Reaction

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v50.14 · v0.47.05

This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.

Reactions are modular, editable formulas that take specific ingredients, or reagents, and use them to produce a desired item. A lot of reactions are hardcoded—building beds or creating glass, for example—but a few are freely editable, and it's (sometimes) quite simple to add additional ones. There is a separate page with custom reaction examples.

Reaction differences between modes

In fortress mode, reactions are linked to specific buildings, and must be added to a civilization's entity file to be usable by that civilization. This has the useful effect of limiting new items and materials (such as special wood or metal) to civilizations that have the requisite reaction — so that if you give your custom civilization a reaction to produce "star metal" or some other custom material, only they will be able to use it.

In adventure mode, reactions are freely available in the x menu via the create option, and any adventurer character can make free use of them. Reagents may be held in the hands or dropped on the ground, but cannot be used within a backpack or quiver. There are several bugs with adventure mode reactions, chief of which is the fact that you cannot select liquid reagents.^[Verify]

Anatomy of a reaction

Reactions are found within reaction_x files (such as reaction_smelter or reaction_other). All reaction files must begin with the file name, followed by the [OBJECT:REACTION] token that tells the game that the file contains reaction definitions.

The reactions themselves generally adhere to the following structure:

  [REACTION:<identifier>]
     [NAME:<name>]
     [BUILDING:<BUILDING NAME>:<BUILDING KEY>]
     [REAGENT:A:150:BAR:NONE:POTASH:NONE]
     [PRODUCT:100:1:BAR:NONE:PEARLASH:NONE][PRODUCT_DIMENSION:150]
     [FUEL] 
     [SKILL:<SKILL TOKEN>]
     [AUTOMATIC]
     [ADVENTURE_MODE_ENABLED]

identifier: The internal ID of the reaction.
name: The name of the reaction, visible to the player in the Fortress mode or Adventure mode menus.
building: The building ID that the reaction uses, and the relevant keyboard shortcut.
...reagents...: Zero or more reagents (ingredients) that are required to be in stock for the reaction to be possible.
...products...: Zero or more products that are created from the reaction.
fuel: (optional) If present, the reaction requires charcoal, coke or a magma-powered workshop.
skill: (optional) The skill required and trained by the reaction.
automatic: (optional) If present, the reaction will automatically be enqueued whenever it can possibly be performed.
adventure mode: (optional) If present, the reaction can be used by the player in Adventure mode.

Reaction identifier

The REACTION token assigns a unique ID to your reaction.

   [REACTION:<reaction identifier>]

The reaction identifier may be anything, so long as it is unique within the raw data files. A good habit to get into is to append a short prefix or suffix to each name related to the name of your mod, to ensure nobody else is going to make an identical reaction and thereby mess up the game if their mod is run alongside yours. This is referenced in an entity definition via PERMITTED_REACTION to allow that entity to use the reaction.

Reaction name

The REACTION_NAME token assigns a descriptive name to your reaction in-game.

   [REACTION_NAME:<name>]

name

This can be anything at all, and is how the reaction will appear in the job list of the building it is assigned to, and so should describe the reaction. Tan a hide, for example, is the name of the default leather-producing reaction. Generally this should be written as a small descriptive verb phrase, with the first letter capitalized, for consistency with the existing reactions.

Building

The BUILDING token assigns the reaction to a building. Adding multiple BUILDING tokens will cause the reaction to be available at all of the specified buildings. Omitting the BUILDING token entirely will make the reaction unusable in Fortress mode (often used to restrict certain reactions to Adventure mode).

