events.md

Events

Events are track objects with custom data that drive various elements of gameplay. This guide will cover how to use events as well as the helpers provided by ChartTools.

Class structure

Events are stored using Event as a base class, containing the position, event type and an optional argument. The type and argument can also be set simultaneously through the EventData property.

ChartTools distinguishes between global events (stored under Song) and local events (stored under Track) using the respective GlobalEvent and LocalEvent classes, both deriving from Event. This allows for better type safety and for the classes to provide helper properties for some complex event types.

Event helpers

Event types and arguments are stored as string, allowing for future-proofing and supporting custom events from sources that are not officially supported.

For event types which are supported, CharTools provides helpers in the form of string constants under the static EventTypeHelper.Global and EventTypeHelper.Local classes. In a future version, usage details of helpers will be accessible from the documentation included with the assembly.

var globalEvent = new GlobalEvent(0, EventTypeHelper.Global.MusicStart, null);

Some event types are part of a category defined by a prefix to the type. Helpers are provided for these groups under the static EventTypeHeaderHelper class. Helper properties are also defined for groups from supported sources.

bool isCrowd = globalEvent.EventType.StartsWith(EventTypeHeaderHelper.Global.Crowd);
bool isCrowd2 = globalEvent.IsCrowdEvent;

Some event types can be modified using predefined arguments. For such values, helpers are provided under the static EventArgumentHelper class.

var globalEvent = new GlobalEvent(0, EventTypeHelper.Global.Lighting, EventArgumentHelper.Global.Lighting.Strobe);