time_from_last_punch'' is time from last punch (by puncher) or nil.
679 * ''tool_capabilities'' can be nil.
680 * ''direction'' is a unit vector, pointing from the source of the punch to
683 To punch an entity/object in Lua, call ''object:punch(puncher,
684 time_from_last_punch, tool_capabilities, direction)''.
685 * Return value is tool wear.
686 * Parameters are equal to the above callback.
687 * If ''direction'' is nil and ''puncher'' is not nil, ''direction'' will be
688 automatically filled in based on the location of ''puncher''.
692 The instance of a node in the world normally only contains the three values
693 mentioned in "Nodes". However, it is possible to insert extra data into a
694 node. It is called "node metadata"; See "NodeMetaRef".
696 Metadata contains two things:
700 Some of the values in the key-value store are handled specially:
701 - formspec: Defines a right-click inventory menu. See "Formspec".
702 - infotext: Text shown on the screen when the node is pointed at
706 local meta = minetest.env:get_meta(pos)
707 meta:set_string("formspec",
709 "list[context;main;0,0;8,4;]"..
710 "list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]")
711 meta:set_string("infotext", "Chest");
712 local inv = meta:get_inventory()
713 inv:set_size("main", 8*4)
714 print(dump(meta:to_table()))
717 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] = ""}
720 formspec = "invsize[8,9;]list[context;main;0,0;8,4;]list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]",
727 Formspec defines a menu. Currently not much else than inventories are
728 supported. It is a string, with a somewhat strange format.
730 Spaces and newlines can be inserted between the blocks, as is used in the
736 list[context;main;0,0;8,4;]
737 list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]
740 list[context;fuel;2,3;1,1;]
741 list[context;src;2,1;1,1;]
742 list[context;dst;5,1;2,2;]
743 list[current_player;main;0,5;8,4;]
744 - Minecraft-like player inventory
746 image[1,0.6;1,2;player.png]
747 list[current_player;main;0,3.5;8,4;]
748 list[current_player;craft;3,0;3,3;]
749 list[current_player;craftpreview;7,1;1,1;]
754 ^ Define the size of the menu in inventory slots
755 ^ deprecated: invsize[<W>,<H>;]
757 list[<inventory location>;<list name>;<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;]
758 list[<inventory location>;<list name>;<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<starting item index>]
759 ^ Show an inventory list
761 image[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>]
763 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
765 item_image[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<item name>]
766 ^ Show an inventory image of registered item/node
767 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
769 background[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>]
770 ^ Use a background. Inventory rectangles are not drawn then.
771 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
772 ^ Example for formspec 8x4 in 16x resolution: image shall be sized 8*16px x 4*16px
774 field[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>;<default>]
775 ^ Textual field; will be sent to server when a button is clicked
776 ^ x and y position the field relative to the top left of the menu
777 ^ w and h are the size of the field
778 ^ fields are a set height, but will be vertically centred on h
779 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
780 ^ name is the name of the field as returned in fields to on_receive_fields
781 ^ label, if not blank, will be text printed on the top left above the field
782 ^ default is the default value of the field
783 ^ default may contain variable references such as '${text}' which
784 will fill the value from the metadata value 'text'
785 ^ Note: no extra text or more than a single variable is supported ATM.
787 field[<name>;<label>;<default>]
788 ^ as above but without position/size units
789 ^ special field for creating simple forms, such as sign text input
790 ^ must be used without a size[] element
791 ^ a 'Proceed' button will be added automatically
793 textarea[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>;<default>]
794 ^ same as fields above, but with multi-line input
796 label[<X>,<Y>;<label>]
797 ^ x and y work as per field
798 ^ label is the text on the label
799 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
801 button[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>]
802 ^ Clickable button. When clicked, fields will be sent.
803 ^ x, y and name work as per field
804 ^ w and h are the size of the button
805 ^ label is the text on the button
806 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
808 image_button[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>;<name>;<label>]
809 ^ x, y, w, h, and name work as per button
810 ^ image is the filename of an image
811 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
813 item_image_button[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<item name>;<name>;<label>]
814 ^ x, y, w, h, name and label work as per button
815 ^ item name is the registered name of an item/node,
816 tooltip will be made out of its descritption
817 ^ Position and size units are inventory slots
819 button_exit[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<name>;<label>]
820 ^ When clicked, fields will be sent and the form will quit.
822 image_button_exit[<X>,<Y>;<W>,<H>;<texture name>;<name>;<label>]
823 ^ When clicked, fields will be sent and the form will quit.
