Loader snapping

[juh9870]

What kind of issue is this?

• Compatibility
• Locale (names, descriptions, unknown keys)
• Graphical
• Crash
• Other

What is the problem?

When loader is in the input mode (loading items from the belt into storage) and I change any of the options, the loader turns 180 degrees and switches to output mode

Steps to reproduce

1. Install Krastorio 2 Spaced Out and Loader Utils
2. Place the loader so it loads items from belt into a chest
3. Try changing any of the loader options

Additional context

Log file

factorio-current.log

[protocol-1903]

Can you confirm if this happens with any other loader mods?

[juh9870]

Can reproduce the problem with Exotic Industries: Loaders (2.0 Port) and Vanilla Loaders. Couldn't test with AAI loaders, because they straight up throw an error when placed, I will open another issue for them

[protocol-1903]

This is an issue with those mod's snapping logic, not Loader Utils.

[juh9870]

If this is the case, which mods do even work with Loader Utils?

[protocol-1903]

AAI, loaders modernized, deadlocks

You can also report this to those mods to get it fixed

[kirazy]

This is an issue with those mod's snapping logic, not Loader Utils.

Well, yes, but actually, no.

Exhibit A, the bug in question. A loader in input-mode loading items into a chest:

20260204-0326-04.0349939.mp4

Exhibit B, the fix, the revision of one line in your mod's control.lua:

20260204-0328-21.9933840.mp4

The Issue

loader-utils/control.lua

Line 41 in eac720c

loader_type = old_entity.loader_type,

loader_type is not a valid parameter to LuaSurface.create_entity:

The correct parameter is type.

Tangentially related:

This doesn't resolve that because you create new entities and are hot swapping them, your created entities don't use the snapping logic in Vanilla Loaders HD. The mod uses a whitelist-based solution, so that only loaders added by vanilla-loaders-hd, or that are registered by other mods with it, will snap. This is intended, so as to deconflict with other loader mods that provide their own snapping logic.

You create three entities for each defined loader. You could register them with VHD, if the loader originates from VHD, but that's not trivial to determine by pattern since VHD doesn't prefix entity names. I could change that so you can filter on them, but maybe another approach is better. Looking at how Krastorio handles their whitelist, they use pattern-based on the regex "^kr.*%-loader$"... imo, you should probably provide your own snapping solution for your created entities. 🥲

[protocol-1903]

Fascinating. Alternative solution 2: VHD provides a system for registering loaders via mod-data or remote API (preferred mod-data). Alternative solution 3: implement custom snapping logic with per-loader overrides from mods with existing logic. Alternative solution 4: each loader mod in existence provides methods to disable loader snapping, period (preferred option)

[kirazy]

Solution 2 is supported: a remote API exists, use as follows: remote.call("vanilla-loaders", "subscribe", [loader_name])

You could also disable any mods registered in that fashion by calling remote.call("vanilla-loaders", "unsubscribe", [loader_name]), so technically solution 4 is supported if you run every single loader through it.

Or even via the runtime setting: "vanillaLoaders-do-loader-snapping". You can probably override and hide that... 🤔

[protocol-1903]

Thanks, I'll look into that. Do you know off the top of your head if any of the other loader snapping mods provide utilities to register/turn of their tools?