This guide only explains how to create a datapack archive that HMCL can import.

Recommendation

It is always recommended that you create datapack archives in the multi-datapack format, because HMCL deletes datapacks with duplicate names. You can use this behavior to implement an update mechanism: simply import a new archive in the multi-datapack format, and the datapack you created is updated.

Multi-datapack

If your datapack is split into multiple parts for players to enable or disable, or if it needs to bundle a resource pack, then you need to create an archive in the multi-datapack format.

An example of the multi-datapack file format (which can only be a single .zip file) is shown below:

crafting++.zip
\
* datapacks
  |\
  | * block_sky_domain (a valid datapack)
  | * crafting_machine
  | * craftingpp
  | * tradepp
  | * utilitypp
  |
* resources.zip (if your datapack needs to bundle textures)
  \
    * assets
      \
        * ...

Here, the file format under datapacks is the same as that of .minecraft/saves/New World/datapacks, so you can pack your local datapacks folder manually and then import it into HMCL directly. If you also need resource files, bundle them inside the archive.

In addition, the format of the resources.zip file is the same as that of .minecraft/saves/New World/resources.zip. When importing a datapack, the launcher merges the default resource pack bundled with the world with the resource pack bundled with your datapack; if there are duplicate files, the old files are overwritten. If your server uses a datapack that contains a resource pack, please perform this operation on the server, and players can then download the server resource pack.

Single datapack

If your datapack does not need resource files, you can simply pack the datapacks/<your datapack name> folder and import it into HMCL directly.

An example of the single-datapack file format (which can only be a single .zip file) is shown below:

RealisticGlassPane.zip
\
* pack.mcmeta
* data
  \
    * some files

HMCL copies the datapack archive you packed directly into the datapacks folder without extracting it (because the vanilla game supports reading archives).

Updated: