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With the A17 update we have a wonderful new patching feature to help with mod compatability. It looks to be a brilliant idea, but it requires xpathing. This may be a new idea to some people. I know it was to me.

https://gist.github.com/Zhentar/4a1b71cea45b9337f70b30a21d868782 (https://gist.github.com/Zhentar/4a1b71cea45b9337f70b30a21d868782) Zhentar's guide on patching is helpful, but it doesn't tell us how xpathing works and only gives us a few examples. So I'll give a few more examples here, and explain xpathing.

If you are like me you had no idea what xpathing was. Well I have good news, it's actually pretty simple! You can think of it like selecting a path for a texture, or any other folder path. Here's an example:

If you wanted to use a custom texture for your custom gun you would do:
<texPath>Weapons/Ranged/CustomGun</texPath>
Well that's how you'd do it for selecting a texture, but what about xpaths?

Let's say you wanted to change the warm up of the pistol from 0.3 to 5.2. We shouldn't be editing the defs if we can patch it in, so how would we do it? Well if we want to change the warm up of the pistol we can use the class "PatchOperationReplace". Which as the name suggests we can use to replace something, it looks like this

<Patch>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
    <xpath>/ThingDefs/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]/verbs/li/warmupTime</xpath>
    <value>
                <WarmupTime>5.2</WarmupTime>
    </value>
</Operation>
</Patch>

This code goes down the designated xpath until it finds the pistols warm up time. It then replaces it with the set value.

Now let me explain exactly how the xpath works. First of all, everything in the xml could be described as a node.
<ThingDef> is a node and so is <defName>, <warmupTime>, <verbs>, and <description>. Every different tag you see is a node. All xpathing is, is just inputting the correct sequence of nodes.



We start with /ThingDefs, you may be wondering what the slash at the beginning means. This selects all root nodes with that name. It is the beginning of the thingdefs for the gun so it is the beginning of our xpath

Next is /Thingdef. This specifies what we want to grab from the thingdefs. But /ThingDef is grabbing every <ThingDef> it can find. This is why we narrow it down with the next part.

Alternitively we could have done //ThingDef, but this is less optimized and slows down the patching process because it selects the root node and all it's children.

After /ThingDef we attach the defname, so it looks like this /ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol". Now instead of trying to search everything with the <ThingDef> tag, it will only look for the one with the <defName> tag of Gun_Pistol.

We have now told the code to look for the correct ThingDef, but it doesn't know where warmupTime is. So we add more nodes to the xpath, now it's /ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]/verbs.

The single slash here looks for all the children of our ThingDef for the pistol named "verbs".

If you look at the code for the pistol you'll see that <warmupTime> is indeed under the verbs, but it's nestled in the <li> tag. Our xpath doesn't know this, so we'll just get errors or replace the verbs tag with <warmupTime>, which will cause errors.

So now we add "li" to our path so it looks like this //ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]/verbs/li. You might think this is the end, but we still haven't directed it to the correct place. Now it's gonna replace "li" which will cause errors.

So we want to go one step further and make it /ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]/verbs/li/warmupTime. Now our code is looking for the ThingDef named Gun_Pistol, then it looks for any children of that def called verbs. After that any children of verbs called "li", and then any children of li called "warmupTime".

That will finally replace the pistols warm up time.


But what if there were more than one child named "li", like in the hediff for blood loss. Then we could do this

<Patch>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
   <xpath>/Defs/HediffDef[defName = "BloodLoss"]/stages/li[2]/capMods/li/offset</xpath>
   <value>
               <offset>-0.15</offset>
   </value>
</Operation>
</Patch>



This code will look for the HediffDef named "BloodLoss", it'll then look for a child named stages. Stages has multiple <li> children so I've specified that I want it to look for the second <li> tag. Then once its found the second <li> tag it'll follow the path just like it did with the pistol.


Of course you can have multiple operations in the same patch too. There's also more PatchOperations than just replace. You should check out Zhentar's Guide for those.

If you want more information about the xpath syntax I'd recommend going here: https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xpath_syntax.asp
Here's a tool to help you figure out the xpath: http://xmltoolbox.appspot.com/xpath_generator.html



I hope this helps anyone who had trouble with it.



Thanks to Shinzy and kaptain_kavern for pointing out some optimizations, and thanks to NoImageAvalible for showing the right way to use the optmizations.

this is a GREAT Guide! now so many people can use the absolutely LIMITLESS power of xpathing and patching to make their mods amazing! thanks minimurgs  :-*

Many thanks for writing this

Quote from: kaptain_kavern on May 24, 2017, 09:13:35 PM
Many thanks forme writing this

Of course. I figured I couldn't be the only one who didn't know how xpath worked and wanted to make it easier for anyone to learn.

I stickied the thread. This is just the kind of thing that makes our community amazing.

thank you Ramsis  8)

As of very recent findings (Skully will possibly clarify) but when you use xpath and start from the very root of a def,
instead of _{//blahblah/blah/bluhh} use _{/blahblah/blah/bluhh}

as this is much faster when loading the patching stuff, okay? okay!

---

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http://xmltoolbox.appspot.com/xpath_generator.html

---

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https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=13346 (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=13346)

---

When targeting particular node you should always try to be the most precise as possible. Imagine your doing a google search or search for a file in your computer. The more you are precise, the more the search will be quick and efficient.

Here it is the same.

---

<xpath>//ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]</xpath>is searching in every nodes! Even child nodes !
So it will be longer and take more computer resources

---

Whereas <xpath>/ThingDefs/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]</xpath> is searching only in parents nodes

---

From here (https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xpath_syntax.asp)

There also is a nice quick tuto (https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xpath_intro.asp)

Thanks for all the info. I'll update all the information above to reflect this.

Quote from: kaptain_kavern on May 26, 2017, 12:02:58 PM
Whereas

Code Select Expand

<xpath>/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]</xpath> is searching only in parents nodes

The above code would actually return an error. You need to target the root node of the file, which for Weapons_Guns.xml is <ThingDefs>. So you'd need to use either <xpath>/ThingDefs/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]</xpath>
or <xpath>*/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]</xpath>

I was going back here to correct after testing my wrong assertion. I'll correct it ASAP It is corrected above.

Thanks for taking the time for correcting me.

Oh fun more corrections

Hi,

Is it possible to use the patching-method to change things added from other mods? I did read somewhere that this process is used before adding the mods.

Just for clarification

Quote from: benniii on May 27, 2017, 12:34:23 PM
Hi,

Is it possible to use the patching-method to change things added from other mods? I did read somewhere that this process is used before adding the mods.

Just for clarification

It is possible yes, all the defs are loaded first (including mods), then the xpath patching happens after all that

so yes you can modify modded defs too. Works really well for things like compatibility patches etc

Hm, so it is. Is there an example out there? It might be possible that i do something wrong. I tried like several hours yesterday and just came to the conclusion that this might not work, lol.

If i change the defName here to "HorseshoesPin" the description would change, but with added items from mods it does not. And i'm loading my mod at the very end after them. So where would be the secret behind that? Thanks for answering and sorry if it doesn't fit in this topic.

<Patch>
  <Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
    <xpath>*/ThingDef[defName = "PowerConduitInvisible"]/description</xpath>
    <value>
      <description>This is just a test.</description>
    </value>
  </Operation>
</Patch>


Hi Benni. While it is possible to use this process to change other mods you should have permission from the mod author first unless it's for your own personal use. If it is uploaded and you got permission from the author of the mod that your changing you should make it very clear that you've changed stuff from the other mod.

The only other things I can tell you from my experience is that your mod needs to be loaded after the other mod. You can also put <success>Always</success> to suppress errors if the other mod isn't present. (that could be wrong but it's something like that)

Just a warning it would appear that people are having trouble getting this to work all the time.

Hey.