827 - "context": Selected node metadata (deprecated: "current_name")
828 - "current_player": Player to whom the menu is shown
829 - "player:<name>": Any player
830 - "nodemeta:<X>,<Y>,<Z>": Any node metadata
831 - "detached:<name>": A detached inventory
835 dump2(obj, name="_", dumped={})
836 ^ Return object serialized as a string, handles reference loops
838 ^ Return object serialized as a string
839 string:split(separator)
840 ^ eg. string:split("a,b", ",") == {"a","b"}
842 ^ eg. string.trim("\n \t\tfoo bar\t ") == "foo bar"
843 minetest.pos_to_string({x=X,y=Y,z=Z}) -> "(X,Y,Z)"
844 ^ Convert position to a printable string
845 minetest.string_to_pos(string) -> position
846 ^ Same but in reverse
847 minetest.formspec_escape(string) -> string
848 ^ escapes characters like [, ], and \ that can not be used in formspecs
850 minetest namespace reference
851 -----------------------------
852 minetest.get_current_modname() -> string
853 minetest.get_modpath(modname) -> eg. "/home/user/.minetest/usermods/modname"
854 ^ Useful for loading additional .lua modules or static data from mod
855 minetest.get_modnames() -> list of installed mods
856 ^ Return a list of installed mods, sorted alphabetically
857 minetest.get_worldpath() -> eg. "/home/user/.minetest/world"
858 ^ Useful for storing custom data
859 minetest.is_singleplayer()
862 ^ Always printed to stderr and logfile (print() is redirected here)
864 minetest.log(loglevel, line)
865 ^ loglevel one of "error", "action", "info", "verbose"
867 Registration functions: (Call these only at load time)
868 minetest.register_entity(name, prototype table)
869 minetest.register_abm(abm definition)
870 minetest.register_node(name, node definition)
871 minetest.register_tool(name, item definition)
872 minetest.register_craftitem(name, item definition)
873 minetest.register_alias(name, convert_to)
874 minetest.register_craft(recipe)
875 minetest.register_ore(ore definition)
877 Global callback registration functions: (Call these only at load time)
878 minetest.register_globalstep(func(dtime))
879 ^ Called every server step, usually interval of 0.05s
880 minetest.register_on_shutdown(func())
881 ^ Called before server shutdown
882 ^ WARNING: If the server terminates abnormally (i.e. crashes), the registered
883 callbacks WILL LIKELY NOT BE RUN. Data should be saved at
884 semi-frequent intervals as well as on server shutdown.
885 minetest.register_on_placenode(func(pos, newnode, placer, oldnode, itemstack))
886 ^ Called when a node has been placed
887 ^ If return true no item is taken from itemstack
888 ^ Deprecated: Use on_construct or after_place_node in node definition instead
889 minetest.register_on_dignode(func(pos, oldnode, digger))
890 ^ Called when a node has been dug.
891 ^ Deprecated: Use on_destruct or after_dig_node in node definition instead
892 minetest.register_on_punchnode(func(pos, node, puncher))
893 ^ Called when a node is punched
894 minetest.register_on_generated(func(minp, maxp, blockseed))
895 ^ Called after generating a piece of world. Modifying nodes inside the area
896 is a bit faster than usually.
897 minetest.register_on_newplayer(func(ObjectRef))
898 ^ Called after a new player has been created
899 minetest.register_on_dieplayer(func(ObjectRef))
900 ^ Called when a player dies
901 minetest.register_on_respawnplayer(func(ObjectRef))
902 ^ Called when player is to be respawned
903 ^ Called _before_ repositioning of player occurs
904 ^ return true in func to disable regular player placement
905 minetest.register_on_joinplayer(func(ObjectRef))
906 ^ Called when a player joins the game
907 minetest.register_on_leaveplayer(func(ObjectRef))
908 ^ Called when a player leaves the game
909 minetest.register_on_chat_message(func(name, message))
910 ^ Called always when a player says something
911 minetest.register_on_player_receive_fields(func(player, formname, fields))
912 ^ Called when a button is pressed in player's inventory form
913 ^ Newest functions are called first
914 ^ If function returns true, remaining functions are not called
916 Other registration functions:
917 minetest.register_chatcommand(cmd, chatcommand definition)
918 minetest.register_privilege(name, definition)
919 ^ definition: "description text"
921 description = "description text",
922 give_to_singleplayer = boolean, -- default: true
924 minetest.register_authentication_handler(handler)
925 ^ See minetest.builtin_auth_handler in builtin.lua for reference
928 minetest.setting_set(name, value)
929 minetest.setting_get(name) -> string or nil
930 minetest.setting_getbool(name) -> boolean value or nil
931 minetest.setting_get_pos(name) -> position or nil
932 minetest.setting_save() -> nil, save all settings to config file
933 minetest.add_to_creative_inventory(itemstring)
936 minetest.notify_authentication_modified(name)
937 ^ Should be called by the authentication handler if privileges change.
938 ^ To report everybody, set name=nil.
939 minetest.get_password_hash(name, raw_password)
940 ^ Convert a name-password pair to a password hash that minetest can use
941 minetest.string_to_privs(str) -> {priv1=true,...}
942 minetest.privs_to_string(privs) -> "priv1,priv2,..."
943 ^ Convert between two privilege representations
944 minetest.set_player_password(name, password_hash)
945 minetest.set_player_privs(name, {priv1=true,...})
946 minetest.get_player_privs(name) -> {priv1=true,...}
947 minetest.auth_reload()
948 ^ These call the authentication handler
949 minetest.check_player_privs(name, {priv1=true,...}) -> bool, missing_privs
950 ^ A quickhand for checking privileges
953 minetest.chat_send_all(text)
954 minetest.chat_send_player(name, text)
957 minetest.get_inventory(location) -> InvRef
958 ^ location = eg. {type="player", name="celeron55"}
959 {type="node", pos={x=, y=, z=}}
960 {type="detached", name="creative"}
961 minetest.create_detached_inventory(name, callbacks) -> InvRef
962 ^ callbacks: See "Detached inventory callbacks"
963 ^ Creates a detached inventory. If it already exists, it is cleared.
964 minetest.show_formspec(playername, formname, formspec)
965 ^ playername: name of player to show formspec
966 ^ formname: name passed to on_player_receive_fields callbacks
967 ^ should follow "modname:<whatever>" naming convention
968 ^ formspec: formspec to display
971 minetest.inventorycube(img1, img2, img3)
972 ^ Returns a string for making an image of a cube (useful as an item image)
973 minetest.get_pointed_thing_position(pointed_thing, above)
974 ^ Get position of a pointed_thing (that you can get from somewhere)
975 minetest.dir_to_facedir(dir)
976 ^ Convert a vector to a facedir value, used in param2 for paramtype2="facedir"
977 minetest.dir_to_wallmounted(dir)
978 ^ Convert a vector to a wallmounted value, used for paramtype2="wallmounted"
979 minetest.get_node_drops(nodename, toolname)
980 ^ Returns list of item names.
