MCFunctionPlusPlus

MCFunction++ streamlines professional datapack workflows with a unified IDE for authoring, validation, and release-ready packaging.

App Showcase And Usage

Who is MCFunction++ For?

MCFunction++ is built for developers who want a faster, more reliable Minecraft datapack workflow.

• New datapack creators who need an approachable IDE with useful feedback while learning commands and structure.
• Experienced datapack developers who want stronger editing, validation, and packaging workflows for larger projects.
• Teams and collaborators who need a consistent toolchain for building and shipping datapacks across environments.
• Creators who want flexibility: a desktop app for full local workflows and a web app for lightweight access.

What MCFunction++ Offers

• A unified environment for authoring, validating, and packaging datapacks.
• Desktop and web experiences built on a shared core workflow.
• Release-ready Windows installer distribution with auto-update support.

How to Use It

1. Install the Windows desktop app from the latest GitHub release, or run it from source.
2. Open or create a datapack workspace.
3. Author datapack files, use validation feedback, and package for release.
4. Receive update checks once per app launch when using packaged desktop builds.

Installing from GitHub Releases

1. Open the latest release in Portyl-Studios/MCFunctionPlusPlus.
2. Download the Windows installer file matching mcfunctionplusplus-setup-<version>.exe.
3. Run the installer and choose your installation directory.
4. Launch MCFunction++ after installation.

For normal installation, you only need the mcfunctionplusplus-setup-<version>.exe file.

Desktop Auto-Update (NSIS)

Desktop auto-updates use electron-builder + electron-updater with GitHub Releases.

• Provider repo: Portyl-Studios/MCFunctionPlusPlus
• Windows update channel: NSIS artifacts + latest.yml
• Update check behavior: exactly once per app launch (no background polling until restart)

This behavior is implemented in the Electron main process and only runs in packaged builds.

Windows Installer Format

Windows packaging is configured for NSIS installer only (no portable target). Installer behavior allows users to choose install directory.

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Development Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v20 or higher)
• npm (v10 or higher, comes with Node.js)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Portyl-Studios/MCFunctionPlusPlus.git
   cd MCFunctionPlusPlus

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Development Workflow

Start the development server with hot module replacement:

npm run dev

This will launch Vite's dev server with hot reload enabled. Edit files in src/renderer/ and see changes instantly.

Running Locally

Launch the Electron application:

npm start

Or build and run in one command:

npm run electron

Building

Compile TypeScript and build the React application:

npm run build

This will:

1. Compile TypeScript files from src/main/ to out/main/
2. Bundle the React application from src/renderer/ to out/renderer/

Building Distributables

Create a distributable executable for Windows:

npm run dist:win

This will create an NSIS installer in the release/ folder.

Other platforms:

• macOS: npm run dist:mac (DMG and ZIP)
• Linux: npm run dist:linux (AppImage and DEB)
• All platforms: npm run dist

App Icon And Installer Art Assets

Required app icon files:

• Windows: assets/icon.ico (256x256 or multi-size ICO)
• macOS: assets/icon.icns (512x512@2x recommended)
• Linux: assets/icon.png (512x512 recommended)

Required NSIS installer art files:

• Installer header: assets/installer-header.bmp (150x57)
• Installer sidebar: assets/installer-sidebar.bmp (164x314)

You can generate icon formats from a single PNG using:

• https://www.icoconverter.com/
• https://cloudconvert.com/png-to-icns
• https://www.img2go.com/convert-to-icon

Desktop CI/CD (Auto Version + Release)

The .github/workflows/desktop-release-pipeline.yml workflow automates version bumping and release publishing on pushes to main:

• Trigger: Pushes to main by a non-bot actor
• Version: Reads major.minor from package.json; auto-computes patch from existing tags (vMAJOR.MINOR.*), ignoring user-provided patch
• Bump: Commits version bump to package.json if version changes, with [skip ci] to prevent re-triggering
• Tag & Release: Creates tag vX.Y.Z and GitHub Release
• Assets: Builds and publishes NSIS artifacts (.exe, .exe.blockmap, latest.yml) if any are missing
• Safeguard: Skips publish if all required assets exist for the target tag

Tip: Push Without Triggering Release Workflows

Add [skip ci] to your commit message to prevent the workflow from running:

git commit -m "docs: update README [skip ci]"
git push

How to Choose Your Major/Minor

Before pushing to main, set package.json version to the major/minor line you want, using patch 0 (example: 2.4.0). The pipeline creates v2.4.0 for the first release in that series, then v2.4.1, v2.4.2, etc. on subsequent pushes.

Web Deployment (Firebase Hosting)

Web deployment is on the roadmap. It will only be implemented once the main application is fully featured.

Minecraft Source Files

This project uses files extracted from the Minecraft server.jar file.

1. Download the latest version of the server.jar file from here
2. Run java -DbundlerMainClass=net.minecraft.data.Main -jar server.jar --reports
3. The folder used is /generated/reports/ stored in /resources/minecraft/<mc_version>

License

GPLv3 (General Public License) Any derived works must also be open-source and licensed under GPLv3.

Support the project by contributing!

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