Thanks for your concern but don't worry that's for personal use only. I'm more the introvert lurking guy here, i don't plan to publish anything. ^^

I just did some other testings and it does indeed work with other values. Replacing description or label doesn't work so far. I did start testing with these thats why i was questioning it. Kinda wondering why though. But im set now, so thanks for the tip and answering. :)

Edit: I figured out why i couldn't replace description or label. It is because of the provided languages files.

Lmao, I gotta be honest, I started learning it yesterday and I'm already falling in love w/ xpathing.

some of the things ive learned that might be helpful for people just starting it here w/ the intent to use in rimworld.

1) not all things start w/ ThingDefs, some items start w/ Buildings, ect

2) be very specific and check both the spelling and the capitalization, if its capitalized differently in the core xml, xpath wont read it and will spit out a fail.

3) start the document with the XML header:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

Save as an XML

Use:

<Patch>   and </Patch> to open and close the document (placed after the header)

3 might seem simple but it was the first question i asked myself anyways

====================================================

to help people along ill post some examples of operations that i have working in my mod(still being worked on):

================Simple replace operation=============================

<!-- Change Basic Shirt Worn Graphic -->
   <Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
      <xpath>/ThingDefs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_BasicShirt"]/apparel/worngraphicPath</xpath>
      <value>
         <worngraphicPath>Things/Pawn/Humanlike/Apparel/Bodywear_Clothing/TeeShirt/TeeShirt</worngraphicPath>
      </value>
   </Operation>

=======================Simple Add Operation====================================

<!-- Change Basic Pants Worn Graphic -->
   <Operation Class="PatchOperationAdd">
      <xpath>/ThingDefs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_Pants"]/apparel</xpath>
      <value>
         <worngraphicPath>Things/Pawn/Humanlike/Apparel/Bodywear_Clothing/Pants/Pants</worngraphicPath>   
      </value>
   </Operation>

==================A replace Operation which starts at Buildings as opposed to ThingDefs=========

<!-- Coal to Fueled Generator -->
   <Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
      <xpath>/Buildings/ThingDef[defName = "FueledGenerator"]/description</xpath>
      <value>
         <description>Produces power by consuming wood fuel or coal. Must be fueled by hand.</description>   
      </value>
   </Operation>

==========An operation that had me confused for a while. (needs DefName as oppsed to defName)======
==============Note i also used: li[@Class = "CompProperties_Refuelable"] =========

<!-- Coal to Fueled Smithy -->   
   <Operation Class="PatchOperationAdd">
       <xpath>/ThingDefs/ThingDef[DefName = "FueledSmithy"]/comps/li[@Class = "CompProperties_Refuelable"]/fuelFilter/thingDefs</xpath>
       <value>
             <li>MedTimes_Resource_Coal</li>
       </value>
   </Operation>   

=================and finally one that adds alot of values to a trader:======================

<!-- Adding Goods to Neolithic Base -->
   <Operation Class="PatchOperationAdd">
       <xpath>/DefPackage-TraderKindDef/TraderKindDef[defName = "Base_Neolithic_Standard"]/stockGenerators</xpath>
       <value>
         <li Class="StockGenerator_SingleDef">
            <thingDef>MedTimes_Resource_IceBlocks</thingDef>
            <price>Expensive</price>
         </li>      
         <li Class="StockGenerator_Category">
            <categoryDef>TradeGoods</categoryDef>
            <price>Expensive</price>            
            <thingDefCountRange>
               <min>2</min>
               <max>5</max>
            </thingDefCountRange>
         </li>
         <li Class="StockGenerator_Tag">
            <tradeTag>MedTimes_Weapons</tradeTag>
            <price>Expensive</price>
            <thingDefCountRange>
               <min>2</min>
               <max>5</max>
            </thingDefCountRange>         
         </li>            
         <li Class="StockGenerator_Tag">
            <tradeTag>MedTimes_Armour</tradeTag>
            <price>Expensive</price>
            <thingDefCountRange>
               <min>2</min>
               <max>5</max>
            </thingDefCountRange>            
         </li>            
         <li Class="StockGenerator_Tag">
            <tradeTag>MedTimes_Artifact</tradeTag>
               <thingDefCountRange>
                  <min>1</min>
                  <max>3</max>
               </thingDefCountRange>               
         </li>   
         <li Class="StockGenerator_Tag">
            <tradeTag>MedTimes_Legendary</tradeTag>
         </li>         
       </value>
   </Operation>

Ive just seen someone (i think) telling people that patching things like the min/max valules in the biomedefs for soil types isnt possible without patching the whole set, just wanted to state that sibling values are xpathable very simply using something like:

/thingdef/whatever[text()="thename"]/following-sibling::value[1]/text()

Hope that makes sense, the examples bad but it should give you the bits you need.

Also heres a good list of the functions available to us in xpath 1.0 (we arent using 2.0 in .net 3.5)

http://www.edankert.com/xpathfunctions.html


Shinzyedit:
And if all else fails here's Skully's Xpath hotline for help (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=33186.msg338225#msg338225)

Skullyedit:
Did you just.....well....thats just rude....but thanks. :)

Shinzyedit:
Oh don't mention it, My pleasure!

If it can help, here my biggest patches files. It works and maybe can be used as helping material.

I use all basic syntax in it

https://github.com/kaptain-kavern/CK_AnimalPlant_Pack/blob/master/Patches/patches.xml

Thank you so much for adding in some examples Skully and Kaptain. Thanks for the hotline Shinzy?

you should mention you can patch abstracts ;)
with
[@Name = "AbstractName"]

Hey it's me again with a little more info I found while playing with the new method.

Believe it or not, but most of the time when patch aren't working it's because of a wrong xpath of course. Asking for a fresh pair of eyes can help. But here is a bit more help ...
Following are 2 things that made me lost some hours, so if it can help anyone ... ;)

---

- Pay attention to Parent nodes! There is no full consistency in uses. Sometimes you'll find Defs, sometimes ThingDefs for instance  8)  - Funpost with actual reply by Tynan (https://www.reddit.com/r/RimWorld/comments/6ecnyq/funpost_about_codewhy_tynan_why_you_do_this_to_me/)

---

- Another one for the fun : I spotted that in 5 xml files <Defname> is used instead of <defname> (upcase D)

Concerned files :

• \Core\Defs\Misc\Designations\DesignationCategories.xml
• \Core\Defs\NeedDefs\Needs.xml
• \Core\Defs\TerrainDefs\Terrain_Floors.xml
• \Core\Defs\TerrainDefs\Terrain_Floors_StoneTile.xml
• \Core\Defs\ThingDefs_Buildings\Buildings_Production.xml

---

EDIT
Bonus gift : if you are using SublimeText as a text editor, here's a link to a very useful plugin regarding xpath : https://github.com/rosshadden/sublime-xpath (https://github.com/rosshadden/sublime-xpath)

Thanks for pointing those things out Kaptain! I may be taking a looksy at that plugin too.

I have a question now that I have read through the original post and some of the comments. In my turrets mod I used this method to change specific values:

<researchMods>
      <li>
        <specialAction>TP.TPResearchMods.EnergyTurretOvercharge</specialAction>
      </li>
    </researchMods>


They have now removed the <researchMods> function but I would like to know if I can use patching in its place. I want to be able to have a research that will say increase a weapons range or damage. If anyone can help me out with that I would greatly appreciate it

Reposting a discussion me and AngelWyrm are having over in mods, should be useful here.

Quote from: AngleWyrm on June 16, 2017, 09:54:05 PM
This post (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=33186.msg338985#msg338985) explains how to make an xpath statement that isn't going to generate duplicate field errors. Quick recap:

<Operation Class="PatchOperationSequence">
  <success>Always</success>
  <operations>
    <li Class="PatchOperationTest">
      <xpath>*/ThingDef[defName = "ChosenThingy"]/elementThatIWannaAdd</xpath>
      <success>Invert</success>
    </li>
    <li Class="PatchOperationAdd">
      <xpath>*/ThingDef[defName = "ChosenThingy"]</xpath>
      <value>
        <elementThatIWannaAdd> someValue </elementThatIWannaAdd>
      </value>
    </li>
  </operations>
</Operation>

Quote from: AngleWyrm on June 17, 2017, 01:09:25 AM
I've used this test to do the same thing (https://github.com/AngleWyrm/TuningFork/blob/master/Patches/Tweaks.xml#L30): Add a sub-element if it doesn't exist.

The error messages are saying that two separate attempts (by two different mods) were made to add a specific element, and so it failed the second time because that element already exists.

This test checks to see if the element already exists (maybe because some other mod created it), and if it doesn't then there's a spot in there to add the element. And if it does already exist, then the check quietly bails out of it's sequence without spilling big red oops onto the user's screen.

Quote from: Antaios on June 17, 2017, 05:30:32 AM
Do take note that PatchSequenceTest operates per file, not global and not per def.

So if for example you're editing ThingDefs and looking to add RandomProperty1 if it doesn't exist in any of them, you need to be sure that no single file contains both ThingDefs which are missing RandomProperty1 and ThingDefs which include RandomProperty1 already.

It's why when I did that (https://github.com/Antaios/TableDiner/blob/master/TableDiner/Patches/Patches_TableDiner.xml), I use a placeholder tag and some gymnastics with '../' in xpath, rather than PatchOperationTest.

Quote from: AngleWyrm on June 17, 2017, 08:03:37 PM
There should be no connection between xpath data searches and the underlying physical storage of that data.

The assertion that there is implies a defect in the implementation of the PatchSequenceTest function. Can you construct a test case that fails if the test draws values from different files, but succeeds if those values are drawn from the same file?

Quote from: Antaios on June 17, 2017, 10:34:16 PM
It is evident in the code, if you take a look at ModContentPack.LoadDefs(IEnumerable<PatchOperation> patches), PatchOperation, PatchOperationSequence and PatchOperationTest.
But a simple test is to take tuning fork, and in the core defs of Rimworld, add a blank abstract in Core\Defs\ThingDefs_Items.xml which has an ingestible/chairSearchRadius. You'll notice the patch no longer works on core meals.

QuoteSo if for example you're editing ThingDefs and looking to add RandomProperty1 if it doesn't exist in any of them, you need to be sure that no single file contains both ThingDefs which are missing RandomProperty1 and ThingDefs which include RandomProperty1 already.

I've attached a testing scaffold mod that contains three files: A patch file, and two defs files.

The first defs file contains two entries with <label> tags, and the second defs xml contains three entries, with one of them that does not contain a <label> tag. The two defs files look about like so:

<Defs>
    <ThingDef>
        <defName>thingy-1</defName>
        <label>one</label>
   </ThingDef>
    <ThingDef>
        <defName>thingy-2</defName>
        <lable>two</lable>
   </ThingDef>
</Defs>

For feedback on a success/failure test, I suggest changing some visible GUI text within the game if the test succeeds.
So: What patch test operation will best demonstrate a reliance on file structure?

[attachment deleted by admin due to age]

Quote from: AngleWyrm on June 18, 2017, 12:50:23 AM
For feedback on a success/failure test, I suggest changing some visible GUI text within the game if the test succeeds.
So: What patch test operation will best demonstrate a reliance on file structure?

attatched an example, uses this patch:
<Operation Class="PatchOperationSequence">
   <operations>
      <li Class="PatchOperationTest">
         <xpath>*/ThingDef/changeMyLabel</xpath>
      </li>
      <li Class="PatchOperationReplace">
         <xpath>*/ThingDef/label</xpath>
         <value>
            <label>Label Replaced</label>
         </value>
      </li>
   </operations>
</Operation>

You might assume that this patch would either:
if a ThingDef with a <changeMyLabel> tag exists at all, change all ThingDef/labels to "Label Replaced"
Or
If a ThingDef has a <changeMyLabel> tag, change that thingDef's label to "Label Replaced"

What It'll actually do is change the label of any thingDefs whose file includes a thingDef which has the <changeMyLabel> tag

you can test it by adding:

<ThingDef>
   <defName>thingy-1</defName>
   <changeMyLabel>IrrelevantValue</changeMyLabel>
</ThingDef>

to any core or mod xml file which defines thingDefs, then checking their label ingame.

It will error when loaded by the way, since the xml loader (which happens after patching) doesn't know what to do with <changeMyLabel> tags.
You can add a seperate PatchOperationRemove to get rid of <changeMyLabel> tags after the sequence to get rid of the error if you want.

[attachment deleted by admin due to age]

The patcher runs against each individual def, one by one, so no i wouldnt have expected your xpath to do what you state.

however others might, so yeah, patcher runs 1 by 1 through defs, not the whole def db in one go. Its a start stop process.

Quote from: skullywag on June 19, 2017, 08:17:45 AM
The patcher runs against each individual def, one by one, so no i wouldnt have expected your xpath to do what you state.

however others might, so yeah, patcher runs 1 by 1 through defs, not the whole def db in one go. Its a start stop process.

*did you mean 1 by one through files? tests and looking at the code show it's files not individual defs.

The posts were more specifically with regard to cautioning people when they use PatchOperationTest to avoid duplicating defs, they might not get the response they expect.

Searching/Testing/Replacing based on specific defNames is fine, since they're unique per def. but since the patcher operates per file patching files one by one, broader search/test/replace terms can lead to unexpected results.

Can i use a test operation to find a def and then modify a def in another document?

e.g. i want to look for a specific def that would tell me that a particular mod is installed, and then i would modify another def from another mod knowing that the first one is present.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Also useful tool for testing xpath expressions:

https://www.freeformatter.com/xpath-tester.html

Curious question on how this thing works; Why do we not have to specify a file path? Why do we just start with ThingDefs (or any other equivalent top level node)?

I know, not the most important information, but it had me confused at the start :P There isn't a file or folder named ThingDefs, after all (and I had thought the file path would be important).

Just for clarification :

XPathes are only able to edit existing definitions not adding new ones or replacing funtions ( methods .. whatever the hip name is today )

Hello,

i am sure this question popped up somewhere already.

What if 2 different mods replace the same "class" with an XML-Patch-Operation.
Example:

<Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
  <xpath>//MainButtonDef[defName = "Inspect"]/tabWindowClass</xpath>
  <value>
    <tabWindowClass>ModA.NewClassA</tabWindowClass>
  </value>
</Operation>

<Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
  <xpath>//MainButtonDef[defName = "Inspect"]/tabWindowClass</xpath>
  <value>
    <tabWindowClass>ModB.NewClassB</tabWindowClass>
  </value>
</Operation>
Which class will be the winner or are both instantiated and executed according to mod order?

I'm pretty sure the last one in mod order will "win"

Hi !

I just started modding on RimWorld yesterday and this was exactly one of the things I was wondering - how to modify Core defs without overwritting them completely. So thanks for the post! :D

I do have a question though. The addition I wanted to have new bills on the Body_Humanoid (or something like). From what I'm reading here, it's possible to replace / change an existing value, but is it possible to add to a list?

Cheers!

>  From what I'm reading here, it's possible to replace / change an existing value, but is it possible to add to a list?

Yes. PatchOperationAdd is what you are looking for.

Quote from: CannibarRechter on November 13, 2017, 08:32:37 AM
>  From what I'm reading here, it's possible to replace / change an existing value, but is it possible to add to a list?

Yes. PatchOperationAdd is what you are looking for.

Hum, yeah, that makes total sense. I feel stupid now ahah.

Anywhere with documentation on all PatchOperations available?

Zhentar's Patch Guide (https://gist.github.com/Zhentar/4a1b71cea45b9337f70b30a21d868782)

I'd advise against using the sequence operation until A18. The A17 release of it is missing a critical usability feature (if it fails, it doesn't explain which of your sequences is broken: not worth it). That's fixed for A18.

Great link. Thanks for all the pointers!

Okay guys, I think I need some advice here.

