MuseDash.Mod.Template 2.0.0

MuseDash.Mod.Template

A dotnet new template for Muse Dash mods, and MuseDash.Mod.Sdk, the MSBuild SDK that the mods it creates build with.

Prerequisites

• Muse Dash
• MelonLoader, with the game started once so that it has generated the game's assemblies
• .NET 10 SDK, capable of targeting net6.0
• A C# IDE such as Visual Studio or Rider

Game directory

The SDK finds Muse Dash in your Steam libraries. If it is installed somewhere else, set the MD_DIRECTORY environment variable to the game's folder, or set GameFolder in a <project>.csproj.user file next to the mod's project (the template's .gitignore keeps it out of source control):

<Project>
    <PropertyGroup>
        <GameFolder>D:\Games\Muse Dash</GameFolder>
    </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Install

dotnet new install MuseDash.Mod.Template

Update an installed copy with:

dotnet new update

Create a mod

The template is available as MuseDash Mod in Visual Studio and Rider, or as musedashmod on the command line:

In Visual Studio, find it under Create a new project -> MuseDash Mod:

In Rider, find it under New Solution -> Custom Templates -> MuseDash Mod:

dotnet new musedashmod -n MyMod

No optional package is selected by default. To add one or more useful libraries, repeat --UsefulLibs:

dotnet new musedashmod -n MyMod `
    --UsefulLibs MuseDashMirror `
    --UsefulLibs UniTask

Options

• --Patching: Generate a patch class. Defaults to true.
• --Setting: Select None, MelonLoader, or Tomlet. Defaults to None.
• --UsefulLibs: Select any combination of:
  • MuseDashMirror
  • ILRepack: merges the other libraries into the mod's dll, except MuseDashMirror, which players install themselves. Without it, they have to be installed in the game's UserLibs folder.
  • UniTask

Selected libraries are pinned to versions that Renovate keeps up to date.

MuseDash.Mod.Sdk

Mods created from the template build with MuseDash.Mod.Sdk. On every build, it finds the game, references MelonLoader and the game's assemblies, generates MelonInfo and a MelonBuildInfo class from ModName, Version, Authors and Description, and copies the mod to the game's Mods folder. MelonInfo points at the Main class; if you rename it, set MelonModType to its full name.

Settings that are not about the game (the artifacts output folder, LangVersion and ImplicitUsings) are in the template's Directory.Build.props. To share them between several mods in one repository, move it to the repository's root.

Move a project from an earlier version of the template

• Replace <Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk"> with <Project Sdk="MuseDash.Mod.Sdk/{version}">.
• Remove the <Reference> items and the CopyToModsFolder target, and remove the game's folders and the <Reference> defaults from Directory.Build.props.
• Move the values in MelonBuildInfo.cs to ModName, Version, Authors and Description, then delete MelonBuildInfo.cs, Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs and <GenerateAssemblyInfo>false</GenerateAssemblyInfo>.
• Replace ILRepack.targets with the template's current one, which also merges the NuGet dependencies.

Build the packages

dotnet build MuseDash.Mod.Template.slnx

Both packages are written under artifacts\package\<configuration>, with the same version from MinVer. Install a local build with:

dotnet new install .\artifacts\package\debug\MuseDash.Mod.Template.{version}.nupkg

Mods created from a local build reference the SDK built with it, so add that folder as a package source, for example in a nuget.config next to the mod:

<configuration>
    <packageSources>
        <add key="MuseDash.Mod.Local" value="path\to\MuseDash.Mod.Template\artifacts\package\debug"/>
    </packageSources>
</configuration>

NuGet caches the SDK by version: after rebuilding without a new commit, delete musedash.mod.sdk from %UserProfile%\.nuget\packages.