Factory Queue Cancel And Refund Action

Factory Queue Cancel and Refund Action (Action_CancelQueue)

Source-verified 2026-06-21 against master 0139a346. Paths relative to Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus/ unless noted. Arma 2 OA 1.64.

The unit-factory build queue lets a player order more units than spawn at once; orders wait in a per-building queu token list until their build slot resolves. This page documents the queue-cancel feature layered on top of that queue: a player can cancel their own most-recently-queued unit and get a refund, either via an in-world scroll action on the factory building (Action_CancelQueue.sqf) or via the buy-menu's cancel button (GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf MenuAction 501). Both paths share the same four lock-step parallel arrays (queu, queu_costs, queu_cpts, queu_labels) populated by Client_BuildUnit.sqf.

This corrects the stale Factory-And-Purchase-Systems-Atlas claim that "'cancel' is not a current UI operation... until an actual cancel command exists" (Factory-And-Purchase-Systems-Atlas.md:248). The feature exists in source.

The parallel-array queue contract

Every queued order appends one element to four building variables, all written with the broadcast flag so the queue state replicates. The arrays are index-aligned: element i of each describes the same order.

Variable	Element value	Written by	Citation
queu	Unique token "<UID>_<diag_tickTime>"	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:168-173	the order's identity (UID-prefixed)
queu_costs	_currentCost (price actually paid)	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:176-178	drives the refund amount
queu_cpts	_cpt (queue "count" weight of the order)	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:179-181	drives unitQueu decrement
queu_labels	Unit display label (select QUERYUNITLABEL)	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:182-186	buy-menu queue readout (Task 33)

The token format is the keystone: varQueu = Format["%1_%2", getPlayerUID player, diag_tickTime] (Client_BuildUnit.sqf:168). Because every token begins with the buyer's UID, the cancel logic can find a player's own orders by prefix-matching the UID against each token. QUERYUNITLABEL is the constant 0 (Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:6); the label is read from the unit's config-gear array via _currentUnit select QUERYUNITLABEL (Client_BuildUnit.sqf:183).

Action_CancelQueue.sqf — the in-world cancel action

Client/Action/Action_CancelQueue.sqf (99 lines) is the script attached as an addAction on the factory building. It runs locally on the cancelling player's machine.

Aspect	Detail	Citation
Params	_this select 1 = the factory building object; (_this select 3) select 0 = factory type string (e.g. "Barracks"), the action's argument array	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:17-18
Reads	getPlayerUID player, then the four parallel arrays off the building (defaulting to [])	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:20-24
Target order	The last array entry whose token prefix-matches the player's UID (most recent = safest to cancel)	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:43-47
No-queue guard	If no matching index, exitWith with an orange hint "You have no unit in this factory's queue."	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:49-51
Refund base	_paidCost = queu_costs select _idx (default 0); _cpt = queu_cpts select _idx (default 1)	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:54-55
Refund cap	Attack-wave defensive ceiling (see below)	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:57-63
Array removal	Removes index _idx from all four arrays, re-broadcasts each	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:65-80
Counter decrement	unitQueu -= _cpt (floored at 0); WFBE_C_QUEUE_<factory> -= 1 (floored at 0)	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:82-88
Refund payout	if (_refund > 0) then {(_refund) Call ChangePlayerFunds}	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:90-91
Feedback	Green "Queue cancelled." hint with refunded amount, plus a "(capped...)" note if _paidCost != _refund	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:93-98

The A2-safe UID-prefix matcher

The function's distinguishing feature is the hand-rolled prefix test _uidPrefix (Action_CancelQueue.sqf:29-41). It converts both the token and the UID with toArray and compares leading byte-codes:

_tokA = toArray (_this select 0);   // token bytes
_uidA = toArray (_this select 1);   // UID bytes
_ok = (_ul > 0) && (_ul <= count _tokA);
if (_ok) then { for "_j" from 0 to (_ul - 1) do {
    if ((_tokA select _j) != (_uidA select _j)) exitWith {_ok = false};
}};

The header comment records why (Action_CancelQueue.sqf:26-28): string find string is Arma-3-only and threw "find: Type String, expected Array" on A2 OA — it fired every time a player cancelled a queue item. The toArray byte comparison is the same A2-safe idiom used in the buy-menu cancel block (GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:220-232). A2 note: toArray and capitalized Private are valid A2 OA; do not "modernize" this to find or isEqualTo.

Index-based array removal (not value removal)

The token array is removed by value because tokens are unique: _queu = _queu - [_queu select _idx] (Action_CancelQueue.sqf:66). But queu_costs/queu_cpts/queu_labels can hold duplicate values (two identical units cost the same), so they are removed by index with an explicit rebuild loop that skips only _idx (Action_CancelQueue.sqf:67-76). The comment at :65 calls this out: "costs/cpts may share values, must use index." Conflating these would desync the parallel arrays.

