Misc plists - Revision history

Cholmondely: /* descriptions.plist */ Added text from vanilla game code

2026-04-20T12:39:46Z

‎descriptions.plist: Added text from vanilla game code

Cholmondely: /* Links */ added note

2026-04-20T12:22:15Z

‎Links: added note

Cholmondely: /* descriptions.plist */ Added in link with instruction for drawing icons and examples of beacon icons

2026-04-20T12:06:44Z

‎descriptions.plist: Added in link with instruction for drawing icons and examples of beacon icons

Cholmondely: Added more examples, minor tweaks

2026-03-04T17:17:45Z

Added more examples, minor tweaks

Cholmondely: /* oolitefont.plist */ Oops!

2026-03-03T20:11:14Z

‎oolitefont.plist: Oops!

Cholmondely: /* oolitefont.plist */ Fixed link

2026-03-03T20:08:32Z

‎oolitefont.plist: Fixed link

Cholmondely: Added example of info.plist

2025-07-27T08:33:22Z

Added example of info.plist

Cholmondely: /* descriptions.plist */ Added link for diacritical signs on letters

2025-04-28T09:03:41Z

‎descriptions.plist: Added link for diacritical signs on letters

Cholmondely: /* descriptions.plist */ Added more on string expansions

2025-03-31T09:40:37Z

‎descriptions.plist: Added more on string expansions

Cholmondely: Added oolitefont.plist

2024-09-03T17:27:56Z

Added oolitefont.plist

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 =descriptions.[[plist]]=
-This can contain text, categories for the [[Ship Library]], instructions for drawing icons (for pylon equipment, or for the [[ASC]]) ''et cetera''
+Most of the text in the game comes from description.plist. It is processed in different ways in different contexts. It can contain text, categories for the [[Ship Library]], instructions for drawing icons (for pylon equipment, or for beacons shown on the [[ASC]]) ''et cetera''
 == Structure ==
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 The file is organized as a dictionary with pairs of key and value (string or array).<br>
 It has the same structure as the [[missiontext.plist]] and it also resides in the config folder inside the OXP.<br>
-It can also use the same two dozen [[String expansion]]s as the missiontext.plist such as <tt>%I - Displays the current system name with "ian" attached i.e. Isinorian</tt>.
+It can also use the same two dozen [[String expansion]]s as the missiontext.plist
 Example (XML):
@@ Line 107: / Line 134: @@
+  }
 ::from the [[Fuel Station OXP]]
 === Links ===

@@ Line 111: / Line 111: @@
 === Links ===
 * [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=6301 Oolite in French] (2009) - handling diacritical signs on letters
-* [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=9529 Pylon Icons] (2011) - how to draw them
+* [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=9529 Pylon Icons] thread (2011) - how to draw them - (includes discussion of beacon icons)
 ----

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ----
 =descriptions.[[plist]]=
 == Structure ==
@@ Line 60: / Line 62: @@
 Be aware that Oolite reads in all descriptions.plist lines on startup in one big file. This means that you can use keywords from other OXPs or from Oolite itself. If there are some keys with duplicate names, it uses the last. This means that you must use [[OXP Distribution#General|unique keywords]].
-=== Example ===
+=== Example: Ship Library category, missile icon & mission text ===
 First adding categories to the Ship Library/View Ship specifications screen; ''then'' adding a missile icon; and ''finally'' adding mission text: this is the entire descriptions.plist
@@ Line 86: / Line 88: @@
 ,  2
   	);
      "XS_MI_STAGE_245" = "The Murderer is at Digebiti.";
      "XS_MI_STAGE_G7_1" = "Just in time, Commander. I could use a little help here!";
+  }
 === Links ===
 * [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=6301 Oolite in French] (2009) - handling diacritical signs on letters
 ----

