There are many cases when you want to apply patches from the same mod, different mods, or different files, but in a specific order. This can be challenging without a clear understanding of exactly how module manager applies patches. This document attempts to clear up the misunderstandings so mod-makers and patch-makers can write robust patches for their mods.

You can control how module manager applies patches through these six directives, that are applied at the top-level node. Only ONE of these directives can be applied to a specific top-level patch.

• :FIRST
• :BEFORE[modname]
• :FOR[modname]
• :AFTER[modname]
• :LAST[modname]
• :FINAL

Patches are applied in the following order:

1. Nodes with no operator ('insert') are loaded by the KSP GameDatabase first.
2. Patches for modname values in NEEDS, BEFORE, AFTER that don't exist are removed.
3. All patches with :FIRST are applied.
4. All patches without an ordering directive (:FIRST, :BEFORE, :FOR, :AFTER, :LAST, :FINAL) are applied.
5. For each item in the Unicode-sorted list of modname values:
   • All patches with :BEFORE are applied
   • All patches with :FOR are applied
   • All patches with :AFTER are applied
6. All patches with :LAST are applied in order
7. All patches with :FINAL are applied

At the top-level node, INSERT operations take place prior to module manager being run. So a new node is created before any patches ever execute.

Example:

PART
{
    name = MyNewPart
}

This part will be loaded and available for all patches with all directives.

Module Manager generate list of case-insensitive modname values that will work in NEEDS, BEFORE, AFTER by doing the following:

• Scans all the loaded DLLs and adds modname.dll to the list of loaded mods (just the modname portion)
• Scans all the configs for properly configured FOR[modname] and add modname to the list of loaded mods
• Scans the GameData directory and adds modname to the list of loaded mods, with white space characters removed from the name of the folder (space, tab, and several others defined by Unicode/.NET).

Module manager will remove patches with NEEDS, BEFORE, or AFTER that don't have a valid modname.

Example: Any of these three will allow you to reference MyCoolMod:

GameData/ModMakerName/Mod/MyCoolMod.dll

%PART:FOR[MyCoolMod]
{
   name = MyNewPart
}

GameData/MyCoolMod

Because of this behavior of ModuleManager, it is encouraged for mod makers who put their mods in subfolders at least specify one patch with a :FOR, so that other modders can reference that mod.

These patches will run after the game database is loaded, but before any other patches. All :FIRST patches will be applied in alphabetical order by folder / subfolder / filename.

Example: This part copy will never happen because the part was deleted in the FIRST pass.

PART
{
    name = MyNewPart
    valueEdit1 = 1
}

!PART[MyNewPart]:FIRST {}

+PART[MyNewPart]
{  
    name = MyNewPart2
    @valueEdit1 = 2
}

These directives cause patches with them specified to be loaded during the pass for the specific mod modname. Patches are applied by going through each modname in alphabetical order, and applying all BEFORE, all FOR, then all AFTER patches, within the modname. Within a specific patch group, patches will be applied in alphabetical order by folder / subfolder / filename.

Other directives (:BEFORE[modname], :AFTER[modname], :LAST[modname]) do not register the modname as the :FOR does.

Example:

I have this part:

PART
{
    name = MyCoolPart
    value = ORIGINAL
}

I have some patches in two mods, MOD00 and MOD05

MOD00/PATCH00.cfg

@PART[MyCoolPart]
{
    @value = PATCH00
}

MOD00/PATCH01.cfg

@PART[MyCoolPart]:BEFORE[MOD01]
{
    @value = PATCH01
}

MOD00/PATCH02.cfg

@PART[MyCoolPart]:AFTER[MOD00]
{
    @value = PATCH02
}

MOD00/PATCH03.cfg

@PART[MyCoolPart]:FOR[MOD00]
{
    @value = PATCH03
}

MOD05/PATCHMOD00FROMMOD05.cfg

@PART[MyCoolPart]:FOR[MOD00]
{
    @value = PATCHMOD00FROMMOD05
}

When module manager processes these:

• The patch in PATCH01.cfg is deleted because BEFORE can't be satifised (no MOD01)
• value is set to PATCH00 in the 'legacy' pass (after :FIRST but before others)
• value is then set to PATCH03 in the FOR[MOD00] pass
• value is then set to PATCHMOD00FROMMOD05 in the FOR[MOD00] pass (alphabetical order)
• value is finally set to PATCH02 in the AFTER[MOD00] pass

Figuring out what overwrote what can be a challenge in module manager, especially with mods that alter certain things globally on all PART nodes, for example.

This pass should be reserved, if possible, for end-user patches only, not distributed mods. This runs after all FIRST, no directive, and BEFORE/FOR/AFTER patches have completed. Patches will be applied in alphabetical order by folder / subfolder / filename.