LuaAPI

[edit]Lua Functions

wesnoth wesnoth.as_text wesnoth.colors wesnoth.compile_formula wesnoth.current wesnoth.current_version wesnoth.custom_synced_commands wesnoth.deprecate_api wesnoth.deprecated_message wesnoth.dofile wesnoth.effects wesnoth.eval_formula wesnoth.game_config wesnoth.get_language wesnoth.log wesnoth.micro_ais wesnoth.ms_since_init wesnoth.name_generator wesnoth.named_tuple wesnoth.persistent_tags wesnoth.print_attributes wesnoth.races wesnoth.require wesnoth.scenario wesnoth.simulate_combat wesnoth.terrain_types wesnoth.textdomain wesnoth.type wesnoth.unit_types wesnoth.version wesnoth.wml_actions wesnoth.wml_conditionals

wesnoth.achievements wesnoth.achievements.get wesnoth.achievements.has wesnoth.achievements.has_sub_achievement wesnoth.achievements.progress wesnoth.achievements.set wesnoth.achievements.set_sub_achievement

wesnoth.audio wesnoth.audio.music_list wesnoth.audio.music_list.add wesnoth.audio.music_list.all wesnoth.audio.music_list.clear wesnoth.audio.music_list.current wesnoth.audio.music_list.next wesnoth.audio.music_list.play wesnoth.audio.music_list.previous wesnoth.audio.music_list.remove wesnoth.audio.music_list.volume wesnoth.audio.play wesnoth.audio.sources wesnoth.audio.volume

wesnoth.game_events wesnoth.game_events.add wesnoth.game_events.add_menu wesnoth.game_events.add_repeating wesnoth.game_events.add_wml wesnoth.game_events.fire wesnoth.game_events.fire_by_id wesnoth.game_events.on_event wesnoth.game_events.on_load wesnoth.game_events.on_mouse_action wesnoth.game_events.on_mouse_button wesnoth.game_events.on_mouse_move wesnoth.game_events.on_save wesnoth.game_events.remove

wesnoth.interface wesnoth.interface.add_chat_message wesnoth.interface.add_hex_overlay wesnoth.interface.add_item_halo wesnoth.interface.add_item_image wesnoth.interface.add_overlay_text wesnoth.interface.allow_end_turn wesnoth.interface.clear_chat_messages wesnoth.interface.color_adjust wesnoth.interface.delay wesnoth.interface.deselect_hex wesnoth.interface.end_turn wesnoth.interface.float_label wesnoth.interface.get_displayed_unit wesnoth.interface.get_hovered_hex wesnoth.interface.get_items wesnoth.interface.get_selected_hex wesnoth.interface.get_viewing_side wesnoth.interface.handle_user_interact wesnoth.interface.highlight_hex wesnoth.interface.is_locked wesnoth.interface.is_skipping_messages wesnoth.interface.lock wesnoth.interface.remove_hex_overlay wesnoth.interface.remove_item wesnoth.interface.scroll wesnoth.interface.scroll_to_hex wesnoth.interface.select_unit wesnoth.interface.skip_messages wesnoth.interface.zoom

wesnoth.map wesnoth.map.add_label wesnoth.map.are_hexes_adjacent wesnoth.map.create wesnoth.map.distance_between wesnoth.map.find wesnoth.map.generate wesnoth.map.generate_height_map wesnoth.map.get wesnoth.map.get_adjacent_hexes wesnoth.map.get_area wesnoth.map.get_direction wesnoth.map.get_hexes_in_radius wesnoth.map.get_label wesnoth.map.get_owner wesnoth.map.get_relative_dir wesnoth.map.iter wesnoth.map.make_bitmap wesnoth.map.matches wesnoth.map.on_board wesnoth.map.on_border wesnoth.map.parse_bitmap wesnoth.map.place_area wesnoth.map.read_location wesnoth.map.remove_area wesnoth.map.remove_label wesnoth.map.rotate_right_around_center wesnoth.map.set_owner wesnoth.map.split_terrain_code wesnoth.map.terrain_mask

wesnoth.paths wesnoth.paths.find_cost_map wesnoth.paths.find_path wesnoth.paths.find_reach wesnoth.paths.find_vacant_hex wesnoth.paths.find_vision_range

wesnoth.schedule wesnoth.schedule.get_illumination wesnoth.schedule.get_time_of_day wesnoth.schedule.replace

