Skip to content
terraform.wiki

Input & Output

Machines process items, while I/O ports decide where those items come from and where they go.

Connections

Section titled “Connections”

A routed machine port connects to the display name/id of a compatible machine or store at the same outpost. "inventory" is a freight endpoint only at home.

self.input.connect("Raw Materials")
self.output.connect("inventory")
self.input.take("iron_ore", 10)
self.output.send("iron_ingot", self.output.count())

Connections persist. Transfers require Auto Feeders, take time proportional to units moved, and are transactional: rejected or blocked transfers leave the exact source items unchanged. Fast Feeders unlocks at 400,000 Terraform Points and halves the duration of newly started timed item transfers throughout the logistics system. Transfers already in progress keep the duration they started with.

A Plant Terraformer‘s receiving feeder handles 16 items per handling step at Mk I and 80 at Mk II. The same capacity applies whether its input pulls from a source or another machine or store sends to it. Both physical endpoints remain occupied for the resulting transfer duration.

Field Mining Drills and Water Pumps use a pickup-only PickupOutputSlot instead. It exposes count(), capacity(), and stacks() but no connection or send methods. A physically present carrier initiates the transfer through its own cargo API.

Property-bearing items

Section titled “Property-bearing items”

The canonical value is an ItemStack: .id, whole-number .count, and opaque .properties. Properties belong to the item and survive Inventory, bins, warehouses, ports, and cargo. Equal ids merge only when their properties are deeply equal.

stacks() returns property-distinct snapshots:

for stack in self.output.stacks():
  print(stack.id, stack.count, stack.properties)

Use the optional property dict on take or send to select stacks containing that subset:

self.output.send(fragment_id, 1, {"forged": True})

The fourth argument controls matching. "exact" selects one full property identity, including None for ordinary propertyless items. "subset" selects dict subsets, and "any" ignores properties. When omitted, a dict uses subset matching and None uses any-variant matching.

self.output.send(fragment_id, 1, stack.properties, "exact")
self.output.send(fragment_id, 1, None, "exact")

Without a selector, transfers are deterministic. Most sources take matching stacks in storage order. A Warehouse keeps property-variant groups in storage order, but within the selected exact variant it drains the smallest physical stack first so partially filled duplicate slots are released sooner. Different Warehouse property variants still occupy different physical slots. A Storage Bin latches to one item id but may hold several property-distinct stacks of that id.

Port API

Section titled “Port API”
  • connect(name) / disconnect() / connected_to() on routed ports
  • take(item_id, count) on inputs, with optional property and matching arguments
  • send(item_id, count) on routed outputs, with optional property and matching arguments
  • count() / capacity()
  • stacks()

Manual UI actions are separate from port automation. At Nocturna Base, manual Biology uses Inventory. At another outpost, its Manual Stockroom selector binds every card to one local Warehouse. Habitat revival reagents use their own local staging. Port automation follows freight locality like every other machine.

Vehicle handoffs additionally require both vehicles stopped within about 2 m. Inventory freight requires a vehicle at home; stationary-store transfers require it inside the target service area. If a target rejects a transfer, its result names the reason and nothing is lost.

See also

Section titled “See also”