index.rst

Custom Data

.. javadoc-import::
    org.spongepowered.api.data.DataHolder
    org.spongepowered.api.data.manipulator.mutable.DataManipulator
    org.spongepowered.api.data.serialization.DataSerializable
    org.spongepowered.api.data.value.mutable.Value

Sponge has a powerful :doc:`data <../index>` system, that can do much more than just vanilla features. It's also possible to create your own data objects, allowing you to :doc:`serialize <../serialization>` objects directly to players, entities and more!

To start making your own data, we recommend that you read up on each of the components of the ecosystem in the :doc:`data <../index>` documentation. You should understand how a fully implemented system works before you begin work on your own implementation.

There are three main areas of custom data:

• :doc:`DataHolders <dataholders>`, which store data such as items and entities
• :doc:`DataManipulators <datamanipulators>`, which are attached to a DataHolder and can contain any number of serializable objects. Manipulators will stay attached to their owner, even across reboots
• :doc:`Serialization <serialization>`, which saves/loads data into configs, files, or world files

We will provide and explain snippets of code throughout the tutorials, however we also provide a full implementation for those that prefer to look through an example implementation.

Contents

.. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 2
    :titlesonly:

    datamanipulators
    dataholders
    serialization