Kit Reference

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Context: HL Kit

Overview

This section details all of the specific formats and mechanisms used within the Kit. This encompasses all of the different file formats, all the scripting contexts and transitions, required and pre-defined elements, and anything else that requires specification. Click on the various topics below to delve into the details for that facet of the Kit.

Revision History

The Authoring Kit is an evolving toolset. A detailed summary of the changes and enhancements made within each new version after the initial V3.0 release is accessible via the links below.

XML Details

Most of the basics regarding the Kit's use of XML files and their implications can be found in the section on XML Files. Additional reference details are outlined in the topics below.

Conventions Used Below

The reference section of this documentation utilizes a variety of notational conventions for presenting how things work. This includes the syntax used for data files, as well as the formats for other types of files, which are outlined in the topics below.

Tags and Tag Expressions

Tags are a fundamental building block that a wide range of mechanisms leverage through the Kit. Tags are utilized to identify and classify objects through tag expressions. The following topics delve into the various facets of using tags.

Scripting Language

The types of behaviors that exist within the realm of RPGs is limitless. As such, it's impossible for HL to anticipate everything, so the Kit provides a versatile scripting language that enables data files to adapt to virtually any game system. The scripting language has many facets that you should be familiar with, and the topics below outline the information you'll need.

Script Data Access

The majority of your scripts will focus on accessing and manipulating the data managed within HL. This will involving identifying both the structural and visual elements throughout the data hierarchy. The following topics detail the various pieces involved in data access.

IMPORTANT! Be sure you are familiar with the basics of data manipulation before reviewing this content.

Structure of Data Files

There are a number of different types of files that comprise the data files for a game system. Each of the topics below describes the structure of one of these file types.

Auto-Defined Elements

The Kit automatically defines a variety of different structural and visual elements for use in common situations. These auto-defined elements help to streamline and simplify the authoring process, and they are detailed in the topics below.

Required Elements

There are an assortment of structural and visual elements that every set of data files is required to define. By standardizing on a core set of objects, everything becomes simpler to manage for the data file author. To make the process as easy as possible, the Skeleton data files pre-define these necessary pieces, which you can leave as is or modify if you wish.

Other File Formats

In addition to the various data files, HL utilizes a few other types of files. The contents of these files is documented in the topics below.