CFG File Format

KSP uses a custom file format for various purposes such as part definitions, save files, and config files.

Low-level Format

Config file nodes contain a list of key = value pairs, and other nested config nodes. Keys and values are both strings and nested config nodes also have a key. Duplicate keys are allowed. CFG Files also support comments. In the data model, nested config nodes are generally separate from key-value pairs, and the node key typically defines the node's type. Keys are case sensitive. The order of node content doesn't matter.

• Key-value pairs

Keys and values are separated by an equals sign ("="). Values are read until the end of the line, EOF, or the start of a comment.

• Nodes

Config nodes start with their name, followed by an opening curly brace ("{") on its own line, their contents, and end with a closing curly brace ("}") on another separate line. The general convention is that config node keys are in all capital letters. Generally, node contents are indented by a single tab character.

• Comments

Comments start with a double forward slash ("//") and continue until the end of the line or EOF.

Basic Value Types

Although values are just strings, the config file codec in KSP contains a few utility methods for serializing common data types which map directly to Unity Engine classes.

Type tree:

• Array-likes

  Arrays elements are separated by either commas, spaces, or tabs (by default the config writer uses a comma followed by a space). For basic array types, listed below are the Unity Engine class the type maps to in bold, the primitive type of the array elements, and it's length. Other arrays can have any arbitrary length.

  • Color types
    • UnityEngine.Color <Float> [3 or 4]
    • UnityEngine.Color32 <Byte> [3 or 4]
  • Quaternion types
    • UnityEngine.Quaternion <Float> [4]
    • UnityEngine.QuaternionD <Double> [4]
  • UnityEngine.Matrix4x4 <Float> [16]
  • Vector types
    • UnityEngine.Vector2 <Float> [2]
    • UnityEngine.Vector3 <Float> [3]
    • UnityEngine.Vector3D <Double> [3]
    • UnityEngine.Vector4 <Float> [4]
• Enums

  The config writer serializes enumerations automatically.

See Also

• User:Greys#Conventions
• A better explanation of the config node format