wesnoth.sides wesnoth.sides.add_ai_component wesnoth.sides.append_ai wesnoth.sides.change_ai_component wesnoth.sides.create wesnoth.sides.debug_ai wesnoth.sides.delete_ai_component wesnoth.sides.find wesnoth.sides.get wesnoth.sides.is_enemy wesnoth.sides.is_fogged wesnoth.sides.is_shrouded wesnoth.sides.iter wesnoth.sides.matches wesnoth.sides.override_shroud wesnoth.sides.place_fog wesnoth.sides.place_shroud wesnoth.sides.remove_fog wesnoth.sides.remove_shroud wesnoth.sides.set_id wesnoth.sides.switch_ai

wesnoth.sync wesnoth.sync.evaluate_multiple wesnoth.sync.evaluate_single wesnoth.sync.invoke_command wesnoth.sync.run_unsynced

wesnoth.units wesnoth.unit.resistance_against wesnoth.units.ability wesnoth.units.add_modification wesnoth.units.advance wesnoth.units.chance_to_be_hit wesnoth.units.clone wesnoth.units.create wesnoth.units.create_animator wesnoth.units.defense_on wesnoth.units.erase wesnoth.units.extract wesnoth.units.find wesnoth.units.find_attack wesnoth.units.find_on_map wesnoth.units.find_on_recall wesnoth.units.get wesnoth.units.get_hovered wesnoth.units.jamming_on wesnoth.units.matches wesnoth.units.movement_on wesnoth.units.remove_modifications wesnoth.units.scroll_to wesnoth.units.select wesnoth.units.to_map wesnoth.units.to_recall wesnoth.units.transform wesnoth.units.vision_on

ai ai.aspects ai.attack ai.check_attack ai.check_move ai.check_recall ai.check_recruit ai.check_stopunit ai.fallback_human ai.get_attacks ai.get_targets ai.move ai.move_full ai.read_only ai.recall ai.recruit ai.side ai.stopunit_all ai.stopunit_attacks ai.stopunit_moves ai.suitable_keep

filesystem filesystem.canonical_path filesystem.have_asset filesystem.have_file filesystem.image_size filesystem.read_file filesystem.resolve_asset

functional functional.choose functional.choose_map functional.filter functional.filter_map functional.find functional.find_map functional.map functional.map_array functional.reduce functional.take_while functional.zip

gui gui.add_widget_definition gui.get_user_choice gui.show_dialog gui.show_help gui.show_inspector gui.show_lua_console gui.show_menu gui.show_narration gui.show_popup gui.show_prompt gui.show_story gui.widget

location_set location_set.clear location_set.clone location_set.create location_set.diff location_set.empty location_set.filter location_set.get location_set.insert location_set.inter location_set.inter_merge location_set.invert location_set.iter location_set.of_map location_set.of_pairs location_set.of_raw location_set.of_shroud_data location_set.of_triples location_set.of_wml_var location_set.random location_set.remove location_set.size location_set.stable_iter location_set.symm location_set.to_map location_set.to_pairs location_set.to_shroud_data location_set.to_stable_pairs location_set.to_triples location_set.to_wml_var location_set.union location_set.union_merge

mathx mathx.clamp mathx.lerp mathx.random mathx.random_choice mathx.round mathx.shuffle

stringx stringx.anim_split stringx.escaped_split stringx.format_conjunct_list stringx.format_disjunct_list stringx.iter_range stringx.iter_ranges stringx.join stringx.join_map stringx.map_split stringx.parenthetical_split stringx.parse_range stringx.quoted_split stringx.split stringx.trim stringx.vformat

unit_test unit_test.assert unit_test.assert_approx_equal unit_test.assert_contains unit_test.assert_equal unit_test.assert_greater unit_test.assert_greater_equal unit_test.assert_in_range unit_test.assert_less unit_test.assert_less_equal unit_test.assert_not_equal unit_test.assert_nothrow unit_test.assert_throws unit_test.assert_throws_with unit_test.fail unit_test.finish unit_test.fire_wml_menu_item unit_test.log unit_test.succeed unit_test.tostring

wml wml.all_variables wml.array_access.get wml.array_access.get_proxy wml.array_access.set wml.array_variables wml.attribute_count wml.child_array wml.child_count wml.child_range wml.clone wml.diff wml.equal wml.error wml.eval_conditional wml.find_child wml.fire wml.get_child wml.get_nth_child wml.interpolate wml.literal wml.load wml.matches_filter wml.merge wml.parse wml.parsed wml.patch wml.remove_child wml.remove_children wml.shallow_literal wml.shallow_parsed wml.tag wml.tostring wml.tovconfig wml.valid wml.variables wml.variables_proxy

wml-utils utils.check_key utils.get_sides utils.handle_event_commands utils.optional_side_filter utils.scoped_var utils.set_exiting utils.vwriter

All Lua API functionality is available in one of several global module tables, as well as some global functions which form the basic Lua API. Wesnoth uses Lua 5.4 which is documented in detail on the Lua website.

This page documents the modules, functions, and other APIs available for use when writing Lua for Wesnoth. For information on how to tell the engine about your Lua code, see LuaWML.

Conventions used in this manual

On this page and any page linked from it, variable values will be shown in italic type, while literal names will be shown in bold type. Variable values may be parameters, self values, indexes, or field names on a table. Return values will be indicated by a right arrow (→) followed by a list of names in italics. The arrow will be omitted for a function that returns nothing. Optional portions will be enclosed in square brackets. The commas for optional parameters will not be included in the brackets, even though they must be omitted if the optional parameter is omitted.

Functions

For example, the following line would be seen in the documentation of a function that returns two values and has an optional parameter:

• wesnoth.some_function(some_parameter, [some_optional_parameter]) → first_return_value, second_return_value

Methods

The following example documents a function that can be called as a method on a some_value, taking one additional parameter and returning one value.

• some_value:some_method(some_parameter) → some_new_value

Variadic Functions

Functions that take a variable number of parameters or return a variable number of values where the specific meaning of the parameters is unspecified will use the string "..." to indicate this. For example:

• wesnoth.variadic_function(required_param, [...])
• wesnoth.get_several_values(param) → ...

The first of these takes a variable number of parameters, but requires at least one parameter. The second takes one parameter and returns a variable number of values.

Member Variables

Not all documented APIs are functions. When documenting userdata types, as well as some complex tables returned by API functions, the following syntax is used for member variables. The right arrow may be replaced with a left arrow (←) if it is write-only, or a double-ended arrow (↔) if it is read-write. Read-only members may return multiple values. The following examples document a read-write member, a read-only member that returns two values, and a write-only member respectively.

• some_value.some_member ↔ result
• some_value.read_only_member → first_result, second_result
• some_value.write_only_member ← input

Operators

Custom types in Lua can overload operators with new functionality. Some examples of how these would be documented:

• #wesnoth.list_like_object → number of somethings
• wesnoth.list_like_object[index] ↔ a something definition table
• comparable_value == comparable_value → whether they are equal
• operable_value + operable_value → result

The first example documents that you can get the length of that object. The same format would be used for other unary operators as well.

The second example documents that you can index the object with arbitrary values. Whether the index needs to be a number would usually be mentioned in the detailed description, although the placeholder name may also make it clear. This example could also use a single-directional arrow to indicate that it is read-only or write-only.

The third example documents that you can compare two values of that type with the equality operator, and the fourth example documents that you can add two values of that type together with the addition operator.

Iterators

For functions that return an iterator, a double arrow indicates the values yielded when you use the iterator in a for loop. The following example documents a function returning an iterator that yields three values.

• wesnoth.some_function() → iterator ⇒ a, b, c

Hooks

Some parts of the API are so-called hooks, meaning that you define a function in a special location and it has some effect on the game. The following example documents a hook which takes one parameter and returns a value. Usually the double-ended arrow is used for hooks, but some may be write-only.

• wesnoth.some_table.name ↔ function(parameter) → expected return value

Context Specifiers

Many functions and variables are only available in certain contexts. Currently, there are three possible contexts - plugins, map generators, and the game. Most Lua will run in the game kernel. If a function is only available in certain contexts, that will be indicated with an icon at the beginning of the definition. For example:

• ♟ wesnoth.game_exclusive_function(parameter) → result

The possible icons are:

• ♟ Available in the game context. Most Lua in Wesnoth runs in the game context, which is initialized when a game begins and destroyed upon victory or loss.
• ⌖ Available in the map generation context. This context is created at the game creation screen, generally to generate a map for a scenario.
• 🔌 Available in the plugins context. There is only one plugins context, which is initialized when Wesnoth launches and remains valid until it shuts down. A plugin is a Lua script loaded via the command-line option --plugin that runs as a coroutine in parallel with the game UI. It can automatically connect to a server and host or join a game. This API is documented at LuaPluginAPI.

