Workstations

workstationsv1updated 5h ago

Workstations

Part of the 7DTD Modding Knowledgebase. Covers Workstation block configuration — block properties, XUi window setup, modules, and tool slots.

Overview

Workstations are interactive blocks that open a crafting/storage UI when the player presses E. The game has several workstation block classes (Workstation, Forge, Campfire) that all use TileEntityWorkstation and the XUiC_WorkstationWindowGroup controller.

Block Definition

<block name="myWorkstation">
    <property name="Class" value="Workstation"/>
    <property class="Workstation">
        <property name="Modules" value="tools,output"/>
        <property name="CraftingAreaRecipes" value="myWorkstation"/>
        <property name="ToolNames" value="1"/>
    </property>
    <property name="WorkstationIcon" value="ui_game_symbol_wrench"/>
    <property name="Shape" value="New"/>
    <property name="Model" value="@:Shapes/Cube_A.fbx"/>
    <property name="OpenSound" value="UseActions/open_safe"/>
    <property name="CloseSound" value="UseActions/close_safe"/>
</block>

Workstation Sub-Properties (`<property class="Workstation">`)

Property	Required	Description
`Modules`	Yes	Comma-separated list of module types (see below)
`CraftingAreaRecipes`	Yes	Comma-separated recipe area names. Recipes with matching `craft_area` appear in the crafting list. Use a non-existent name (e.g., your block name) to have an empty crafting list.
`ToolNames`	For `tools` module	Comma-separated slot identifiers (e.g., `"1"` or `"1,2,3"`). These are slot IDs, not item names.
`InputMaterials`	For `material_input` module	Comma-separated material names (forge only)

Module Types

Module	Purpose	Associated Window
`tools`	Tool/item slots (e.g., forge molds, anvil)	Custom tool window with `WorkstationToolGrid` controller
`output`	Output slot grid for crafted items	`windowOutput`
`fuel`	Fuel slot for burnable items	`windowFuel`
`input`	Generic input slots	Standard input window
`material_input`	Smeltable material input (forge)	`windowForgeInput`

Important: CraftingAreaRecipes appears to be required for BlockWorkstation to function. Without it, the E interaction may fail silently.

Vanilla Workstation Examples

Workbench (simplest)

<property name="Class" value="Workstation"/>
<property class="Workstation">
    <property name="Modules" value="output"/>
    <property name="CraftingAreaRecipes" value="player,workbench"/>
</property>

Forge (tools + fuel + materials)

<property name="Class" value="Forge"/>
<property class="Workstation">
    <property name="CraftingAreaRecipes" value="forge"/>
    <property name="Modules" value="tools,output,fuel,material_input"/>
    <property name="InputMaterials" value="iron,brass,lead,glass,stone,clay"/>
    <property name="ToolNames" value="1,2,3"/>
</property>

Campfire

<property name="Class" value="Campfire"/>
<property class="Workstation">
    <property name="Modules" value="tools,output,fuel,input"/>
</property>

XUi Window Group

Every workstation needs a window group in Config/XUi/xui.xml named workstation_{blockName}:

<configs>
    <append xpath="/xui/ruleset[@name='default']">
        <window_group name="workstation_myWorkstation"
                      controller="XUiC_WorkstationWindowGroup"
                      open_backpack_on_open="true"
                      close_compass_on_open="true">
            <window name="windowCraftingList"/>
            <window name="craftingInfoPanel"/>
            <window name="windowCraftingQueue"/>
            <window name="windowMyTools"/>    <!-- custom tool window -->
            <window name="windowOutput"/>
            <window name="windowNonPagingHeader"/>
        </window_group>
    </append>
</configs>

Critical: The xpath must be /xui/ruleset[@name='default'], NOT /xui. Window groups live inside the ruleset element. Using the wrong xpath causes Window 'workstation_X' not found in XUI.

Required Windows

The XUiC_WorkstationWindowGroup controller expects these standard windows to exist in the group:

Window	Purpose
`windowCraftingList`	Recipe list (vanilla, required — see warning below)
`craftingInfoPanel`	Recipe detail panel (vanilla, replaceable with custom window)
`windowCraftingQueue`	Active crafting queue (vanilla, required — see warning below)
`windowOutput`	Output grid (vanilla, include if `output` module used)
`windowFuel`	Fuel slot (vanilla, include if `fuel` module used)
`windowNonPagingHeader`	Header bar (vanilla, always include)

WARNING: windowCraftingList and windowCraftingQueue cannot be removed. XUiC_WorkstationWindowGroup inherits from XUiC_CraftingWindowGroup, whose Init() expects these windows and throws NullReferenceException if they are missing. The window group fails to initialize and becomes unavailable, producing Window 'workstation_X' not found in XUI! at runtime.

