Automatically generated documentation of blocks, tools, weapons, and other items, with support for extension and writing your own item help texts
The goal is to tell the player as much about basically almost all items as possible, making it very convenient to look up simple things. This mod is out of the frustration that on servers you often see tons of weird items where you have no clue what they are good for and you have no place to look.
The ultimate goal behind this mod is that eventually all relevant items have a complete in-game documentation so no item leaves you confused.
For modders, this mod allows you to add custom help texts and even generated help texts by using the documented API. The more modders document their obscure, complex and weird items ( :D ), the easier Minetest will be to grasp for everyone. Thus, this mod depends on the collaboration of modders. Although the item help provided by this mod alone is already useful, but incomplete without usage of other mods.
Details
This mod is useful to learn the hard facts about practically all items, like how much damage weapon XYZ deals or whether you can dig that block.
This mod does NOT give you long explanations about how to use certain nontrivial things, like how to use the furnace from Minetest Game. This info is supposed to be provided by other mods like Minetest Game item help [doc_minetest_game].
This mod provides 3 categories for the Documentation System:
* Blocks (e.g. dirt, stone, wooden stair)
* Tools and weapons (e.g. wooden pickaxe, steel sword, screwdriver)
* Misc. items (e.g. dye, stick, flour)
Entries are automatically added. The information in the entries is mostly automatically generated. It countains information about a wide range of topics:
For blocks, it tells you about physics, digging properties, drops (including probabilities), liquid information, pointability, whether it glows in the dark, how light interacts with it, and much more.
For tools and weapons, it mostly tells you about mining capabilities and damage.
For all items, their range and stack size is shown, amoong some other minor facts.
Screenshot of an entry:

As you see, it's useful to know, but pretty raw, it solely consists of auto-generated info as this mod doesn't know anything about Minetest Game. The entry will be enhanced when doc_minetest_game is installed. See:

That's why support from other mod is important for the success of this mod and the Documentation System in general.
Extensibility
This mod also allows for mods to adding custom written description and usage help texts in freeform and even custom automatically generated texts for mod-specific information like flammability in Minetest Game.
The freeform texts are always split in a general description and a usage help text.
For modders, this mod enables you to add your own bits and pieces of documentation for your own items by adding custom descriptions, usage help texts and custom generated texts. An API documentation is already available.
Note if you only use doc_items, the item help may be sometimes a bit raw. It's still useful but incomplete, as crucial info on mining properties, or just simple explanations will be missing. This mod depends on the collaboration of other modders to add their own pieces of information. Note this mod is still in development.
Mods using this mod
- Minetest Game item help [doc_minetest_game]
- [bedrock2]
- [dice2]
- [pep]
- [teletool]
- [origin]
- [returnmirror]
I want to hear feedback on how useful you think the automatically generated texts are. For testing, disable doc_minetest_game to focus on the doc_items help only. Please tell me which texts you find confusing.
If you are a modder, and have questions about the API, please ask. I am also VERY interested in hearing in how easy or hard you think it is to use since I want to to make it as painless as possible to add help texts.
Download (and stuff)
Download: http://repo.or.cz/minetest_doc_items.gi ... 6df117.zip
Git project page and readme file: http://repo.or.cz/minetest_doc_items.git
License of everything: WTFPL
Mandatory dependency: Documentation System [doc] (version 0.6.0 or later)
See also
Lookup Tool (open block's help page by punching)