Console Screen Settings

Version History

Build Version	Change Date	Change Type	Description
676312	2025-06-25	modified	Improved type checking in OnLoad method for better error handling
676042	2025-06-21	stable	Previous version

Overview

The ConsoleScreenSettings class manages persistent settings and command history for the console interface in Don't Starve Together. It handles console command history storage, UI state persistence, and automatic save/load operations for user preferences.

Usage Example

-- Initialize console settings
local console = ConsoleScreenSettings()

-- Load existing settings
console:Load(function(success)
    if success then
        print("Console settings loaded successfully")
    end
end)

-- Add commands to history
console:AddLastExecutedCommand("c_spawn('wilson')")
console:AddLastExecutedCommand("c_godmode()", true) -- Remote command

-- Access command history
local history = console:GetConsoleHistory()
for i, entry in ipairs(history) do
    print(i, entry.str, entry.remote and "(remote)" or "(local)")
end

Constants

MAX_SAVED_COMMANDS

Value: 20

Status: stable

Description: Maximum number of commands stored in console history to prevent excessive memory usage.

Classes/Components

ConsoleScreenSettings

Status: stable

Description: Main class for managing console settings and command history persistence.

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

Constructor

ConsoleScreenSettings = Class(function(self)
    self.persistdata = {}
    self.profanityservers = {}
    self.dirty = true
end)

Properties

persistdata (table): Stored console settings and command history data
profanityservers (table): Server-specific profanity filter settings
dirty (boolean): Flag indicating whether settings have unsaved changes

Functions

Reset()

Status: stable

Description: Resets all console settings to default values, sets the dirty flag, and immediately saves the changes.

Parameters: None

Returns: None

Behavior:

Clears all persistent data
Sets dirty flag to true
Automatically calls Save() to persist changes

Example:

console:Reset()

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

GetConsoleHistory()

Status: stable

Description: Returns the stored console command history as an array of command entries from the persistdata.

Parameters: None

Returns:

(table): Array of history entries with structure {str = "command", remote = boolean|nil}, or empty table if no history exists

Example:

local history = console:GetConsoleHistory()
for i, entry in ipairs(history) do
    local remote_status = entry.remote and " [REMOTE]" or " [LOCAL]"
    print(string.format("%d: %s%s", i, entry.str, remote_status))
end

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

AddLastExecutedCommand(command_str, toggle_remote_execute)

Status: stable

Description: Adds a command to the persistent history with intelligent deduplication and remote execution tracking.

Parameters:

command_str (string): The command string to add to history
toggle_remote_execute (boolean, optional): Whether the command was executed remotely

Returns: None

Behavior:

Trims leading and trailing whitespace from commands
Ignores empty strings and c_repeatlastcommand() commands
Moves duplicate commands to the end of history
Updates remote execution flag for existing commands
Maintains maximum history size limit

Example:

-- Add local command
console:AddLastExecutedCommand("c_spawn('wilson')")

-- Add remote command
console:AddLastExecutedCommand("c_godmode()", true)

-- These are ignored
console:AddLastExecutedCommand("")  -- Empty string
console:AddLastExecutedCommand("c_repeatlastcommand()")  -- Special command

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

Status: stable

Description: Checks whether the word prediction widget is currently in expanded state.

Parameters: None

Returns:

(boolean): True if widget is expanded, false otherwise

Example:

if console:IsWordPredictionWidgetExpanded() then
    -- Show expanded prediction interface
    ShowExpandedView()
else
    -- Show compact prediction interface
    ShowCompactView()
end

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

Status: stable

Description: Sets the expansion state of the word prediction widget and marks settings as dirty for saving.

Parameters:

value (boolean): True to expand widget, false to collapse

Returns: None

Example:

-- Expand the prediction widget
console:SetWordPredictionWidgetExpanded(true)

-- Collapse the prediction widget
console:SetWordPredictionWidgetExpanded(false)

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

GetSaveName()

Status: stable

Description: Returns the appropriate save file name based on the current game branch.

Parameters: None

Returns:

(string): Save file name ("consolescreen" for release, "consolescreen_[branch]" for development)

Example:

local filename = console:GetSaveName()
-- Returns: "consolescreen" or "consolescreen_dev"

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

Save(callback)

Status: stable

Description: Saves current settings to persistent storage if changes have been made (dirty flag is set).

Parameters:

callback (function, optional): Callback function called after save operation

Callback Parameters:

success (boolean): Whether the save operation succeeded

Returns: None

Behavior:

Only saves when dirty flag is true (changes were made)
Sets dirty flag to false after successful save operation
Uses JSON encoding for data serialization
Calls SavePersistentString with filename from GetSaveName()
If not dirty, immediately calls callback with success=true

Example:

-- Save with callback
console:Save(function(success)
    if success then
        print("Settings saved successfully")
    else
        print("Failed to save settings")
    end
end)

-- Save without callback
console:Save()

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

Load(callback)

Status: stable

Description: Loads settings from persistent storage using the platform's persistent string system.

