Digital Identifiers

A digitize operation removes physical content and returns an opaque identifier which refers to saved world data. An identifier is exactly 16 arbitrary bytes. In TypeScript it has type string; in Lua it is a binary string. It is not human-readable text or a UUID and may contain zero bytes or invalid UTF-8.

Keep identifiers byte-for-byte. Lua table values, binary files, or a deliberate binary-to-text encoding are suitable. Do not trim them or send them through JSON, text files, URLs, or databases without encoding and decoding all bytes. An identifier belongs to one mode: item, fluid, or energy.

Inspect and refresh

const info = digitizer.get("item", id);
if (info != null) {
  print(`${info.item.count} items, ${info.decaysAt - info.currentTime} ticks left`);
  digitizer.refresh("item", id);
}
Copy

local info = digitizer.get("item", id)
if info then
  print(('%d items, %d ticks left'):format(
    info.item.count, info.decaysAt - info.currentTime
  ))
  digitizer.refresh("item", id)
end
Copy

digitizedAt, lastRefresh, decaysAt, and currentTime are server game-time ticks. Minecraft normally advances 20 ticks per second, but ticks are not wall clock time and pause or lag can change the real duration. By default decay is enabled for 120000 ticks, or five Minecraft days. Always read current server configuration instead of relying on that default.

Creation sets digitizedAt and lastRefresh to the current tick and sets decaysAt to current time plus decayTicks. Refresh updates lastRefresh and decaysAt, not digitizedAt. If decay is disabled, the stored deadline remains visible but is not enforced.

The advanced API returns null from get and false from refresh for a missing or decayed identifier. The basic API throws instead. Fully rematerializing an identifier removes it; partial rematerialization leaves the remainder under the same identifier.