WARNING: Empty recipe lists crash. If CraftingAreaRecipes names an area with no matching recipes, XUiC_RecipeList.ClearSelection() throws NullReferenceException during both OnOpen and OnClose. The recipe list's set_SelectedEntry property assumes internal state is initialized, which it isn't when there are zero recipe entries. Workaround: Add Harmony Finalizer patches on XUiC_RecipeList.OnOpen and XUiC_RecipeList.OnClose to suppress NullReferenceException:
[HarmonyPatch(typeof(XUiC_RecipeList), "OnOpen")]
public class RecipeListOnOpenPatch
{
    static Exception Finalizer(Exception __exception)
    {
        if (__exception is NullReferenceException) return null;
        return __exception;
    }
}
Apply the same pattern for OnClose. See Harmony Patching — Finalizer.

You can replace craftingInfoPanel with a custom window. The controller does not require it by name.

Replacing Default Panels with Custom Windows

For workstations that don't use crafting (e.g., a cartridge slot or single-purpose UI), the default craftingInfoPanel shows a useless "Inspect" help screen. Replace it with a custom static info window:

Define a custom window in Config/XUi/windows.xml:

<window name="windowMyInfo" width="530" height="420" panel="Center" cursor_area="true">
    <panel style="header.panel">
        <sprite style="header.icon" sprite="ui_game_symbol_wrench"/>
        <label style="header.name" text="My Custom Title" text_key="xuiMyTitle"/>
    </panel>
    <rect depth="0" pos="0,-46" height="374">
        <sprite depth="-2" pos="0,0" height="374" width="530"
                color="128,128,128,255" sprite="menu_empty" type="sliced"/>
        <label pos="16,-16" width="498" height="342" depth="1"
               text="Line one\nLine two\nLine three"
               font_size="24" color="220,220,220,255" justify="left" overflow="ClampContent"/>
    </rect>
</window>

Reference it in the window group instead of craftingInfoPanel:

<window_group name="workstation_myBlock" controller="XUiC_WorkstationWindowGroup"
              open_backpack_on_open="true" close_compass_on_open="true">
    <window name="windowMyInfo"/>        <!-- replaces craftingInfoPanel -->
    <window name="windowMyToolSlot"/>
    <window name="windowNonPagingHeader"/>
</window_group>

Key points:

Use panel="Center" to position where craftingInfoPanel normally sits
\n in label text attributes produces line breaks
Add a text_key for localization, with the display text in Config/localization.txt
The sprite with a grey color value and type="sliced" creates the standard dark panel background. Use direct R,G,B,A values (e.g., "128,128,128,255") — bracket-style color references like [medGrey] are not valid XUi global style keys and produce Global style key 'X' not found! errors.

Custom Tool Slot Window

Define a custom window in Config/XUi/windows.xml for the tool slot:

<configs>
    <append xpath="/windows">
        <window name="windowMyTools" width="228" height="121" panel="Right" cursor_area="true">
            <panel style="header.panel">
                <sprite style="header.icon" sprite="ui_game_symbol_wrench"/>
                <label style="header.name.shrink" text="TOOLS" text_key="xuiMyToolsHeader"/>
            </panel>
            <rect name="content" depth="0" pos="0,-46" height="75" disablefallthrough="true">
                <grid name="inventory" rows="1" cols="1" pos="3,-3"
                      cell_width="75" cell_height="75"
                      controller="WorkstationToolGrid"
                      repeat_content="true"
                      required_tools_only="false">
                    <item_stack controller="RequiredItemStack" name="0"/>
                </grid>
            </rect>
        </window>
    </append>
</configs>

Critical: The item_stack elements inside a WorkstationToolGrid must have controller="RequiredItemStack". Without it, XUiC_WorkstationToolGrid.Init() throws InvalidCastException ("Specified cast is not valid") because it casts children to XUiC_RequiredItemStack.