981 ^ Note: This will be removed or modified in a future version.
982 minetest.get_craft_result(input) -> output, decremented_input
983 ^ input.method = 'normal' or 'cooking' or 'fuel'
984 ^ input.width = for example 3
985 ^ input.items = for example { stack 1, stack 2, stack 3, stack 4,
986 stack 5, stack 6, stack 7, stack 8, stack 9 }
987 ^ output.item = ItemStack, if unsuccessful: empty ItemStack
988 ^ output.time = number, if unsuccessful: 0
989 ^ decremented_input = like input
990 minetest.get_craft_recipe(output) -> input
991 ^ returns last registered recipe for output item (node)
992 ^ output is a node or item type such as 'default:torch'
993 ^ input.method = 'normal' or 'cooking' or 'fuel'
994 ^ input.width = for example 3
995 ^ input.items = for example { stack 1, stack 2, stack 3, stack 4,
996 stack 5, stack 6, stack 7, stack 8, stack 9 }
997 ^ input.items = nil if no recipe found
998 minetest.get_all_craft_recipes(output) -> table or nil
999 ^ returns table with all registered recipes for output item (node)
1000 ^ returns nil if no recipe was found
1001 ^ table entries have same format as minetest.get_craft_recipe
1002 minetest.handle_node_drops(pos, drops, digger)
1003 ^ drops: list of itemstrings
1004 ^ Handles drops from nodes after digging: Default action is to put them into
1006 ^ Can be overridden to get different functionality (eg. dropping items on
1010 minetest.rollback_get_last_node_actor(p, range, seconds) -> actor, p, seconds
1011 ^ Find who has done something to a node, or near a node
1012 ^ actor: "player:<name>", also "liquid".
1013 minetest.rollback_revert_actions_by(actor, seconds) -> bool, log messages
1014 ^ Revert latest actions of someone
1015 ^ actor: "player:<name>", also "liquid".
1017 Defaults for the on_* item definition functions:
1018 (These return the leftover itemstack)
1019 minetest.item_place_node(itemstack, placer, pointed_thing)
1020 ^ Place item as a node
1021 minetest.item_place_object(itemstack, placer, pointed_thing)
1023 minetest.item_place(itemstack, placer, pointed_thing)
1024 ^ Use one of the above based on what the item is.
1025 ^ Calls on_rightclick of pointed_thing.under if defined instead
1026 ^ Note: is not called when wielded item overrides on_place
1027 minetest.item_drop(itemstack, dropper, pos)
1029 minetest.item_eat(hp_change, replace_with_item)
1030 ^ Eat the item. replace_with_item can be nil.
1032 Defaults for the on_punch and on_dig node definition callbacks:
1033 minetest.node_punch(pos, node, puncher)
1034 ^ Calls functions registered by minetest.register_on_punchnode()
1035 minetest.node_dig(pos, node, digger)
1036 ^ Checks if node can be dug, puts item into inventory, removes node
1037 ^ Calls functions registered by minetest.registered_on_dignodes()
1040 minetest.sound_play(spec, parameters) -> handle
1041 ^ spec = SimpleSoundSpec
1042 ^ parameters = sound parameter table
1043 minetest.sound_stop(handle)
1046 minetest.after(time, func, ...)
1047 ^ Call function after time seconds
1048 ^ Optional: Variable number of arguments that are passed to func
1051 minetest.request_shutdown() -> request for server shutdown
1052 minetest.get_server_status() -> server status string
1055 minetest.get_ban_list() -> ban list (same as minetest.get_ban_description(""))
1056 minetest.get_ban_description(ip_or_name) -> ban description (string)
1057 minetest.ban_player(name) -> ban a player
1058 minetest.unban_player_or_ip(name) -> unban player or IP address
1061 minetest.add_particle(pos, velocity, acceleration, expirationtime,
1062 size, collisiondetection, texture, playername)
1063 ^ Spawn particle at pos with velocity and acceleration
1064 ^ Disappears after expirationtime seconds
1065 ^ collisiondetection: if true collides with physical objects
1066 ^ Uses texture (string)
1067 ^ Playername is optional, if specified spawns particle only on the player's client
1069 minetest.add_particlespawner(amount, time,
1073 minexptime, maxexptime,
1075 collisiondetection, texture, playername)
1076 ^ Add a particlespawner, an object that spawns an amount of particles over time seconds
1077 ^ The particle's properties are random values in between the boundings:
1078 ^ minpos/maxpos, minvel/maxvel (velocity), minacc/maxacc (acceleration),
1079 ^ minsize/maxsize, minexptime/maxexptime (expirationtime)
1080 ^ collisiondetection: if true uses collisiondetection
1081 ^ Uses texture (string)
1082 ^ Playername is optional, if specified spawns particle only on the player's client
1083 ^ If time is 0 has infinite lifespan and spawns the amount on a per-second base
1086 minetest.delete_particlespawner(id, player)
1087 ^ Delete ParticleSpawner with id (return value from add_particlespawner)
1088 ^ If playername is specified, only deletes on the player's client,
1089 ^ otherwise on all clients
1092 minetest.get_connected_players() -> list of ObjectRefs
1093 minetest.hash_node_position({x=,y=,z=}) -> 48-bit integer
1094 ^ Gives a unique hash number for a node position (16+16+16=48bit)
1095 minetest.get_item_group(name, group) -> rating
1096 ^ Get rating of a group of an item. (0 = not in group)
1097 minetest.get_node_group(name, group) -> rating
1098 ^ Deprecated: An alias for the former.