   [BUILDING:<building name>:<building key>]

building name: The ID of the building the reaction appears in.
building key: The hotkey to queue up the reaction in the specified building.

building name

This is the ID of the building where the reaction will be carried out. Valid building names are as follows:

ASHERY - Ashery
BOWYER - Bowyer's workshop
CARPENTER - Carpenter's workshop
CLOTHES - Clothier's shop
CRAFTSMAN - Craftsdwarf's workshop
FARMER - Farmer's workshop
GLASS - Glass furnace
KILN - Kiln and Magma kiln
KITCHEN - Kitchen
LEATHER - Leather works
MASON - Stoneworker's workshop
METALSMITH - Metalsmith's forge
MILLSTONE - Millstone
QUERN - Quern
SIEGE - Siege workshop
SMELTER - Smelter and Magma smelter
STILL - Still
TANNER - Tanner's shop
WOOD - Wood furnace
Any custom (raw-defined) building, such as:
- SOAP_MAKER - Soap maker's workshop
- SCREW_PRESS - Screw press

building key

This defines the shortcut key(s) used to queue up the reaction in the workshop during gameplay in Classic mode only. It can be NONE for no shortcut, or take the format of CUSTOM_X, where X can be: any uppercase letter, which shows as a lowercase letter in the building UI, eg. "CUSTOM_A" creates the shortcut a; or a valid modifier key (ALT, CTRL, or SHIFT) followed by an uppercase letter, eg. CUSTOM_SHIFT_A.

Reagents

REAGENTs are a little bit complicated. They are the ingredients that the reaction will use. You can define as many as you like within a reaction.

   [REAGENT:<name>:<quantity>:<item token>:<material token>][...modifiers...]

name: The name of the reagent, local to the reaction.
quantity: The amount of the item that will be used in the reaction.
item token: The type (and subtype) of the item you require.
material token: The material the item should be made of.
...modifiers...: Zero or more tokens which further clarify the acceptable types when the item type and material types are insufficient to distinguish them.

name

The name field is a small string used to identify the reagent within the reaction. The name is not visible to the player. It is local to the reaction and does not need to be unique across all of the reactions, so you can reuse the same names over and over, although each reagent within the same individual reaction must have a different name.

Most reagents are simply named A, B, and so forth in default reactions, although names such as TOOLSTONE, FLUX, or seeds will also work equally well. The PRODUCT may make reference to this name – for instance, if a container B is specified as a reagent, PRODUCT_TO_CONTAINER:B specifies that container.

quantity

How many or how much of this reagent the reaction requires. For most item types this is just the number of them required. However, some other item types─specifically bars, cloth, thread, globs, liquids, and powder─instead use numbers representing the size of the material within one (or more) of these items. For example, while REAGENT:A:10:TOY:NONE:NONE:NONE is ten unique, solid toy items, REAGENT:A:10:THREAD:NONE:NONE:NONE is an extremely tiny portion of a random spool of thread. One can see which items have what size quantities in the description of the PRODUCT_DIMENSION token.

If one of the reagents is in a stack, or the reaction is only using a fraction of the amount of a sized item, the reaction will consume the entire stack, or as much of the sized item as possible, and multiply the product accordingly. This behaviour can be controlled using the MAX_MULTIPLIER token.

item token

Item tokens are of the form ITEM_TYPE:ITEM_SUBTYPE.

The ITEM_TYPE is the category of item you require; WEAPON, TOY or SKIN_TANNED, for example.

The ITEM_SUBTYPE is name of the exact item that you require. Examples are ITEM_WEAPON_SPEAR or ITEM_TOY_PUZZLEBOX. Some items, like quivers or backpacks, or chunks of stone or metal, have no subtype and only require the item token to be filled in; so if you're asking for those you should set the subtype to NONE. Subtypes are defined within the local raw data files and their exact names can be referenced by looking at the corresponding file.

For reagents, the item token can also be set to ANY_RAW_MATERIAL:NONE (to permit BAR, BOULDER, POWDER_MISC, or GLOB) or ANY_CRAFT:NONE (to permit FIGURINE, AMULET, SCEPTER, CROWN, RING, EARRING, or BRACELET). Internally, these special values are both converted to NONE:NONE and merely set special modifiers (similar to [BUILDMAT])—they cannot be used in any other context.

