Craftingmenu Widget

Based on game build 718694 | Last updated: 2026-04-04

Overview

CraftingMenuWidget is a Redux UI widget that manages the crafting menu interface in Don't Starve Together. It handles recipe filtering by category, sorting by various criteria (default, craftable, favorite, name), text-based search functionality, and displays recipe details alongside a scrollable grid of craftable items. The widget integrates with the player's builder component to determine recipe availability and build states.

Usage example

local CraftingMenuWidget = require "widgets/redux/craftingmenu_widget"

local owner = ThePlayer
local crafting_hud = owner.HUD.crafting_hud
local menu_height = 600

local crafting_menu = CraftingMenuWidget(owner, crafting_hud, menu_height)
crafting_menu:Initialize()
crafting_menu:SelectFilter(CRAFTING_FILTERS.TOOLS.name, true)
crafting_menu:Refresh()

Dependencies & tags

Components used: builder (via owner.replica.builder) Required modules: widgets/image, widgets/imagebutton, widgets/widget, widgets/text, widgets/grid, widgets/spinner, widgets/uianim, widgets/redux/templates, widgets/ingredientui, widgets/redux/craftingmenu_details, widgets/recipetile, util, crafting_sorting Tags: References CRAFTING_FILTERS, SortTypes, RecipeTile, CraftingMenuDetails, TEMPLATES.

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
owner	entity	nil	The player entity that owns this crafting menu widget.
crafting_hud	widget	nil	Reference to the parent crafting HUD widget.
sort_class	table	SortTypes.DefaultSort	Current sorting class instance for recipe ordering.
sort_modes	table	table with 4 sort mode configurations	Table of available sort mode configurations (DEFAULT, CRAFTABLE, FAVORITE, NAME) with icons and classes.
sort_mode	number	1	Current sort mode index (1-based).
current_filter_name	string	nil	Name of the currently active recipe filter category.
filtered_recipes	table	{}	Array of recipe data objects after applying current filters.
filter_buttons	table	{}	Map of filter name to filter button widget instances.
search_text	string	""	Current search query text (trimmed and lowercased).
last_search_text	string	""	Previous search query for incremental search optimization.
searched_recipes	table	{}	Cache of recipe names mapped to search match results.
recipe_grid	widget	nil	The scrolling grid widget displaying recipe tiles.
details_root	widget	nil	The CraftingMenuDetails widget showing selected recipe info.
search_box	widget	nil	The search text input widget.
search_delay	number	0	Cooldown timer for search processing to prevent lag.
filter_panel	widget	nil	Container widget for filter buttons and search box.
no_recipes_msg	widget	nil	Text widget shown when no recipes match current filters.

Main functions

Initialize()

• Description: Initializes the widget state, selects the default filter (TOOLS), populates the recipe detail panel, and triggers a refresh. Called after construction to set up the initial display.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

StartSearching(clear_text)

• Description: Activates the search box for text input. Optionally clears existing search text before focusing.
• Parameters: clear_text (boolean) - If true, clears the search box content before focusing.
• Returns: Nothing.

OnControl(control, down)

• Description: Handles controller and keyboard input for the crafting menu. Processes focus navigation between skins spinner, recipe grid, and base widget controls.
• Parameters: control (number) - Control input code. down (boolean) - Whether the control is pressed or released.
• Returns: boolean - True if the control was handled, false otherwise.

DoFocusHookups()

• Description: Configures controller focus navigation between filter panel, recipe grid, pinbar, and top row widgets. Uses GetClosestWidget to determine focus direction based on spatial relationships.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

PopulateRecipeDetailPanel(recipe, skin_name)

• Description: Updates the recipe details panel with information about a specific recipe and optionally selects a skin variant.
• Parameters: recipe (table) - Recipe data object. skin_name (string or nil) - Optional skin identifier for the recipe item.
• Returns: Nothing.

ApplyFilters()

• Description: Filters the complete recipe list based on current filter name, search text, build state, crafting station compatibility, and sort class. Updates filtered_recipes table and refreshes the recipe grid.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: May produce empty filtered_recipes if no recipes match current criteria.

UpdateFilterButtons()

• Description: Updates the visual state of all filter buttons based on recipe availability, prototype status, and buffered builds. Shows/hides crafting station filter and mods filter based on context. Returns whether the details list needs rebuilding.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: boolean - True if recipe state changes require rebuilding the details list.

Refresh(tech_tree_changed)

• Description: Refreshes the entire crafting menu. Updates filter buttons, applies sorting refresh if available, rebuilds filters if recipe states changed, and updates the details panel.
• Parameters: tech_tree_changed (boolean) - Whether the technology tree has changed since last refresh.
• Returns: Nothing.

RefreshControllers(controller_mode)

• Description: Updates controller button overrides for the recipe grid based on whether controller mode is active.
• Parameters: controller_mode (boolean) - True if controller input is active.
• Returns: Nothing.

RefreshCraftingHelpText(controller_id)

• Description: Returns contextual help text for controller prompts based on current focus state (recipe grid or filter panel).
• Parameters: controller_id (number) - Controller identifier for localized control names.
• Returns: string - Help text to display, or empty string if no context.