I published the Vanilla Gun Name mod in A17 a while ago, now with patch A18 hitting today I wanted to update said mod.
Unfortunately simply changing the target version gives me a long list of debug errors saying that he couldn´t complete the xpathing replace action in every line.


Every error looks like this:
RimWorld 0.18.1722 rev1198
Verse.Log:Message(String)
RimWorld.VersionControl:LogVersionNumber()
Verse.Root:CheckGlobalInit()
Verse.Root:Start()
Verse.Root_Entry:Start()

[+DEV+ Real Vanilla Gun Names] Patch operation Verse.PatchOperationReplace(/ThingDefs/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_Pistol"]/label) failed
file: D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RimWorld\Mods\DEV Real Vanilla Gun Names\Patches\patchedChanged_Weapons_Guns.xml
Verse.Log:Error(String)
Verse.PatchOperation:Complete(String)
Verse.LoadedModManager:LoadAllActiveMods()
Verse.PlayDataLoader:DoPlayLoad()
Verse.PlayDataLoader:LoadAllPlayData(Boolean)
Verse.Root:<Start>m__1()
Verse.LongEventHandler:RunEventFromAnotherThread(Action)
Verse.LongEventHandler:<UpdateCurrentAsynchronousEvent>m__1()


Did something change?

(Original file is attached)



[attachment deleted by admin: too old]

Hey its me again.

It seems like I figured out what has changed.
Weapons are no longer in ThingDefs , the Tag is now called simply Defs . (Also there is a new Gun and naturally they renamed the Pistol in the tag logic)

So,
<xpath>/ThingDefs/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_PumpShotgun"]/label</xpath>

is now

<xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName = "Gun_PumpShotgun"]/label</xpath>

> Weapons are no longer in ThingDefs , the Tag is now called simply Defs

I see why I didn't notice. I use xpath notations that look like this:

<xpath>*/ThingDef[defName = "Beer"]/graphicData/texPath</xpath>


So something has changed in 0.18 that I can't suss out, and the error I'm getting is unhelpful ("patching operation failed"). My code is very simple, just trying (for the sake of practice) to change the power consumption for a standing lamp to 15. This is what I have:


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Patch>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
<xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName="StandingLampBase"]/comps/li[@Class="CompProperties_Power"]/basePowerConsumption</xpath>
<value>
<basePowerConsumption>15</basePowerConsumption>
</value>
</Operation>

</Patch>


I can't seem to figure out what it can't find. Could someone point it out since I seem to be extra dumb today?

I too notice something like this lately as well.

Can't seems to be able to target an Abstract with the use of "@". I worked around this by targeting each child ThingDef by defName each time. In your case all the standing lamps: normal and each color version. But it's far than optimum IMHO.

By then I was just thinking I derped and moved on something else, but it was this exact same case as you described.

But standing lamp sub-versions don't have a basePowerConsumption entry..?

When the game uses abstract it "constructs" "normal" thingDef from the abstracted ones and then "discards" the abstract defs. That's what I've been told I really don't know how it works precisely but it works if you use PatchOperationAdd on a Def without it originally, because you then "just" overwrites tags in the "recreated" def, which were inherited from the Abstract

In this patch, I added tags to Spacer faction def (4th patch operation), for instance.
https://github.com/kaptain-kavern/Gun-Tech-Removal/blob/master/Patches/patches.xml

---

I'm lacking precise words (I'm not a native English speaker) and knowledge to explain better. Hope someone else will do ;-)

Nope, still missing something, I guess I'm not smart enough to suss out what you're saying. God damnit, I wish the error message was a bit more informative. Very frustrating that I can't even do something this simple.

Oh my... Well this really needs to be updated because I kept patching ThingDefs and not Defs and that kept breaking my game.
I almost gave up on modding but decided to check out this page and found that it changed the name.
I have a new question, how do I check out if a patch operation went right?
I have HugsLibs in my modlist, is there a way to tell?

Quote from: frenchiveruti on December 17, 2017, 08:32:25 PM
I have a new question, how do I check out if a patch operation went right?

Make a sequence like in this guide (https://github.com/Nightinggale/ModCheck/wiki/speed_patching). As the last item, put something in the list like isModLoaded and add both customMessageSuccess and customMessageFail. One of them will trigger and write the contents of the tag to the log.

I'm not done writing the guide, but it should be of interest to everybody writing patches.

Quote from: frenchiveruti on December 17, 2017, 08:32:25 PMI have HugsLibs in my modlist, is there a way to tell?

ModCheck.isModLoaded

Quote from: Nightinggale on December 17, 2017, 09:07:16 PM

Quote from: frenchiveruti on December 17, 2017, 08:32:25 PM
I have a new question, how do I check out if a patch operation went right?

Make a sequence like in this guide (https://github.com/Nightinggale/ModCheck/wiki/speed_patching). As the last item, put something in the list like isModLoaded and add both customMessageSuccess and customMessageFail. One of them will trigger and write the contents of the tag to the log.

I'm not done writing the guide, but it should be of interest to everybody writing patches.

Quote from: frenchiveruti on December 17, 2017, 08:32:25 PMI have HugsLibs in my modlist, is there a way to tell?

ModCheck.isModLoaded

Ok, so that involves adding something extra. Cool.
I think, for the scope of my mod (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=37719.0), that's really not necessary, right?

Is it possible to write logic in C# to decide if an XML patch will be applied or not?
I want to conditionally execute an XML patch based on a value in mod settings.

Quote from: Jaxxa on December 17, 2017, 10:10:14 PM
Is it possible to write logic in C# to decide if an XML patch will be applied or not?

That's what ModCheck is all about. Adding C# code to add features to handle conditional xml patching. Well that, performance boosting and allowing patches to write to the log.

If you have more questions on how ModCheck works and if you want some specific feature, I would recommend using the ModCheck thread to do so.

Quote from: Jaxxa on December 17, 2017, 10:10:14 PMI want to conditionally execute an XML patch based on a value in mod settings.

It depends. If the setting in question is loaded prior to xml loading, then it's easy to do. If not, then it could get complicated. I would encourage you to post about it in more detail in the ModCheck thread and I will see if I can make a PatchOperation to check the setting in question.

Quote from: frenchiveruti on December 17, 2017, 09:38:45 PMOk, so that involves adding something extra. Cool.
I think, for the scope of my mod (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=37719.0), that's really not necessary, right?

No. It's a minor addition. It's just adding two small DLL files (one is harmony) and you will be able to use everything it provides the added features. The most important one is ModCheck.FindFile where you tell which file to patch, which will ALWAYS be a massive performance boost compared to vanilla. Read the ModCheck thread. I used a modified ADS patch and applied it in 1.5 ms when the template use 115 ms. Even better if you double the number of xml files, FindFile will still use 1.5 ms (same due to rounding) while the template using vanilla would use around 230 ms. Now double again and multiply with the number of mods, which use patches and it's no longer talk of some ms while starting.

We can start RimWorld a lot faster when loading lots of mods, but only if the usage of ModCheck becomes widespread. Granted you only has one PatchOperationAdd, but it's still big enough to get a massive performance boost.

Quote from: Nightinggale on December 18, 2017, 12:36:19 AM

Quote from: frenchiveruti on December 17, 2017, 09:38:45 PMOk, so that involves adding something extra. Cool.
I think, for the scope of my mod (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=37719.0), that's really not necessary, right?

No. It's a minor addition. It's just adding two small DLL files (one is harmony) and you will be able to use everything it provides the added features. The most important one is ModCheck.FindFile where you tell which file to patch, which will ALWAYS be a massive performance boost compared to vanilla. Read the ModCheck thread. I used a modified ADS patch and applied it in 1.5 ms when the template use 115 ms. Even better if you double the number of xml files, FindFile will still use 1.5 ms (same due to rounding) while the template using vanilla would use around 230 ms. Now double again and multiply with the number of mods, which use patches and it's no longer talk of some ms while starting.

