Add Dynamic Configuration

Overview

The Monolith configuration system provides a centralized way to manage gamemode settings with automatic client synchronization, file persistence, and admin permission controls. It supports nested configuration tables and automatic type checking.

Core Functions

Monolith.Config.Set(key, value)

Sets a configuration value. Can set entire tables or individual values.

Parameters:

• key (string): Configuration key using dot notation
• value (any): The value to set (must match default type)

Examples:

-- Set entire configuration table
Monolith.Config.Set("economy", {
    initialCash = 5000,
    paycheckInterval = 1200,
    prices = {
        fuel = 85,
        electricity = 25
    }
})

-- Set individual values
Monolith.Config.Set("economy.initialCash", 7500)
Monolith.Config.Set("economy.prices.fuel", 90)

Monolith.Config.Get(key, default)

Retrieves a configuration value with optional default fallback.

Parameters:

• key (string): Configuration key using dot notation
• default (any, optional): Default value if key doesn't exist

Returns: The configuration value or default

Examples:

-- Basic usage
local initialCash = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.initialCash")
local fuelPrice = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.prices.fuel")

-- With default value
local maxPlayers = Monolith.Config.Get("server.maxPlayers", 32)
local enableFeature = Monolith.Config.Get("features.newSystem", false)

Monolith.Config.GetAssert(key, default)

Same as Get() but throws an error if the value is nil.

Parameters:

• key (string): Configuration key
• default (any, optional): Default value

Returns: The configuration value (never nil)

Examples:

-- Will error if the key doesn't exist and no default is provided
local fuelDecay = Monolith.Config.GetAssert("economy.fuelDecay")

-- Safe with default
local repairReward = Monolith.Config.GetAssert("economy.prices.vehRepairReward", 150)

Monolith.Config.AddSetting(key, name, description, category, permission)

Registers a configuration option for the admin panel.

Parameters:

• key (string): Configuration key
• name (string): Display name in admin panel
• description (string): Description for admins
• category (string): Category grouping
• permission (string, optional): Required permission to modify

Supported Types: boolean, number

Examples:

-- Basic setting
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.initialCash", "Initial Cash", "Cash players start with", "Economy")

-- With permission requirement
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.deathFee", "Death Fee", "Percentage lost on death", "Economy", "economy.modify")

-- Categorized settings
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.prices.fuel", "Fuel Price", "Cost per fuel unit", "Economy/Prices")

Configuration File Structure

Basic Setup

Create configuration files in /gamemode/config/ directory:

-- gamemode/config/gameplay/economy.lua
Monolith.Config.Set("economy", {
    -- Basic settings
    initialCash = 5000,
    paycheckInterval = 20 * 60, -- 20 minutes
    deathFee = 0.2, -- 20% loss

    -- Nested tables
    prices = {
        fuel = 85,
        electricity = 25,
        water = 10,
        vehicle = 500
    },

    -- Server-only settings (not synced to clients)
    server = {
        databaseHost = "localhost",
        apiKey = "secret_key"
    }
})

-- Register admin settings
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.initialCash", "Initial Cash", "Starting money for new players", "Economy")
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.deathFee", "Death Fee", "Percentage of money lost on death", "Economy")
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.prices.fuel", "Fuel Price", "Cost per fuel unit", "Economy/Prices")

Server-Only Configuration

Any subtable named server will not be synchronized to clients:

Monolith.Config.Set("myModule", {
    publicSetting = "visible to clients",

    server = {
        secretKey = "only on server",
        databasePassword = "hidden from clients"
    }
})

Usage in Code

Basic Usage

-- Get configuration values
local initialCash = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.initialCash", 5000)
local fuelPrice = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.prices.fuel")

-- Use in your code
function PLAYER:GiveStartingMoney()
    local amount = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.initialCash", 5000)
    self:SetMoney(amount)
end

function CalculateFuelCost(gallons)
    local pricePerGallon = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.prices.fuel", 85)
    return gallons * pricePerGallon
end

Configuration Subscriptions

React to configuration changes in real-time:

-- Subscribe to configuration changes
Monolith.Config.Subscribe("MyModuleConfig", function(changedKey)
    -- Reload configuration-dependent variables
    myModuleEnabled = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.enabled", true)
    myModuleRate = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.updateRate", 5)

    print("Configuration updated:", changedKey)
end, { "myModule.enabled", "myModule.updateRate" })

Advanced Subscription Example

-- Vehicle system configuration subscription
local bIsDriveByAllowed = Monolith.Config.Get("general.vehicle.canDriveBy", false)
local iSpawnPrice = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.prices.vehicle", 500)

Monolith.Config.Subscribe("VehicleConfig", function(changedKey)
    bIsDriveByAllowed = Monolith.Config.Get("general.vehicle.canDriveBy", false)
    iSpawnPrice = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.prices.vehicle", 500)

    -- Update all active vehicles if needed
    if changedKey == "general.vehicle.canDriveBy" then
        UpdateAllVehicleDriveBySettings()
    end
end, { "general.vehicle.canDriveBy", "economy.prices.vehicle" })