Parameters:

callback (function, optional): Callback function called after load operation

Returns: None

Behavior:

Uses TheSim:GetPersistentString() to retrieve saved data
Ignores the load_success parameter, only checks if string content exists
Delegates actual data processing to OnLoad() method
Passes callback through to OnLoad for completion notification

Example:

console:Load(function(success)
    if success then
        print("Settings loaded successfully")
        local history = console:GetConsoleHistory()
        print("Loaded", #history, "command entries")
    else
        print("Failed to load settings")
    end
end)

Version History:

Current implementation in build 676042

OnLoad(str, callback)

Status: modified in build 676312

Description: Internal method that processes loaded data string and handles legacy save data migration. Enhanced with improved type checking for better error handling.

Parameters:

str (string): JSON-encoded settings data string
callback (function, optional): Completion callback

Returns: None

Behavior:

Enhanced Type Checking: Validates that str is a string type before checking length (improved in 676312)
Decodes JSON data into persistdata table using TrackedAssert for error handling
Handles migration from legacy save format (history + localremotehistory arrays)
Sets dirty flag to false after successful load
Converts old format to new historylines structure if needed
Prints load status and string length to console
Automatically sets dirty flag to true if migration occurs

Type Safety Enhancement (Build 676312):

-- Previous validation (could fail with non-string types)
if str == nil or string.len(str) == 0 then

-- Enhanced validation (now includes type checking)
if str == nil or type(str) ~= "string" or string.len(str) == 0 then

Example:

-- This is typically called internally by Load()
-- Manual usage not recommended

Version History:

Modified in build 676312: Enhanced type checking for better error handling
Current implementation in build 676042
Includes CONSOLE_HISTORY_REFACTOR migration support

Data Structures

History Entry Format

{
    str = "command_string",      -- The executed command
    remote = true|false|nil      -- Remote execution status (nil = local)
}

Persistent Data Structure

persistdata = {
    historylines = {
        { str = "c_spawn('wilson')", remote = nil },
        { str = "c_godmode()", remote = true },
        -- ... up to MAX_SAVED_COMMANDS entries
    },
    expanded = true  -- Word prediction widget expansion state
}

Legacy Data Migration

The system automatically converts old save formats:

-- Old format (converted automatically)
{
    history = { "command1", "command2" },
    localremotehistory = { true, false }
}

-- Becomes new format
{
    historylines = {
        { str = "command1", remote = true },
        { str = "command2", remote = false }
    }
}

Implementation Details

Command Deduplication Logic

Whitespace Trimming: Commands are trimmed of leading/trailing whitespace
Empty Command Filtering: Empty strings and c_repeatlastcommand() are ignored
Duplicate Detection: Exact string matching identifies duplicate commands
Position Management: Duplicates are moved to end of history array
Remote Flag Updates: Remote execution status is updated for existing commands

History Size Management

Maximum Limit: 20 commands maximum (MAX_SAVED_COMMANDS)
Overflow Handling: Oldest commands are removed when limit is exceeded
Efficient Storage: Minimal data structure for optimal performance

Persistence Strategy

Dirty Flag System: Only saves when changes are detected
JSON Encoding: Cross-platform compatible data serialization
Branch Isolation: Separate save files for different game branches
Error Handling: Graceful fallback for corrupt or missing save files

Console Commands: Commands that utilize this history system
Class: Base class inheritance system
JSON: Data encoding/decoding utilities

Version History​

Overview​

Usage Example​

Constants​

MAX_SAVED_COMMANDS​

Classes/Components​

ConsoleScreenSettings​

Constructor​

Properties​

Functions​

Reset()​

GetConsoleHistory()​

AddLastExecutedCommand(command_str, toggle_remote_execute)​

IsWordPredictionWidgetExpanded()​

SetWordPredictionWidgetExpanded(value)​

GetSaveName()​

Save(callback)​

Load(callback)​

OnLoad(str, callback)​

Data Structures​

History Entry Format​

Persistent Data Structure​

Legacy Data Migration​

Implementation Details​

Command Deduplication Logic​

History Size Management​

Persistence Strategy​

Related Modules​

Version History

Overview

Usage Example

Constants

MAX_SAVED_COMMANDS

Classes/Components

ConsoleScreenSettings

Constructor

Properties

Functions

Reset()

GetConsoleHistory()

AddLastExecutedCommand(command_str, toggle_remote_execute)

IsWordPredictionWidgetExpanded()

SetWordPredictionWidgetExpanded(value)

GetSaveName()

Save(callback)

Load(callback)

OnLoad(str, callback)

Data Structures

History Entry Format

Persistent Data Structure

Legacy Data Migration

Implementation Details

Command Deduplication Logic

History Size Management

Persistence Strategy

Related Modules