Ostra.Autoloader

Ostra.Autoloader is a simple tool that automatically generates your loading_order.json file for Ostranauts mods. No more manual editing or guesswork!

Why use Ostra.Autoloader?

• No manual JSON editing: Mod authors can include a special Autoload.Meta.toml file in their mod folder, and Ostra.Autoloader will read it to figure out how to load the mod.
• Supports mods outside the default folder: Mods placed in other folders like BepInEx/Plugins (used by some mod managers) will be discovered automatically.
  • This means mod managers can install mods for you, finally, no more manual installing!
• Automatic dependency handling: Mods can declare dependencies on other mods, and Ostra.Autoloader will make sure those dependencies load first. This helps avoid common mistakes where mods fail because their dependencies are missing or loaded in the wrong order.

How it works

1. Scan for mods: Ostra.Autoloader looks through your Mods folder and the BepInEx/Plugins folder for any mod folders containing an Autoload.Meta.toml file.
2. Read mod info: It reads the mod's mod_info.json and Autoload.Meta.toml to gather information about the mod and its dependencies.
3. Resolve dependencies: It figures out which mods depend on others and generates a correct loading order for you.
4. Create loading_order.json: Finally, it writes out a loading_order.json file automatically, so the game knows the right order to load your mods. No more invalid json errors!

Installation

Manually (Not Recommended)

[!NOTE] There are no pre-built releases yet. Ostra.Autoloader is in pre-release so you will have to build it yourself, sorry.

• Download the Ostra.Autoloader.dll from a release and place it in your BepInEx/Plugins folder
• Place any downloaded mods that support Ostra.Autoloader under your game's Mods directory or BepInEx/Plugins for discovery

Automatically (Easy)

• Download a mod manager that supports the Ostranauts community on the Thunderstore
• Select the Ostranauts community and create a new profile
• Browse the available mods and press "Install" on any that support Ostra.Autoloader. Autoloader will be downloaded as a dependency

Available Managers

• TBA (Community is not launched yet)

Example mod folder structure

Mods/
└── MyCoolMod/
    ├── mod_info.json
    └── Autoload.Meta.toml

BepInEx/
└── Plugins/
    └── AnotherAwesomeMod/
        ├── mod_info.json
        └── Autoload.Meta.toml

Notes for mod authors

• Include an Autoload.Meta.toml file that lists dependencies and loading group or Ostra.Autoloader will skip your mod entirely
• Ostra.Autoloader will handle the rest, ensuring your mod loads after its dependencies.

See the default Autoload file for more information on how to use Autoload files

I want to use a mod that doesn't support autoload files

[!IMPORTANT] These instructions will only work for simple mods that do not have any dependencies. More complex mods should have their Autoload.Meta.toml file tailored to work by the mod's author.

First, install the mod manually to your Mods folder like normal.

Then, try placing the default Autoload file in the mod's directory next to the mod_info.json file. If the mod doesn't depend on FFU, you should be set and it should just load correctly. If the mod depends on FFU, you should change the LoadGroup in the Autoload file to AfterFFU.

Troubleshooting / Common Problems

• If your mod isn't loading, check the log file (BepInEx/LogOutput.txt) in your profile for warnings about missing dependencies or malformed meta files.
• Ensure the Autoload meta file is properly formatted
• Ensure the Autoload meta file is named exactly Autoload.Meta.toml

License

This project is licensed under the GNU Public License Version 3, see License for more information

Contact

For questions or support, please join the Blue Bottle Games discord and contact the mod author, Robyn, or open an issue in the github repository

Enjoy hassle-free mod loading with Ostra.Autoloader!

Changelog

For the full changelog please read the project's commit history

Version 0.1.10

• Will now fail gracefully if the user provided mod string doesn't exist

Version 0.1.9

• Will now fail gracefully if the user provided mod string is not properly formatted

Version 0.1.8

• Adds the ability to define soft dependencies in a mod's Autoload.Meta.toml file. This is fully backwards compatible and will not break existing meta files
• Adds a config file to handle a few settings
  • BackupNeeded: Managed automatically by Autoloader to determine if it needs to backup the existing load_order.json file. Will backup your load order the first time it runs if a backup doesn't already exist.
  • UninstallMode: Will clean up all changes made to the game and restore the backed up load_order.json file if it can. Once this flag is set Autoloader will no longer function until it is unset. Set this flag then run the game again prior to removal to ensure a completely clean uninstall process.

Version 0.1.7

• Now respects the user defined mods directory
• Stores mods as fully qualified paths in the load_order.json file
• No longer uses Path.Combine patch for slight performance improvement during loading
• Outputs loaded mod names to game console

Version 0.1.6

• Modified Dependencies in TS package

Version 0.1.5

• Added output for mod loading order

Version 0.1.4

• Uses TOML files for Autoload discovery rather than text

Version 0.1.3

Initial Thunderstore Release!