OnUpdate(dt)

• Description: Update loop handler that processes recipe search validation incrementally (up to 30 recipes per frame) to prevent performance spikes. Manages search_delay cooldown.
• Parameters: dt (number) - Delta time since last frame.
• Returns: Nothing.

UpdateRecipeGrid(set_focus)

• Description: Rebuilds the recipe grid with filtered recipes. Preserves focus on previously selected recipe if possible, scrolls to maintain position, and shows/hides the "no recipes" message.
• Parameters: set_focus (boolean) - Whether to set keyboard/controller focus on the grid.
• Returns: Nothing.

OnCraftingMenuOpen(set_focus)

• Description: Called when the crafting menu opens. Handles filter selection based on crafting station context, preserves previous selection when switching stations, and sets focus on appropriate recipe.
• Parameters: set_focus (boolean) - Whether to set focus on a recipe item.
• Returns: Nothing.

SelectFilter(name, clear_search_text)

• Description: Changes the active recipe filter category. Updates button selection state, clears search text if requested, and reapplies filters.
• Parameters: name (string or nil) - Filter category name from CRAFTING_FILTERS. Defaults to "EVERYTHING" if invalid. clear_search_text (boolean) - Whether to clear search box on filter change.
• Returns: Nothing.

SetSearchText(search_text)

• Description: Updates the search query and invalidates the search cache. Triggers incremental search processing via OnUpdate.
• Parameters: search_text (string) - Raw search input (will be trimmed, lowercased, and spaces/periods removed).
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Returns early if search text matches last_search_text.

OnFavoriteChanged(recipe_name, is_favorite_recipe)

• Description: Called when a recipe's favorite status changes. Notifies the sort class to update ordering if it supports favorite-based sorting.
• Parameters: recipe_name (string) - Name of the recipe that changed. is_favorite_recipe (boolean) - New favorite status.
• Returns: Nothing.

UpdateEventButtonLayout()

• Description: Updates the layout of filter buttons based on special event status. Shows/hides special event filter and adjusts search box width accordingly.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.

ValidateRecipeForSearch(name)

• Description: Validates whether a recipe matches the current search text. Uses incremental search optimization by caching results and comparing with previous search text.
• Parameters: name (string) - Recipe name to validate against current search query.
• Returns: Nothing (updates searched_recipes cache).

IsRecipeValidForSearch(name)

• Description: Checks if a recipe is valid for the current search query. Calls ValidateRecipeForSearch if not yet cached.
• Parameters: name (string) - Recipe name to check.
• Returns: boolean - True if recipe matches search criteria or search is empty.

MakeFrame(width, height)

• Description: Constructs the main crafting menu frame with all child widgets including filter panel, recipe grid, details panel, and decorative borders.
• Parameters: width (number) - Frame width. height (number) - Frame height.
• Returns: widget - The constructed frame widget.

MakeFilterPanel(width)

• Description: Creates the filter panel containing filter buttons, search box, sort button, and filter grid.
• Parameters: width (number) - Panel width.
• Returns: widget - The constructed filter panel widget.

MakeFilterButton(filter_def, button_size)

• Description: Creates an individual filter button widget with icon, background, and prototype indicator.
• Parameters: filter_def (table) - Filter definition table. button_size (number) - Button size in pixels.
• Returns: widget - The constructed filter button widget.

MakeSearchBox(box_width, box_height)

• Description: Creates the search text input widget with hover text and input handling.
• Parameters: box_width (number) - Search box width. box_height (number) - Search box height.
• Returns: widget - The constructed search box widget.

MakeRecipeList(width, height)

• Description: Creates the scrolling grid widget that displays recipe tiles with proper cell rendering and focus handling.
• Parameters: width (number) - List width. height (number) - List height.
• Returns: widget - The constructed recipe grid widget.

AddSorter()

• Description: Creates the sort mode toggle button that cycles through available sorting options (DEFAULT, CRAFTABLE, FAVORITE, NAME).
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: widget - The constructed sort button widget.

Internal helper functions

The following internal functions support the widget's filtering and search logic:

• GetClosestWidget(list, active_widget, dir_x, dir_y) - Finds the closest widget in a given direction for controller focus navigation.
• trim_spaces_and_periods(str) - Removes spaces and periods from a string for search normalization.
• search_exact_match(search, str) - Performs exact substring matching for search queries.
• text_filter(recipe, search_str) - Filters recipes by matching search text against name, product, and description.
• IsRecipeValidForFilter(self, recipename, filter_recipes) - Checks if a recipe is valid for the current filter category.
• IsRecipeValidForStation(self, recipe, station, current_filter) - Checks if a recipe is valid for the current crafting station.
• UpdateFGCount(fgcount, meta) - Updates the foreground count text display on recipe tiles based on limited amount metadata.

Events & listeners

• Listens to: None directly registered via ListenForEvent. Input handled through OnControl and widget focus system.
• Pushes: refreshcrafting - Fired on owner entity after successful recipe build action (used primarily for free crafting mode).