For backwards compatibility, reagents can also accept "METAL_ORE:metal_id" in place of both the item and material tokens—this is equivalent to using the reagent BOULDER:NONE:NONE:NONE with the modifier [METAL_ORE:metal_id] (see below).

material token

Material tokens come in several forms. For most reagents, this will typically be INORGANIC:MATERIAL_ID or NONE:NONE (to allow multiple materials using other modifier tokens).

Some reactions will allow the player to select specific materials after creating the job, by clicking on the magnifying glass icon next to the job in the workshop queue. To permit this behaviour in your reaction, the reagent materials must be specified as follows:

Item Type	Material	Notes
BAR BLOCKS BOULDER ROUGH SMALLGEM	INORGANIC:NONE	These all appear as "stone" in the material selection menu, and list all inorganic materials regardless of any material modifier tokens, eg. [ITEMS_METAL]. BAR and BLOCKS made of organic materials are excluded.
SKIN_TANNED or WOOD	NONE:NONE
Any Item Type	NONE:NONE	These will appear if a material modifier token other than [ANY_LEATHER_MATERIAL] is included.

Modifiers

Reagents may also have extra tokens added on, following the REAGENT token, in order to modify their behaviour.

Generally speaking, if you set a field in a reagent to NONE, the reaction won't discriminate when it comes to that particular field. For example, if you require a BOULDER reagent but leave the material as NONE:NONE, it will grab any available BOULDER-type item regardless of material. Modifiers can then be used to restrict this to only certain broad classes of materials.

The following is a list of all known reagent modifiers:

