Mod loaders like Forge, LiteLoader, Fabric, and a small minority of other mods make modifications to the version manifest. Changes include:
- Adding more libraries to the list
- Adding processors that run when the pack is installed
- Changing the main class
- Appending to or replacing the command line arguments
The builder currently supports several different types of loaders, and more may be added on request. Below are some details on each loader type.
Legacy (pre-1.13) Forge
Prior to 1.13, the only installer style in-use was the legacy Forge style. Files using this loader style include:
- Old Forge installers
- LiteLoader installers
Modern (post-1.13) Forge
Since 1.13, Forge uses a new style of loader manifest. These loaders can include additional processing steps that run at the end of pack updates.
Currently the only loaders using this style are new Forge installers.
Fabric
The Fabric loader processor is a special case, in that it's Fabric-specific. To use it, you need to locate a Fabric Loader jar, which at time of writing is difficult to find.
The easiest way to get hold of a Loader jar is from the Fabric Maven.
Below you can see the latest available version; find that version's folder in the list, and then download fabric-loader-VERSION.jar (not the sources or javadoc jars!)
IMPORTANT: The Fabric Installer, which is more readily available, is version independent and cannot be used as a loader.
Quilt
Works basically the same as Fabric above. The Quilt Maven has loader JARs.
Launcher Wiki
Tutorial
Launcher Features:
- Fancy Launcher
- Portable Mode
- Hidden Modpacks
- Deploying Server Modpacks
- Launcher Arguments
- Custom JAR (.jar mods)
- Custom Version Manifest
Customization:
- Localization
- News Page Guide
- Custom Microsoft OAuth application
- Using an IDE (Eclipse, IntelliJ)
Additional Reading:
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