Editing Modding Tutorials/Recommended software

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Recommended Software}}

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=What you'll learn=

This tutorial lists a few programs you could use to edit XML and C# code.<br/><br/>

=XML Code Editors=

===Basic Editors===

Just about any text editor can write XML code, but some are better suited than others. Rich text editors (WordPad, anything part of any Office suite) should be avoided. Windows' simple notepad will work, but you'll want something which offers things like "Find in Files" functionality and syntax highlighting. If you're even somewhat serious about modding, the following software will help you immensely:<br/>

{| class="wikitable"
! Software !! OS !! Description
|-
| [http://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/ Notepad++] || Windows || Light-weight editor with extension support. Adding the "XML Tools" plugin is recommended for editing XML files, as it adds additional validation and error-checking.
|-
| [https://code.visualstudio.com/ Visual Studio Code] || Linux/Windows/Mac || A text editor with emphasis on productivity and extension support. Also has an excellent XML plugin.
|-
| [http://www.sublimetext.com/ Sublime Text] || Linux/Windows/Mac || Natively supports many programming languages and markup languages, and its functionality can be extended by users with plugins - A brief overview of its functionality can be found [http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/tutorials/useful-shortcuts-for-a-faster-workflow-in-sublime-text-3--cms-22185 here] and a full course [http://code.tutsplus.com/courses/perfect-workflow-in-sublime-text-2 here]
|-
| [http://xmlnotepad.codeplex.com/releases/ XML Notepad] || Windows || XML-oriented editor with a lot of features you will most likely never use in Rimworld modding
|-
| [http://www.geany.org/ Geany] || Linux/Windows/Mac || Extremely lightweight text editor with syntax highlighting and some other basic features oriented towards XML and code editing.
|}<br/>

===Advanced Editors===

There's many editors out there specifically made for XML code. Because Rimworld uses XML in a very simple way, advanced code editors are rarely needed. In case you're ever in need of one, however, the following ones might help:<br/>

{| class="wikitable"
! Software !! OS !! Description
|-
| [http://sourceforge.net/projects/xpontus/files/ XPontus] || Windows || Has a tree view and is capable of checking XML for errors, fixing tabs and creating schema's detailing every tag's data types
|-
| [http://xmlgrid.net/ XMLGrid] || - || Capable of validating XML and turning it into Excel Spreadsheets, XSD Charts and an online table detailing each tag of a certain type and its contents
|-
| [http://codebeautify.org/xmlviewer Codebeautify's xmlviewer] || - || Can display as a tree view, automatically format/indent your code and can validate and show errors too. Also have a function share code (like [http://codebeautify.org/xmlviewer/b39586 that])
|}<br/>
An alternative to "Advanced editors" are plugins/extensions. Good extensions can highlight syntax (if not already standard), format XML, find xpath, auto-close XML tags, supports renaming tags, and more.
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=IDEs=

Writing C# code for custom assemblies requires not only code editing capability but also the ability to compile raw code into executable code. This is generally best done in an Integrated Development Environment that has a compiler built-in.

{| class="wikitable"
! Software !! OS !! Description
|-
| [http://www.visualstudio.com/ Visual Studio] || Windows/Mac || Microsoft's flagship IDE and strongly recommended if you are running Windows. The [https://www.visualstudio.com/products/visual-studio-community-vs Community Edition] is free for individuals and small teams, and does everything you need to make a RimWorld mod assembly out of the box.
|-
| [https://code.visualstudio.com/ Visual Studio Code] || Linux/Windows/Mac || VS Code can technically be used for C# as well, but you will need to do a little more legwork to get it to actually build the assembly as it's not a true IDE. VS Code is generally recommended if you are using Linux, since there is no Visual Studio for Linux.
|-
| [http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SD/Download/ SharpDevelop] || Windows || Free IDE specifically made for C#
|-
| [https://www.xamarin.com/platform Xamarin] || Windows/Mac ||It's free but you need to register to download it. Xamarin is an open-source platform for building modern and performant applications for iOS, Android, and Windows with .NET. Avaliable as an extension to Visual studio 2022 and 2019
|-
| [https://www.jetbrains.com/rider/ Rider] || Windows/Mac/Linux|| Unless you're a student it costs, but offers a lot of tools across all platforms.
|}

Whichever IDE you choose, make sure it's capable of compiling for .NET Framework 4.7.2. If you for whatever reason don't have this framework installed, you can download it [https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-framework/net472 here].

=C# Decompilers=

''See [[Modding_Tutorials/Decompiling_source_code|Decompiling source code]]''

=Graphics Software=

For making textures, you will need a graphics program. The following are simply popular options, any software that can export transparent PNGs will work for RimWorld though.

==Raster Graphics==

Raster graphics are graphics that are made of pixels. They can lose detail when resized, but may be more comfortable to use for those with traditional art experience.

{| class="wikitable"
! Software !! OS !! Description
|-
| [http://www.photoshop.com/products Adobe Photoshop] || Windows/Mac || RimWorld's original graphics are made in Photoshop and the official Art Source generally contains PSD files. Photoshop is the gold standard for graphics software, but also very expensive. There are a lot of free alternatives.
|-
| [http://www.gimp.org/ GIMP] || Linux/Windows/Mac || A free, open-source alternative to Photoshop that's been around since 1998. GIMP has a large user community, with great list of [http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/ tutorials] on the official sites
|-
| [https://krita.org/en/ Krita] || Linux/Windows/Mac || A free digital painting software. Better suited than GIMP for freehand painting and should feel like home pretty quick for Photoshop users.
|-
| [https://www.getpaint.net/ Paint.net] || Windows || A free photo editing program preferred by some modders. It is Windows-only.
|}

==Vector Graphics==

Vector graphics are created using mathematical formulae for lines and shading. They may be easier to work with if you do not have an art tablet or prior art experience, and RimWorld's simplistic art style is easily emulated with vector graphics. Note however that as noted above, RimWorld's art source is in Photoshop files and not vectors as many people believe.

{| class="wikitable"
! Software !! OS !! Description
|-
| [https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html Adobe Illustrator] || Windows/Mac || Adobe's primary vector drawing software package. Also the gold standard for vector graphics, but just like Photoshop is expensive. A few free options also exist.
|-
| [http://inkscape.org/en/download/ Inkscape] || Linux/Windows/Mac || Free vector graphic program with a steeper learning curve due to the vector based image editing.
|}

=Audio Software=

Recording your own audio for mods might be too much to ask, but editing audio is always possible. This can be done with the following software or your own alternative:<br/>

{| class="wikitable"
! Software !! OS !! Description
|-
| [http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/ Audacity] || Linux/Windows/Mac || Audio editing software with many tutorials online, lots of useful functionality and a relatively readable interface
|}

=Additional Links=

* [[Modding_Tutorials/Mod_Folder_Structure|Mod Folder Structure]] - How to set up a mod folder.
* [[Modding_Tutorials/Setting up a solution|Setting up a solution]] - How to set up a C# solution and project for building a RimWorld mod assembly.

[[Category:Modding tutorials]]