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Modder Info

Mod Manager tries to read version information from a Manifest.xml file. This file should be located in the About folder, next to About.xml. All elements in the manifest are optional. A manifest will look something like this;

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<Manifest>
    <identifier>ModManager</identifier>
    <version>0.1.0.0</version>
    <dependencies>
        <li>FrameWorkMod</li>
        <li>ModThatDoesntExist</li>
        <li>SomeMod &gt;= 4.0</li>
        <li>SomeOtherMod &lt;= 2.0</li>
        <li>YetAnotherMod == 4.3.0.0</li>
        <li>SpecificRangeMod &gt;= 2.0</li>
        <li>SpecificRangeMod &lt;= 2.999.999.999</li>
    </dependencies>
    <incompatibleWith>
        <li>SomeOtherMod</li>
    </incompatibleWith>
    <loadBefore>
        <li>HowManyModsDoesOneNeed &gt;= 9000.1</li>
    </loadBefore>
    <loadAfter>
        <li>ToModOrNotToMod</li>
    </loadAfter>
    <suggests>
        <li>ExpansionMod &gt;= 1.5</li>
        <li>OtherCoolMod</li>
    </suggests>
    <showCrossPromotions>true</showCrossPromotions>
    <manifestUri>https://rawgit.com/FluffierThanThou/ModManager/master/About/Manifest.xml</manifestUri>
    <downloadUri>https://github.com/FluffierThanThou/ModManager/releases/latest</downloadUri>
</Manifest>

Manifest properties

identifier

A unique identifier for your mod. We may need this because the mod's name might be too long, and the in-game identifier is based on the mod's folder name - which is different for steam and local mods, as well as for local copies made by Mod Manager.

NOTE: Identifiers should never contain spaces.

resolving identifiers

Most of the manifests' properties use identifiers to identify other mods. Since not all mods will have a manifest - and not all manifests will have an identifier, we have to be creative in resolving identifiers. Mod Manager attempts to match mods to identifiers in this order;

  • their manifest identifier.
  • their name, stripped of all spaces.
  • their mod identifier (folder name), stripped of all spaces.

version

A 2 to 4 element version number, as implemented in System.Version. Versions may only contain numbers, separated by periods, in the format major.minor.build.revision. Alphabetical characters (e.g. v1.0 or 0.2-beta) are not allowed.

NOTE: 2.0.0.0 is not the same as 2.0, any version elements that are null are considered to be lower than 0.

dependencies

Any number of dependencies may be given in the format identifier [operator version]. An identifier is required, the operator and version are optional - but if either is given, both must be given. See resolving identifiers on how mods are matched to identifiers.

NOTE: creating a dependency for a mod also implies loadAfter for that mod.

operator

A dependency can use one of the following operators; ==, >= or <= to specify an exact version, greater or equal version or lesser or equal version respectively. You can use multiple dependencies on the same mod to specify a specific range.

NOTE: you need to escape > and < in XML files, use &gt; and &lt; respectively.

incompatibleWith

A list of dependencies that your mods conflict with, and that never should be loaded together. See resolving identifiers on how mods are matched to identifiers.

loadBefore

A list of optional dependencies that should be loaded after your mod (i.e. your mod should load before these mods), if they are present. Can be used to help resolve potential mod conflicts, without creating an explicit dependency. See resolving identifiers on how mods are matched to identifiers.

loadAfter

A list of optional dependencies that should be loaded before your mod (i.e. your mod should load after these mods), if they are present. Can be used to help resolve potential mod conflicts, without creating an explicit dependency. See resolving identifiers on how mods are matched to identifiers.

suggests

A list of optional publishedFileIds for mods that pair well with this mod. These could be extension mods, or other mods that add features that work well together, or even just mods that you think deserve more attention.

NOTE: since the suggestion system relies on the Steam Workshop to fetch mod details and previews, it can only be used with Steam Workshop mods.

showCrossPromotions

If true (default), Mod Manager will show a bar with previews for mods you have uploaded to the Steam Workshop that the user doesn't have installed (or active, if the user enabled that setting).

NOTE: since the crosspromotion system relies relies on the Steam Workshop to fetch mod details and previews, it can only be used with mods that have a PublishedFileId. That means they either have to be downloaded from steam, or contain a PublishedFileId.txt file containing the PublishedFileId in the About folder of your mod.
NOTE: users can toggle the cross promotion feature off regardless of the setting you choose here.

manifestUri

URI to an online, up-to-date version of the Manifest.xml. Typically, this will be in your mods' github repository, but Mod Manager makes no assumptions on where the manifest is located - as long as it can be downloaded directly, and is not hidden behind a login, paywall, etc.

downloadUri

URI to a download location for the latest version of this mod. Mod Manager does not (yet) download, extract or install mods directly, but will open a browser tab to this location (if requested by the user).