Configuration of kOS¶

structure Config¶

Config is a special structure that allows your kerboscript programs to set or get the values stored in the kOS plugin’s configuration. Some of the global values are stored in an external file, while save game specific values are stored in that save file.

Note

New in version v1.0.2: Prior to this version of kOS, all settings were stored globally in a single external file. KSP version 1.2.0 introduced a new way to store settings within the save file itself, and most settings were migrated to this system.

Note

If your save file has not yet migrated to the new settings storage system and an old config file is present, you will be prompted with a dialog box offering to migrate the old settings or use the defaults. You may also choose to prevent further attempts to migrate settings. If you do so, kOS will set the InstructionsPerUpdate to a negative value in the old config file, as a flag to indicate no further migrations should happen. (Note the old config file is still actively used for global settings such as the telnet settings, even after you’ve done this, so don’t delete it.)

The options here can also be set by using the App Control Panel or the kOS section of KSP’s Difficulty Settings

Because the Telnet server runs as a global instance for KSP, the telnet specific settings are stored globally in kOS’s external config file. These values are noted as global below, but all other values may be presumed to be local to the current save file.

The config file may be found at [KSP Directory]/GameData/kOS/Plugins/PluginData/kOS/

Members (all Gettable and Settable)¶
Suffix	Type	Default	Description
`IPU`	`Scalar` (integer)	150	Instructions per update
`UCP`	`Boolean`	False	Use compressed persistence
`STAT`	`Boolean`	False	Print statistics to screen
`ARCH`	`Boolean`	False	Start on archive (instead of volume 1)
`OBEYHIDEUI`	`Boolean`	True	Obey the KSP Hide user interface key (usually mapped to F2).
`SAFE`	`Boolean`	False	Enable safe mode
`CLOBBERBUILTINS`	`Boolean`	False	If true, built-in identifiers can be masked with user identifiers.
`AUDIOERR`	`Boolean`	False	Enable sound effect on kOS error
`VERBOSE`	`Boolean`	False	Enable verbose exceptions
`SUPPRESSAUTOPILOT`	`Boolean`	False	If true, kOS’s controls do nothing.
`TELNET`	`Boolean`	False	activate the telnet server
`TPORT`	`Scalar` (integer)	5410	set the port the telnet server will run on
`IPADDRESS`	`String`	“127.0.0.1”	The IP address the telnet server will try to use.
`BRIGHTNESS`	`Scalar`	0.7 (from range [0.0 .. 1.0])	Default brightness setting of new instances of the in-game terminal
`DEFAULTFONTSIZE`	`Scalar`	12 (from range [6 .. 20], integers only)	Default font size in pixel height for new instances of the in-game terminal
`DEFAULTWIDTH`	`Scalar`	50 (from range [15 .. 255], integers only)	Default width (in characters, not pixels) for new instances of the in-game terminal.
`DEFAULTHEIGHT`	`Scalar`	36 (from range [3 .. 160], integers only)	Default height (in characters, not pixels) for new instances of the in-game terminal.
`DEBUGEACHOPCODE`	`Boolean`	false	Unholy debug spam used by the kOS developers

Config:IPU¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Scalar integer. range = [50,2000]

Configures the InstructionsPerUpdate setting.

This is the number of kRISC psuedo-machine-language instructions that each kOS CPU will attempt to execute from the main program per physics update tick.

This value is constrained to stay within the range [50..2000]. If you set it to a value outside that range, it will reset itself to remain in that range.

Config:UCP¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the useCompressedPersistence setting.

If true, then the contents of the kOS local volume ‘files’ stored inside the campaign save’s persistence file will be stored using a compression algorithm that has the advantage of making them take less space, but at the cost of making the data impossible to decipher with the naked human eye when looking at the persistence file.

Config:STAT¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the showStatistics setting.

If true, then executing a program will log numbers to the screen showing execution speed statistics.

When this is set to true, it also makes the use of the ProfileResult() function available, for deep analysis of your program run, if you are so inclined.

Config:ARCH¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the startOnArchive setting.

If true, then when a vessel is first loaded onto the launchpad or runway, the initial default volume will be set to volume 0, the archive, instead of volume 1, the local drive.

Config:OBEYHIDEUI¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the obeyHideUI setting.

If true, then the kOS terminals will all hide when you toggle the user interface widgets with Kerbal Space Program’s Hide UI key (it is set to F2 by default key bindings).

Config:SAFE¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the enableSafeMode setting. If true, then it enables the following error messages:

Tried to push NaN into the stack.
Tried to push Infinity into the stack.

They will be triggered any time any mathematical operation would result in something that is not a real number, such as dividing by zero, or trying to take the square root of a negative number, or the arccos of a number larger than 1. Performing such an operation will immediately terminate the program with one of the error messages shown above.

If false, then these operations are permitted, but the result may lead to code that does not function correctly if you are not careful about how you use it. Using a value that is not a real number may result in freezing Kerbal Space Program itself if that value is used in a variable that is passed into Kerbal Space Program’s API routines. KSP’s own API interface does not seem to have any protective checks in place and will faithfully try to use whatever values its given.

Config:CLOBBERBUILTINS¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Setting this config option to TRUE will allow scripts to clobber built-in idenifier names, re-enabling older behavior for backward compatibility and disabling the compiler enforcement that was introduced in kOS v 1.4.0.0 to stop this practice.

In kOS v1.4.0.0, the compiler started enforcing the rule that kerboscript programs must never create a user variable, lock, or function with a name that clashes with one of kOS’s own built-in variable, lock, or function names. This rule was introduced to prevent common bugs where a program masked over some vital kOS variable, rendering it inaccessible, like for example SHIP, or VELOCITY.

