FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

This page is a wiki; please feel free to contribute, and be bold with your edits!

If your question isn't answered here, try our factorio forums topic.

I'm on Windows, and get an error when I click on any mod.

You could be using an older version of the .NET framework. The CFAN GUI requires .NET 4.5 to run on Windows.

How do I run the CFAN on Linux/Mac?

By using mono. Simply run mono cfan.exe on the command-line.

On Linux, if you have binutils setup to handle Mono programs you can run cfan.exe by typing it in the command prompt.

On most Linux desktops you can launch cfan by right clicking on it and selecting "run with Mono Runtime." You can also create a program link ".desktop" file for it if you wish.

Can I import/export my list of mods?

Yes! You can use File -> Export Installed Mods... from the GUI, allowing you to export a file to a location of your choice.

To re-install all the mods, you can use File -> Install from .cfan in the GUI, or cfan install -c installed-default.cfan from the command-line.

CFAN says my Factorio directory isn't valid, I'm pretty sure it is. Help!

The CFAN checks for two things to determine if a Factorio directory is "valid" or not:

• Game directory must have a data/base/info.json file with proper json.
• Your appdata directory %APPDATA%/factorio (or on linux/osx home directory ~/.factorio) must have config/config.ini file (meaning you must start and close the game at least once)
• For portable installation (those that do not use appdata/home directory) there must be a config-path.cfg file inside game directory with use-system-read-write-data-directories=false in it.

Why does the CFAN insist on a info.json file with the base mod version?

Believe it or not, this is the most reliable way to find your Factorio version number, regardless of platform or build status.

Okay, how do I get to the command prompt?

On Windows, follow the instructions from this awesome reddit comment:

1. In the folder where the .exe lives go up one folder.
2. Hold shift and right-click the folder you just left.
3. Select "open command window here"
4. Type cfan.exe help to get started!

On Linux or OSX, open a new terminal window and navigate to the folder where you placed cfan.exe and run the command

mono cfan.exe help

Note: on Windows, you don't need Mono provided you have the .NET framework installed (and you most likely have it by default).

Why do I need the CFAN? Can't I just go to the forums to download mods?

If you're a human, yes. However, the CFAN can also install, manage, and upgrade your mods automatically with just a few clicks. Installing a mod, or collection of mods, becomes as easy as ticking some boxes on the client and hitting "install".

Because CFAN knows which version of Factorio you're running and the dependencies of the mods you are installing, it can help you in choosing only mods that are supported for your version, leading to safer, more stable installs.

I want the newest version of mod X but CFAN only provide the previous one

Tell me here..

How do mods become available via the CFAN?

They are indexed from factoriomods.com or github (manually added repositories). Few chosen ones are updated manually.

What is the netfan?

Netfan is a tool that aggregates mods data from sources mentioned in previous question.