Networking And Public Variables

Networking And Public Variables

Arma 2 OA networking here is built around public variables, public-variable event handlers and wrapper functions that dispatch named PVF commands.

How To Use This Page

This page is the architecture gateway for network transport and trust boundaries. Use it to understand how public-variable traffic moves, then follow the owner page before editing a specific channel.

Need	Start here
Complete registered/direct channel inventory or BattlEye filter inputs	Public variable channel index
PVF dispatcher allow-list patch shape and branch matrix for DR-1/DR-38	PVF dispatch implementation
Registered server PVF authority, sender authentication and DR-55 follow-up	Server authority migration map
Direct channel fixes for SEND_MESSAGE, attack waves or side supply	Public variable channel index, Attack-wave authority playbook, Economy authority first cut
Client-side PVF effects, JIP behavior and user-visible network results	Registered Client PVF Runtime Matrix below and Client UI systems
Release/smoke readiness and open patch queues	Feature status register, Source fix propagation queue, Testing workflow

Current Branch Scope

Unless a row names another ref, source anchors below are valid for current docs head docs/developer-wiki-index 16247fc8f: targeted diffs from the earlier networking checkpoint 4277a2ad and the later docs anchor 1e16527b through HEAD over checked Chernarus and maintained Vanilla network, PVF and direct-channel paths returned no source changes. The older 8701aacc / 59deb306 source-scope passes remain provenance for the same line anchors. The docs-head network shape still has registered PVF lists and PVEHs at Common/Init/Init_PublicVariables.sqf:9-21,26-40,46,51, generic dispatch-time compile at Server/Functions/Server_HandlePVF.sqf:14 and Client/Functions/Client_HandlePVF.sqf:22, direct SEND_MESSAGE registration at Client/FSM/updateclient.sqf:12, receiver compile at Client/Functions/Client_onEventHandler_SEND_MESSAGE.sqf:27 and helper compile/broadcast at Common/Functions/Common_SendMessage.sqf:26,37-38.

Ref	Network source shape	Practical route
Docs head 16247fc8f source-unchanged from 4277a2ad / 1e16527b for checked network paths	Chernarus and maintained Vanilla share the older client dispatcher line shape (Client_HandlePVF.sqf:22) and still leave commander SetTask sends commented at GUI_Menu_Command.sqf:335,337,343 while registering the client SetTask handler. Network source files are unchanged from the earlier 8701aacc / 59deb306 anchor passes.	Use this page for architecture, then use Public variable channel index for inventory and PVF dispatch implementation before making patch-status claims.
Current stable origin/master@0139a346	Both maintained roots now replace registered PVF dispatch-time compile with _code = missionNamespace getVariable _script plus typeName _code == "CODE" before spawn (Server_HandlePVF.sqf:14-15, Client_HandlePVF.sqf:32-33). No maintained-root dispatcher still matched Call Compile _script, but no PVF_ALLOWED allowlist symbol was found. Direct SEND_MESSAGE still compiles payload text at Client_onEventHandler_SEND_MESSAGE.sqf:27 and helper text at Common_SendMessage.sqf:26, with registration at updateclient.sqf:12; the targeted cf2a6d6a..0139a346 diff does not touch those checked receiver/helper paths. Stable also carries branch-local RequestEnqueue / RequestDequeue at Init_PublicVariables.sqf:22-23 and targeted Objective Ping sends at GUI_Menu_Command.sqf:336,344.	Treat DR-1/DR-38 compile removal as source-present but partial on current stable: finish explicit allowlisting/logging and smoke. Keep DR-55 sender authentication and DR-46 direct SEND_MESSAGE hardening open; current origin advertises no release/* heads on 2026-06-21, so older release a96fdda2 wording is historical until restored or rechecked.
Release a96fdda2 historical check	The 2026-06-13 release row still had Spawn (Call Compile _script) in server dispatcher Server_HandlePVF.sqf:14 and HC-filtered client dispatcher Client_HandlePVF.sqf:32, plus direct SEND_MESSAGE compile at receiver/helper lines :27 and :26.	Recheck release before current-head claims; keep dispatcher and direct-channel hardening open unless the current release ref is refreshed.
Miksuu b8389e74, origin/perf/quick-wins 0076040f and origin/feat/ai-commander c20ce153	Checked roots still use dispatch-time Call Compile, keep the direct SEND_MESSAGE compile route and leave commander SetTask sends commented. Miksuu and feat/ai-commander omit paratrooper marker PVF registration in both maintained roots; perf registers it only in Chernarus. None of these refs carries the stable/release queue PVFs.	Recheck exact branch/root lines before merge wording; do not import stable/release queue, paratrooper or Objective Ping status into these refs.

This page summarizes architecture and trust boundaries. The channel index owns full inventory, the PVF playbook owns dispatcher branch status, and the server-authority map owns per-handler hardening status.

Central PVF Registration

This gateway no longer keeps a copied command inventory. Use the canonical registry matrix in Public variable channel index before citing command counts, branch splits, RequestEnqueue / RequestDequeue, or paratrooper-registration status.

Question	Canonical owner
Which WFBE_PVF_* commands exist on a branch/root?	Public variable channel index
How should dispatch-time Call Compile be patched?	PVF dispatch implementation
Which registered server handlers still trust payloads after dispatcher hardening?	Server authority migration map
What do client-bound handlers do after destination filtering?	Registered Client PVF Runtime Matrix below

Code-reading shorthand: Common/Init/Init_PublicVariables.sqf compiles registered command files into SRVFNC... / CLTFNC... globals, registers one WFBE_PVF_<Command> event handler per command, and hands payloads to Server_HandlePVF or Client_HandlePVF.

Network Helper Layer

• Common_SendToServer: sends a server PVF; uses optimized publicVariableServer outside vanilla mode.
• Common_SendToClients: broadcasts client PVF to all clients.
• Common_SendToClient: targets one client where supported.

These wrappers are preferred over hand-coded public variable dispatch for new features.

Transport is not authority. publicVariable, publicVariableServer and publicVariableClient only decide how a value moves; they do not prove who was allowed to request the effect. Treat client-authored request/state packets such as CLIENT_INIT_READY, WFBE_C_PLAYER_OBJECT, WFBE_CLIENT_HAS_CONNECTED_AT_LAUNCH, WFBE_Client_PV_IsSupplyMissionActiveInTown, WFBE_Client_PV_SupplyMissionStarted, REQUEST_SUPPLY_VALUE, SUPPLY_VALUE_REQUESTED, MARKER_CREATION, SERVER_FPS_GUI and WFBE_VAR_SERVER_FPS as transport channels whose receiver still needs explicit trust, replay and timeout rules.

Direct Public Variables

Some systems use explicit public-variable channels outside the generic PVF list. The canonical inventory is Public variable channel index, including registered WFBE_PVF_* commands, direct channels, source anchors and notable findings.

Why this matters: direct channels such as ATTACK_WAVE_INIT, ATTACK_WAVE_DETAILS, SEND_MESSAGE, supply mission PVs, side-supply temp variables, side-supply mirror state (wfbe_supply_WEST / wfbe_supply_EAST), MASH marker channels, request/reply state channels, HQ marker/state broadcasts, AntiStack compensation, server FPS and AFK kick are not automatically covered by a future PVF dispatcher fix. Treat them as separate review targets when hardening the network layer. DR-46 proves this is not only theoretical: SEND_MESSAGE compiles direct-PV payload text on receiving clients, and its common helper has the same local compile branch before broadcast.