Grid Attributes

Attribute	Description
`controller="WorkstationToolGrid"`	Required — links to the workstation's tool module
`rows` / `cols`	Must match the number of tool slots (`ToolNames` count)
`required_tools="item1,item2"`	Restrict slots to specific items (like forge molds)
`required_tools_only="true"`	Only allow items listed in `required_tools`
`required_tools_only="false"`	Allow any item in the slot

Vanilla Tool Window (Forge)

The forge restricts each slot to a specific tool item:

<grid name="inventory" rows="1" cols="3" pos="3,-3" cell_width="75" cell_height="75"
      controller="WorkstationToolGrid" repeat_content="true"
      required_tools="toolBellows,toolAnvil,toolForgeCrucible" required_tools_only="true">
    <item_stack controller="RequiredItemStack" name="0"/>
</grid>

Note the controller="RequiredItemStack" on item_stack — this shows ghost icons for required tools.

Block Classes

Class Value	C# Class	Notes
`Workstation`	`BlockWorkstation`	Base workstation (workbench)
`Forge`	`BlockForge`	Extends workstation with smelting
`Campfire`	`BlockCampfire`	Extends workstation with cooking

All use TileEntityWorkstation for storage and XUiC_WorkstationWindowGroup for UI.

T_Block tag required — If your workstation uses a custom 3D model (Shape="ModelEntity"), the prefab's root GameObject must have the T_Block tag and a BoxCollider. Without this, the block renders but the E-press interaction prompt never appears — the player cannot open the workstation UI. See Asset Bundles — Prefab structure requirements.

Workstations vs Power Sources — Workstations (BlockWorkstation) and power sources (BlockPowerSource) are completely separate systems. Workstations use TileEntityWorkstation + XUiC_WorkstationWindowGroup, while power sources use TileEntityPowerSource + XUiC_PowerSourceWindowGroup. If your block needs to both craft and generate power, you need Harmony patches to bridge the two systems. See Power Sources.

When NOT to Use a Workstation

If your block only needs item storage slots (no crafting), do not use Class="Workstation". The workstation system brings in the full crafting UI (XUiC_CraftingWindowGroup, XUiC_RecipeList, etc.) which crashes when there are no recipes (see warnings in Required Windows).

Use Class="SecureLoot" instead. It provides:

Persistent item storage (survives block unload/reload)
Simple container UI (no crafting, no recipe list)
TileEntitySecureLootContainer (extends TileEntityLootContainer) with a public items array

SecureLoot Block Definition

<block name="myStorage">
    <property name="Class" value="SecureLoot"/>
    <property name="LootList" value="myStorageContainer"/>
    <property name="Shape" value="ModelEntity"/>
    <property name="Model" value="#@modfolder:Resources/mymodel.unity3d?..."/>
    <!-- other visual/physics properties -->
</block>

With a loot container in loot.xml:

<lootcontainer name="myStorageContainer" count="0" size="1,1"
               sound_open="UseActions/open_safe" sound_close="UseActions/close_safe"
               open_time="0" loot_quality_template="qualBaseTemplate">
</lootcontainer>

count="0" — starts empty (no auto-generated loot)
size="columns,rows" — e.g., "1,1" for 1 slot, "3,2" for 6 slots
open_time="0" — instant open (no loot timer)

Reading Items from SecureLoot in Code

var te = world.GetTileEntity(clrIdx, pos) as TileEntityLootContainer;
if (te != null && te.items != null && te.items.Length > 0 && !te.items[0].IsEmpty())
{
    var itemClass = te.items[0].itemValue.ItemClass;
    string name = itemClass.GetItemName();
}

SecureLoot opens the default looting / secureloot window group — no custom XUi window group is needed.

Do not use Extends with vanilla block names — Vanilla block names (e.g., cntSecureStorageChest, cntStorageChest) change between game versions. If the name doesn't exist, the block fails to parse and blocks.xml loading fails with Could not find Extends block X. Instead, define the block from scratch with explicit Class and properties. This avoids version-specific dependencies.

Workstations

Workstations

Overview

Block Definition

Workstation Sub-Properties (<property class="Workstation">)

Module Types

Vanilla Workstation Examples

Workbench (simplest)

Forge (tools + fuel + materials)

Campfire

XUi Window Group

Required Windows

Replacing Default Panels with Custom Windows

Custom Tool Slot Window

Grid Attributes

Vanilla Tool Window (Forge)

Block Classes

When NOT to Use a Workstation

SecureLoot Block Definition

Reading Items from SecureLoot in Code

Workstation Sub-Properties (`<property class="Workstation">`)