Token	Arguments	Description
REACTION_CLASS	ID	Reagent material must have the reaction class specified by ID - see below for more details.
HAS_MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT	ID	Reagent material must have the material reaction product specified by ID - see below for more details.
HAS_ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT	ID	Reagent material must have the item reaction product specified by ID - see below for more details. This can be used interchangeably with HAS_MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT.
CONTAINS	Name	Reagent is a container that holds the specified reagent (where Name is the name of the reagent).
UNROTTEN		Reagent must not be rotten, mainly for organic materials.
CONTAINS_LYE		Reagent must be a BARREL or TOOL which contains at least one item of type LIQUID_MISC made of LYE. Use of this token is discouraged, as it does not work with buckets (instead, use [CONTAINS:lye] — note the colon — and a corresponding lye reagent [REAGENT:lye:150:LIQUID_MISC:NONE:LYE]).
POTASHABLE (Deprecated)		Alias for [CONTAINS_LYE].
NOT_WEB		Reagent must be collected (to distinguish silk thread from webs). Only makes sense for items of type THREAD.
WEB_ONLY		Reagent must be undisturbed (to distinguish silk thread from webs). Only makes sense for items of type THREAD.
EMPTY		If the reagent is a container, it must be empty.
NOT_CONTAIN_BARREL_ITEM		If the reagent is a container, it must not contain lye or milk. Not necessary if specifying [EMPTY].
GLASS_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the IS_GLASS token. All 3 types of glass have this token hardcoded.
BUILDMAT		Reagent must be a general building material - BAR, BLOCKS, BOULDER, or WOOD.
FIRE_BUILD_SAFE		Reagent material must be solid and stable at temperatures approaching 11000. Only works with items of type BAR, BLOCKS, BOULDER, WOOD, and ANVIL - all others are considered unsafe.
MAGMA_BUILD_SAFE		Reagent material must be solid and stable at temperatures approaching 12000. Only works with items of type BAR, BLOCKS, BOULDER, WOOD, and ANVIL - all others are considered unsafe.
CAN_USE_ARTIFACT		Reagent can be an Artifact. Using [PRESERVE_REAGENT] with this is strongly advised.
IS_CRAFTED_ARTIFACT^[Verify]		Reagent item must be an artifact.
NOT_ARTIFACT^[Verify]		Reagent item must not be an artifact.
WORTHLESS_STONE_ONLY		Reagent material must be non-economic.
ANY_WOOD_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [WOOD] token.
ANY_STONE_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [IS_STONE] token.
ANY_PLANT_MATERIAL		Reagent material must be subordinate to a PLANT object.
ANY_SILK_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [SILK] token.
ANY_YARN_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [YARN] token.
ANY_SOAP_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [SOAP] token.
ANY_LEATHER_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [LEATHER] token.
ANY_BONE_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [BONE] token.
ANY_STRAND_TISSUE		Reagent is made of a tissue having TISSUE_SHAPE:STRANDS, intended for matching hair and wool. Must be used with USE_BODY_COMPONENT.
ANY_GEM_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [IS_GEM] token.
ANY_SHELL_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [SHELL] token.
ANY_TOOTH_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [TOOTH] token.
ANY_HORN_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [HORN] token.
ANY_PEARL_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [PEARL] token.
IS_SAND_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [SOIL_SAND] token.
IS_DIVINE_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [DIVINE] token.
USE_BODY_COMPONENT		Reagent must be a body part (CORPSE or CORPSEPIECE). Must be used even if your reagent item type is CORPSE or CORPSEPIECE, otherwise it will match any item.
NO_EDGE_ALLOWED		Reagent must not have an edge, so must be blunt. Sharp stones (produced using knapping) and most types of weapon/ammo can not be used with this token.
HAS_EDGE		Reagent must have an edge.
ON_GROUND		Reagent must be on the ground. Grabs from stockpiles. Does not grab from inventories (workshops, wagon) and causes infinite gathering for reactions in workshop.
NOT_ENGRAVED		Reagent can not be engraved. For example, a memorial slab can not be engraved.
NOT_IMPROVED		Reagent has not been decorated.
DOES_NOT_ABSORB		Reagent material must have ABSORPTION:0
FOOD_STORAGE_CONTAINER		Reagent is either a BARREL or a TOOL with the FOOD_STORAGE use.
HARD_ITEM_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [ITEMS_HARD] token.
METAL_ITEM_MATERIAL		Reagent material must have the [ITEMS_METAL] token.
WOVEN_ITEM		Reagent material must be a woven material, eg. plant cloth, silk, yarn. This excludes CLOTH or THREAD items.
NOT_PRESSED		Reagent must not be in the SOLID_PRESSED state.
METAL_ORE	Metal ID	Reagent material must be an ore of the specified metal.
MIN_DIMENSION	Integer	Reagent's item size must be at least as large as Integer. The reagent's item type must be BAR, POWDER_MISC, LIQUID_MISC, DRINK, THREAD, CLOTH, or GLOB for this to work. See PRODUCT_DIMENSION below.
HAS_TOOL_USE	TOOL_USE value	Reagent must be a tool with the specific TOOL_USE value. The reagent's item type must be TOOL:NONE for this to make any sense.
PRESERVE_REAGENT		Reagent is not destroyed, which is the normal effect, at the completion of the reaction. Typically used for containers.
DOES_NOT_DETERMINE_PRODUCT_AMOUNT		Reagent quantity is ignored for the purposes of producing extra outputs. Typically used for containers so that stacks of reagents will correctly produce additional outputs.

Products

Products are the end product of the reaction. A reaction can have as many products as it likes.

Products are almost identical to reagents, except that they do not need to be named, can't have fields undefined, and don't use the quantity field to determine the product size. Instead, the token PRODUCT_DIMENSION:X is tacked on after the PRODUCT token, determining the size of the product.

Products can be produced directly to a container using the [PRODUCT_TO_CONTAINER:<IDENTIFIER>] token, where the IDENTIFIER is the name of a reagent. This requires the reagent to have the PRESERVE_REAGENT token.