Direct PV Hardening Order

1. Fix PVF dispatcher command resolution first where the target branch still has dispatch-time compile (DR-1); on current stable, finish the missing registered allowlist/logging before calling the lane closed.
2. Harden registered high-impact handlers next: construction, upgrades, score, vehicle lock, commander/team changes.
3. Review the direct channels above separately, because they will not be protected by a WFBE_PVF_* allow-list. Start with DR-46 SEND_MESSAGE (branch/root matrix: Public variable channel index), DR-41/ATTACK_WAVE_INIT, ATTACK_WAVE_DETAILS and DR-44 side-supply temp channels.
4. Design BattlEye publicvariable.txt from both lists: registered WFBE_PVF_* channels plus explicit direct channels such as kickAFK, supply mission PVs, day/night, HQ markers, attack waves and AntiStack compensation. Use External integrations for the canonical shipped BattlEye posture.

Replay/JIP rule of thumb: late players receive retained object/global state and the next heartbeat, not a replay of old publicVariable events. For revived event-only channels such as MASH marker relays, add a server-held list and explicit JIP re-send plan rather than assuming event replay.

Safety Notes

• Keep payloads small and structured; Arma 2 public-variable traffic can be expensive.
• Prefer server authority for state changes. Client scripts should request, not mutate, team/base/economy state directly.
• When adding a PVF command, update both the registration list and the target Client/PVFunctions or Server/PVFunctions file.
• Hosted-server paths often call the handler locally in addition to broadcasting. Preserve those branches when modernizing code.

PVF Dispatch Internals

Claude independently deep-read the dispatch path. Keep this gateway focused on reader orientation; detailed branch matrices and patch shapes live on the owner pages.

Dispatch fact	Practical meaning	Owner
One public variable exists per registered command, e.g. WFBE_PVF_RequestJoin.	Do not treat PVF as one numeric multiplexed channel.	Public variable channel index
Client-bound payload element 0 is a destination filter: nil, side, or UID string.	Runtime/JIP review has to distinguish broadcast, side-targeted and UID-targeted messages.	Registered Client PVF Runtime Matrix
Server-bound payload element 0 names SRVFNC<Command>; client-bound element 1 names CLTFNC<Command>.	Branch-sensitive trust boundary: docs/perf still dispatch through Call Compile; current stable uses namespace+CODE lookup but still lacks an explicit registered allowlist.	PVF dispatch implementation
Common_SendToServer, Common_SendToClients and Common_SendToClient map wrapper calls to publicVariable, publicVariableServer or publicVariableClient.	Transport direction is not authority.	Network Helper Layer, Server authority migration map
HandleSpecial and LocalizeMessage are second-level routers.	Grep the string tag as well as the PVF command name.	Client Router Tag Triage

Registered Client PVF Runtime Matrix

This is the server-to-client counterpart to the registered server handler matrix. It answers "what happens on the receiving client?" after Client_HandlePVF destination filtering.

Registration source: Common/Init/Init_PublicVariables.sqf:26-40 registers 15 client-bound commands, while :45-46 compiles each CLTFNC* handler and adds client PVEHs.

