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Editor set-up

The game checks every pack file against a schema. The same schemas, with the notes the Mod Studio shows beside each field, give your editor autocomplete, hover notes and red underlines for mistakes as you type.

Visual Studio Code#

1. Download data-pack-schemas.zip.
2. Unzip it into your pack’s folder. It holds a .vscode folder: .vscode/schemas/ with one schema per kind of file, and .vscode/settings.json, which tells the editor which schema checks which file.
3. Open the pack’s folder in Visual Studio Code. Type " in a record for its fields, hover over a field for its note, and look for red underlines.

The settings map each schema onto the places the game reads, like this:

{
  "json.schemas": [
    {
      "fileMatch": [
        "**/mod.json"
      ],
      "url": "./.vscode/schemas/mod.schema.json"
    },
    {
      "fileMatch": [
        "**/data/tours.json",
        "**/data/tours/**/*.json"
      ],
      "url": "./.vscode/schemas/tours.schema.json"
    },
    {
      "fileMatch": [
        "**/data/venues.json",
        "**/data/venues/**/*.json"
      ],
      "url": "./.vscode/schemas/venues.schema.json"
    },
    …
  ]
}

The .vscode folder is only for your editor: leave it out of the zip you share. The game ignores it either way.

Other editors#

Any editor that understands JSON Schema (draft 2020-12) can use the files in .vscode/schemas/. Each is also on this site, by name, for linking to directly: players.schema.json, mod.schema.json and so on, one for each content type in the reference.

What the schemas do not check#

A schema checks each file on its own: field names, types, ranges, options and patterns. The game checks more when it loads your pack, so look at the Mods screen as well:

• that new ids start with your pack’s id, and that no id is used twice;
• that the records your records name exist: venues, tours, rivals, stories, kit slots;
• that your pictures and sound files are there, of the right kind and size;
• that a file is in a place the game reads.

The schemas match game version 0.50.32. When the game adds or changes fields, download them again.