Complete Module Example

Here's a complete example of setting up a new module with configuration:

-- gamemode/config/gameplay/my_module.lua

-- Define default configuration
Monolith.Config.Set("myModule", {
    enabled = true,
    updateInterval = 30,
    maxItems = 100,

    rewards = {
        baseAmount = 500,
        bonusMultiplier = 1.5
    },

    restrictions = {
        minimumLevel = 5,
        cooldownTime = 300
    },

    server = {
        databaseTable = "my_module_data",
        logLevel = "INFO"
    }
})

-- Register admin-configurable settings
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("myModule.enabled", "Enable Module", "Enable or disable the entire module", "My Module")
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("myModule.updateInterval", "Update Interval", "Seconds between updates", "My Module")
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("myModule.maxItems", "Max Items", "Maximum items allowed", "My Module")

Monolith.Config.AddSetting("myModule.rewards.baseAmount", "Base Reward", "Base reward amount", "My Module/Rewards")
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("myModule.rewards.bonusMultiplier", "Bonus Multiplier", "Bonus reward multiplier", "My Module/Rewards")

Monolith.Config.AddSetting("myModule.restrictions.minimumLevel", "Minimum Level", "Required level to use", "My Module/Restrictions")
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("myModule.restrictions.cooldownTime", "Cooldown Time", "Cooldown in seconds", "My Module/Restrictions")

-- gamemode/modules/my_module/sv_my_module.lua

-- Cache configuration values
local bModuleEnabled = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.enabled", true)
local iUpdateInterval = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.updateInterval", 30)
local iBaseReward = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.rewards.baseAmount", 500)

-- Subscribe to configuration changes
Monolith.Config.Subscribe("MyModuleConfig", function(changedKey)
    bModuleEnabled = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.enabled", true)
    iUpdateInterval = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.updateInterval", 30)
    iBaseReward = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.rewards.baseAmount", 500)

    -- Restart timer with new interval
    if changedKey == "myModule.updateInterval" then
        timer.Remove("MyModuleUpdate")
        if bModuleEnabled then
            timer.Create("MyModuleUpdate", iUpdateInterval, 0, MyModuleUpdate)
        end
    end
end, { "myModule.enabled", "myModule.updateInterval", "myModule.rewards.baseAmount" })

-- Use configuration in functions
function CalculateReward(player)
    if not bModuleEnabled then return 0 end

    local baseAmount = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.rewards.baseAmount", 500)
    local multiplier = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.rewards.bonusMultiplier", 1.5)

    return baseAmount * (player:GetLevel() >= 10 and multiplier or 1)
end

function CanPlayerUse(player)
    if not bModuleEnabled then return false end

    local minLevel = Monolith.Config.Get("myModule.restrictions.minimumLevel", 5)
    return player:GetLevel() >= minLevel
end

Best Practices

1. Organize Configuration Files

-- Group related settings
gamemode/config/
├── gameplay/
│   ├── economy.lua
│   ├── vehicles.lua
│   └── jobs.lua
├── technical/
│   ├── database.lua
│   └── networking.lua
└── features/
    ├── crafting.lua
    └── housing.lua

2. Use Descriptive Keys

-- Good
Monolith.Config.Set("economy.vehicle.spawnPrice", 500)
Monolith.Config.Set("jobs.police.salary", 200)

-- Avoid
Monolith.Config.Set("price1", 500)
Monolith.Config.Set("val2", 200)

3. Provide Sensible Defaults

-- Always provide defaults when getting values
local spawnPrice = Monolith.Config.Get("economy.prices.vehicle", 500)
local enabled = Monolith.Config.Get("features.newSystem", false)

4. Use Server Tables for Sensitive Data

Monolith.Config.Set("database", {
    host = "localhost", -- Synced to clients
    port = 3306,       -- Synced to clients

    server = {
        username = "root",     -- Server only
        password = "secret123" -- Server only
    }
})

5. Register Settings for Admin Control

-- Make important settings admin-configurable
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.initialCash", "Starting Money", "Money new players receive", "Economy")
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("features.pvpEnabled", "Enable PvP", "Allow player vs player combat", "Features")

Permissions

You can restrict setting modification to specific permissions:

-- Only users with "economy.modify" permission can change this
Monolith.Config.AddSetting("economy.initialCash", "Initial Cash", "Starting money", "Economy", "economy.modify")

-- Check permissions in code
if Monolith.Config.HasPermission(player, "economy.initialCash") then
    -- Player can modify this setting
end

Configuration Loading Order

1. Defaults Set: During module loading, default configurations are established
2. Saved Values Loaded: Persistent values are loaded from data/monolith/config.txt
3. Type Checking: Saved values are validated against default types
4. Client Sync: Non-server values are synchronized to all clients
5. Subscriptions Run: All configuration subscriptions are executed

This system ensures configuration consistency and provides a robust foundation for gamemode settings management.