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The Basics of Carbon Lang

Carbon Lang is designed to be as simple as possible. This page explains how a .cj file works from top to bottom.

The File Header

Every single .cj file must start with this on the very first line:

carbonjava

That's it. No brackets, no semicolons. Just that word. It tells Carbon Loader "this is a Carbon Lang file."

If you forget it, the file won't load.

Comments

A comment is a note you leave for yourself. The game completely ignores it. Comments start with @.

carbonjava

@ This is a comment. The game ignores this line entirely.

add item
name (ruby)      @ You can put a comment at the end of a line too.
type ingredient
end

Use comments to remind yourself what things do, especially when you come back to a script weeks later.

Blocks

Almost everything in Carbon Lang is written inside a block. A block starts with add and ends with end.

add item
  ... stuff goes here ...
end

Think of a block like a box. Everything inside the box belongs to that item (or mob, or block, etc.).

You can have as many blocks in one file as you want:

carbonjava

add item
name (ruby)
type ingredient
end

add item
name (ruby_sword)
type weapon
tier (diamond)
end

Properties

Inside a block, you set properties using this pattern:

property_name (value)

For example:

name (ruby_sword)
damage (10)
durability (120)

Simple. The property name on the left, the value in parentheses on the right.

Referencing Other Files

You can point to another .cj file using its path:

recipe (recipes/ruby_sword.cj)
run (scripts/fireball.cj)

The path starts from inside the src/ folder.

Indentation

Carbon Lang does not require indentation. These two blocks are identical to the compiler:

add item
name (ruby)
type ingredient
end

add item
  name (ruby)
  type ingredient
end

However, indenting makes your code much easier to read. It is strongly recommended, especially when you have blocks inside blocks (like add drops inside add mob).

Quick Rules Checklist

  • Every file starts with carbonjava
  • Every add needs a matching end
  • Comments use @
  • Values go in parentheses (like this)
  • Underscores instead of spaces in names: ruby_sword not ruby sword
  • File paths start from inside src/