1099 minetest.serialize(table) -> string
1100 ^ Convert a table containing tables, strings, numbers, booleans and nils
1101 into string form readable by minetest.deserialize
1102 ^ Example: serialize({foo='bar'}) -> 'return { ["foo"] = "bar" }'
1103 minetest.deserialize(string) -> table
1104 ^ Convert a string returned by minetest.deserialize into a table
1105 ^ String is loaded in an empty sandbox environment.
1106 ^ Will load functions, but they cannot access the global environment.
1107 ^ Example: deserialize('return { ["foo"] = "bar" }') -> {foo='bar'}
1108 ^ Example: deserialize('print("foo")') -> nil (function call fails)
1109 ^ error:[string "print("foo")"]:1: attempt to call global 'print' (a nil value)
1112 minetest.env - EnvRef of the server environment and world.
1113 ^ Using this you can access nodes and entities
1116 minetest.registered_items
1117 ^ List of registered items, indexed by name
1118 minetest.registered_nodes
1119 ^ List of registered node definitions, indexed by name
1120 minetest.registered_craftitems
1121 ^ List of registered craft item definitions, indexed by name
1122 minetest.registered_tools
1123 ^ List of registered tool definitions, indexed by name
1124 minetest.registered_entities
1125 ^ List of registered entity prototypes, indexed by name
1126 minetest.object_refs
1127 ^ List of object references, indexed by active object id
1128 minetest.luaentities
1129 ^ List of lua entities, indexed by active object id
1131 Deprecated but defined for backwards compatibility:
1132 minetest.digprop_constanttime(time)
1133 minetest.digprop_stonelike(toughness)
1134 minetest.digprop_dirtlike(toughness)
1135 minetest.digprop_gravellike(toughness)
1136 minetest.digprop_woodlike(toughness)
1137 minetest.digprop_leaveslike(toughness)
1138 minetest.digprop_glasslike(toughness)
1142 EnvRef: basically ServerEnvironment and ServerMap combined.
1144 - set_node(pos, node)
1145 - add_node(pos, node): alias set_node(pos, node)
1146 ^ Set node at position (node = {name="foo", param1=0, param2=0})
1148 ^ Equivalent to set_node(pos, "air")
1150 ^ Returns {name="ignore", ...} for unloaded area
1151 - get_node_or_nil(pos)
1152 ^ Returns nil for unloaded area
1153 - get_node_light(pos, timeofday) -> 0...15 or nil
1154 ^ timeofday: nil = current time, 0 = night, 0.5 = day
1156 - place_node(pos, node)
1157 ^ Place node with the same effects that a player would cause
1159 ^ Dig node with the same effects that a player would cause
1161 ^ Punch node with the same effects that a player would cause
1163 - get_meta(pos) -- Get a NodeMetaRef at that position
1164 - get_node_timer(pos) -- Get NodeTimerRef
1166 - add_entity(pos, name): Spawn Lua-defined entity at position
1167 ^ Returns ObjectRef, or nil if failed
1168 - add_item(pos, item): Spawn item
1169 ^ Returns ObjectRef, or nil if failed
1170 - get_player_by_name(name) -- Get an ObjectRef to a player
1171 - get_objects_inside_radius(pos, radius)
1172 - set_timeofday(val): val: 0...1; 0 = midnight, 0.5 = midday
1174 - find_node_near(pos, radius, nodenames) -> pos or nil
1175 ^ nodenames: eg. {"ignore", "group:tree"} or "default:dirt"
1176 - find_nodes_in_area(minp, maxp, nodenames) -> list of positions
1177 ^ nodenames: eg. {"ignore", "group:tree"} or "default:dirt"
1178 - get_perlin(seeddiff, octaves, persistence, scale)
1179 ^ Return world-specific perlin noise (int(worldseed)+seeddiff)
1181 ^ clear all objects in the environments
1182 - spawn_tree (pos, {treedef})
1183 ^ spawns L-System tree at given pos with definition in treedef table
1185 axiom, - string initial tree axiom
1186 rules_a, - string rules set A
1187 rules_b, - string rules set B
1188 rules_c, - string rules set C
1189 rules_d, - string rules set D
1190 trunk, - string trunk node name
1191 leaves, - string leaves node name
1192 leaves2, - string secondary leaves node name
1193 leaves2_chance,- num chance (0-100) to replace leaves with leaves2
1194 angle, - num angle in deg
1195 iterations, - num max # of iterations, usually 2 -5
1196 random_level, - num factor to lower nr of iterations, usually 0 - 3
1197 trunk_type, - string single/double/crossed) type of trunk: 1 node, 2x2 nodes or 3x3 in cross shape
1198 thin_branches, - boolean true -> use thin (1 node) branches
1199 fruit, - string fruit node name
1200 fruit_chance, - num chance (0-100) to replace leaves with fruit node
1201 seed, - num random seed
1204 Key for Special L-System Symbols used in Axioms
1205 G - move forward one unit with the pen up
1206 F - move forward one unit with the pen down drawing trunks and branches
1207 f - move forward one unit with the pen down drawing leaves (100% chance)
1208 T - move forward one unit with the pen down drawing trunks only
1209 R - move forward one unit with the pen down placing fruit
1210 A - replace with rules set A
1211 B - replace with rules set B
1212 C - replace with rules set C
1213 D - replace with rules set D
1214 a - replace with rules set A, chance 90%
1215 b - replace with rules set B, chance 80%
1216 c - replace with rules set C, chance 70%
1217 d - replace with rules set D, chance 60%
1218 + - yaw the turtle right by angle parameter
1219 - - yaw the turtle left by angle parameter
1220 & - pitch the turtle down by angle parameter
1221 ^ - pitch the turtle up by angle parameter
1222 / - roll the turtle to the right by angle parameter
1223 * - roll the turtle to the left by angle parameter
1224 [ - save in stack current state info
1225 ] - recover from stack state info
1227 Example usage: spawn small apple tree
1230 rules_a="[&&&FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&++++FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&----FFFFF&&FFFF]",
1231 rules_b="[&&&++FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&--FFFFF&&FFFF][&&&------FFFFF&&FFFF]",
1232 trunk="default:tree",
1233 leaves="default:leaves",
1237 trunk_type="single",
1240 fruit="default:apple"
1242 minetest.env:spawn_tree(pos,apple_tree)
1245 - add_rat(pos): Add C++ rat object (no-op)
1246 - add_firefly(pos): Add C++ firefly object (no-op)
1248 NodeMetaRef: Node metadata - reference extra data and functionality stored
1250 - Can be gotten via minetest.env:get_nodemeta(pos)
1252 - set_string(name, value)
1254 - set_int(name, value)
1256 - set_float(name, value)
1258 - get_inventory() -> InvRef
1259 - to_table() -> nil or {fields = {...}, inventory = {list1 = {}, ...}}
1260 - from_table(nil or {})
1261 ^ See "Node Metadata"
1263 NodeTimerRef: Node Timers - a high resolution persistent per-node timer
1264 - Can be gotten via minetest.env:get_node_timer(pos)
1266 - set(timeout,elapsed)
1267 ^ set a timer's state
1268 ^ timeout is in seconds, and supports fractional values (0.1 etc)
1269 ^ elapsed is in seconds, and supports fractional values (0.1 etc)
1270 ^ will trigger the node's on_timer function after timeout-elapsed seconds
1273 ^ equivelent to set(timeout,0)
1276 - get_timeout() -> current timeout in seconds
1277 ^ if timeout is 0, timer is inactive
1278 - get_elapsed() -> current elapsed time in seconds
1279 ^ the node's on_timer function will be called after timeout-elapsed seconds
1280 - is_started() -> boolean state of timer
1281 ^ returns true if timer is started, otherwise false
1283 ObjectRef: Moving things in the game are generally these
1284 (basically reference to a C++ ServerActiveObject)
1286 - remove(): remove object (after returning from Lua)
1287 - getpos() -> {x=num, y=num, z=num}
1288 - setpos(pos); pos={x=num, y=num, z=num}
1289 - moveto(pos, continuous=false): interpolated move
1290 - punch(puncher, time_from_last_punch, tool_capabilities, direction)
1291 ^ puncher = an another ObjectRef,
1292 ^ time_from_last_punch = time since last punch action of the puncher
1293 ^ direction: can be nil
1294 - right_click(clicker); clicker = an another ObjectRef
1295 - get_hp(): returns number of hitpoints (2 * number of hearts)
1296 - set_hp(hp): set number of hitpoints (2 * number of hearts)
1297 - get_inventory() -> InvRef
1298 - get_wield_list(): returns the name of the inventory list the wielded item is in
1299 - get_wield_index(): returns the index of the wielded item
1300 - get_wielded_item() -> ItemStack
1301 - set_wielded_item(item): replaces the wielded item, returns true if successful
1302 - set_armor_groups({group1=rating, group2=rating, ...})
1303 - set_animation({x=1,y=1}, frame_speed=15, frame_blend=0)
1304 - set_attach(parent, bone, position, rotation)
1306 ^ position = {x=num, y=num, z=num} (relative)
1307 ^ rotation = {x=num, y=num, z=num}
1309 - set_bone_position(bone, position, rotation)
1311 ^ position = {x=num, y=num, z=num} (relative)
1312 ^ rotation = {x=num, y=num, z=num}
1313 - set_properties(object property table)
1314 LuaEntitySAO-only: (no-op for other objects)
1315 - setvelocity({x=num, y=num, z=num})
1316 - getvelocity() -> {x=num, y=num, z=num}
1317 - setacceleration({x=num, y=num, z=num})
1318 - getacceleration() -> {x=num, y=num, z=num}
1320 - getyaw() -> radians
1321 - settexturemod(mod)
1322 - setsprite(p={x=0,y=0}, num_frames=1, framelength=0.2,
1323 - select_horiz_by_yawpitch=false)
1324 ^ Select sprite from spritesheet with optional animation and DM-style
1325 texture selection based on yaw relative to camera
1326 - get_entity_name() (DEPRECATED: Will be removed in a future version)
1328 Player-only: (no-op for other objects)
1329 - is_player(): true for players, false for others
1330 - get_player_name(): returns "" if is not a player
1331 - get_look_dir(): get camera direction as a unit vector
1332 - get_look_pitch(): pitch in radians
1333 - get_look_yaw(): yaw in radians (wraps around pretty randomly as of now)
1334 - set_look_pitch(radians): sets look pitch
1335 - set_look_yaw(radians): sets look yaw
1336 - set_inventory_formspec(formspec)
1337 ^ Redefine player's inventory form
1338 ^ Should usually be called in on_joinplayer
1339 - get_inventory_formspec() -> formspec string
1340 - get_player_control(): returns table with player pressed keys
1341 {jump=bool,right=bool,left=bool,LMB=bool,RMB=bool,sneak=bool,aux1=bool,down=bool,up=bool}
1342 - get_player_control_bits(): returns integer with bit packed player pressed keys
1343 bit nr/meaning: 0/up ,1/down ,2/left ,3/right ,4/jump ,5/aux1 ,6/sneak ,7/LMB ,8/RMB
1345 InvRef: Reference to an inventory
1347 - is_empty(listname): return true if list is empty
1348 - get_size(listname): get size of a list
1349 - set_size(listname, size): set size of a list
1350 - get_width(listname): get width of a list
1351 - set_width(listname, width): set width of list; currently used for crafting
1352 - get_stack(listname, i): get a copy of stack index i in list
1353 - set_stack(listname, i, stack): copy stack to index i in list
1354 - get_list(listname): return full list
1355 - set_list(listname, list): set full list (size will not change)
1356 - add_item(listname, stack): add item somewhere in list, returns leftover ItemStack
1357 - room_for_item(listname, stack): returns true if the stack of items
1358 can be fully added to the list
1359 - contains_item(listname, stack): returns true if the stack of items
1360 can be fully taken from the list
1361 remove_item(listname, stack): take as many items as specified from the list,
1362 returns the items that were actually removed (as an ItemStack)
1363 - get_location() -> location compatible to minetest.get_inventory(location)
