Welcome, Datapack Creator! (A Simple Guide to Validation)

Data packs are one of the most exciting and accessible ways to customize your Minecraft experience. They give you the power to add new crafting recipes, design custom advancements and loot tables, and write complex functions that can change the very fabric of the game—all without needing to learn complex programming for mods. However, this incredible power comes with a strict set of rules. Data packs are very sensitive to their structure and syntax. A single misplaced comma in a JSON file, a folder with the wrong name, or a missing `pack.mcmeta` file can cause your entire creation to fail to load, and the game often won't give you a clear error message, leaving you to wonder what went wrong. This can lead to hours of frustrating troubleshooting.

This tool is designed to be your personal debugging assistant, a comprehensive validator that checks your data pack's `.zip` file for the most common—and frustrating—errors. It instantly unzips your file right here in your browser, checks for the essential `pack.mcmeta` file, verifies that your folder structure is correct (including the all-important "namespace" folder), and, most importantly, it will attempt to parse every single `.json` file inside to make sure its syntax is perfect. It's the ultimate pre-flight check for your creations, helping you catch problems before you even load them into Minecraft. With the ability to save your last report and even generate a shareable link to your pack, getting help from the community has never been easier. Spend less time debugging, and more time creating!

How to Use This Validator

1. Select Your Datapack: Drag and drop your datapack's `.zip` file onto the upload area, or click the link to browse for it on your computer.
2. See the Report Instantly: The moment you select a file, the tool will read it, unzip it, and perform a series of validation checks. A detailed, color-coded report will appear, showing you exactly what it found.
3. Review the Log:
   • GREEN (✔) messages are successes. Your pack is looking good!
   • YELLOW (⚠) messages are warnings. These are things that might be incorrect but won't necessarily break your pack (like an empty folder).
   • RED (✖) messages are errors. These are critical issues that will almost certainly cause your data pack to fail to load. Focus on fixing these first!
4. Share for Help: If you're stuck on an error, click the "Copy Share Link" button. This creates a unique URL that contains your zipped datapack. You can post this link on a forum or Discord to get help from other creators easily.

Tips for a Healthy Datapack

• Zipping Correctly is Crucial:** This is the #1 mistake new creators make. Do not zip the folder that *contains* your pack. Instead, go *inside* that folder, select the `pack.mcmeta` file and the `data` folder, and then zip those selected items. The `pack.mcmeta` file must be at the top level of the zip archive.
• **The Namespace is Key:** Your folder structure must be `data` -> `your_namespace` -> `functions`, `loot_tables`, etc. The `your_namespace` part is a unique name for your pack (e.g., `data/epic_swords/loot_tables`). This tool will warn you if it can't find a namespace folder.
• **JSON is Extremely Picky:** The vast majority of in-game failures come from invalid JSON syntax. A missing comma between items in a list, or an extra comma after the *last* item, are the most common culprits. This validator is excellent at catching those. Use a good text editor that has syntax highlighting for JSON files!
• **100% Client-Side and Secure:** For your privacy and security, this tool does all its work right here in your browser. Your data pack files are never uploaded to any server, making the process instant and completely private.