Roboport Contents

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chronix
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Roboport Contents

Post by chronix »

TL;DR
Can we have another radio button when connecting to the roboport with a wire to get the roboport's contents (not the entire network)
What ?
Similar to how we can get the contents of a chest, I would like to get how many bots and repair kits are in this roboport.
Why ?
I want to use it to build a place with combinators to automatically add robots to the network if there are none available for that type. I can use the existing connection to get if the total number of available logistics or construction bots is less than 50, and start adding whichever type is needed. But I keep running into the roboport being full of the opposite type of bot, since they had the nerve to park there, so it won't automatically add more unless I can add a combinator to add up the bots in the specific roboport and remove enough of whichever is filling it to allow the other type to go in. Small change seems useful to me, but not sure who else would do this. The alternative for now is to have some requester/buffer chests with inserters and the same logic in a few places around the network, rather than have it all be at the bot factory. And it seems like a simpler idea than being able to send a signal to the roboport for the bots to vacate immediately if there is room elsewhere :)

Edit: It would also be super fantastic to be able to get lists of other items, specifically items being constructed that cannot be fulfilled (like shown in the icon by the copy/paste/etc bar), so you could request them from neighbor networks or trains etc.
Last edited by chronix on Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Tekillaa
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Re: Robotport Contents

Post by Tekillaa »

hi,i made the same post /suggestion just here

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=67650
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chronix
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Re: Robotport Contents

Post by chronix »

I saw that one, which is a similar request (but very different from mine) and I imagine more complicated (for the developers).
Tekillaa
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Re: Robotport Contents

Post by Tekillaa »

In the begining, i had the same wish as you, just the info output, i made a post about dealing with population/repartition. viewtopic.php?f=18&t=67659

i needed that info output to have inserter putting back logistic bot into a box, so when 5 logistic bot come make a deposit somewhere , only 1 go back carrying his 4 friend home

But in addition to that, i got a lot of troubles with distribution of tools too. I hope you got a better experience than mine, so far now, for me logistic is a nightmare. I would be happy if your idea pass, but i truely hope that the total development of my idea will be done, because it will remains for me, again something missing if just your suggestion is done. (tool for player, and those bots travelling with tools again and again...). And i hope that the same feature as a already existing chest with some adaptation for a roboport is not that hard? depends on how is treated the roboport in the code i guess. Not my domain.


I got many playtime on the game (600+h), and this is the only big part missing in the game for me.
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chronix
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Re: Roboport Contents

Post by chronix »

I also added in an edit, because I wasn't sure if there was a request elsewhere for it: It would also be super fantastic to be able to get lists of other items, specifically items being constructed that cannot be fulfilled (like shown in the icon by the copy/paste/etc bar), so you could request them from neighbor networks or trains etc.
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Re: Roboport Contents

Post by macdjord »

+1
Tertius
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Re: Roboport Contents

Post by Tertius »

In my opinion, this request can be closed, because it is obsolete.

About the inventory: It's now possible to request bots into the roboport. You can read the bot statistics. So to balance bot amounts in the network, you request a small amount of bots into one roboport and read bot statistics. You can now add and remove bots according to the statistics. There is always space in the roboport because of the request function, since surplus robots are being sent away, freeing space, and you can insert more.

About requests: it's now possible to read item requests from a roboport. Included are only requests from buffer chests and requester chests, but not construction requests from ghosts. However it was said multiple times from the devs that providing construction request statistics isn't possible for performance reasons. Cannot be implemented.

About repair packs: Repair packs are handled as if they are in some anonymous storage chest somewhere in the network, no matter if they're actually in some storage chest or in a roboport. You can request repair packs into a requester chest if you like, and they will also be pulled from any roboports. You also never need to insert repair packs into a roboport to make them available for repairs. They will also be picked up by construction bots from logistic chests as well.
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Re: Roboport Contents

Post by macdjord »

Tertius wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 10:46 am In my opinion, this request can be closed, because it is obsolete.

About the inventory: It's now possible to request bots into the roboport. You can read the bot statistics. So to balance bot amounts in the network, you request a small amount of bots into one roboport and read bot statistics. You can now add and remove bots according to the statistics. There is always space in the roboport because of the request function, since surplus robots are being sent away, freeing space, and you can insert more.

About requests: it's now possible to read item requests from a roboport. Included are only requests from buffer chests and requester chests, but not construction requests from ghosts. However it was said multiple times from the devs that providing construction request statistics isn't possible for performance reasons. Cannot be implemented.

About repair packs: Repair packs are handled as if they are in some anonymous storage chest somewhere in the network, no matter if they're actually in some storage chest or in a roboport. You can request repair packs into a requester chest if you like, and they will also be pulled from any roboports. You also never need to insert repair packs into a roboport to make them available for repairs. They will also be picked up by construction bots from logistic chests as well.
None of this addresses the fact that there is no way to read the contents of a given robotport. Any other container in a logistics network you can use circuits to check the contents of, but not robotports.
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