1364 -> {type="undefined"} in case location is not known
1366 ItemStack: A stack of items.
1367 - Can be created via ItemStack(itemstack or itemstring or table or nil)
1369 - is_empty(): return true if stack is empty
1370 - get_name(): returns item name (e.g. "default:stone")
1371 - get_count(): returns number of items on the stack
1372 - get_wear(): returns tool wear (0-65535), 0 for non-tools
1373 - get_metadata(): returns metadata (a string attached to an item stack)
1374 - clear(): removes all items from the stack, making it empty
1375 - replace(item): replace the contents of this stack (item can also
1376 be an itemstring or table)
1377 - to_string(): returns the stack in itemstring form
1378 - to_table(): returns the stack in Lua table form
1379 - get_stack_max(): returns the maximum size of the stack (depends on the item)
1380 - get_free_space(): returns get_stack_max() - get_count()
1381 - is_known(): returns true if the item name refers to a defined item type
1382 - get_definition(): returns the item definition table
1383 - get_tool_capabilities(): returns the digging properties of the item,
1384 ^ or those of the hand if none are defined for this item type
1385 - add_wear(amount): increases wear by amount if the item is a tool
1386 - add_item(item): put some item or stack onto this stack,
1387 ^ returns leftover ItemStack
1388 - item_fits(item): returns true if item or stack can be fully added to this one
1389 - take_item(n): take (and remove) up to n items from this stack
1390 ^ returns taken ItemStack
1391 ^ if n is omitted, n=1 is used
1392 - peek_item(n): copy (don't remove) up to n items from this stack
1393 ^ returns copied ItemStack
1394 ^ if n is omitted, n=1 is used
1396 PseudoRandom: A pseudorandom number generator
1397 - Can be created via PseudoRandom(seed)
1399 - next(): return next integer random number [0...32767]
1400 - next(min, max): return next integer random number [min...max]
1401 (max - min) must be 32767 or <= 6553 due to the simple
1402 implementation making bad distribution otherwise.
1404 PerlinNoise: A perlin noise generator
1405 - Can be created via PerlinNoise(seed, octaves, persistence, scale)
1406 - Also minetest.env:get_perlin(seeddiff, octaves, persistence, scale)
1408 - get2d(pos) -> 2d noise value at pos={x=,y=}
1409 - get3d(pos) -> 3d noise value at pos={x=,y=,z=}
1412 --------------------
1413 - Functions receive a "luaentity" as self:
1414 - It has the member .name, which is the registered name ("mod:thing")
1415 - It has the member .object, which is an ObjectRef pointing to the object
1416 - The original prototype stuff is visible directly via a metatable
1418 - on_activate(self, staticdata)
1419 ^ Called when the object is instantiated.
1420 - on_step(self, dtime)
1421 ^ Called on every server tick (dtime is usually 0.05 seconds)
1422 - on_punch(self, puncher, time_from_last_punch, tool_capabilities, dir)
1423 ^ Called when somebody punches the object.
1424 ^ Note that you probably want to handle most punches using the
1425 automatic armor group system.
1426 ^ puncher: ObjectRef (can be nil)
1427 ^ time_from_last_punch: Meant for disallowing spamming of clicks (can be nil)
1428 ^ tool_capabilities: capability table of used tool (can be nil)
1429 ^ dir: unit vector of direction of punch. Always defined. Points from
1430 the puncher to the punched.
1431 - on_rightclick(self, clicker)
1432 - get_staticdata(self)
1433 ^ Should return a string that will be passed to on_activate when
1434 the object is instantiated the next time.
1444 collisionbox = {-0.5,-0.5,-0.5, 0.5,0.5,0.5},
1445 visual = "cube"/"sprite"/"upright_sprite"/"mesh",
1446 visual_size = {x=1, y=1},
1448 textures = {}, -- number of required textures depends on visual
1449 colors = {}, -- number of required colors depends on visual
1450 spritediv = {x=1, y=1},
1451 initial_sprite_basepos = {x=0, y=0},
1453 makes_footstep_sound = false,
1454 automatic_rotate = false,
1457 Entity definition (register_entity)
1459 (Deprecated: Everything in object properties is read directly from here)
1461 initial_properties = <initial object properties>,
1463 on_activate = function(self, staticdata, dtime_s),
1464 on_step = function(self, dtime),
1465 on_punch = function(self, hitter),
1466 on_rightclick = function(self, clicker),
1467 get_staticdata = function(self),
1468 ^ Called sometimes; the string returned is passed to on_activate when
1469 the entity is re-activated from static state
1471 # Also you can define arbitrary member variables here
1472 myvariable = whatever,
1475 ABM (ActiveBlockModifier) definition (register_abm)
1477 -- In the following two fields, also group:groupname will work.
