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buildcraft

Summary

This page documents the BuildCraft integrations exposed to Lua by OpenComputers and Computronics. The available components cover transport pipes, heat-capable machines, drone docking stations, and controllable tiles.

Availability

  • Dependency: buildcraft
  • Label: integration-required

Component Names

  • bc_pipe
  • heatable_tile
  • docking
  • bc_controllable

What This Integration Is Good For

  • Inspecting pipe connectivity, gates, and wire state.
  • Monitoring the heat window of BuildCraft machines.
  • Docking drones to item pipes and dropping items into them.
  • Reading and changing machine control modes.

Components

bc_pipe

bc_pipe is exposed on BuildCraft pipe tiles.

getPipeType()

  • Syntax: getPipeType(): string | nil, string?
  • Purpose: Return the current pipe type name.
  • Returns:
    • The pipe type enum name on success.
    • nil, "none" if the underlying lookup fails.
  • Usage notes:
    • This is useful for distinguishing item, fluid, power, and structure pipe families.

isPipeConnected(side)

  • Syntax: isPipeConnected(side: number): boolean
  • Purpose: Check whether the pipe is connected on the specified side.
  • Parameters:
    • side: number A ForgeDirection side index.
  • Returns:
    • true if that side is connected.
    • false if it is not connected or if the underlying lookup fails.
  • Usage notes:
    • Invalid side values do not surface a Lua-visible exception here. They simply fall back to false.

isWired(color)

  • Syntax: isWired(color: string): boolean
  • Purpose: Check whether the pipe has a wire of the specified color installed.
  • Parameters:
    • color: string The exact BuildCraft PipeWire enum name, typically an uppercase color name.
  • Returns:
    • true if the wire is installed.
    • false if it is missing or the color name is invalid.

isWireActive(color)

  • Syntax: isWireActive(color: string): boolean
  • Purpose: Check whether the specified pipe wire is currently active.
  • Parameters:
    • color: string The exact BuildCraft PipeWire enum name, typically an uppercase color name.
  • Returns:
    • true if the wire is active.
    • false if it is inactive or the color name is invalid.
  • Usage notes:
    • isWired() only checks presence. isWireActive() checks live state.

hasGate(side)

  • Syntax: hasGate(side: number): boolean
  • Purpose: Check whether the specified side has a gate installed.
  • Parameters:
    • side: number A ForgeDirection side index.
  • Returns:
    • true if a gate is present on that side.
    • false if it is missing or the lookup fails.

heatable_tile

heatable_tile is exposed on BuildCraft tiles implementing IHeatable.

getMinHeatValue()

  • Syntax: getMinHeatValue(): number
  • Purpose: Return the minimum meaningful heat value.
  • Returns:
    • The lower bound where the machine starts entering its useful heat range.

getIdealHeatValue()

  • Syntax: getIdealHeatValue(): number
  • Purpose: Return the ideal working heat value.
  • Returns:
    • The target heat level the machine prefers.

getMaxHeatValue()

  • Syntax: getMaxHeatValue(): number
  • Purpose: Return the maximum safe heat value.
  • Returns:
    • The upper limit before heat should generally be treated as unsafe.

getCurrentHeatValue()

  • Syntax: getCurrentHeatValue(): number
  • Purpose: Return the machine's current heat.
  • Returns:
    • The live heat value.
  • Usage notes:
    • This is mainly intended for engines and other BuildCraft machines that operate within a heat window.
    • In practice it is usually more useful to compare this value against getIdealHeatValue() than only against the maximum.

docking

docking is exposed by the Computronics drone docking upgrade for BuildCraft pipe docking stations.

dock()

  • Syntax: dock(): boolean[, string]
  • Purpose: Start docking the drone with a valid station, checking the block below first.
  • Returns:
    • true if docking has started successfully.
    • false, reason on failure.
  • Usage notes:
    • Returns false, "drone is still moving" if the drone has not come to rest yet.
    • Returns false, "no non-occupied station found" if no free station is available.
    • A successful call starts the docking process; it does not mean the drone is already fully docked in the same tick.

dropItem(slot[, maxAmount[, color]])

  • Syntax: dropItem(slot: number[, maxAmount: number[, color: number]]): number[, string]
  • Purpose: Inject items from the drone inventory into the attached item pipe while docked.
  • Parameters:
    • slot: number Drone inventory slot, starting at 1.
    • maxAmount: number Maximum number of items to inject. The driver clamps this to 0..64, defaulting to 64.
    • color: number Optional BuildCraft item color id. It only has an effect on tier 2 or higher drones.
  • Returns:
    • The number of items actually injected on success.
    • 0, reason on failure.
  • Usage notes:
    • This only works when the drone is already docked to an item pipe.
    • Failure messages include drone is still docking, drone is not docked, cannot inject items into pipe, invalid pipe type, and invalid/empty slot.
    • If a color is supplied on a lower-tier drone, the color argument is ignored.

release()

  • Syntax: release(): boolean[, string]
  • Purpose: Undock the drone from the station.
  • Returns:
    • true on success.
    • 0, reason on failure.
  • Usage notes:
    • Returns 0, "drone is still docking" if docking has not finished yet.
    • Returns 0, "drone is not docked" if the drone is not currently docked.

bc_controllable

bc_controllable is exposed on BuildCraft tiles implementing IControllable.

getControlMode()

  • Syntax: getControlMode(): string
  • Purpose: Return the current control mode name.
  • Returns:
    • The current BuildCraft IControllable.Mode enum name.

acceptsControlMode(mode)

  • Syntax: acceptsControlMode(mode: string): boolean
  • Purpose: Check whether the tile accepts the specified control mode.
  • Parameters:
    • mode: string Exact BuildCraft IControllable.Mode enum name.
  • Returns:
    • true if the tile supports that mode.
    • false if it does not.
  • Usage notes:
    • Invalid enum names are not silently ignored here. They raise the underlying argument error.

setControlMode(mode)

  • Syntax: setControlMode(mode: string)
  • Purpose: Set the tile control mode.
  • Parameters:
    • mode: string Exact BuildCraft IControllable.Mode enum name.
  • Returns:
    • This callback does not return an additional success flag.
  • Usage notes:
    • mode must be accepted by IControllable.Mode.valueOf(...).
    • The safest workflow is to read the current value with getControlMode(), validate candidates with acceptsControlMode(), and then apply the new mode.

Example

local component = require("component")

if component.isAvailable("bc_pipe") then
  local pipe = component.bc_pipe
  print("Pipe type:", pipe.getPipeType())
  print("North connected:", pipe.isPipeConnected(2))
end

if component.isAvailable("heatable_tile") then
  local heatable = component.heatable_tile
  print("Heat:", heatable.getCurrentHeatValue(), "/", heatable.getMaxHeatValue())
end

Related

  • railcraft
  • appeng