Add-ons/Documentation guide
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Add-on documentation guide
This guide helps add-on authors and wiki editors build useful documentation beneath Add-ons. The public Community Addons catalog remains the place to install and update packages; SotAwiki is the place for durable instructions, examples, configuration notes, and troubleshooting.
Choose the scope
Use Add-ons/<catalog name> for the overview. Record the catalog package ID and the exact version being documented. If the developer's repository is ahead of the approved catalog version, describe the catalog release on the overview and label newer material clearly.
A compact add-on may fit on one page. For a larger project, keep the overview approachable and move task-oriented help to subpages. Common choices are:
| Subpage | Useful content |
|---|---|
/Using <feature>
|
The normal player workflow, controls, and small examples |
/Commands
|
Exact command syntax, arguments, and limitations |
/Configuration and troubleshooting
|
Settings, saved data, recovery steps, and known limits |
/Integration or /Point libraries
|
Stable interfaces intended for other add-on authors |
Toolbox and POIS are worked examples of this overview-and-subpages pattern.
Overview-page starter
Copy this skeleton and replace every placeholder. Omit an infobox field only when it genuinely does not apply.
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Add-on name}}
{{Infobox Lua addon
|name=Add-on name
|package=catalog-package-id
|author=Author name
|version=1.0.0
|updated=Month D, YYYY
|minapi=API version
|type=Short description
|dependencies=None
|network=None
|catalog=[https://addons.catnipgames.net/p/package-id View listing]
|support=[https://example.invalid Support]
}}
'''Add-on name''' is a player-created [[Add-ons|Lua add-on]] that ...
==Getting started==
# Install the add-on through <code>/addons</code>.
# Enable '''Run''' for the add-on and each dependency.
# Explain the first useful action.
==Documentation==
{| class="wikitable"
! Page
! Covers
|-
| [[Add-ons/Add-on name/Commands|Commands]]
| Chat commands and examples
|}
==References==
<references />
==See also==
* [[Add-ons]]
[[Category:User Interface]]
Infobox and safety notes
| Package ID | example-slug
|
|---|---|
| Author | Example Author |
| Version | 1.2.3 |
| Updated | October 13, 2026 |
| Minimum API | 14 |
| Type | Example utility |
| Dependencies | None |
| Network access | None |
| Catalog | Catalog link |
| Support | Support link |
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
package
|
The stable slug from manifest.json, not a guessed abbreviation
|
version, updated, minapi
|
The approved catalog release and its manifest metadata |
dependencies
|
Every required package, preferably linked to its SotAwiki page |
network
|
None when no Internet permission is requested; otherwise name the declared hosts and explain why they are contacted
|
Explain optional permissions in ordinary language. Distinguish data stored on the player's computer from data sent over the network, and never promise more privacy or security than the manifest and code support. Add-ons install disabled by default, so setup instructions should mention enabling the add-on and its dependencies.[1]
Research and version discipline
Use the catalog entry and downloadable approved package as the completeness baseline. The manifest establishes identity, version, API requirement, dependencies, permissions, and file order; the source establishes actual behavior. A repository README, forum post, or in-add-on help can explain intent, but check it against the shipped release.
For behavior that can change, say which version was reviewed. Avoid volatile install counts unless they are essential. Do not copy long source comments or help text: turn them into task-oriented instructions and cite the official source or support page. The API reference is the source of truth for game functions.[1]
Publishing checklist
- Preview the page and test every internal and external link.
- Confirm the title, package ID, version, update date, minimum API, dependencies, and permissions against the approved package.
- Make the first useful action easy to find.
- Document limits and destructive actions, especially deletes, resets, imports, and overwrites.
- Keep commands in
<code>and use MediaWiki tables and links rather than Markdown. - Add the overview to Add-ons; link every subpage from the overview and back to it.
- Add
{{Lua add-on navigation}}to the overview and every documentation subpage, using the samenameandoverviewvalues throughout. - Recheck the page when a new catalog version is approved.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Catnip Games: Lua add-on authoring guide, retrieved October 13, 2026.