Built-in Modules

The following built-in Lua modules are available:

• basic — except dofile, require, and loadfile; also note that print redirects to the Lua console interface rather than standard output; you can use std_print if you need the default Lua behavior.
• coroutine
• string
• utf8
• table
• math — note that math.random is unsafe for MP usage; wesnoth provides a separate MP-safe random function
• os — only the clock, date, time, and difftime functions are available (but keep in mind that they are not MP safe)
• debug — only the traceback function is available

Wesnoth Modules

Wesnoth also provides several modules of its own, some of which are loaded by default while others require you to load them as needed. Note: APIs named wesnoth.something, for example wesnoth.scenario, might be part of Core and not a separate module.

• wesnoth (Core) - The wesnoth module contains most of the core Wesnoth API. It is always loaded and available.
  • wesnoth.interface (Game Interface) - (Version 1.15.0 and later only) The interface submodule contains functions for querying or manipulating the in-game UI.
  • wesnoth.units (Units) - (Version 1.15.0 and later only) The units submodule contains functions for manipulating units on the map or recall list.
  • wesnoth.schedule (Schedule) - (Version 1.15.14 and later only) The schedule submodule contains functions for manipulating the time of day schedule in the scenario.
  • wesnoth.sides (Sides) - (Version 1.15.3 and later only) The sides submodule contains functions for manipulating sides in the scenario.
  • wesnoth.sync (Synchronization) - (Version 1.15.3 and later only) The sync submodule contains functions for keeping multiplayer games synchronized.
  • wesnoth.map (Game Map) - (Version 1.15.11 and later only) The map submodule contains functions for querying and manipulating the game map.
  • wesnoth.audio (Audio) - (Version 1.15.13 and later only) The audio submodule contains functions for playing music and sound effects.
  • wesnoth.paths (Pathfinding) - (Version 1.15.14 and later only) The paths submodule contains functions related to pathfinding.
  • wesnoth.game_events (Event Handling) - The game_events submodule contains functions and hooks related to event handling.
  • wesnoth.achievements (Achievements Support) - (Version 1.17.13 and later only) The achievements submodule contains functions for checking and setting achievements.
• gui (User Interface) - (Version 1.15.0 and later only) The gui module contains routines for showing dialogs on the screen. It does not contain anything for manipulating the in-game UI, however.
  • gui.widget (GUI Widget Support) - (Version 1.15.6 and later only) The widget submodule contains routines for operating on dialog widgets. Since they take a widget reference an argument, they can only be called while a dialog is onscreen.
• wml (WML Tables) - The wml module contains functions for working with WML tables.
• location_set (Location Sets) - A module for working with sets of locations, optionally associating data to each location. Not loaded by default.
• functional - Higher-order functions module. Not loaded by default.
• stringx - Additional string support functions, to augment the built-in string module.
• mathx - (Version 1.15.13 and later only) Additional math and randomization support functions, to augment the built-in math module.
• filesystem - (Version 1.15.13 and later only) Functions that allow read-only access to arbitrary files in the data folder.
• ai - Functions that instruct the AI on how to move.
• wml-utils - Useful functions for implementing custom WML tags.
• unit_test - Functions that can be used to write unit tests; only available in [test] scenarios.

Wesnoth Types

Wesnoth defines a large number of userdata types, some of which are quite common and complex. Most of them are documented alongside the function that creates them, but some of the most common or complex ones are listed below.

• translatable strings - a string that will be translated by the engine.
• vconfig - a WML object that automatically substitutes variables on the fly.
• unit - represents a reference to Wesnoth unit on the map, on the recall list, or private to Lua.
• weapon - represents a unit's weapon.
• race - represents a unit's race.
• unit type - represents a unit's type.
• side - represents a single side (player) in the game.
• widget - represents a GUI2 widget.
• map - represents the game map.
• hex - represents a single hex on the map.

See Also

• LuaAPI/UpdatingFrom14
• LuaAPI/old - The reference for the 1.14 Lua API, which may be useful if porting older add-ons