Restating this in the above style, we have:

  [PRODUCT:<probability>:<quantity>:<item token>:<material token>][...modifiers...]

probability

The percentage chance the product will be produced when the reaction is completed.

quantity

Determines how many of the product will be produced. For the item types AMMO, REMAINS, MEAT, FISH, FISH_RAW, PLANT, PLANT_GROWTH, DRINK, CHEESE, LIQUID_MISC, COIN, and EGG, the resulting items will be created as a single stack, while all other item types will produce multiple individual items.

If a reaction can take stacks of input items, then it will attempt to perform the reaction enough times to consume as many full sets of reagents as it can—for example, if a reaction "1 piece of meat + 2 pieces of fish -> 3 pieces of cheese" is given a stack of 5 meat and 5 fish, it will produce 6 pieces of cheese and leave 3 meat and 1 fish behind. Using the token DOES_NOT_DETERMINE_PRODUCT_AMOUNT allows a reagent to be excluded from this calculation - for example, with the reaction "1 plant + 1 barrel -> 5 alcohol (into barrel)", using this on the barrel allows the reaction to be performed as "5 plant + 1 barrel -> 25 alcohol" instead of "5 plant + 5 barrel -> 25 alcohol".

item token

The item token and subtype of the item you produce.

If your item has an item reaction product and you want the item type and material to be derived from one of the reagents, you can use GET_ITEM_DATA_FROM_REAGENT:reagent:REACTION_PRODUCT_ID in place of both the item token and the material token (see next section). You can also specify GET_ITEM_DATA_FROM_REAGENT:reagent:NONE in order to make a direct copy of the source item, though this will not work for complex items such as corpses or prepared meals.

For products, this can also be set to CRAFTS:NONE to produce up to three random craft items. This value cannot be used in any other context.

material token

A material token describing what the product will be made of.

If you want the product's material to be derived from one of the reagents, and the reagent has a material reaction product defined, you can use GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT:reagent:REACTION_PRODUCT_ID in place of the material token. You can also specify GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT:reagent:NONE in order to directly use the reagent's own material.

Product modifiers

Zero or more tokens which further clarify the acceptable types when the item type and material types are insufficient to distinguish them.

Token	Arguments	Description
FORCE_EDGE		Product is given a sharp edge. Used for knapping.
PRODUCT_PASTE		Product is created in the SOLID_PASTE state.
PRODUCT_PRESSED		Product is created in the SOLID_PRESSED state.
PRODUCT_DIMENSION	Integer	Specifies the size of the product for those items that use sizes. For items of type BAR, DRINK, GLOB, LIQUID_MISC, and POWDER_MISC, one item is size 150; one item of CLOTH is size 10000; and one item of THREAD is size 15000. Has no effect on any other item types. Note: this is not the actual storage volume of the product, which is hard-coded by the item token.
PRODUCT_TO_CONTAINER	Name	Places the product in a container; Name must be the name of a reagent with the [PRESERVE_REAGENT] token and a container item type.

Improvements

Improvements are applied to existing reagents. A reaction can have as many improvements as it likes.

Restating this in the above style, we have:

  [IMPROVEMENT:<probability>:<reagent name>:<improvement type>:<material token>]

probability

The percentage chance the improvement will be applied to the reagent when the reaction is completed.

reagent name

The name of the reagent that will be improved. In order to be meaningful, this reagent must have [PRESERVE_REAGENT].

improvement type

The following improvement types can be used:

Token	Description
COVERED	Item is encrusted/studded/decorated with <material>.
GLAZED	Item is glazed with <material>.
RINGS_HANGING	Item is adorned with hanging rings of <material>.
BANDS	Item is encircled with bands of <material>.
SPIKES	Item menaces with spikes of <material>.
PAGES	Adds pages to a book.

All other item improvement tokens (ART_IMAGE, ITEMSPECIFIC, THREAD, CLOTH, SEWN_IMAGE, and ILLUSTRATION) are ignored.

material token

A material token describing what the decoration will be made of.