1478 nodenames = {"default:lava_source"},
1479 neighbors = {"default:water_source", "default:water_flowing"}, -- (any of these)
1480 ^ If left out or empty, any neighbor will do
1481 interval = 1.0, -- (operation interval)
1482 chance = 1, -- (chance of trigger is 1.0/this)
1483 action = func(pos, node, active_object_count, active_object_count_wider),
1486 Item definition (register_node, register_craftitem, register_tool)
1488 description = "Steel Axe",
1489 groups = {}, -- key=name, value=rating; rating=1..3.
1490 if rating not applicable, use 1.
1491 eg. {wool=1, fluffy=3}
1492 {soil=2, outerspace=1, crumbly=1}
1493 {bendy=2, snappy=1},
1494 {hard=1, metal=1, spikes=1}
1495 inventory_image = "default_tool_steelaxe.png",
1497 wield_scale = {x=1,y=1,z=1},
1499 liquids_pointable = false,
1500 tool_capabilities = {
1501 full_punch_interval = 1.0,
1505 snappy={times={[2]=0.80, [3]=0.40}, maxwear=0.05, maxlevel=1},
1506 choppy={times={[3]=0.90}, maxwear=0.05, maxlevel=0}
1508 damage_groups = {groupname=damage},
1510 node_placement_prediction = nil,
1511 ^ If nil and item is node, prediction is made automatically
1512 ^ If nil and item is not a node, no prediction is made
1513 ^ If "" and item is anything, no prediction is made
1514 ^ Otherwise should be name of node which the client immediately places
1515 on ground when the player places the item. Server will always update
1516 actual result to client in a short moment.
1518 place = <SimpleSoundSpec>,
1521 on_place = func(itemstack, placer, pointed_thing),
1522 ^ Shall place item and return the leftover itemstack
1523 ^ default: minetest.item_place
1524 on_drop = func(itemstack, dropper, pos),
1525 ^ Shall drop item and return the leftover itemstack
1526 ^ default: minetest.item_drop
1527 on_use = func(itemstack, user, pointed_thing),
1529 ^ Function must return either nil if no item shall be removed from
1530 inventory, or an itemstack to replace the original itemstack.
1531 eg. itemstack:take_item(); return itemstack
1532 ^ Otherwise, the function is free to do what it wants.
1533 ^ The default functions handle regular use cases.
1538 - {name="image.png", animation={Tile Animation definition}}
1539 - {name="image.png", backface_culling=bool}
1540 ^ backface culling only supported in special tiles
1541 - deprecated still supported field names:
1544 Tile animation definition:
1545 - {type="vertical_frames", aspect_w=16, aspect_h=16, length=3.0}
1547 Node definition (register_node)
1549 <all fields allowed in item definitions>,
1551 drawtype = "normal", -- See "Node drawtypes"
1553 tiles = {tile definition 1, def2, def3, def4, def5, def6},
1554 ^ Textures of node; +Y, -Y, +X, -X, +Z, -Z (old field name: tile_images)
1555 ^ List can be shortened to needed length
1556 special_tiles = {tile definition 1, Tile definition 2},
1557 ^ Special textures of node; used rarely (old field name: special_materials)
1558 ^ List can be shortened to needed length
1560 post_effect_color = {a=0, r=0, g=0, b=0}, -- If player is inside node
1561 paramtype = "none", -- See "Nodes"
1562 paramtype2 = "none", -- See "Nodes"
1563 is_ground_content = false, -- Currently not used for anything
1564 sunlight_propagates = false, -- If true, sunlight will go infinitely through this
1565 walkable = true, -- If true, objects collide with node
1566 pointable = true, -- If true, can be pointed at
1567 diggable = true, -- If false, can never be dug
1568 climbable = false, -- If true, can be climbed on (ladder)
1569 buildable_to = false, -- If true, placed nodes can replace this node
1570 drop = "", -- alternatively drop = { max_items = ..., items = { ... } }
1571 liquidtype = "none", -- "none"/"source"/"flowing"
1572 liquid_alternative_flowing = "", -- Flowing version of source liquid
1573 liquid_alternative_source = "", -- Source version of flowing liquid
1574 liquid_viscosity = 0, -- Higher viscosity = slower flow (max. 7)
1575 liquid_renewable = true, -- Can new liquid source be created by placing
1576 two or more sources nearly?
