Jensvandewiel Arkascendedservermanager Arkascendedservermanager

Step by step guide

1. Dissect user request

The user will give you, or ini settings like AllowHitMarkers check if it exists in ArkServerOptions.csv and check if compatible with ASA by checking the inASA column, if No, tell user its not compatible, if Unknown warn user in chat but continue.

2. Find config option location

Check ArkServerOptions.csv for the given option, and check the location.

• For GameUserSettings.ini: core/src/main/kotlin/ini/GameUserSettings.kt
• For Game.ini: core/src/main/kotlin/ini/Game.kt
• For Command line options that are booleans: core/src/main/kotlin/server/Settings.kt > Options
• For Command line options that are other types: core/src/main/kotlin/server/Settings.kt > Administration

3. Add config option

Add the option to the selected file, derive attribute usage for correct setup also get default value from ArkServerOptions.csv also add @Unsure annotation if in the csv inASA is Unknown

Important Data Type and Unit Considerations:

• If an option in ArkServerOptions.csv represents a time value (like seconds), and the user requests it to be displayed in minutes, ALWAYS store the underlying value in the configuration model (Game.kt/GameUserSettings.kt) as an Int to avoid floating point precision issues when calculating and saving.
• For floating point values (multipliers, generic percentages), use Float.
• Perform the conversion (e.g., value / 60 and newval * 60) strictly within the UI layer (ui/src/main/kotlin/features/server/ files).

4. Add validaion

If the info tells about certain limits or its required etc add validation functions, make sure to update the main validation function of the section when adding field validation.

5. Select field type

Find the best fitting field in ui/src/main/kotlin/components/FormField.kt

Form Field Index & Selection Guide:

• GroupHeader: Used to create a visual header/title for a section of related settings.

  GroupHeader(stringResource(Res.string.server_details_rules_tab))
  

• CheckboxSectionHeader: Similar to GroupHeader but includes a toggleable checkbox to enable/disable the entire section.

  CheckboxSectionHeader(
      checked = tributeDownloadsEnabled,
      ... },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_enable_tribute_downloads_label),
  )
  

• FormCheckboxField: Use for standard Boolean settings.

  FormCheckboxField(
      gameUserSettings.serverSettings.serverHardcore,
      newval -> ... },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_rules_enable_hardcore_mode_label),
      hint = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_rules_enable_hardcore_mode_hint)
  )
  

• FormSliderField: For Int values. Provides a slider with an optional manual text input.

  FormSliderField(
      value = game.shooterGameMode.maxNumberOfPlayersInTribe,
      newval -> ... },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_rules_max_players_in_tribe_label),
      valueRange = 0..100,
      showManualInput = true,
      allowOutsideRange = true,
      labelPosition = LabelPosition.Above
  )
  

• FormFloatSliderField: For Float values (multipliers, percentages).

  FormFloatSliderField(
      value = game.shooterGameMode.customRecipeEffectivenessMultiplier,
      newval -> ... },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_rules_custom_recipe_effectiveness_multiplier_label),
      valueRange = 0.1f..5.0f,
      showManualInput = true,
      allowOutsideRange = true,
      labelPosition = LabelPosition.Above
  )
  

• FormTextField: For standard String inputs.

  FormTextField(
      value = serverName,
      newval -> ... },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_server_name_label),
  )
  

• FormNullableTextField: For String? inputs where an empty string is treated as null.
• FormOptionalTextField: For String? inputs that are enabled with a checkbox.
• FormOptionalSliderField: For Int? inputs enabled with a checkbox.
• FormToggleableNullableTextField: For a string field whose enabled state is controlled by a separate boolean.
• FormTextarea: For multiline String inputs.

  FormTextarea(
      value = motd,
      newval -> ... },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_motd_message_label),
  )
  

• FormPathField: For directory or file path selection.

  FormPathField(
      value = installationPath,
      newval -> ... },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_installation_path_label),
  )
  

• FormSelectField: For dropdown selection from a list.

  FormSelectField(
      value = selectedMap,
      newval -> ... },
      options = availableMaps,
      optionLabel = { it.displayName },
      label = stringResource(Res.string.server_details_map_label),
  )
  

Layout Positioning: Do not place new full-width horizontal sliders or text fields inside the 3-column grid structure used for checkboxes. Put them underneath or above the columns so they span the entire width.

6. Place the field in the designated spot

The user will tell where to place it based on a tab and sometimes a section these files are at the ui/src/main/kotlin/features/server dir.

Add the field here, derive implementation details from the tab/section files to know how to implement it.

Conditional Rendering: If an option requires another option to be enabled/disabled, use the enabled = ... property on the FormField instead of completely hiding the field with an if block, unless specified otherwise. Invert labels intuitively if a setting is negative (e.g., PreventDiseases -> "Enable Diseases", enabled = !preventDiseases).

7. Add label and hint

Add the label and hint based of ArkServerOptions.csv or user input, localize this using ui/src/main/composeResources/values directory xml files.

Hint Consistency: Always modify the hint strings to align with how the manager handles the input. For example, if Ark expects seconds but the manager UI takes minutes, change the hint to say "(minutes)" and update any examples in the hint text to reflect minutes rather than seconds.

8. Update CSV Tracker

When an option is fully implemented, you must modify ArkServerOptions.csv. Change the "implemented" column (the last column, after type) to Yes. If the implemented column does not exist yet at the end of the file, you must add it. If the option was completely missing from the CSV, append a new line for it with the appropriate details, ensuring implemented is set to Yes.

9. Summarize

Give all implemented options, labels, hints defaults in a ordered list

Source: JensvandeWiel/ArkAscendedServerManager — distributed by TomeVault.