We can start RimWorld a lot faster when loading lots of mods, but only if the usage of ModCheck becomes widespread. Granted you only has one PatchOperationAdd, but it's still big enough to get a massive performance boost.

Ok I'll see if I can add it without blowing everything up haha.

Hello Nightinggale, I've made what you suggested on "speed_patching", there were a few issues on it as you placed the wrong tags on the wiki, but solved and reported it on the GitHub.
One thing though. "ModCheck.FindFile" doesn't allow custom messages, am I right?
I mean, I made it so it goes for the wildplants and well, it always succeeds, but I can't tell in the log if that was the case because is not supported by the Operation Class. Also "yourMod" tag isn't supported by that operation.
Is that correct? That's what I understood from the red warning yelling. :)

I have figured out how to xpath to a given tag, but is there a way to patch multiple tags for a given defName?
So for example if I wanted to change a gun's warmupTime and Mass, can this be done in one xpath  operation?

Quote from: Alias on December 21, 2017, 12:30:35 PM
I have figured out how to xpath to a given tag, but is there a way to patch multiple tags for a given defName?
So for example if I wanted to change a gun's warmupTime and Mass, can this be done in one xpath  operation?

You have to do a Patch Sequence for that.

Quote from: Jaxxa on December 17, 2017, 10:10:14 PM
Is it possible to write logic in C# to decide if an XML patch will be applied or not?
I want to conditionally execute an XML patch based on a value in mod settings.

Looks like GetSettings<Settings>() is available when Verse.Mod is allocated, which is before running the patches. In other words it can be used. The approach to do so would be:

public class CheckSetting : PatchOperation
{
    public string someInfo;
    protected override bool ApplyWorker(XmlDocument xml)
    {
        try
        {
           // some code with GetSettings<Settings>(), which might return true
        }
        catch
        {
        }
        return false;
    }
}
If you return true, then the next operation in a sequence will be reached. If you return false, the rest of the operations will be ignored. Using try-catch prevents any possible issues with settings not existing and such. Better be safe than sorry.

The properties, like in this case someInfo is the tags in xml and they will be null if not filled out. You can skip those if you have nothing to use them for.

The PatchOperation can then be called from xml by using the class namespace.classname.

All files are patched by all patches, meaning you will get a performance hit if your code is slow. Putting your operation after ModCheck.FindFile will avoid that issue.

Quote from: Vindar on May 27, 2017, 06:31:19 PM

Use:

<Patch>   and </Patch> to open and close the document (placed after the header)

OK, is any advice in this thread still useable?  Because when I start a document with <Patch> Rimworld immediately complains "root element named Patch; should be named Defs".  And if I use <Defs><Patch> it simply complains "Found no useable data when trying to get defs".  So I have no idea what I'm doing wrong here.

Here's my entire file; what do I need to do so that this actually works?

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Defs>
<Patch>
   <Operation Class="PathOperationReplace">
      <xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_Pants"]/description</xpath>
      <value>
         <description>Super Pants</description>
      </value>
   </Operation>
</Patch>
</Defs>

Quote from: Shurp on February 25, 2018, 12:25:40 PM
OK, is any advice in this thread still useable?  Because when I start a document with <Patch> Rimworld immediately complains "root element named Patch; should be named Defs".

Yes it still applies, but you seem to have mixed up Defs and Patches.

There are two different directories to place xml files in. They are called Defs and Patches. All files in Defs needs to have Defs as root. All files in Patches needs to have Patch as root. On load, the game will load the Defs one by one and each time a Def is read, all the patches are applied to that one.

"Patches go in xml files in a subfolder named "Patches" in your mod folder (So "MyMod\Patches", just like you might have "MyMod\Defs" or "MyMod\Textures"). "

Ahhh, so it's not that this thread is inaccurate... it's just seriously incomplete.  Reading https://gist.github.com/Zhentar/4a1b71cea45b9337f70b30a21d868782 is a necessary prerequisite.

Thanks for clarifying Nightinggale, I will give that a try!

Woo hoo!  It worked!

So, for anyone else still reading this thread, here's a list of all the corrections I needed to make it work:
1) Move the file to ./Mods/[MyMod]/Patches where it belongs
2) Get rid of the "<Defs>" silliness
2) Spell "PatchOperationReplace" correctly

And now all my colonists are wearing Super Pants.  Yay!

Now I just have to figure out how to use sequences...

--------------------------[edit]----------------------------

And here is the complete code for a working patch mod:

<Patch>
   <Operation Class="PatchOperationSequence">
      <success>Always</success>
      <operations>
      <li Class="PatchOperationReplace">
         <xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_Pants"]/description</xpath>
         <value>
            <description>Super Pants</description>
         </value>
      </li>
      <li Class="PatchOperationReplace">
         <xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_Pants"]/statBases/ArmorRating_Blunt</xpath>
         <value>
            <ArmorRating_Blunt>1.00</ArmorRating_Blunt>
         </value>
      </li>
      <li Class="PatchOperationReplace">
         <xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_Pants"]/statBases/ArmorRating_Sharp</xpath>
         <value>
            <ArmorRating_Sharp>0.90</ArmorRating_Sharp>
         </value>
      </li>
      </operations>
   </Operation>
</Patch>

But I have a question: what does the "<success>" flag do?

Thanks for writing this. This is awesomely useful!
May I translate this document into Japanese? There are many Japanese players and modders who need to know this.

Quote from: Takashi Yonezawa on March 27, 2018, 03:44:05 PM
May I translate this document into Japanese? There are many Japanese players and modders who need to know this.

Go ahead and translate. My only concern is about keeping it up to date with future releases. You should use a wiki to allow other people to update in the future, if needed. It would also be nice if you post a link here.

I have a half written update for ModCheck, which I will finish when I get time (whenever that is). You should include ModCheck in the translation because it adds some rather powerful modding options. It also adds much faster startup times, but only for mods actually using ModCheck.FindFile.

Dear Nightinggale.
I've finished the translation. Thanks to your post and permission.
My translation is here.
https://github.com/oramu7524/Mods-for-RIMWORLD/blob/master/A_quick_tutorial_of_xpathing_and_patching_Japanese_translation.txt

Quote from: Takashi Yonezawa on March 29, 2018, 01:38:33 AM
Dear Nightinggale.
I've finished the translation. Thanks to your post and permission.
My translation is here.
https://github.com/oramu7524/Mods-for-RIMWORLD/blob/master/A_quick_tutorial_of_xpathing_and_patching_Japanese_translation.txt

A minor, yet important correction: you credited me for writing the first post while it was actually written by minimurgle.
It could also be worth to translate the performance thread (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=32874.0) or at least mention that // should not be used.

Oh... I've misunderstood that you are the author of this thread. But thank you for your suggestion. And I've subscribed your ModCheck.FindFile. That's Powerful!

Thanks, very helpful tutorial  :)

For anyone who may find this useful. If you need to edit a specific <li> you can do so with this sort of format.


<Patch>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationSequence">
<operations>
<li Class="PatchOperationTest">
<xpath>/StorytellerDefs/StorytellerDef[defName = "Phoebe-DoublePop"]</xpath>
</li>
<li Class="PatchOperationReplace">
<xpath>/StorytellerDefs/StorytellerDef[defName = "Phoebe-DoublePop"]/comps/li["StorytellerCompProperties_CategoryMTB"]/allowedTargetTypes</xpath>
<value>
<allowedTargetTypes>MapPlayerHome, MapMisc</allowedTargetTypes>
</value>
</li>
</operations>
</Operation>
</Patch>


This particular patch was for a mod for an older version of the game, but I think the format still works.

There are a lot of scattered "tutorials" people have written, but they all seem to be missing bits and pieces.  I have found a reference to PatchOperationFindMod on the wiki.  Not many people seem to be using the wiki.  Is it accurate?

No one else seems to mention PatchOperationFindMod.  Does it actually exist?  If so, can anyone explain/show how it's used?

