Packaging Mod Files

Packaging and Unpacking Mod Workspaces

The Multitool is not limited to unpacking the game files. While it's commonly used for Packaging mods, the Multitool can also unpack existing mod .pak files. What's more, both packaging a mod and unpacking a mod use the same general workflow. You'll notice the big blue section in the Multitool's UI:

This is fairly self-explanatory, but let's break down what to do for the two use cases of this feature.

Special Note!

The Drag'n'drop box will not work if the application is run as an administrator. Alternate methods are detailed in their respective sections below.

Packaging Mod Files

So, you've built your mod, and you're ready to start testing it, or maybe you're sure it will work and you want to release it right away. The Modder's Multitool's here to help. You can easily package your mod in a few easy steps:

1. Find your Mod's Workspace Folder - the folder that contains the Localization, Mods, and Public folders - in your file manager.
   • Ensure that only the files you want packed are included (no .git directory, etc)
   • Ensure that the file structure is clean; the auto-conversion will not work if a matching example.lsf file is found near example.lsf.lsx
2. Drag the Folder over the Drop mod workspace folder or a mod .pak here section of the Multitool.
   • If you have a permissions issue, you can also click the box to open a folder selection window
3. Wait for it to finish packaging your mod.

You'll have a freshly-created "ModName.zip" file in the same directory as your folder. This is your mod, now playable and release-ready (as long at the mod is set up correctly, at least).

Auto-Generating Meta.lsx

If your Mod's Workspace folder doesn't contain a meta.lsx file under Mods/ModName/, don't worry! You won't have to create this from scratch, as the above process will prompt you to fill out your Author Name and a description of the mod, while the Multitool does the rest of the work.

After filling out those fields and hitting Confirm, a new meta.lsx file will be generated in the mod Workspace folder you provided to the Multitool, and will also be packaged into your mod.

Unpacking Mods

Not quite finished with your mod, and want to look at existing mods for examples on how to handle certain situations? Or maybe you need to unpack a previous version of your mod to root out the cause of a bug, or you're just curious. Whatever your reasons, the Multitool allows you unpack the files held in a mod's .pak file. Just like with Packaging, this only takes a few simple steps:

1. Find the .pak file you want to unpack.
2. Drag it onto the Drop mod workspace folder or a mod .pak here section of the Multitool.
   • If you have permissions issues, paks can also be selected by clicking Utilities -> Unpack mod(s)
3. Wait for the mod to Unpack.

You'll notice a new folder created in your Multitool folder: UnpackedMods. If you enter this folder, you'll see a Workspace folder of the unpacked mod, which you can enter into and look through.

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