CustomJSONData

CustomJSONData is a library that allows the loading of arbitrary data from specific locations in beatmap JSON files. Custom data can be attached to levels (songs), individual difficulties of songs, and individual notes, obstacles, and lighting events within difficulties. In addition, entirely new event types can be added. CustomJSONData completely overwrites how custom maps are deserialized from JSON.

This README is for modders, end users just need to install the mod!

Custom data in info.dat

Custom data can also be placed on entire levels (songs) and on individual difficulties. For example:

// ...
"_songFilename": "song.ogg",
"_coverImageFilename": "cover.png",
"_environmentName": "DefaultEnvironment",
"_customData": {
  "_contributors": [{
      "_role": "Furry",
      "_name": "Reaxt",
      "_iconPath": "furry.png"
    },
    {
      "_role": "Lighter",
      "_name": "Kyle 1413 The Second",
      "_iconPath": "test.png"
    }
  ],
  "_customEnvironment": "CoolCustomEnv",
  "_customEnvironmentHash": ""
},
"_difficultyBeatmapSets": [{
    "_beatmapCharacteristicName": "Standard",
    "_difficultyBeatmaps": [{
        "_difficulty": "Easy",
        "_difficultyRank": 1,
        "_beatmapFilename": "Easy.dat",
        "_noteJumpMovementSpeed": 0.0,
        "_noteJumpStartBeatOffset": 0,
        "_customData": {
          "_difficultyLabel": "Nightmare"
        }
// ...

This data can be accessed by casting a BeatmapData to CustomJSONData.CustomBeatmap.CustomBeatmapData. The first "_customData" section (the one for the whole level) is provided as levelCustomData, and the second (the one for the Easy difficulty) is provided as beatmapCustomData.

Example (For more about reading custom data, see Reading custom data):

if (beatmapData is CustomBeatmapData customBeatmapData)
{
    string customEnvironment = customBeatmapData.levelCustomData.Get<string>("_customEnvironment"); // "CoolCustomEnv"
    string label = customBeatmapData.beatmapCustomData.Get<string>("_difficultyLabel"); // "Nightmare"
}

Although not as recommended, the custom data section is also available from a StandardLevelInfoSaveData by casting to CustomJSONData.CustomLevelInfo.CustomLevelInfoSaveData and accessing the customData property. beatmapCustomData is a little more complicated. In order to do so, cast a StandardLevelInfoSaveData.DifficultyBeatmap to a CustomLevelInfoSaveData.DifficultyBeatmap.

Example:

if (standardLevelInfoSaveData is CustomLevelInfoSaveData customLevelInfoSaveData)
{
    string customEnvironment = customLevelInfoSaveData.customData.Get<string>("_customEnvironment"); // "CoolCustomEnv"

    CustomLevelInfoSaveData.DifficultyBeatmap difficultyBeatmap = (CustomLevelInfoSaveData.DifficultyBeatmap)customBeatmapData.difficultyBeatmapSets.First().difficultyBeatmaps.First();
    string label = difficultyBeatmap.customData.Get<string>("_difficultyLabel"); // "Nightmare"
}

Custom data on notes, obstacles, waypoints, and lighting events

Custom data can be attached to notes (including bombs), obstacles, waypoints, and lighting events simply by adding a customData (or _customData if v2) property to the event/note/obstacle/waypoint object in the difficulty JSON file. For example, adding some custom fields to a note:

"colorNotes": [{
    "b": 8.0,
    "x": 2,
    "y": 0,
    "c": 1,
    "d": 1,
    "customData": {
      "foo": 3,
      "bar": "Hello, BSMG!"
    }
  }
]

To get this data from a NoteData, ObstacleData, WaypointData, SliderData, or BasicBeatmapEventData object in your plugin code, cast it to the appropriate type from the CustomJSONData.CustomBeatmap namespace (CustomNoteData, CustomObstacleData, CustomWaypointData, SliderData, or CustomBasicBeatmapEventData) and access the resulting object's customData property. Alternatively, all of these classes inherit the ICustomData interface, which requires the customData property.

Example (For more about reading custom data, see Reading custom data):

if (noteData is CustomNoteData customNoteData)
{
    int foo = customNoteData.customData.Get<int>("foo"); // 3
}

if (noteData is ICustomData customDataInterface)
{
    int foo = customDataInterface.customData.Get<int>("foo"); // 3
}

Note: The recommended way to create custom events to trigger plugin functionality is with CustomJSONData's custom events feature. Custom data on lighting events should be used when your plugin does something related to the Beat Saber lighting event the data is placed on (e.g. changing the color of a group of lights or the direction of a ring spin), not to create new event types.