1577 light_source = 0, -- Amount of light emitted by node
1578 damage_per_second = 0, -- If player is inside node, this damage is caused
1579 node_box = {type="regular"}, -- See "Node boxes"
1580 selection_box = {type="regular"}, -- See "Node boxes"
1581 legacy_facedir_simple = false, -- Support maps made in and before January 2012
1582 legacy_wallmounted = false, -- Support maps made in and before January 2012
1584 footstep = <SimpleSoundSpec>,
1585 dig = <SimpleSoundSpec>, -- "__group" = group-based sound (default)
1586 dug = <SimpleSoundSpec>,
1587 place = <SimpleSoundSpec>,
1590 on_construct = func(pos),
1591 ^ Node constructor; always called after adding node
1592 ^ Can set up metadata and stuff like that
1594 on_destruct = func(pos),
1595 ^ Node destructor; always called before removing node
1597 after_destruct = func(pos, oldnode),
1598 ^ Node destructor; always called after removing node
1601 after_place_node = func(pos, placer, itemstack),
1602 ^ Called after constructing node when node was placed using
1603 minetest.item_place_node / minetest.env:place_node
1604 ^ If return true no item is taken from itemstack
1606 after_dig_node = func(pos, oldnode, oldmetadata, digger),
1607 ^ oldmetadata is in table format
1608 ^ Called after destructing node when node was dug using
1609 minetest.node_dig / minetest.env:dig_node
1611 can_dig = function(pos,player)
1612 ^ returns true if node can be dug, or false if not
1615 on_punch = func(pos, node, puncher),
1616 ^ default: minetest.node_punch
1617 ^ By default: does nothing
1618 on_rightclick = func(pos, node, clicker, itemstack),
1620 ^ if defined, itemstack will hold clicker's wielded item
1621 Shall return the leftover itemstack
1622 on_dig = func(pos, node, digger),
1623 ^ default: minetest.node_dig
1624 ^ By default: checks privileges, wears out tool and removes node
1626 on_timer = function(pos,elapsed),
1628 ^ called by NodeTimers, see EnvRef and NodeTimerRef
1629 ^ elapsed is the total time passed since the timer was started
1630 ^ return true to run the timer for another cycle with the same timeout value
1632 on_receive_fields = func(pos, formname, fields, sender),
1633 ^ fields = {name1 = value1, name2 = value2, ...}
1634 ^ Called when an UI form (eg. sign text input) returns data
1637 allow_metadata_inventory_move = func(pos, from_list, from_index,
1638 to_list, to_index, count, player),
1639 ^ Called when a player wants to move items inside the inventory
1640 ^ Return value: number of items allowed to move
1642 allow_metadata_inventory_put = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player),
1643 ^ Called when a player wants to put something into the inventory
1644 ^ Return value: number of items allowed to put
1645 ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory
1647 allow_metadata_inventory_take = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player),
1648 ^ Called when a player wants to take something out of the inventory
1649 ^ Return value: number of items allowed to take
1650 ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory
1652 on_metadata_inventory_move = func(pos, from_list, from_index,
1653 to_list, to_index, count, player),
1654 on_metadata_inventory_put = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player),
1655 on_metadata_inventory_take = func(pos, listname, index, stack, player),
1656 ^ Called after the actual action has happened, according to what was allowed.
1659 on_blast = func(pos, intensity),
1660 ^ intensity: 1.0 = mid range of regular TNT
1661 ^ If defined, called when an explosion touches the node, instead of
1665 Recipe for register_craft: (shaped)
1667 output = 'default:pick_stone',
1669 {'default:cobble', 'default:cobble', 'default:cobble'},
1670 {'', 'default:stick', ''},
1671 {'', 'default:stick', ''}, -- Also groups; eg. 'group:crumbly'
1673 replacements = <optional list of item pairs,
1674 replace one input item with another item on crafting>
1677 Recipe for register_craft (shapeless)
1680 output = 'mushrooms:mushroom_stew',
1683 "mushrooms:mushroom_brown",
1684 "mushrooms:mushroom_red",
1686 replacements = <optional list of item pairs,
1687 replace one input item with another item on crafting>
1690 Recipe for register_craft (tool repair)
1692 type = "toolrepair",
1693 additional_wear = -0.02,
1696 Recipe for register_craft (cooking)
1699 output = "default:glass",
1700 recipe = "default:sand",
1704 Recipe for register_craft (furnace fuel)
1707 recipe = "default:leaves",
1711 Ore definition (register_ore)
1713 ore_type = "scatter" -- See "Ore types"
1714 ore = "default:stone_with_coal",
1715 wherein = "default:stone",
1716 clust_scarcity = 8*8*8,
1717 ^ Ore has a 1 out of clust_scarcity chance of spawning in a node
1718 ^ This value should be *MUCH* higher than your intuition might tell you!
1720 ^ Number of ores in a cluster
1722 ^ Size of the bounding box of the cluster
1723 ^ In this example, there is a 3x3x3 cluster where 8 out of the 27 nodes are coal ore
1724 height_min = -31000,
1726 noise_threshhold = 0.5,
1727 ^ If noise is above this threshhold, ore is placed. Not needed for a uniform distribution
1728 noise_params = {offset=0, scale=1, spread={x=100, y=100, z=100}, seed=23, octaves=3, persist=0.70}
1729 ^ NoiseParams structure describing the perlin noise used for ore distribution.
1730 ^ Needed for sheet ore_type. Omit from scatter ore_type for a uniform ore distribution
1733 Chatcommand definition (register_chatcommand)
1735 params = "<name> <privilege>", -- short parameter description
1736 description = "Remove privilege from player", -- full description
1737 privs = {privs=true}, -- require the "privs" privilege to run
1738 func = function(name, param), -- called when command is run
1741 Detached inventory callbacks
1743 allow_move = func(inv, from_list, from_index, to_list, to_index, count, player),
1744 ^ Called when a player wants to move items inside the inventory
1745 ^ Return value: number of items allowed to move
1747 allow_put = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player),
1748 ^ Called when a player wants to put something into the inventory
1749 ^ Return value: number of items allowed to put
1750 ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory
1752 allow_take = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player),
1753 ^ Called when a player wants to take something out of the inventory
1754 ^ Return value: number of items allowed to take
1755 ^ Return value: -1: Allow and don't modify item count in inventory
1757 on_move = func(inv, from_list, from_index, to_list, to_index, count, player),
1758 on_put = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player),
1759 on_take = func(inv, listname, index, stack, player),
1760 ^ Called after the actual action has happened, according to what was allowed.