MCmake is a tool for making data packs for Minecraft that supports variables, conditions and loops. MCmake is intended to avoid coping entire commands over and over only to change a block id or a number. MCmake uses YAML for the data.

YAML is a human-readable data-serialization language.

Download the stand alone executables from releases

To run from source you need NodeJS.

In a Terminal or Command prompt:

mcmake [-h] [-v] [-i] [-m] [-z ZIP] [-p PATH]
# Or
mcmake [--help] [--version] [--init] [--make] [--zip ZIP] [--path PATH]

Note: --init, --make and --zip are mutualy exclusive. Can not be used together.

# Initialize a data pack in the current directory
mcmake -i
# Or
mcmake --init

# Initialize a data pack in another directory
mcmake -i -p "path/to/your/datapack"
# Or
mcmake --init --path "path/to/your/datapack"

# Build a data pack in the current directory
mcmake -m
# Or
mcmake --make

# Build a data pack in another directory
mcmake -m -p "path/to/your/datapack"
# Or
mcmake --make --path "path/to/your/datapack"

# Compress a data pack
mcmake -z "path/to/the/zip/file.zip"
# Or
mcmake --zip "path/to/the/zip/file.zip"

# Compress a data pack in another directory
mcmake -z "path/to/the/zip/file.zip" -p "path/to/your/datapack"
# Or
mcmake --zip "path/to/the/zip/file.zip" --path "path/to/your/datapack"

Note: MCmake can not be used with any regular data pack.

MCmake uses a file called pack.yml that looks like this:

# Build instructions
name: test datapack
description: A simple test datapack
format: 1
testworld: My world

# Global variables
hello: Hello, world!

Where this tags must exists:

• name is the name of the directory that will contain the datapack.
• description is the description of the data pack.
• format is the format of the data pack. Always 1.
• testworld is the name of the testing world (ignored when compressing to .zip). The compiled datapack will be generated inside .minecraft/saves/[testworld]/datapacks/[name].

Note: description and format are used to generate the pack.mcmeta file.

Bellow # Global variables you can add your own variables. YAML uses the format key: value for simple values; supports strings, numbers, booleans and lists.

# String
hello: Hello world

# Number
score: 10

# Boolean
show: true
# Or
show: false

# Lists
blocks: [minecraft:dirt, minecraft:cobblestone, minecraft:water]
# Or
blocks:
 - minecraft:dirt
 - minecraft:cobblestone
 - minecraft:water

Note: YAML also supports sub-keys but they are not used in MCmake

In any mcfunction file you can use variables like $key. For example, considering the example pack.yaml you can use the variable hello like this:

say $hello

And the output file will look like this:

say Hello, world!

You can output a command depending of a true or false value of a variable. For example, if you are testing your data pack you could have a variable testing:

testing: true

And in your mcfunction you have a line that in the form of $testing? command; then this line will only be writen to the output file if testing is true:

$testing? tellraw @a ["",{"text":"Testing mode","color":"green"}]

You can also output a line by inverting the value (true turns false and false turns true) by adding a ! after the $:

# In this case the command will not be writen because 'testing'
# is true and is turned into false

$!testing? tellraw @a ["",{"text":"Testing mode disabled","color":"red"}]

Considering this list:

blocks: 
  - minecraft:grass
  - minecraft:dirt
  - minecraft:stone

On your mcfunction you will have something like:

$blocks& execute if block ~ ~-1 ~ $_ run say Block~!

Notice the & after the variable name; this indicates MCmake that you want to use a list. Also notice the $_; this is changed for an entry in the list.

The generated file will look like this:

execute if block ~ ~-1 ~ minecraft:grass run say Block~!
execute if block ~ ~-1 ~ minecraft:dirt run say Block~!
execute if block ~ ~-1 ~ minecraft:stone run say Block~!

Note: ranges are not a standar YAML type.

A range is a custom type that MCmake uses to repeat a command n times.

# A range that goes from 1 to 5
values: !range [1, 5]

To use a range use the syntax $name% command:

$range% say Value $_

Note: the $_ works like in lists.

And the output file will look like this:

say Value 1
say Value 2
say Value 3
say Value 4
say Value 5

An exported block inside a function is a group of commands that are writen to another file when compiled. Export blocks begin with !export "filename" (where filename is the name of the function) and ends with !end-export. For example, this function contains a !export block:

say Not exported function

!export "example"
say Exported function
!end-export

When compiled two files will be generated:

say Not exported function

And another file called example.mcfunction:

say Exported function