Burst Sliders

Unlike other objects, burst sliders (or chains) are handled by creating many NoteDatas from one SliderData. All of these NoteDatas will inherit the same CustomData object as their own.

"burstSliders": [
  {
    "b": 15,
    "c": 0,
    "x": 0,
    "y": 0,
    "d": 2,
    "tb": 16,
    "tx": 0,
    "ty": 0,
    "sc": 10, // slice count, this will create 10 notes
    "s": 1,
    "customData": {
      "color": [0, 1, 0] // all 10 notes will point to the same CustomData
    }
  }
]

Reading custom data

In CustomJSONData, all JSON objects are converted to the CustomData class, which inherits from ConcurrentDictionary<string, object?>, and all JSON arrays are converted to a List<object?>.

After getting your customData (see above), accessing your data is as simple as accessing from a dictionary.

if (beatmapData is CustomBeatmapData customBeatmapData)
{
    string label = customBeatmapData.beatmapCustomData["_difficultyLabel"]; // possible KeyNotfoundException, dont actually do this!
}

To help with this, the CustomData class provide the method Get<T>(string key). This will return the value as T if it exists, else it will return default(T). Get will convert numeric types between each other but will not convert strings or booleans to numeric types.

Full example of getting a color from an array:

/* json:
  "colorNotes": [{
      "b": 10,
      "x": 1,
      "y": 0,
      "c": 0,
      "d": 1,
      "customData": {
        "color": [0.5, 1, 0]
      }
    }
  ]
*/

if (noteData is CustomNoteData customNoteData)
{
    // get the customData
    Dictionary<string, object> dictionary = customNoteData.customData;

    // get the _color array
    // remember that arrays are always a List<object> and must be casted
    List<object>? colorArray = dictionary.Get<List<object>>("color");

    if (colorArray == null || colorArray.Count < 3)
    {
      return;
    }

    // Convert to floats and save color
    IEnumerable<float> colorFloats = colorArray.Select(n => Convert.ToSingle(n));
    Color color = new Color(colorFloats.ElementAt(0), colorFloats.ElementAt(1), colorFloats.ElementAt(2)); // (0.5, 1, 0)
}

As a reminder, customData IS mutable, i.e. you can modify it at any time. Want to store a variable inside a note?

customNoteData.customData["colorz"] = new Color(0, 0, 1);
// insert code here
Color noteColor = customNotedata.Get<Color>("colorz"); // (0, 0, 1);

If your mod reads v2 and v3 maps, it may be desirable to have different property names depending on what kind of map you are reading. Which version you are working with can be found with the version2_6_0AndEarlier bool property of CustomBeatmapData

bool v2 = customBeatmapData.version2_6_0AndEarlier;
bool? foo = dictionary.Get<bool>(v2 ? "_foo" : "f");

CustomData extensions

To aid with reading CustomData, there are many extensions for frequently used methods.

CustomData methods:

• Get<T>(string key) - As described before.
• GetVector3(string key) - Runs Get<List<object>> and if found, converts result to a Vector3, otherwise returns null.
• GetQuaternion(string key) - As above but with a Quaternion.
• GetStringToEnum<T>(string key) - Runs Get<string> and converts result to T or default(T). T must be an enum. Must be nullable to return null or will return default.
• GetRequired<T>(string key) - Runs Get<T> but throws a JsonNotDefinedException if it returns null. T should not be nullable.
• GetStringToEnumRequired<T>(string key) - See above. T should not be nullable.
• ToString() - ToString is overriden to help print object contents in a human readable format.

IDifficultyBeatmap extensions:

• GetBeatmapSaveData(this IDifficultyBeatmapData difficultyBeatmap) - Returns the map's CustomBeatmapSaveData or null if not a Custom Level.
• GetBeatmapCustomData(this IDifficultyBeatmapData difficultyBeatmap) - Returns the map's beatmapCustomData or a new CustomData.
• GetLevelCustomData(this IDifficultyBeatmapData difficultyBeatmap) - Returns the map's levelCustomData or a new CustomData.