If you want the product's material to be derived from one of the reagents, and the reagent has a material reaction product defined, you can use GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT:reagent:REACTION_PRODUCT_ID in place of the material token. You can also specify GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT:reagent:NONE in order to directly use the reagent's own material.

Other tokens

fuel

The FUEL token means that the reaction requires coke or charcoal to be performed. Fuel is not needed when the reaction is performed at a magma workshop (a magma kiln, magma smelter, or any custom building having [NEEDS_MAGMA]).

skill

The skill tokens determine what skill the reaction requires and trains; also how quickly skill is gained, how quickly those skill gains raise attributes, and how skill level affects the quality of the reaction product.

Token	Arguments	Description
SKILL	Skill token	(Optional) This identifies the skill required to carry out the reaction and is trained when the reaction is performed. Only one skill may be specified; if multiple skill tokens are defined only the last will be used. A reaction with no product will yield no experience gain. A reaction with no SKILL token will complete in a default amount of time.
SKILL_IP	Integer	(Optional, requires SKILL token) This adjusts the amount of skill gained each time the reaction is carried out. The default value is 30; higher values increase the amount of skill gain.
ATTRIBUTE_IP	Integer	(Optional, requires SKILL token) This adjusts the amount of attribute gain that skill gain from this reaction results in. The default value is 10; higher values increase the amount of attribute gain.
SKILL_ROLL_RANGE	Range Multiplier	(Optional, requires SKILL token) This changes how much skill level affects the quality of the reaction product. The default is [SKILL_ROLL_RANGE:11:5]. The range is the base "die roll" and the multiplier determines how much the dwarf's skill can affect the reaction; the skill roll is random(range) + random((skill level * multipler)/2 + 1) + random((skill level * multipler)/2 + 1), where random(x) gives a random number from 0 to x-1, inclusive (which also means that the minimum for the range is 1). The higher result on the roll, the better. Both numbers can be lowered to make the skill check harder. For example, with the default values a dwarf who is proficient in a skill has a skill level of 5; their roll will be random(11)+random(13)+random(13), meaning this dwarf can roll anywhere from 0 to 34; similarly, unskilled dwarves can roll 0 to 10 while legendary+0 (skill 15) dwarves can roll 0 to 84. If this is changed to [SKILL_ROLL_RANGE:1:8], then instead a proficient dwarf will have random(1)+random(21)+random(21), giving a roll of 0 to 40, with unskilled dwarves always rolling 0 and legendary dwarves going all the way up to 120. As a consequence, increasing the multiplier will always make legendary dwarves more effective, even if base roll is reduced to its minimum of 1, with the default going up to 84 for default and 90 for [SKILL_ROLL_RANGE:1:6].

automatic

The AUTOMATIC token means that the reaction will be queued automatically if the reaction reagents are all present.

This token only works with jobs performed at a kiln, smelter, tanner's shop, kitchen, or custom workshop, and standing orders allow you to limit which ones trigger; custom reactions performed at a quern, millstone^[Verify], still^[Verify] or craftsdwarf's workshop^[Verify] cannot be made automatic.

Adventure Mode enabled

The ADVENTURE_MODE_ENABLED token means that this version of the reaction can be used by the wanderers of Adventure Mode without needing to also give the dwarves at home in a fortress access to it. When using this token, it will be allowed for adventurers of any race, without editing entity files. This token does not prevent Fortress Mode usage assuming the reaction also has a usable building assigned and is a [PERMITTED_REACTION] within the entity file.

max multiplier

The [MAX_MULTIPLIER:<#>] token specifies how many times to do the reaction. This can be used to limit stacked reagent use to the specified quantity instead of the whole stack.

description

This feature is exclusive to Classic Mode, as no description window pops up when mousing over reactions in workshops in Premium.

The [DESCRIPTION:<string>] token provides a text description of the reaction when it is highlighted in the building UI. Multiple DESCRIPTION tokens can be defined in a reaction, and each will appear on a new line. The pop-up box that contains the description is limited to 325 characters total. Alternatively, this token can reference a DESCRIPTION token in an existing tool definition by replacing string with USE_TOOL:<ITEM_SUBTYPE>; or an existing instrument definition with USE_INSTRUMENT:<ITEM_SUBTYPE>.