Handler	Runtime effect	JIP / authority note
AllCampsCaptured	Recolors all camp markers for the relevant old/new sides (AllCampsCaptured.sqf:17-21).	Visual/event-only. Late joiners need marker refresh, not old PV replay.
AwardBounty / AwardBountyPlayer	Computes a local bounty message and calls ChangePlayerFunds (AwardBounty.sqf:44-49; AwardBountyPlayer.sqf:20-21). RequestOnUnitKilled.sqf:97-100 has a separate AI-team branch that credits the killer group with ChangeTeamFunds when AI teams are enabled.	Client-local money effect plus AI-team fund mutation; server kill authority should decide eligibility before sending or crediting.
CampCaptured	Updates camp marker color and, for nearby friendly captures, awards local funds and sends RequestChangeScore (CampCaptured.sqf:22-40).	Not just visual. Capture reward migration must move funds/score authority server-side.
ChangeScore	Replaces local score for the payload unit (ChangeScore.sqf:7-8).	Mirror/update of server score decision; do not use as authority source.
HandleSpecial	Router for actions, commander vote, HC delegation, endgame, HQ status, ICBM display, join answer, UAV reveal, upgrade/building notices, HQ killed EH, auto-wall and attack-wave state (HandleSpecial.sqf:9-37).	Mixed router. For JIP, durable state must be re-sent or polled; event-only tags are not replayed automatically.
LocalizeMessage	Router for chat/title text and several local money effects such as Teamkill, SecondaryAward and HeadHunterReceiveBounty (LocalizeMessage.sqf:49,53,67,116-118).	Treat money-changing messages as gameplay effects, not harmless text.
SetTask	Creates/replaces comTask, sets destination and spawns a local completion timer (SetTask.sqf:1-31).	Docs checkout, Miksuu, perf and feat/ai-commander register SetTask but leave commander-menu sends commented at GUI_Menu_Command.sqf:335,337,343; stable origin/master cf2a6d6a and release a96fdda2 send targeted Objective Ping tasks at GUI_Menu_Command.sqf:336,344 in both maintained roots. Old town Client_TaskSystem.sqf remains commented everywhere checked. Smoke target/audience, JIP and task-spam behavior before promotion.
SetVehicleLock / SetMHQLock	Applies local vehicle lock or adds MHQ lock/unlock actions (SetVehicleLock.sqf:1; SetMHQLock.sqf:1-3).	Reflects server lock state; local action setup depends on deploy status.
TownCaptured	Recolors town marker, shows capture message, awards local funds and sends RequestChangeScore for eligible players/commanders (TownCaptured.sqf:23-80).	Not just visual. Town reward authority belongs with server-side capture reward migration.
Available	Shows a hint with available items (Available.sqf:1).	UI notification only.
RequestBaseArea	Moves a base-area object, sets avail/side, and appends it to wfbe_basearea (RequestBaseArea.sqf:1-4).	Client-bound despite the name; the callback performs the state mutation locally with no validation, so HQ/base-area deploy changes need server-origin and replay assumptions checked before reuse.
HandleParatrooperMarkerCreation	Waits for clientInitComplete, optionally equips east paratroopers with NVGs, and spawns a local marker update with PerformanceAudit logging (HandleParatrooperMarkerCreation.sqf:9-45).	Source/Vanilla registration is propagated; Arma smoke pending. Transient marker, no replay unless owner asks for historical drops.
NukeIncoming	Plays the air-raid sound (NukeIncoming.sqf:1-7).	Presentation-only pair to the ICBM authority path.

Client Router Tag Triage

HandleSpecial and LocalizeMessage deserve tag-level review when a feature is touched:

Router	Tag family	Why it matters
HandleSpecial	join-answer, commander-vote*, new-commander-assigned, endgame, hq-setstatus, attack-wave	Updates local control flow and durable local variables. JIP/retry behavior must be checked per tag.
HandleSpecial	connected-hc, delegate-townai, delegate-ai, delegate-ai-static-defence, set-hq-killed-eh	Starts locality-sensitive AI/HQ handoffs and event handlers. delegate-townai can report vehicles back through RequestSpecial / update-town-delegation, but static-defense has no matching update-delegation-static_defence server branch today; HC/disconnect work should smoke these tags and the report-back gap.
HandleSpecial	upgrade-started, upgrade-complete, building-started, icbm-display, uav-reveal	User feedback with side effects: upgrade completion refreshes local artillery vehicles; ICBM display waits on object death and spawns FX.
LocalizeMessage	Teamkill, SecondaryAward, HeadHunterReceiveBounty	Message tags can mutate player funds locally. Treat them as part of the economy authority surface.
LocalizeMessage	Teamstack	Waits until WFBE_BLUFOR_SCORE_JOIN and WFBE_OPFOR_SCORE_JOIN exist before formatting the message. This relies on the join-answer path setting those variables.

