Auto Line Namer

Compatible with Transport Fever 3 build 40425 (the October 22 stability update and its hotfix), tested in game.

New in 2.3: optional Keep Names Ending With * setting. Turn it on and any line whose name ends with an asterisk is never renamed, alongside names starting with Cst. Off by default, so nothing changes unless you turn it on.

New in 2.0: Major Release

A performance overhaul for big saves. In a test with 5,000 lines of every transport type, the pause the mod could cause once a minute went from about 2 seconds to about 30 ms, roughly 60 times shorter, and its total work dropped to about a fifth. Line names come out exactly the same as before.

Lines are now re-checked in small batches every couple of seconds instead of all at once each minute, so every line is still updated once per Auto Update interval. Line numbering was also rewritten to check a line's current number directly instead of recounting every line, which alone makes it about 20 times faster.

Gives every line a consistent, readable name built from what the line actually does, and keeps it up to date as you change the line. No more "Line 37".

Examples

• Bus Passengers-Spr-She-IC-1: bus between Springfield and Shelbyville
• TC Logs,Gravel-Nor-Cam-IC-1: cargo train carrying logs and gravel
• HE Passengers-Did-LO-2: second helicopter line within Didcot

How it works

• New lines are named within about two seconds of being created.
• Every line is re-checked on a timer (every minute by default), so names pick up cargo once vehicles are assigned and follow any changes to the stops.
• Force a rename at any time by renaming a line to r or reload.
• Protect a line from renaming by starting its name with Cst, e.g. "Cst Airport Express", or, with the Keep Names Ending With * setting on, by ending it with an asterisk.
• Also adds an Auto Line Namer scheme to the Line Manager's built-in Auto-Rename button, for renaming a selection on demand.

Name parts

• Transport type: Bus, RC (road cargo), Tram, TrC (tram cargo), TP / TC (train passenger / cargo), WP / WC (water), AP / AC (plane), HE / HC (helicopter), or long labels such as Road - Bus, Road - Truck, Rail and Air - Helicopter with the Transport Labels setting
• Cargo: what the line carries (up to 3, then +N)
• Towns: first and last town, short (Spr) or full (Springfield). Can be swapped for station or industry names, see Stop Names below
• Line type: LO within one town, IC between two, RE for three or more
• Number: 1, 2, 3 for lines that would otherwise share a name

Settings

• Stop Names: what lines are named after. Towns (default), Stations (e.g. Springfield Port), or Industries (e.g. Oil Refinery: the industry each stop serves, or the station name where it serves none). Handy when one town has several ports or stations.
• Cargo Names: Full (Passengers), Short (Pas) or Code (PAX) for every cargo at once.
• Line Number Digits: pad the number with zeros, e.g. 3 digits gives 001, 002, 003.
• Transport Labels: Short (Bus, RC, TP, default) or Long (Road - Bus, Road - Truck, Road - Tram, Rail, Water, Air - Airplane, Air - Helicopter). Labels you changed in aln_config.lua are kept.
• Cargo Stop Names: name cargo lines after towns, stations or industries, separately from passenger lines, e.g. towns for passengers and industries for cargo. Same as Stop Names (default) uses one setting for all lines.
• Cargo Lines Show: First and last stop (default) or Delivery stop only, the line's last stop, e.g. RC Coal-Steel Mill-IC-1.
• Keep Names Ending With *: Off (default) or On: lines whose name ends with * are never renamed. The marker can be changed in aln_config.lua (tagSuffix).
• Cargo overrides (advanced, optional): below the separator, every cargo type has its own dropdown: Default (follows the Cargo Names setting), Full, Short or Code, e.g. Passengers as PAX, Logs as LOG, Iron Ore as ORE. Leave them on Default to ignore them.

When adding the mod to a game you can choose one of three name formats, short or full town and cargo names, and how often lines are re-checked. Every label, both separators, the protect prefix and suffix and a fully custom format can be changed in content/auto_line_namer/aln_config.lua.

Existing lines and your own names

• With the default Auto Update (every minute), all your lines are renamed within a minute of adding the mod, including existing ones, and lines you rename yourself are changed back at the next re-check.
• To name lines yourself: set Auto Update to Off. Only new lines then get an auto name, and your own names are never touched. Or start a line's name with Cst to protect just that line.
• Renamed lines can't be restored to their old names, so pick your Auto Update setting before adding the mod to a save you care about.

Achievements stay enabled: the mod is marked as cosmetic, since it only renames lines.

Credits

Ported to Transport Fever 3 by Dave W (BeautifulCheez), from the Transport Fever 2 mod Auto Line Namer by erkanercan, used under the MIT licence. The TF3 version is a rewrite for the new modding system, with new-line detection, helicopter support, numbered duplicates and the Auto-Rename integration added.