Custom events

In addition to providing access to the custom data found in info.dat, CustomJSONData.CustomBeatmap.CustomBeatmapData provides a new list of CustomEventData objects. Not to be confused with CustomBasicBeatmapEventData, which are vanilla Beat Saber lighting events with custom data added, this is a place for entirely new events added to the game by plugins. These events are stored in difficulty .dat files. Here's an example of what a custom event might look like inside a difficulty:

"version": "3.0.0",
"customData": {
  "customEvents": [{
      "b": 0.0,
      "t": "HelloWorld",
      "d": {
        "foo": 1.0,
        "message": "Hello from a custom event!"
      }
    }
  ]
}
"basicBeatmapEvents": [
// ...

A CustomEventData object has three fields.

• b (or _time in v2) functions identically to the b field on notes/obstacles/lighting events.
• t (or _type) Unlike in lighting events, this is a string; use it to specify what sort of event this is. Event types are de-facto defined/standardized by the first plugin to make use of them.
• d (or _data) is custom data. To see how to access it, see Reading custom data)

To subscribe to these events, you must register a callback through vanilla class the BeatmapCallbacksController. You can get this through any means, but I personally use Zenject.

From there you can invoke AddBeatmapCallback<CustomEventData>(BeatmapDataCallback<T> callback). You can also call AddBeatmapCallback<CustomEventData>(float aheadTime, BeatmapDataCallback<CustomEventData> callback) if you want an aheadTime, which is how long in seconds before the event you want the callback to trigger.

Example:

[Inject]
private BeatmapCallbacksController _beatmapCallbacksController;

private BeatmapDataCallbackWrapper? _callbackWrapper;

public void Initialize()
{
    _callbackWrapper = _beatmapCallbacksController.AddBeatmapCallback<CustomEventData>(HandleCallback);
}

public void Dispose()
{
    _beatmapCallbacksController?.RemoveBeatmapCallback(_callbackWrapper);
}

private void Callback(CustomEventData customEventData)
{
    if (customEventData.type == "HelloWorld")
    {
        string message = customEventData.customData.Get<string>("message"); // "Hello from a custom event!"
    }
}

CustomJSONDataDeserializer

For advanced use only!

CustomJSONDataDeserializers allow you to modify how data is read within the customData field of a beatmap. These only work on v3 maps. Currently one is used to read fake notes from a separate array in Noodle Extensions and will be used as an example (it has been slightly simplified). First, one must be registered to a class with the [JSONDeserializer] attribute on a method. This created CustomJSONDataDeserializer can be enabled and disabled with the Enabled property.

public static CustomJSONDataDeserializer JSONDeserializer { get; } = CustomJSONDataDeserializer.Register<FakeNotesJSON>();

FakeNotesJSON looks like this. When CustomJSONData comes across the string parameter defined in [JSONDeserializer], it will redirect to this method. Returning false indicates do not add to the beatmap custom data while returning true mean do add.

[CustomJSONDataDeserializer.JSONDeserializer("fakeColorNotes")]
private static bool HandleFakeNotes(CustomBeatmapSaveData.SaveDataCustomDatas customDatas, List<BeatmapSaveData.ColorNoteData> colorNotes, JsonTextReader reader)
{
    // Basic check to make sure this only runs for NE maps
    if (!(customDatas.beatmapCustomData.Get<List<object>>("_requirements")?.Contains("Noodle Extensions") ?? false))
    {
        return true;
    }

    // More info: https://www.newtonsoft.com/json/help/html/readjsonwithjsontextreader.htm
    // See CustomBeatmapSaveData and JsonExtensions to see how CJD uses helper methods
    reader.ReadObjectArray(() =>
    {
        CustomBeatmapSaveData.ColorNoteData data = CustomBeatmapSaveData.DeserializeColorNote(reader); // Read from reader head to create a new note save data
        data.customData["NE_fake"] = true; // tags as fake to be read later
        colorNotes.Add(data); // Add to the injected colorNotes list, which will be fed back to CJD
    });
    return false;
}

A [JSONDeserializer] method may request the following types to be injected: JsonTextReader, List<BeatmapSaveData.BpmChangeEventData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.RotationEventData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.ColorNoteData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.BombNoteData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.ObstacleData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.SliderData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.BurstSliderData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.WaypointData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.BasicEventData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.ColorBoostEventData>, List<BeatmapSaveData.LightColorEventBoxGroup>, List<BeatmapSaveData.LightRotationEventBoxGroup>, List<BasicEventTypesWithKeywords.BasicEventTypesForKeyword>, bool(useNormalEventsAsCompatibleEvents), List<CustomEventData>, CustomBeatmapSaveData.SaveDataCustomDatas