The attack-wave refund cap

Normally the refund equals the price paid (_refund = _paidCost, Action_CancelQueue.sqf:58). A defensive ceiling applies only during an active attack-wave discount:

Element	Value / behavior	Citation
Trigger	ATTACK_WAVE_PRICE_MODIFIER < 1.0 && UNIT_COST_MODIFIER > 0	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:59
Base price recovery	_basePrice = _paidCost / (ATTACK_WAVE_PRICE_MODIFIER * UNIT_COST_MODIFIER)	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:60
Cap	_maxRefund = round (_basePrice * 0.5); clamp _refund to it	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:61-62
ATTACK_WAVE_PRICE_MODIFIER default	1 (no discount; cap inert)	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:367
UNIT_COST_MODIFIER default	1; becomes 0.75/0.5 per cost-reduction upgrade	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:373; Client/Functions/Client_UIFillListBuyUnits.sqf:11,14

ATTACK_WAVE_PRICE_MODIFIER is set by the attack-wave system (Server/Functions/Server_AttackWave.sqf:19,34) and applied to client price displays (Client_UIFillListBuyUnits.sqf:90, GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:99,416). The header comment (Action_CancelQueue.sqf:6-12) states the cap is a DEFENSIVE CEILING that does not trigger in standard config: the refund never exceeds the amount paid, so no arbitrage exists at normal modifier values; it is kept against future config edge cases.

Client_BuildUnit.sqf — wiring, sync, and the cancelled-mid-build guard

Client_BuildUnit.sqf (BuildUnit, compiled at Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:71) is the per-order worker that the buy menu spawns. Its params are [_building, _unit, _vehi, _factory, _cpt, _currentCost] (Client_BuildUnit.sqf:2-7); _currentCost defaults to 0 if absent. The buy menu supplies all six and debits at order time: _params Spawn BuildUnit; -(_currentCost) Call ChangePlayerFunds (GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:163-165).

Stage	What it does	Citation
Enqueue	Builds the token, appends to queu + the three cost/cpt/label arrays; adds unitQueu += _cpt	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:11,168-186
Add cancel action	addAction ["<t color='#ff9900'>Cancel last queued unit</t>", "Client\Action\Action_CancelQueue.sqf", [_factory], 50, false, true, "", "cursorObject == _target && player distance _target < 25"]; the action id is stored as wfbe_cancel_action_<UID>	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:187-199
Normal-completion sync	On actual spawn, finds _qIdx = _queu find _unique and removes that index from queu_costs/cpts/labels to keep them aligned	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:232-259
Remove cancel action	Removes the per-player wfbe_cancel_action_<UID> action once the slot resolves	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:260-267
Cancelled-mid-build guard (E1)	If _qIdx < 0 (the token is gone — Action_CancelQueue already removed it, decremented counters, and refunded), exitWith {} without spawning so the player can't keep both the refund and the unit	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:269-273
Destroyed-factory refund (FC2)	Distinct path: if the building dies mid-build, decrement counters and if (_currentCost > 0) then {(_currentCost) Call ChangePlayerFunds}	Client_BuildUnit.sqf:276-281

The cancel-action condition cursorObject == _target && player distance _target < 25 means the buyer must be looking at the factory within 25 m. The action is scoped per-player via the wfbe_cancel_action_<UID> key (Client_BuildUnit.sqf:199,262), so each buyer only ever removes their own action handle.

The E1 guard is the safety hinge: because Action_CancelQueue already balanced unitQueu and WFBE_C_QUEUE_<factory> and issued the refund, the worker must bail without re-touching those counters or spawning (Client_BuildUnit.sqf:269-273). Missing this would double-decrement or hand out a free unit.

GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf — the in-dialog cancel (MenuAction 501)

The buy menu has a second, equivalent cancel path bound to MenuAction 501 (GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:213-272, "Task 33"). It operates on _closest (the currently selected factory building) and mirrors Action_CancelQueue line-for-line: the same toArray UID-prefix matcher (:220-232), the same four parallel-array reads (:233-236), last-owned-index pick (:238-239), no-queue guard (:240), attack-wave cap (:243-248), index removal + rebroadcast (:249-257), unitQueu/WFBE_C_QUEUE_<type> decrement (:258-263), and ChangePlayerFunds refund with the same hint (:264-272). It is the menu-button equivalent of the in-world scroll action; both produce the identical "Queue cancelled." green hint.

Counters and the refund sink

Symbol	Role	Citation
unitQueu	Global running count of queued order weight; both cancel paths subtract _cpt (floored at 0)	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:83-84; GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:259
WFBE_C_QUEUE_<factory>	Per-factory-type queued count; incremented at buy (GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:154-155), decremented by 1 on cancel (floored at 0)	Action_CancelQueue.sqf:85-88; GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:260-263
ChangePlayerFunds	The refund/debit sink; compiled from Client_ChangePlayerFunds.sqf, which forwards to ChangeTeamFunds for clientTeam. Positive arg credits, negative debits	Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:72; Client/Functions/Client_ChangePlayerFunds.sqf:1

The cap on WFBE_C_QUEUE_<factory> enforcement happens at buy time (< WFBE_C_QUEUE_<type>_MAX, GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf:154); cancel only ever decrements it, never below 0.

Continue Reading

• Factory-And-Purchase-Systems-Atlas — buy/abort/destroyed-factory flow (note: its "no cancel command exists" claim is superseded by this page)
• Factory-Queue-Counter-Token-Cleanup — the unitQueu/WFBE_C_QUEUE_* token-counter lifecycle this cancel path decrements
• Attack-Wave-Authority-Playbook — how ATTACK_WAVE_PRICE_MODIFIER is set, which drives the refund cap
• BuyMenu-EASA-QoL-Branch-Audit — the QoL buy-menu branch where the cancel button and parallel arrays were introduced
• Side-Team-State-Function-Reference — ChangePlayerFunds/ChangeTeamFunds, the refund sink