Does anyone want to update the wiki, or is that not a place people use?

--LWM

Quote from: LWM on February 03, 2019, 11:00:40 PM
There are a lot of scattered "tutorials" people have written, but they all seem to be missing bits and pieces.  I have found a reference to PatchOperationFindMod on the wiki.  Not many people seem to be using the wiki.  Is it accurate?

No one else seems to mention PatchOperationFindMod.  Does it actually exist?  If so, can anyone explain/show how it's used?

Does anyone want to update the wiki, or is that not a place people use?

--LWM

Syntax is as follows:

<Operation Class="PatchOperationFindMod">
<mods>
    <li>{Name of Mod as per About.xml def}</li>
      </mods>
        <match Class="PatchOperation{...}">
                <xpath>{xpath details}</xpath>
<value>
{vals...}
</value>
        </match>
<nomatch Class="Patchoperation{...}>
                <xpath>{xpath details}</xpath>
<value>
{vals...}
</value>
</nomatch>
</Operation>

The optional <match /> and <nomatch /> are operations you can apply to your "OWN" mod based on whether the named mod is found.

I've found you cannot apply these within a patch sequence or embed a patch sequence into the match and nomatch nodes, so you have to specify multiple patch definitions if you need to do multiple different kinds of changes.

E.g.

<Operation Class="PatchOperationFindMod">
<mods>
<li>VGP Vegetable Garden</li>
      </mods>
        <match Class="PatchOperationReplace">
            <xpath>*/RecipeDef[defName="MakeMSMultiVitamins"]/ingredients</xpath>
            <value>
                    <ingredients>
<li>
<filter>
<thingDefs>
<li>Neutroamine</li>
</thingDefs>
</filter>
<count>1</count>
</li>
<li>
<filter>
<categories>
            <li>FruitFoodRaw</li>
          </categories>
</filter>
<count>5</count>
</li>
</ingredients>
</value>
</match>
    </Operation>

<Operation Class="PatchOperationFindMod">
      <mods>
        <li>VGP Vegetable Garden</li>
      </mods>
        <match Class="PatchOperationReplace">
            <xpath>*/RecipeDef[defName="MakeMSMultiVitamins"]/fixedIngredientFilter</xpath>
            <value>
<fixedIngredientFilter>
<thingDefs>
<li>Neutroamine</li>
</thingDefs>
<categories>
        <li>FruitFoodRaw</li>
      </categories>
</fixedIngredientFilter>
            </value>
        </match>
    </Operation>


Thank you very much!

Quote from: Pelador on February 03, 2019, 11:54:14 PM
I've found you cannot apply these within a patch sequence or embed a patch sequence into the match and nomatch nodes, so you have to specify multiple patch definitions if you need to do multiple different kinds of changes.

Oh, that's dismaying...I have a handful of places to patch, and a sequence would have been much easier.  But forewarned is forearmed.  And some peoples' alien races have four arms, so it's best to be prepared.

--LWM

Quote from: Pelador on February 03, 2019, 11:54:14 PM
Syntax is as follows:[...]
I've found you cannot apply these within a patch sequence or embed a patch sequence into the match and nomatch nodes, so you have to specify multiple patch definitions if you need to do multiple different kinds of changes.

Woohoo - I got my test compatibility patch working!

I also tested using a Sequence, and it worked!  So maybe something has changed?

But this does actually patch:


<Patch>
  <Operation Class="PatchOperationFindMod">
    <mods>
      <li>LWM's Deep Storage</li>
    </mods>
    <match Class="PatchOperationSequence">
      <operations>
        <li Class="PatchOperationReplace">
          <xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName="LWM_WeaponsLockerLocker"]/label</xpath>
          <value><label>Testing this.</label></value>
        </li>
        <li Class="etc"><actual stuff />
        </li>
      </operations>
    </match>
  </Operation>
</Patch>


Thanks!  I'll go add this detail to the wiki.
--LWM

I note that https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xpath_syntax.asp specifies that the expression "Defs" in an xpath would 'Select all nodes with the name "[Defs]."'  So it sounds like all xpaths should start with "/Defs" to avoid searching for "Defs" in any depth - am I correct?

--LWM

Quote from: LWM on February 04, 2019, 12:34:57 PM
I note that https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xpath_syntax.asp specifies that the expression "Defs" in an xpath would 'Select all nodes with the name "[Defs]."'  So it sounds like all xpaths should start with "/Defs" to avoid searching for "Defs" in any depth - am I correct?

Note: I found in testing that /Defs was *slightly* faster than Defs.  Methodology:  https://github.com/lilwhitemouse/RimWorld-PatchSpeedTest

--LWM

First time poster, so apologies if I'm out of line somewhere, but I'm having trouble xpathing into ThingDefs with parent names. I'm trying to adjust the blunt armor rating of marine helmets with a PatchOperationReplace. I have a rudimentary understanding of xpathing (thanks in part to this thread) and have a working patch to edit the values of room sizes. The following code works and is meant to serve as proof that I faintly know what I'm doing: <Patch>
<Operation Class = "PatchOperationReplace">
<xpath>Defs/RoomStatDef[defName = "Space"]/scoreStages</xpath>
<value>
    <scoreStages>
[blah blah blah, snipped for space]
</scoreStages>
</value>
</Operation>
</Patch>

However, I cannot figure out how to use a replace command to change the value of a marine helmet's blunt protection. Everything I've tried just crashes the game immediately. I even used http://xmltoolbox.appspot.com/xpath_generator.html to "cheat" and write the code for me (you plug in the code, click on the line you wish to xpath to, and it spits out what you need), and even that doesn't work. My current code, which doesn't work, is as follows: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Patch>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
    <xpath>Defs/ThingDef ParentName="ArmorHelmetMakeableBase"[defName = "Apparel_PowerArmorHelmet"]/statBases/ArmorRating_Blunt</xpath>
<value>
<ArmorRating_Blunt>0.4</ArmorRating_Blunt>
</value>
    </Operation>
</patch>

Help, please? I have no idea why my first example works and my second doesn't, but I've had trouble in the past when trying to xpath to an object that started with <ThingDef ParentName = blahblahblah>

You have an xpath of

<xpath>Defs/ThingDef ParentName="ArmorHelmetMakeableBase"[defName = "Apparel_PowerArmorHelmet"]/statBases/ArmorRating_Blunt</xpath>


But xpath operates on xml.  The node you are looking for is a "ThingDef" node which has an attribute of ParentName="blahblah".  But you don't care about that attribute - you're specifying the node based on the fact that it has a subnode of defName with value Apparel_PowerArmorHelmet.

So use this instead, and I think it will work:


<xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_PowerArmorHelmet"]/statBases/ArmorRating_Blunt</xpath>


--LWM
PS - note that I put a "/" in front of the first Defs - it's sliiiightly faster to do it that way.

Unfortunately, that still doesn't work.  Just trying to enable Core and my mod results in the game throwing up the "recovered from incompatible or corrupted mods error".  I have the mod folder, which has an "About" folder and a "Patches" folder.  In the "About" folder, I have an About.xml, which is as follows:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ModMetaData>
  <name>Better Marine Helmets</name>
  <author>Nerdygamer1</author>
  <targetVersion>1.0</targetVersion>
  <description>Makes marine helmets competitive when compared to plasteel advanced helmets. Previously, plasteel advanced helmets had more health and better protection against blunt damage (despite the description suggesting otherwise). Now, advanced helmets have been given a gentle increase in both health and blunt protection, at the cost of ten extra plasteel (for a total cost of 50 plasteel; the same cost as a plasteel advanced helmet). Component requirements have not been changed.</description>
</ModMetaData>

In the "Patches" folder is my "Patches_Helmets.xml" which is as follows:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Patch>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationReplace">
    <xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[defName = "Apparel_PowerArmorHelmet"]/statBases/ArmorRating_Blunt</xpath>
<value>
<ArmorRating_Blunt>0.4</ArmorRating_Blunt>
</value>
    </Operation>
</patch>

And that's literally everything. The game throws an absolute fit when trying to start up with the mod enabled - checking the box automatically restarts the game, and upon booting up, I immediately get the error message; it's not even the debug log.

