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