Using the Library and Activating Modules

Owned by Derek Batting
Last updated: Apr 24, 2024
5 min read

Modules

The Library category on the Sidebar is where you will find the Modules button. The Modules window contains reference data for all data modules that have been activated for this FG session. To view the reference data for a module, select the module in the left hand pane of the Modules window, then select the topic in the right hand pane.

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For information about customizing the Sidebar, see https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/1242857473

Module Activation

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Modules are bundled packs of data and/or tokens for use in Fantasy Grounds.

The GM controls access to all modules via the Module Activation windows. By default, modules are not loaded until activated by the user. The data module activation window is available via the Library window accessible via the tabletop sidebar menu. The token module activation window is available via the Tokens window accessible via the tabletop sidebar menu. If a module has both tokens and data, it will show up in both activation windows. (In some older rulesets, the module activation window is a separate button at the upper right of the tabletop sidebar.)

How to Activate A Module

To activate or deactivate a module, double-click on the module entry in the module activation window, or click the Load button. (In some older rulesets, it is necessary to drag the book icon open to activate.)

Conversely, if you wish to unload a module, you can click Unload, or drag the book icon shut to unload it.

Asset Modules

Many items we sell on the Store contain maps, images, or tokens. These are considered Asset Modules. These are loaded automatically into your Assets Windows and don’t require loading them separately in the Module Activation window.

Module Data

When module tokens are loaded, a separate entry will appear in the Tokens window with the name of the module, and contain any tokens loaded from the module.

When module data is loaded, the data usually appears in these locations:

  • Campaign data (Stories, NPCs, Encounters, Items, Parcels) are usually stored in separate tabs located at the bottom of each of the campaign data windows accessible via the tabletop sidebar.

  • Calendar data is accessible via the Calendars window when selecting a calendar

  • Reference data is usually accessible via the Library window.

Module Availability (Sharing with Players)

The GM has complete control of which modules can be accessed by players of their campaign. By default, the module access for a given module is either blocked or undefined (depending on the module creator).

To set a module access state, the GM can click on the module access button to toggle it between Player Load Allowed mode (the green checkmark button) or Player Load Blocked mode (the red X button), or drag-and-drop the corresponding button onto the module to allow or block load access.

Here are the available access states:

  • Undefined: This module is visible to the players, but can not be loaded by players. Attempts to load will generate a notice on the GM chat window.

  • Block: This module is not visible to the players, and can not be loaded by players.

  • Allow: This module is visible to the players, and can be loaded by the players if desired.

Module Export

The GM can create a module of campaign data based on the contents of the current campaign. To bring up the Export window, click the Export button in the Module Activation window, or type /export in the chat entry box. One of the best practices for this feature is to create a campaign specifically for each module, so that it can be updated at a later date and re-exported.

A summary of the fields in the module export window:

  • File name: The name to give the module file when stored on disk. This field is required.

  • Thumbnail: The name of an image file to associate with the module. The thumbnail files for the provided modules are 75x86 pixels. This field is optional.

  • Name: The name of the module to display in the Module Activation and Library windows. This field is required.

  • Display Name: How you would like to campaign name to appear. This can differ from the internal name (Name field). This field is optional.

  • Category: The name of the module category to display under in the Library window.

  • Author: The name of the module author to display in the Module Activation window.

  • Read Only?: If selected, this will mark the exported module as Read Only and cannot be edited.

  • Player Module?: If selected, this will denote the module as a Player Module.

  • Any Ruleset?: If selected, this module will not be restricted to any single ruleset, but will be usable by all rulesets.

  • Record Types: Select individual record types to be exported by clicking the radio button next to the record type, or click the All button to select all that apply. You can deselect all records by clicking the None button.

  • Assets: Drag-and-drop any image assets that should be exported with the module. Any non-module, non-ruleset tokens referenced by the exported data will be included in the module automatically.

When the Export button is pressed, a module will be created based off the information entered in the Module Export window. The export status is displayed in the chat window. The module file will be created in the <FG App Data>\modules directory with a .mod file extension and will be available for module activation after a restart of Fantasy Grounds. The module created by the export process acts in exactly the same way as other modules (described on this page).

Note: to avoid confusing module data with the base campaign data used to create the module, it is recommended that the new module is not opened in the same campaign where it was created.