Your XML isn't valid!

You have a lowercase "patch" as your close tag instead of an uppercase.

I use emacs to do my editing, and one of the things it does for me is validate my xml automatically ^.^  I pasted the file in and it told me "Invalid" and gave the "patch" a nice noticeable orange.   I highly recommend a good editor that does that sort of thing for you.

...we've all done stupid things, so don't feel bad there....having an editor that catches (some) stupid mistakes means we can make more subtle ones that drive us up a limestone wall!

--LWM

That worked!  Thank you so much for your help; you have no idea how long I spent googling, making minor changes, and testing last night.  I'm no stranger to formatting errors (and that was the first thing I double-checked - making sure I had all my brackets, my slashes, and making sure it was ThingDef), but my mistakes don't usually hang up the game so badly that I can't get a basic idea of what I did wrong from the debug log, and I didn't even think to check that my commands had the same casing :x

I'm looking into emacs right now.

Emacs has a steeper learning curve than a lot of editors, I am willing to admit, but it's awesome.  If you want something simpler in Windows, look into Notepad++ - I think it does XML?  I'm sure google is your friend ;)

If you really feel like learning something new, there's also vi - which is better is still a hotly contested holy war.   ;D;P

Glad it worked for you!

I have a problem with XPATH, though not for modding purposes, and remembered there was knowledge about it here.

I'm trying to use a tool called xmlstarlet to output the information I need from an XML file. I've gotten far it feels, but the last pieces are missing and the filtering/if-test doesn't work. Are any of you familiar with this tool and syntax? Searching fails me :-(

The general structure is:
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry/@name
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry/@player_level_min
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry/@player_level_max
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry/@quantity_min
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry/@quantity_max
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry/@chance
redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry/@respawn_time

With the relevant piece of XML such as this:
<loot name="_monster__Wildhunt minion" player_level_min="0" player_level_max="0" quantity_min="0" quantity_max="2" chance="-1" >
<loot_entry name="Sulfur" player_level_min="0" player_level_max="0" quantity_min="1" quantity_max="1" chance="50" respawn_time="0" />
<loot_entry name="Rotten meat" player_level_min="0" player_level_max="0" quantity_min="1" quantity_max="1" chance="26" respawn_time="0" />
<loot_entry name="Monstrous brain" player_level_min="0" player_level_max="0" quantity_min="1" quantity_max="1" chance="6" respawn_time="0" />
<loot_entry name="Monstrous blood" player_level_min="0" player_level_max="0" quantity_min="1" quantity_max="1" chance="6" respawn_time="0" />
<loot_entry name="Monstrous bone" player_level_min="0" player_level_max="0" quantity_min="1" quantity_max="1" chance="6" respawn_time="0" />
<loot_entry name="Monstrous saliva" player_level_min="0" player_level_max="0" quantity_min="1" quantity_max="1" chance="6" respawn_time="0" />
</loot>


What I want to do is to extract all the monster types that drop a particular type of loot, in this case "Sulfur".

I have tried this command, which just ends up listing all the monster types in the file, instead of applying the if-test and listing the monsters that apply.
xmlstarlet sel -t -v "//redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/@name" -i "//redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry[@name='Sulfur']" -nl def_loot_monsters.xml

There is documentation about the tool here, but I'm clearly still doing something wrong: http://xmlstar.sourceforge.net/doc/UG/ch04s01.html

If you are able to help, please offer a hand :)

To follow up on that, as I managed to find the solution eventually, after some trial and error  8)

xmlstarlet sel -t -m "//redxml/definitions/loot_definitions/loot/loot_entry[@name='Monstrous bone']" -s A:T:- "../@name" -v "concat('* [[',../@name, ']] (', @chance, '%)')" -nl def_loot_monsters.xml

That's with a bit more formatting and sorting, but what I had to do was to use -m (for matching) and change things around a little.

When it's all said and done I can get patches to work, but I'm often second guessing that what I'm doing is actually the optimal way or if it could pose unexpected issues.  I've digged through many mods today to see if I could find some good examples.  So many people do things differently.  I ended up copying one method since - it looked right -  that worked well for one mod, but doesn't work properly for the other..   (the issue was actually easy to overlook)

The information is a bit scattered and to be fair there's a lot to cover..  When it comes to patching several things to a single thingDef, I feel like this area should be brushed on a little more with actual examples from the game. Have one simple example, and one complex example. Anyways, this is where I noticed the most inconsistencies with a bunch of mods. 

The wiki has a bunch of simple examples as well as links to various people's mods with patching "in the wild."  I still refer to it and think it's an excellent resource.

I'm trying to write a patch to add a comp to all items (i.e. ThingDefs with category set to "Item"). I use what seems to be an obvious solution:
<Operation Class="PatchOperationSequence">
<success>Always</success>
<operations>
<li Class="PatchOperationTest">
<xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[category="Item"]/comps</xpath>
<success>Invert</success>
</li>
<li Class="PatchOperationAdd">
<xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[category="Item"]</xpath>
<value>
<comps/>
</value>
</li>
</operations>
</Operation>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationAdd">
<success>Always</success>
<xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[category="Item"]/comps</xpath>
<value>
<li>
<compClass>DestroyItem.CompDestructible</compClass>
</li>
</value>
</Operation>


However, it mysteriously only applies to few items such as Apparel_ShieldBelt. I also tried to target abstract ThingDefs (e.g. with @Name="ApparelBase"), but the result is the same. Any ideas?

PS: I did some research and found that this code actually kind of works. But there are some ThingDefs it won't affect no matter what you do, because they are apparently not present in any XML files and are generated dynamically by the game. These include various types of meat, corpses, skill trainers etc. So I had to use C# instead to add the comp in code:
foreach (ThingDef def in DefDatabase<ThingDef>.AllDefs.Where(def => typeof(ThingWithComps).IsAssignableFrom(def.thingClass) && def.category == ThingCategory.Item).ToList())
    def.comps.Add(new CompProperties(typeof(CompDestructible)));

It seems to work ok.

A couple of notes on your xpaths:

First, the PatchOperationTest is mostly superfluous - the PatchOperationAdd will only affect things that match the xpath (and if you set <success>Always</success> you won't get an error message if nothing matches)

Second...what happens when something already has a set of comps?  You might want to do something like

  <PatchOperation Class="PatchOperationAdd">
    <xpath>/Defs/ThingDef[category="Item" and not(comps)]</xpath><!--only add comps if not there-->
    <value><comps /></value>
  </PatchOperation>

and then add your comp.

...I have often found that just going through the DefDatabase in C# is the easier approach :shrug:

Hello Modders,
I have a question regarding the translation of xpaths. I would like to be able to display a translation only if the mod is present and without generating an error.

Example:
The mod Vanilla Factions Expanded - Mechanoids adds a new coffee factory if the mod Vanilla Brewing Expanded - Coffees and Teas is present.

If I simply translate the lines from the Patches folder and add those lines to DefInjected in the Vanilla Factions Expanded - Mechanoids mod it will give me errors if the Vanilla Brewing Expanded - Coffees and Teas mod is not present. The game will tell me that the coffee factory does not exist.
If I use PatchOperationReplace, I am unnecessarily doubling the modification and will generate a missing translation error.

Is it possible to use the xpath for the translation? So that it is only loaded if the mod is present and without error.

Thanks for your answers.

