Resource Development

Developing resources for CitizenFX requires careful consideration of performance, security, and maintainability. This guide covers essential practices for creating robust and efficient resources.

Project Structure

1. Directory Organization

resource/
├── client/
│   ├── main.lua
│   ├── events.lua
│   └── utils.lua
├── server/
│   ├── main.lua
│   ├── events.lua
│   └── database.lua
├── shared/
│   ├── config.lua
│   ├── enums.lua
│   └── utils.lua
└── fxmanifest.lua

2. Manifest Configuration

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'
 
author 'Your Name'
description 'Resource Description'
version '1.0.0'
 
shared_scripts {
    '@ox_lib/init.lua', -- Framework dependencies
    'shared/config.lua',
    'shared/*.lua'
}
 
client_scripts {
    'client/*.lua'
}
 
server_scripts {
    '@oxmysql/lib/MySQL.lua', -- Database dependencies
    'server/*.lua'
}
 
dependencies {
    'ox_lib',
    'oxmysql'
}

Code Organization

1. Module Structure

-- Example module structure
local Resource = {}
 
-- Private variables
local config = {}
local state = {}
 
-- Private functions
local function initialize()
    -- Initialization code
end
 
-- Public functions
function Resource.Start()
    initialize()
    -- Start resource
end
 
function Resource.Stop()
    -- Cleanup code
end
 
return Resource

2. Event Handling

-- Example event handling
local function handlePlayerJoin(source)
    -- Validate source
    if not source then return end
    
    -- Initialize player data
    local success = InitializePlayerData(source)
    if not success then
        print('Failed to initialize player data')
        return
    end
end
 
-- Register events
AddEventHandler('playerConnecting', handlePlayerJoin)

Performance Optimization

1. Memory Management

-- Example of proper memory management
local cache = {}
 
local function getCachedData(key)
    if cache[key] then
        return cache[key]
    end
    
    local data = fetchData(key)
    cache[key] = data
    return data
end
 
-- Cleanup cache periodically
CreateThread(function()
    while true do
        Wait(300000) -- 5 minutes
        cache = {}
    end
end)

2. Thread Management

-- Example of proper thread management
local activeThreads = {}
 
local function startThread(name, callback, interval)
    if activeThreads[name] then return end
    
    activeThreads[name] = CreateThread(function()
        while true do
            callback()
            Wait(interval)
        end
    end)
end
 
local function stopThread(name)
    if activeThreads[name] then
        TerminateThread(activeThreads[name])
        activeThreads[name] = nil
    end
end

Error Handling

1. Try-Catch Implementation

-- Example error handling
local function safeCall(func, ...)
    local success, result = pcall(func, ...)
    if not success then
        print('Error:', result)
        return nil
    end
    return result
end
 
-- Usage
local data = safeCall(fetchPlayerData, playerId)
if not data then
    -- Handle error
end

2. Logging System

-- Example logging system
local LogLevel = {
    DEBUG = 1,
    INFO = 2,
    WARNING = 3,
    ERROR = 4
}
 
local function log(level, message, ...)
    local timestamp = os.date('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
    local formatted = string.format(message, ...)
    print(string.format('[%s] %s: %s', timestamp, level, formatted))
end
 
-- Usage
log('ERROR', 'Failed to load player data for %s', playerId)

Testing and Debugging

1. Development Environment

-- Example development setup
local isDevelopment = GetConvar('sv_environment', 'prod') == 'dev'
 
local function debugLog(message, ...)
    if not isDevelopment then return end
    print(string.format('[DEBUG] %s', string.format(message, ...)))
end

2. Testing Framework

-- Example test setup
local tests = {}
 
function tests.ValidatePlayerData()
    local testData = {
        identifier = 'test123',
        name = 'Test Player'
    }
    
    local isValid = ValidateData(testData)
    assert(isValid, 'Player data validation failed')
end
 
-- Run tests in development
if isDevelopment then
    for name, test in pairs(tests) do
        local success, error = pcall(test)
        if not success then
            print('Test failed:', name, error)
        end
    end
end

Always test your resources thoroughly in a development environment before deploying to production.

For more information about specific aspects of resource development, refer to the relevant sections in the documentation.

Resource Development

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