Flowchart: ContentManifest Creation
This flowchart outlines the process of creating a ContentManifest file, either programmatically via a builder or automatically through a generation service.
Manifest Creation Workflow:
- Input Source Selection: Determine the source of content (Publisher Studio, local directory, game installation, or programmatic)
- Publisher Studio Path (for content creators):
- Create project and configure publisher profile
- Add content items with metadata (name, description, tags, screenshots)
- Add releases with version numbers and changelogs
- Upload artifacts to hosting provider (Google Drive, GitHub, Dropbox)
- Generate catalog JSON with all content and release metadata
- Publish catalog and share genhub:// subscription link
- Generation Service Path (for local content):
- Scan directory or installation for files
- Calculate file hashes and sizes
- Generate manifest with file metadata
- Builder Path (for programmatic creation):
- Use fluent builder API to construct manifest
- Add basic info, content type, publisher, metadata
- Add files and dependencies
- Build final manifest object
- Output: Resulting ContentManifest is either serialized to manifest.json or included in PublisherCatalog.json
Publisher Studio Integration:
The Publisher Studio provides a complete workflow for content creators to become publishers without writing JSON:
- Multi-Catalog Support: Create separate catalogs for mods, maps, tools
- Addon Chain Management: Define mod → addon → sub-addon relationships
- Cross-Publisher Dependencies: Reference content from other publishers
- Hosting Provider Integration: OAuth with Google Drive, GitHub, Dropbox
- Validation: Circular dependency detection, version constraint validation
- One-Click Publishing: Generate and upload catalog with single action
Optimization Note: During game installation detection, the system first checks the IContentManifestPool for existing manifests matching the installation. If a valid manifest is found, the generation process is skipped entirely to prevent unnecessary directory scanning, ensuring that Steam-integrated and other stable installations do not trigger redundant CAS operations.