A net message is only correct when its two halves agree, and the two halves live in different files. Every net.Start, net.Receive and util.AddNetworkString in the workspace is paired with its counterpart, so a message that fails only at runtime shows up while you are writing it.
What is checked
Four ways the two halves fail to line up:
- Unregistered strings.
net.Start on a name never passed to util.AddNetworkString. Fails on the first send.
- Missing sends. A
net.Start block that never reaches Send, Broadcast or SendToServer — the message is built and thrown away.
- Orphaned receivers. A
net.Receive for a name nothing ever sends. Usually a rename that only happened on one side.
- Payload mismatches. The
net.Write* sequence on the sender does not match the net.Read* sequence on the handler.
Payload mismatch example
Read an Entity as a UInt and no error is raised — you just get nonsense. The rule catches that before you send the message.
Diagnostic on the second read, because that is where the sequences diverge.
Completion and rename
Message name completion
Inside a net.Start or net.Receive string, completion offers every name registered with util.AddNetworkString anywhere in the workspace.
Rename support
Rename a network string on its util.AddNetworkString and every net.Start and net.Receive that uses the same name is renamed with it.
Net message graph
GLua: Show Net Message Graph opens a view of every net message in the workspace: which files send each one, which handle it, and what the payload looks like on either side.
Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and run GLua: Show Net Message Graph.
