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How to add lists to config files

Throughout the Mission Pinball Framework config files, there are several places where the configuration items need to be a "list" or a "list of lists." The MPF config files are in a YAML format, so you add list items by following the YAML spec, but it can be a kind of confusing. So this page is our "how to" guide for the various ways you can add list items to MPF config files. First of all, there are several different places we need lists. For example, device tags, logic block events, switches that make up shots, etc. For our explanation, we'll use a generic list item with generic configurations. Some examples:

coils:
  flipperLeft:
    number: SD18
    tags: flipper, player   # this is a list

#! switches:
#!   leftOutlane:
#!     number:
#!   rightOutlane:
#!     number:
##! mode: mode1
shots:
  outlane:
    switch: leftOutlane, rightOutlane    #this is a list

auditor:
  save_events:   # This config wants a list
    - game_started    # This is the first list item
    - ball_ended    # This is the second list item
    - game_ended    # This is the third list item

accruals:
  my_accrual:
    events:
      - sw_eightball     # this is the first list item
      - drop_targets_Solids_lit_complete, drop_targets_Stripes_lit_complete     # 2nd list item, which itself has two items

Valid options for lists

Ok, so let's say you have a config item that needs a list. We'll use a made-up config called "config" with three list items: item1, item2, and item3. You can enter this into your config file in one of several ways. First, you can enter all the items on one line separated by commas:

config: item1, item2, item3

Second, you can enter each item on its own line, indented, with each line starting with a dash, like this: (Be sure to include the space after the dash before the list item. It's a YAML thing.)

config:
    - item1
    - item2
    - item3

So you have two options. Which one should you pick? It really doesn't matter. You can use whichever one has the style you prefer and whichever one makes your config files easiest to read. (We tend to just use commas, but if it's a long list then we'll put each item on its own line so the line doesn't wrap.)

Valid options for "lists of lists"

Some config items require "lists of lists" where there is a list with multiple items, and then each of those items is itself another list which may have multiple items. (This is seen a lot in MPF's Logic Blocks where we have multiple steps that can each be made up of one or more events.) The easiest way to enter these into your configuration files is to combine the method using commas and dashes, like this:

config:
    - item1, item2
    - item3, item4, item5
    - item6

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