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7 changes: 7 additions & 0 deletions docs/Modding/plugins/index.md
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# Plugins

Plugins are native modules loaded by Northstar. Because they're not limited to any API provided by the game, plugins are a powerful tool to enable you to do almost anything you could with a custom Northstar Client.

For example, you could write a plugin that [compiles maps](https://github.com/catornot/furnace) at runtime, allows squirrel scripts to save and load recorded animations [from disk](https://github.com/uniboi/recanim) or provide [discord rpc](https://github.com/R2Northstar/NorthstarDiscordRPC) integration.

However because plugins have full access to your system plugins should be treated with caution and regular scripts are preferred if possible.
154 changes: 154 additions & 0 deletions docs/Modding/plugins/interfaces.md
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# Interfaces

!!! note

The term "Interface" sometimes describes both an abstract C++ class or an instance of a class that implements the abstract class (Interface).

The interface API of Northstar Plugins is modelled after [Source Interfaces](https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Category:Interfaces). For examples how interfaces are created in-engine, you can check search leaked code of source engine games [using these macros to expose an interface](https://sourcegraph.com/github.com/perilouswithadollarsign/cstrike15_src@f82112a2388b841d72cb62ca48ab1846dfcc11c8/-/blob/public/tier1/interface.h?L86-148).

For example, [search](https://sourcegraph.com/search?q=repo:%5Egithub%5C.com/perilouswithadollarsign/cstrike15_src%24+EXPOSE_SINGLE_INTERFACE_GLOBALVAR+&patternType=keyword&sm=0) for `EXPOSE_SINGLE_INTERFACE_GLOBALVAR` for exposed single static pointers to interface implementations.

This design choice of interface ABI layout was chosen to mimic interfaces binaries of Titanfall 2 exposes and to provide one uniform Interface API between the game, Northstar and any Plugin.

Therefore any plugin is not restricted to interfaces exposed by Northstar but can use the entire suite the game and other plugins offer.

## Memory Layout

!!! warning

In some cases, different compilers use different layouts for virtual function tables.

If you're using a compiler that is not msvc, either change your interface or use structs with an explicit vtable member.

If your plugin is not compiled with C or C++ **make sure the structure follows the C ABI**

Because interface instances are C++ class instances that extend a virtual class, every instance has a [vtable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_method_table) pointer at offset `0`.

### VTables

A vtable is a list of pointers to methods of that interface.

The first parameter of these methods is always a pointer to the instance. In C++ this parameter is passed implicitly.

For example, the method [`ISys::Reload`](https://github.com/R2Northstar/NorthstarLauncher/blob/71349f05b69923dbf091d27f8e256bcc3022e859/primedev/plugins/interfaces/sys/ISys.h#L18) has two parameters: `ISys*` and `HMODULE`, even though only one is defined explicitly. Keep this in mind when you're writing plugins not in C++.

The complete [`ISys`](interfaces/northstar/index.md#isys) interface instance layout looks like this in C:

```c
typedef struct CSys {
struct {
// the vtable contains all methods of this interface
void (*log)(struct CSys *self, HMODULE handle, LogLevel level, const char *msg);
void (*unload)(struct CSys *self, HMODULE handle);
void (*reload)(struct CSys *self, HMODULE handle);
} *vftable; // the instance only contains a pointer to the vtable
} CSys;

// CSys* sys;
// sys->vtable->log(sys, handle, 0, "hello world");
```

!!! error

The first parameter (implicit instance pointer) **is omitted in the documentation of interfaces**, remember to include the parameter if you're implementing a plugin in a language that is not C++.

An interface may include more than one vtable, depending on the definition. Usually one for every class it extends.

## CreateInterface

Every plugin, northstar and some binaries of the game expose a set of interfaces via `CreateInterface`.

!!! cpp-function "void* CreateInterface(char* name, int* status)"

**Parameters:**

- `[in] char* name` - null terminated name of the interface requested

- `[out, optional] int* status` - a pointer to an int where the status code is written to. `0` means an interface was created, `1` means no interface could be instantiated.

**Returns:**

- A pointer to the instantiated interface or NULL if failed.

`CreateInterface` is an exported function. The address of it can be obtained via [`GetProcAddress`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/libloaderapi/nf-libloaderapi-getprocaddress)

## Exposing an interface

Exposing an interface means in practice that it has to be possible to obtain a pointer to an instance if `CreateInterface` of your plugin is called for the respective interface name.

In the source engine this is implemented as a linked list, however you're free to implement this however you want.

In essence, this is what the functionality of `CreateInterface` boils down to:

```c
void* CreateInterface(char* name, int* status) {
if(strcmp(name, "IPluginId001") == 0) {
if(status) *status = 0;
return g_IPluginId;
}

if(strcmp(name, "IPluginCallbacks001") == 0) {
if(status) *status = 0;
return g_IPluginCallbacks;
}

// repeat for every interface you expose ...

if(status) *status = 1;
return 0;
}
```
## Interface Names
An interface name is a unique string associated with an interface. Names consist of a) the interface name and b) the version of the interface (usually 3 digits in decimal).
Every interface is expected to be fully backwards compatible. This means in practice, that (public) members can only be added to an interface, not removed.
For example, consider this fictional interface `ILog`:
```c++
class ILog {
public:
virtual void print(char* msg) = 0;
}
```

The vtable would like this:

```c
struct ILog_vtable {
void* print;
};
```

This interface would be called `ILog001`, because it's the first version of the interface.