Gotchas

• UID-targeted SendToClients still broadcasts to every client and lets non-matching clients discard locally. Use SendToClient for true unicast when possible.
• PVF handlers use Spawn, so rapid messages that mutate shared state have no strict ordering guarantee.
• Branch-sensitive dispatcher shape: docs checkout and origin/perf/quick-wins still use Call Compile on the generated function-name string per dispatch, while current stable origin/master@0139a346 uses missionNamespace getVariable plus a CODE check. DR-38's perf point still explains the old-shape risk, and the current-stable closeout still needs an explicit registered allowlist before full DR-1 closure.
• DR-55 is a separate sender-authentication problem: even after handler-name allowlisting, a forged payload sent to a real handler still reaches that handler unless the server can tie it to an authenticated requester and re-derive side/role/funds from that requester.
• Some bare PV channels are copied per side. The temp mutation handlers are lowercase wfbe_supply_temp_west / wfbe_supply_temp_east; the replicated balance mirrors use side text (wfbe_supply_WEST / wfbe_supply_EAST) and are JIP-relevant because clients wait for wfbe_supply_<sideJoinedText> during init.
• DR-44: the side-supply temp handlers trust the payload side as well as the payload amount. A hardened handler must reject side/channel mismatches such as a west temp channel carrying an east-side payload and must derive the allowed delta server-side.
• PLAYER_RADIATED is not a server-authoritative radiation channel in current source; the client-side radzone script publishes it and the client FSM receives it. Treat it as a local/effect broadcast unless a future nuke rewrite moves radiation authority server-side.
• REQUEST_SUPPLY_VALUE is safer than the temp mutation channels because the server derives the reply, but Common_GetSideSupply.sqf waits for the local wfbe_supply_%side cache without a timeout. Add bounded waits/fallbacks before putting more UI or economy gates behind this request/reply path.
• SEND_MESSAGE is not harmless chat plumbing: its multi-language branch compiles payload text on receiving clients (Client_onEventHandler_SEND_MESSAGE.sqf:25-31), and Common_SendMessage.sqf:24-27 has the same local compile branch before broadcasting. Treat DR-46 as a direct-channel RCE until rewritten to structured localization keys/args.
• A real BattlEye PV filter must include direct non-PVF channels as well as WFBE_PVF_*; shipped filter evidence is tracked in External integrations.
• Supply-heli branch scope is split: docs checkout 8701aacc, Miksuu b8389e74 and perf 0076040f are still truck-only in the checked maintained roots, while stable origin/master cf2a6d6a and release a96fdda2 carry supply-heli/cash-run source (supplyMissionStart.sqf:23,80, supplyMissionUnload.sqf:34-57, supplyMissionCompleted.sqf:26,37,44, release Init_CommonConstants.sqf:169,172-180, stable line drift :173,176-184). Treat supply-heli as branch-present on stable/release but still authority/smoke-pending; route mechanics through Supply mission architecture and Economy, towns and supply.

Security: the Call Compile trust boundary

Server_HandlePVF.sqf and Client_HandlePVF.sqf remain the registered-PVF trust boundary even after current stable removed dispatch-time Call Compile. This page keeps the architectural warning; Current Branch Scope owns the docs-head/current-stable split, PVF dispatch implementation owns the exact branch/root matrix and patch recipe, Server authority migration map owns DR-55 requester/payload validation, and Public variable channel index owns DR-46 SEND_MESSAGE direct compile.

Residual Authority Risks After Dispatch Hardening

Replacing dispatch-time Call Compile with registered allowlisted namespace lookup closes forged handler-name execution, but it does not authenticate the requester or validate payload fields for legitimate handlers. Current stable has the namespace lookup portion, not the explicit allowlist. Keep the post-dispatch work queue on Server authority migration map; it owns RequestChangeScore, construction/defense, upgrades, vehicle lock, team update, auto-wall and RequestSpecial triage with exact source evidence.

Highest-Priority Registered Command: ICBM / Nuke

DR-27 makes RequestSpecial "ICBM" the highest-priority registered-command hardening target discovered so far. Keep implementation detail in ICBM authority and broader RequestSpecial tag triage in Server authority migration map.

Direct Channel Authority: Attack Waves

Attack waves are a direct publicVariable authority lane, not a registered PVF dispatch lane. Use Attack-wave authority playbook for the source chain, branch/root matrix, all-supply spend model and safe patch shape for ATTACK_WAVE_INIT plus ATTACK_WAVE_DETAILS.

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