gregWiki/docs/guides/contributors/contributor-workshop.md

id, title, sidebar_label, description, sidebar_position, tags

id	title	sidebar_label	description	sidebar_position	tags
contributor-workshop	Contributor Guide — WorkshopManager	Contributor Guide	Development setup, building, publishing workflow, and release process for the WorkshopManager.	20	audience:contributor workshop

Contributor Guide — WorkshopManager

This guide covers the development workflow for the WorkshopManager and how to publish mods to the Steam Workshop.

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 with .NET Multi-platform App UI and Windows App SDK workloads.
• .NET 9 SDK (for the WorkshopManager MAUI app).
• .NET 6 SDK (for framework, plugins, and mods targeting MelonLoader).
• Steam with Data Center installed (App ID 4170200).

Repository structure

Paths are relative to the gregFramework/ workspace root (split repos cloned side by side).

Path	Purpose
gregCore/framework/FrikaMF.csproj	Core MelonLoader framework DLL
gregExt.*/	FFM framework plugins (FFM.Plugin.* assemblies — one repo per plugin)
gregMod.*/	Standalone gameplay mods (FMF.* assemblies)
gregModmanager/WorkshopUploader.csproj	WorkshopManager MAUI app
gregFramework/scripts/Deploy-Release-ToWorkshop.ps1	Package all builds into Workshop folders (when present in your clone)
gregFramework/scripts/Deploy-Release-ToDataCenter.ps1	Deploy to game for local testing

Building

Build everything (solution)

dotnet build gregCore/FrikaMF.sln -c Release

Build standalone mods (per split repo)

dotnet build gregMod.ConsoleInputGuard/FMF.ConsoleInputGuard.csproj -c Release
dotnet build gregMod.GregifyEmployees/FMF.GregifyEmployees.csproj -c Release
dotnet build gregMod.HexLabelMod/FMF.HexLabelMod.csproj -c Release
dotnet build gregMod.LangCompatBridge/FMF.JoniMLCompatMod.csproj -c Release

Build WorkshopManager only

dotnet build gregModmanager/WorkshopUploader.csproj -c Release

Workshop project structure

Each mod/plugin gets its own folder under <GameRoot>/workshop/:

<GameRoot>/workshop/
├── FrikaModFramework/
│   ├── content/
│   │   └── Mods/
│   │       └── FrikaModdingFramework.dll
│   ├── metadata.json
│   └── preview.png
├── FFM.Plugin.Multiplayer/
│   ├── content/
│   │   └── FMF/
│   │       └── Plugins/
│   │           └── FFM.Plugin.Multiplayer.dll
│   ├── metadata.json
│   └── preview.png
└── ...

The content/ folder mirrors the game directory structure and is what Steam uploads.

Deploy to Workshop folders

pwsh -File scripts/Deploy-Release-ToWorkshop.ps1

This script:

1. Builds all framework, plugin, and mod projects.
2. Creates a Workshop project folder for each under <GameRoot>/workshop/.
3. Copies the built DLL into content/<target path>/.
4. Creates metadata.json with title, description, tags, and visibility.

Publishing workflow

GUI (recommended)

1. Run the WorkshopManager app.
2. Open a project from the Projects tab.
3. Edit title, description, tags, visibility, and preview image.
4. Write change notes describing what changed.
5. Click Save and upload to Steam.
6. After upload, the app syncs your local content/ with Steam's version.

CLI (headless)

WorkshopUploader.exe --mode publish --path <project-folder>

Post-upload sync

After publishing, the app re-downloads the item from Steam and replaces your local content/ folder. This ensures your working copy matches exactly what Steam has — similar to git pull after git push.

Extending the service layer

The SteamWorkshopService in gregModmanager/Services/SteamWorkshopService.cs wraps the Facepunch.Steamworks 2.3.3 API. Key methods:

Method	Purpose
PublishAsync	Create or update a Workshop item with change notes
SyncAfterPublishAsync	Re-download from Steam to sync local content
BrowseAsync	Browse all Workshop items with sort/tag filters
SearchAsync	Text search across Workshop items
ListSubscribedAsync	List user's subscribed items
ListFavoritedAsync	List user's favorited items
SubscribeAsync / UnsubscribeAsync	Toggle subscription
AddFavoriteAsync / RemoveFavoriteAsync	Toggle favorite
VoteAsync	Vote up or down
GetItemDetailsAsync	Full item details with stats

Adding a new mod to the release

1. Create the mod as a split repo folder gregMod.<Name>/ under the gregFramework workspace (or clone an existing gregMod.* repo).
2. Add it to the $mods array in Deploy-Release-ToWorkshop.ps1.
3. Run the deploy script.
4. Open the new workshop project in the WorkshopManager and publish.