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 In 1.77 or later, custom crosshairs files may be defined. These have the same syntax as crosshairs.plist, but should have a different unique name (e.g. <code>oxpname_crosshairs1.plist</code>). Crosshairs may be included by a HUD definition, or switched in and out by [[Oolite_JavaScript_Reference:_PlayerShip#crosshairs|scripting]].
 ----
@@ Line 30: / Line 31: @@
 It can also use the same two dozen [[String expansion]]s as the missiontext.plist such as <tt>%I - Displays the current system name with "ian" attached i.e. Isinorian</tt>.
-Example XML:
+Example (XML):
   <dict>
      <key>parcelnumbers</key>
@@ Line 42: / Line 43: @@
   </dict>
-Example OpenStep:
+Example (OpenStep):
+  {
     parcelnumbers = ("two", "three", "four", "five", "six");
+  }
-== Use  ==
+== Use ==
 Its use must be seen as a kind of variable. The key part is the variable name and the string part is the content of the variable. If you use an array of strings the variable will return a random choice of one of the strings. And this is the main use of the descriptions.plist: creation of text with variable content. See also [[string expansion]]. Note that for compatibility, the random number used to determine which choice to use from an array is only 1 byte long. Therefore if the array has more than 256 entries there will be some entries which can never be picked, and if it has a number of entries which is not a power of two the entries will not have equal chances of being picked (though if the number of entries is small, the difference in chances is not significant)
@@ Line 89: / Line 90: @@
+  }
-== Links ==
+=== Links ===
 * [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=6301 Oolite in French] (2009) - handling diacritical signs on letters
@@ Line 95: / Line 96: @@
 =demoships.[[plist]]=
+From Oolite v.1.79 onwards this has been superseded by the quite different [[Shiplibrary.plist]] - and should no longer be used for OXPs. Demoships was used to project almost every ship in the game on the "New Commander" screen at game start. The Shiplibrary.plist replacement instead adds the ship/station ''etc'' to the ship information on the "View Ship Library" page when Oolite starts up (and to the "View ship specifications" page on the docked F4 screen).
 ==Structure==
-The file is organized as an array. Every entry consists of a string, with the name of a ship. The shipname must correspond with a key inside the [[shipdata.plist]]. It resides in the config folder inside the OXP.
+The file is organized as an array. Every entry consists of a string, with the name of a ship. The shipname must correspond with a key inside the [[Shipdata.plist]]. It resides in the config folder inside the OXP.
 Example XML:
@@ Line 116: / Line 116: @@
 Its function is to select which ships to show on the startup screen when a new commander is chosen.
 ----
 =illegal_goods.[[plist]]=
-'''Note: The commodities.plist file is no longer used from Oolite 1.82 and following.''' It has been superseded by the [[Trade-goods.plist]]
+'''Note: The commodities.plist file is no longer used from Oolite 1.82 and following.''' It has been superseded by the [[Trade-goods.plist]] (and various javascript equivalents in the shipdata.plist).
 ==Structure==
@@ Line 157: / Line 158: @@
 ----
 =oolitefont.[[plist]]=
-There is one of these in each of the [[Oolite Fonts]]. There is also one of these tucked away inside [[Deepspace Ships]] oxp v.1.20. It is mostly full of nothing but numbers and is tied in with SimonB's New-font.png hiding inside the Textures folder. <br>
+There is one of these in each of the [[Oolite Fonts]] OXPs.
-It seems to work on my AppleMac (Oolite v.1.90), replacing edgepixel's [[Font: Dangerous Square|Dangerous Square]] in my ManagedAddOns folder. ([[User:Cholmondely|Cholmondely]])
 ----
 =pirate-victim-roles.[[plist]]=
@@ Line 226: / Line 227: @@
 )    Old: You can name it "script.js" and put it into the Config folder. That's what cim did in his [[Galactic Misjump OXP]]. It's a leftover of "legacy" plist scripting, where the script had to be named "script.plist" and reside in the Config folder. This way was especially useful in the time when we had Oolite 1.65 as the official release, and a growing number of test releases. In those times you could have both a "script.plist" and a "script.js" alongside each other in the Config folder. Oolite 1.65 would use the plist script, and the later versions would ignore the plist and use the JS script instead. This functionality is not particularly useful anymore, but it still exists.<br>
 )    New: You can name it whatever you want (but perhaps not "script.js") and put it into the Script folder. Then you have to create another plist in the Config folder named "world-scripts.plist" and write the name of your script into that plist. This method has the advantage that you can have more than one worldscript in an OXP, which is of course not possible with the first method, because there can only be one file named "script.js" in a Config folder. [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=170774#p170774 Commander McLane (2012)]
 ----
 =whitelist.[[plist]]=
@@ Line 237: / Line 238: @@
 ==Use==
-The file is included with Oolite.  OXPs are restricted from using legacy features that are not included in the whitelist. As of Oolite 1.89, the file starts with the following comment:
+The file is included with the Oolite Vanilla game code.  OXPs are restricted from using legacy features that are not included in the whitelist. As of Oolite 1.89, the file starts with the following comment:
 <pre>
 /*	Methods that may be used from old-style script actions or conditions.

