GitHub Integration & Automatic Mod Publishing

SporeModder FX now comes with GitHub integration. GitHub is a platform for hosting open-source software. It is based on the version control software git; it allows you to keep track of all the changes and versions you do to your files.

The recommended and default way of making mods with SporeModder FX has changed. Now, it is recommended you install git and create a GitHub account; SporeModder FX will integrate with it to let you use it easily. Hosting your mods on GitHub has several advantages:

• It lets you publish the mod with a single button. This will package all your projects, compile all your DLLs, and bundle it into a .sporemod file.
• It will make your mod automatically available in the Spore Mod Browser
• It helps the Spore modding community grow! We all can learn from what other mods do by looking at their source files and code.

The new mod structure

Before, a mod was just a .package file, which in SporeModder FX meant a folder with some subfolders and files. Now, that has changed. A mod is now a collection of two kinds of projects: typical package projects, and C++ projects. The mod folder now has this kind of structure:

My Spore Mod/
├─ .github/
├─ ├─ workflow/
├─ ├─ ├─ build.yml
├─ data/
│  ├─ Package Project 1
│  ├─ Package Project 2
├─ src/
│  ├─ Visual Studio C++ Project
├─ .gitignore
├─ ModInfo.xml
├─ README.md

These folders and files are:

• data/ contains the package projects created by SporeModder FX
• src/ is where you can store Visual Studio projects, if your mod uses C++ code.
• ModInfo.xml is a set of properties that get bundled into your mod, and that the ModAPI Launcher Kit reads.
• README.md is a Markdown file that will be shown in GitHub. You can consider it the main page for your mod.
• .gitignore is a git file that ensures no unwanted files get committed into the repository.
• .github/workflow/build.yml is a GitHub Action that automatically compiles and publishes your mod.

Creating a new mod

Like before, you can create a new mod with the