One way you can do what you want is with the LoadFolders.xml
clicky here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSOOrF961tiBuNBIr8YpUvCWYScU-Wer3h3zaoMrw_jc8CCjMjlMzNCAfZZHTI2ibJ7iUZ9_CK45IhP/pub) for the official google docs instructions how to use them

anyhow, you can specify a folder full of patches and xmls and whatnot to be loaded only if a specific mod is active

Hello Shinzy,

Thank you for your answer, I'm going to test this famous : LoadFolders.xml


Edit :
Wouhou ! Thanks for your help with the LoadFolders.xml file, the translations in the Patches folder are only injected when the Mod is present and I don't have any error Found no ...
Thanks a lot for your help !

Hi there,

So I'm trying to patch the statBases of the Human pawn, but so far while the xpath is correct, it doesn't patch it nor throw up any errors.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Patch>
<Operation Class="PatchOperationSequence">
      <operations>
        <!-- Makes ALL pawns superhumans -->
        <li Class="PatchOperationAdd">
          <xpath>
            Defs/ThingDef[defName="Human"]/statBases
          </xpath>
          <value>
            <!-- General -->
            <GlobalLearningFactor>10000</GlobalLearningFactor>
            <RestRateMultiplier>100</RestRateMultiplier>
            <EatingSpeed>10000</EatingSpeed>
            <ImmunityGainSpeed>10000</ImmunityGainSpeed>
            <InjuryHealingFactor>10000</InjuryHealingFactor>
            <CarryingCapacity>10000</CarryingCapacity>
            <ForagedNutritionPerDay>100</ForagedNutritionPerDay>
            <FilthRate>0</FilthRate>
            <!-- Social Stats -->
            <NegotiationAbility>10000</NegotiationAbility>
            <PawnBeauty>10000</PawnBeauty>
            <ArrestSuccessChance>10000</ArrestSuccessChance>
            <TradePriceImprovement>10000</TradePriceImprovement>
            <DrugSellPriceImprovement>10000</DrugSellPriceImprovement>
            <SocialImpact>10000</SocialImpact>
            <TameAnimalChance>10000</TameAnimalChance>
            <TrainAnimalChance>10000</TrainAnimalChance>
            <BondAnimalChanceFactor>10000</BondAnimalChanceFactor>
            <!-- Medical -->
            <MedicalTendSpeed>10000</MedicalTendSpeed>
            <MedicalTendQuality>10000</MedicalTendQuality>
            <MedicalOperationSpeed>10000</MedicalOperationSpeed>
            <MedicalSurgerySuccessChance>10000</MedicalSurgerySuccessChance>
            <!-- General Work -->
            <WorkSpeedGlobal>1</WorkSpeedGlobal> <!-- I don't recommend making this higher-->
            <MiningSpeed>10</MiningSpeed> <!-- Also this one -->
            <DeepDrillingSpeed>10000</DeepDrillingSpeed>
            <MiningYield>10</MiningYield> <!-- Any higher and it might flood all your stockpiles -->
            <SmoothingSpeed>10000</SmoothingSpeed>
            <ResearchSpeed>10</ResearchSpeed> <!-- And this one -->
            <AnimalGatherSpeed>10000</AnimalGatherSpeed>
            <AnimalGatherYield>100</AnimalGatherYield>
            <PlantWorkSpeed>10000</PlantWorkSpeed>
            <PlantHarvestYield>10</PlantHarvestYield>
            <DrugHarvestYield>10</DrugHarvestYield>
            <HuntingStealth>100</HuntingStealth>
            <ConstructionSpeed>10000</ConstructionSpeed>
            <ConstructSuccessChance>10000</ConstructSuccessChance>
            <FixBrokenDownBuildingSuccessChance>10000</FixBrokenDownBuildingSuccessChance>
            <!-- Crafting -->
            <SmeltingSpeed>10000</SmeltingSpeed>
            <GeneralLaborSpeed>10000</GeneralLaborSpeed>
            <DrugSynthesisSpeed>10000</DrugSynthesisSpeed>
            <CookSpeed>10000</CookSpeed>
            <FoodPoisonChance>0</FoodPoisonChance>
            <DrugCookingSpeed>10000</DrugCookingSpeed>
            <ButcheryFleshSpeed>10000</ButcheryFleshSpeed>
            <ButcheryMechanoidSpeed>10000</ButcheryMechanoidSpeed>
            <ButcheryFleshEfficiency>10</ButcheryFleshEfficiency>
            <ButcheryMechanoidEfficiency>1000</ButcheryMechanoidEfficiency>
          </value>
        </li>
      </operations>
</Operation>
</Patch>


Hello,

Question a little more advanced, with the loadFolders can we do logic?

Let me explain:
<li IfModActive="Ludeon.RimWorld.Royalty, Ludeon.RimWorld.Ideology">Mods/DLC</li>
The loadFolders will check if Royalty OR Ideology is present, it will load the DLC folder if either is present.
My question is it possible to tell it, it needs Royalty AND Ideology to load the DLC folder?

Thank you for your answers.

Hello, new here. I'm a late beginner at patching and while going ham creating patches, one of them happens to not work at all.

<Operation Class="PatchOperationSequence">
<operations>
<li Class="PatchOperationReplace">
<xpath>Defs/ResearchProjectDef[defName="Yokai_R_Basic"]/techLevel</xpath>
<value>
<techLevel>Neolithic</techLevel>
</value>
</li>
</operations>
</Operation>


I have absolutely no idea why, but it seems the research will still show up as Spacer, even though I'm trying to change it to Neolithic. Any ideas?

Hello,

If in the LoadFolders.xml, it is not possible to put an AND, then I have another idea, but I will have to call on people who know how to program.
I will take concrete cases:

If Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Grenades is present then load :
  - if present Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Frontier
  - if present Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Non-Lethal
  - if present Vanilla Factions Expanded - Settlers

I tested :

<li IfModActive=" Vanilla Expanded.VWEG">
  <li IfModActive=" Vanilla Expanded.VWEF">Mods/Frontier</li>
  <li IfModActive=" Vanilla Expanded.VWENL">Mods/Non-Lethal</li>
  <li IfModActive=" Vanilla Expanded.VFES">Mods/Settlers</li>
</li>

I am missing a condition if not present then do nothing.

Thank you for your answers.

Hello,

I must not be far from the solution.

<li IfModActive="OskarPotocki.VanillaFactionsExpanded.SettlersModule">Vanilla/Vanilla Factions Expanded 2 - Settlers - 2052918119</li>
<li IfModActive="VanillaExpanded.VWE">Vanilla/Vanilla Weapons Expanded - 1814383360</li>
<li IfModActive="VanillaExpanded.VWEG">Vanilla/Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Grenades - 2194472657</li>


<!-- +++++ If the Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Grenades mod is present +++++ -->

<li IfModActive="VanillaExpanded.VWEG">
<li IfModActive="OskarPotocki.VanillaFactionsExpanded.SettlersModule">Mods/Vanilla Factions Expanded - Settlers</li>
</li>
<li IfModActive="VanillaExpanded.VWEG">
<li IfModActive="VanillaExpanded.VWENL">Mods/Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Non-Lethal</li>
</li>
<li IfModActive="VanillaExpanded.VWEG">
<li IfModActive="VanillaExpanded.VWE">Mods/Vanilla Weapons Expanded</li>
</li>


For my tests, the activated mods are :
Vanilla Factions Expanded – Settlers
Vanilla Weapons Expanded
My translation mod

The problem is that it still translates the Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Non-Lethal Mod but it is not present. This gives me errors in the Def-injected translations load errors report:
Found no Verse.ThingDef named VWE_Apparel_GrenadeTearGasBelt to match VWE_Apparel_GrenadeTearGasBelt.label

If anyone can think of an idea to modify the code so that the Vanilla Weapons Expanded - Non-Lethal Mod is not translated if it is not present.

Quote from: benniii on May 27, 2017, 12:34:23 PM
Hi,

Is it possible to use the patching-method to change things added from other mods? I did read somewhere that this process is used before adding the mods.

Just for clarification

Patching comes after reading the defs, but I also believe it depends on load order. So yes, patching is intended exactly to change things added by other mods.

Can this method be used on the language xmls?