@@ Line 157: / Line 157: @@
 ----
 =oolitefont.[[plist]]=
-There is one of these in each of the [[Oolite Fonts]]
+There is one of these in each of the [[Oolite Fonts]]. There is also one of these tucked away inside [[Deepspace Ships]] oxp v.1.20. It is mostly full of nothing but numbers and is tied in with SimonB's New-font.png hiding inside the Textures folder. <br>
 It seems to work on my AppleMac (Oolite v.1.90), replacing edgepixel's [[Font: Dangerous Square|Dangerous Square]] in my ManagedAddOns folder. ([[User:Cholmondely|Cholmondely]])

@@ Line 132: / Line 132: @@
 ==Use==
-Better never use this as it might change the game to much.
+Better never use this as it might change the game too much.
 ----
 =info.[[plist]]=
-This does not actually seem to do anything other than give the human being reading it some information! [[Galactic Navy OXP]] has one, as do ''inter alia'' [[User:Mandoman|Mandoman]]'s many oxps.
+This does not actually seem to do anything other than give the human being (possibly AppleMacs too!) reading it some information! [[Galactic Navy OXP]] has one, as do ''inter alia'' [[User:Mandoman|Mandoman]]'s many oxps.
 ----
 =oolitefont.[[plist]]=
 There is one of these tucked away inside [[Deepspace Ships]] oxp v.1.20. It is mostly full of nothing but numbers and is tied in with SimonB's New-font.png hiding inside the Textures folder. <br>
 It seems to work on my AppleMac (Oolite v.1.90), replacing edgepixel's [[Font: Dangerous Square|Dangerous Square]] in my ManagedAddOns folder. ([[User:Cholmondely|Cholmondely]])

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:03, 28 April 2025
Line 89:		Line 89:
	}		}

		+	== Links ==
		+	* [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=6301 Oolite in French] (2009) - handling diacritical signs on letters

	----		----

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:27, 3 September 2024
Line 134:		Line 134:
	=info.[[plist]]=		=info.[[plist]]=
	This does not actually seem to do anything other than give the human being reading it some information! [[Galactic Navy OXP]] has one, as do ''inter alia'' [[User:Mandoman\|Mandoman]]'s many oxps.		This does not actually seem to do anything other than give the human being reading it some information! [[Galactic Navy OXP]] has one, as do ''inter alia'' [[User:Mandoman\|Mandoman]]'s many oxps.
		+
		+
		+	----
		+	=oolitefont.[[plist]]=
		+	There is one of these tucked away inside [[Deepspace Ships]] oxp v.1.20. It is mostly full of nothing but numbers and is tied in with SimonB's New-font.png hiding inside the Textures folder. <br>
		+	It seems to work on my AppleMac (Oolite v.1.90), replacing edgepixel's [[Font: Dangerous Square\|Dangerous Square]] in my ManagedAddOns folder. ([[User:Cholmondely\|Cholmondely]])