Older scripts written before kOS 1.4.0.0 might need this config option enabled to make the compiler accept them and not throw errors.

Before enabling this to make the error messages go away, first consider going through the offeding script and editing it to rename the variable, lock, or function that is causing the message. That would be the better solution. This config option is only being presented as a dirty way to make old scripts that are no longer being edited keep working on newer versions of kOS. In the long run, it’s better to edit the scripts.

Note: This can be over-ridden by @CLOBBERBUILTINS directive:

Note that this config option can be over-ridden on a per-file basis by using the compiler directive called @CLOBBERBUILTINS. The Config value here is merely the default you get for files that lack a @CLOBBERBUILTINS compiler directive.

Config:AUDIOERR¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the audibleExceptions setting.

If true, then it enables a mode in which errors coming from kOS will generte a sound effect of a short little warning bleep to remind you that an exception occurred. This can be useful when you are flying hands-off and need to realize your autopilot script just died so

Config:VERBOSE¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the verboseExceptions setting.

If true, then it enables a mode in which errors coming from kOS are very long and verbose, trying to explain every detail of the problem.

Config:SUPPRESSAUTOPILOT¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

This is settable by use of the “Toggle Autopilot” Action Group too.

When this is set to True, it suppresses all of kOS’s attempts to override the steering, throttle, or translation controls, leaving them entirely under manual control. It is intended to be a way to let you take manual control in an emergency quickly (through the toolbar window where this setting appears) without having to quit the running program or figure out which terminal window has the program causing the control lock.

You can also bind this setting to an action group for a kOS core part in the VAB or SPH. The action is called “Toggle Suppress”. (Or “Suppress On” and “Suppress Off” for one-way action groups that don’t toggle.)

While it does suppress steering, throttle, and translation, it cannot suppress action groups or staging.

Config:TELNET¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

GLOBAL SETTING

Configures the EnableTelnet setting.

When set to true, it activates a kOS telnet server in game that allows you to connect external terminal programs like Putty and Xterm to it. Turning the option off or on immediately toggles the server. (When you change it from false to true, it will start the server right then. When you change it from true to false, it will stop the server right then.) Therefore to restart the server after changing a setting like TPORT, DO this:

// Restart telnet server:
SET CONFIG:TELNET TO FALSE.
WAIT 0.5. // important to give kOS a moment to notice and kill the old server.
SET CONFIG:TELNET TO TRUE.

Of course, you can do the equivalent of that by using the GUI config panel and just clicking the button off then clicking it on.

Config:TPORT¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Scalar (integer)

GLOBAL SETTING

Configures the TelnetPort setting.

Changes the TCP/IP port number that the kOS telnet server in game will listen to.

To make the change take effect you may have to stop, then restart the telnet server, as described above.

Config:IPADDRESS¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: String

GLOBAL SETTING

Configures the TelnetIPAddrString setting.

This is the IP address the telnet server will attempt to use when it is enabled. By default it will use the loopback address of “127.0.0.1” unless you change this setting to the computer’s actual IP address. Because most modern PC’s have multiple IP addresses, no attempt is made by kOS to guess which of them is “the” right one. You must tell kOS which one to use if you don’t want it to use the loopback address.

To make the change take effect you may have to stop, then restart the telnet server, as described above.

Config:BRIGHTNESS¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Scalar. range = [0,1]

Configures the Brightness setting.

This is the default starting brightness setting a new kOS in-game terminal will have when it is invoked. This is just the default for new terminals. Individual terminals can have different settings, either by setting the value Terminal:BRIGHTNESS in a script, or by manually moving the brightness slider widget on that terminal.

The value here must be between 0 (invisible) and 1 (Max brightness).

Config:DEFAULTFONTSIZE¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Scalar integer-only. range = [6,20]

Configures the TerminalFontDefaultSize setting.

This is the default starting font height (in pixels. not “points”) for all newly created kOS in-game terminals. This is just the default for new terminals. Individual terminals can have different settings, either by setting the value Terminal:CHARHEIGHT in a script, or by manually clicking the font adjustment buttons on that terminal.

The value here must be at least 6 (nearly impossible to read) and no greater than 30 (very big). It will be rounded to the nearest integer when setting the value.

Config:DEFAULTWIDTH¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Scalar integer-only. range = [15,255]

Configures the TerminalDefaultWidth setting.

This is the default starting width (in number of character cells, not number of pixels) for all newly created kOS in-game terminals. This is just the default for new terminals. Individual terminals can have different settings, either by setting the value Terminal:WIDTH in a script, or by manually dragging the resize corner of the terminal with the mouse.

Config:DEFAULTHEIGHT¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Scalar integer-only. range = [3,160]

Configures the TerminalDefaultHeight setting.

This is the default starting height (in number of character cells, not number of pixels) for all newly created kOS in-game terminals. This is just the default for new terminals. Individual terminals can have different settings, either by setting the value Terminal:HEIGHT in a script, or by manually dragging the resize corner of the terminal with the mouse.

Config:DEBUGEACHOPCODE¶

Access: Get/Set
Type: Boolean

Configures the debugEachOpcode setting.

NOTE: This makes the game VERY slow, use with caution.

If true, each opcode that is executed by the CPU will be accompanied by an entry in the KSP log. This is a debugging tool for those who are very familiar with the inner workings of kOS and should rarely be used outside the kOS dev team.

This change takes effect immediately.