Now we want to extend the interface to also expose a function called `fmt` to format a string:

```c++
class ILog {
public:
virtual void print(char* msg) = 0;
virutal void fmt(char* fmt, ...) = 0;
}
```
This would turn the vtable into this:
```c
struct ILog_vtable {
void* print;
void* fmt;
};
```

Now we would call this interface `ILog002` because it's the second iteration of the interface.

!!! warning

Because you are only allowed to increase the size of an interface while keeping the offsets of all previous members the same, the interfaces **`ILog002` is backwards compatible with `ILog001`**.

In practice this means that you only need to expose the newest version of an interface.

It is expected of [CreateInterface](#createinterface) to return an instance, even if only a newer version of that interface is exposed.
11 changes: 11 additions & 0 deletions docs/Modding/plugins/interfaces/index.md
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# Available interfaces

!!! note

Not every interface is documented here.

Feel free to add more or tell us which ones are missing.

Multiple binaries of the game expose interfaces you can use.

This section aims to document all of them incrementally.
31 changes: 31 additions & 0 deletions docs/Modding/plugins/interfaces/northstar.md
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# Northstar

All interfaces exposed by Northstar.

## ISys

!!! cpp-class "ISys"

Provides basic functions to interact with northstar.

!!! cpp-function "void Log(HMODULE pluginHandle, LogLevel level, char* msg)"

Log a message using the console managed by northstar.

Messages logged using this method are prefixed with the `LOG_NAME` retrieved via your `PluginId` implementation and printed to the game's console.

!!! cpp-function "void Unload(HMODULE pluginHandle)"

Gracefully unload a plugin (usually your own plugin)

!!! cpp-function "void Reload(HMODULE pluginHandle)"

Reload a plugin. The plugin can know if it has been reloaded via the `reloaded` parameter passed in the `Init` callback exposed in the `IPluginCallbacks` Interface.

!!! cpp-enum "LogLevel : i32"

!!! cpp-member "INFO = 0"

!!! cpp-member "WARN = 0"

!!! cpp-member "ERR = 0"
98 changes: 0 additions & 98 deletions docs/Modding/plugins/interfacesapi.md

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69 changes: 69 additions & 0 deletions docs/Modding/plugins/introduction.md
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# Introduction

!!! note

Writing plugins require some very basic familiarity with C++

Plugins differ to script mods in that they are dynamically linked, precompiled modules. Only install a plugin if you trust the source you downloaded it from.

## Installation

Any `.dll` file located in the directories `<Northstar Profile>/plugins/` and `<Northstar Profile>/packages/<Thunderstore package>/plugins/` will be attempted to load as a plugin.

To manually install a plugin, copy the plugin `.dll` into the `<Northstar Profile>/plugins/` directory.

!!! note

The default northstar profile name is `R2Northstar`. Profiles located in the same location as `NorthstarLauncher.exe`.

Any Plugin is only valid if it exposes every required [interface](/interfaces.md).

If a plugin does not expose every Interface the Launcher requires, it is unloaded immediately.

## Development

To debug a plugin it's recommended to compile Northstar itself or download the debug data from the [Release Page](https://github.com/R2Northstar/NorthstarLauncher/releases).

When developing a plugin it's usually easier to output the binary directly in the `<profile>/plugins/` directory, the `packages/` directory is usually only used for complete packaged mods downloaded from Thunderstore.

### Valid plugins

Every plugin must fulfill these criteria to be considered valid by Northstar.

Invalid plugins get unloaded as soon as possible.

- The plugin module must export a function named [`CreateInterface`](/interfaces.md/#CreateInterface) that returns an interface instance when called.

- Every [required interface](/required-interfaces.md) must be exposed via `CreateInterface`

### Debugging

If you know how to use a debugger you can safely skip this.

For simplicity it's assumed your development environment is Visual Studio and you're compiling Northstar from source.

Otherwise are the steps basically the same everywhere else.

1) Clone the [Launcher](https://github.com/R2Northstar/NorthstarLauncher)

2) Set the binary output directory to the location wherever you have installed your game. The compiled `NorthstarLauncher.exe` should be outputted next to `Titanfall.exe`.

3) Launch `NorthstarLauncher.exe` with a debugger or attach a debugger to a running process

4) Load debug symbols of your plugin(s) (`myplugin.pdb`) in the debugger

That's it.

### Hooks

Any Plugin can install hooks anywhere in memory it desires. However, plugins should avoid hooks if possible because of conflicts with Northstar itself or hooks installed by other plugins.

It is not generically possible to determine if a given address has already been hooked by a different plugin and there is currently **no mechanism for plugins to share information which addresses have hooks installed**.

Northstar does not expose an interface to (un)install hooks. Every plugin is expected to use their own provider.

## Examples and Libraries

- A small plugin [""framework""](https://github.com/uniboi/NSPluginTemplate/) to show the basics of writing plugins and Squirrel bindings in C

- A complete [rust plugin library](https://crates.io/crates/rrplug) that allows you to easily integrate safely with large parts of the engine itself
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