Reaction classes and products

When you're doing things like tanning hides or brewing alcohol, having separate reactions for every single possible raw material is unwieldy and terrible. However, you can let the reaction itself ask the material for details and process them all with the same reaction. There are three types of tags to dictate this behavior.

Reaction classes

The simplest token is the reaction class. If it is tacked on a material, a reaction can limit reagents to only those materials that have the specified arbitrary [REACTION_CLASS:whatever] identifier.

We want a reaction that smelts iron and flux into pig iron. However, there are a half-dozen different stones that count as flux. Instead of clogging up the smelter job menu with six nearly identical reactions that all take in either dolomite or limestone or marble for the same result, we use a reaction class.

  [REACTION:PIG_IRON_MAKING]
     [NAME:make pig iron bars]
     [BUILDING:SMELTER:NONE]
     [REAGENT:A:150:BAR:NO_SUBTYPE:METAL:IRON]
     [REAGENT:B:1:BOULDER:NO_SUBTYPE:NONE:NONE][REACTION_CLASS:FLUX]
     [REAGENT:C:150:BAR:NO_SUBTYPE:COAL:NO_MATGLOSS]
     [PRODUCT:100:1:BAR:NO_SUBTYPE:METAL:PIG_IRON][PRODUCT_DIMENSION:150]
     [FUEL]
     [SKILL:SMELT]

Note how reagent B asks for "NONE:NONE" as its material. This means "boulders of any kind as long as they have the reaction class named FLUX". Stuff like calcite, here:

  [INORGANIC:CALCITE]
     [USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:STONE_TEMPLATE]
     [STATE_NAME_ADJ:ALL_SOLID:calcite][DISPLAY_COLOR:7:7:1][TILE:'"']
     [REACTION_CLASS:FLUX]
     [ENVIRONMENT_SPEC:LIMESTONE:CLUSTER_SMALL:100]
     [ENVIRONMENT_SPEC:MARBLE:CLUSTER_SMALL:100]
     [MATERIAL_VALUE:2]
     [IS_STONE]
     [MELTING_POINT:12902]
     [SOLID_DENSITY:2930]

The label itself can be absolutely anything. It's only used to find a match between the material and the reaction. Note that some reaction classes have special meanings to the game itself—notably, the site finder knows that "FLUX" should be connected to the "Flux stone" filter.

Material reaction products

But what if it's not all the same what materials the members of the reaction class put out? If a tanner starts working on a bear pelt, a horse hide, some dragon scales and a section of human skin, surely they all can't produce generic boot leather! No, the reaction must get the chance to ask the "reaction class" what the reagent should turn out as. We will declare a material reaction product.

  [REACTION:TAN_A_HIDE]
     [NAME:tan a hide]
     [BUILDING:TANNER:CUSTOM_T]
        [REAGENT:flaps of skin:1:NONE:NONE:NONE:NONE][USE_BODY_COMPONENT][UNROTTEN]
           [HAS_MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT:TAN_MAT]
        [PRODUCT:100:1:SKIN_TANNED:NONE:GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT:flaps of skin:TAN_MAT]
     [SKILL:TANNER]
     [AUTOMATIC]

Where you'd usually have some fresh bodypart with the TAN_MAT reaction class produce some generic SKIN_TANNED, this goes further. Instead of declaring a material, the spool of pattern-ready tailoring leather (SKIN_TANNED) now comes out as whatever the skin flaps' material reaction product (named TAN_MAT) says in the material's definition (GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT). And what does it say?

  [MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:SKIN_TEMPLATE]
        [STATE_COLOR:ALL_SOLID:GRAY]
        [STATE_NAME:ALL_SOLID:skin]
        [STATE_ADJ:ALL_SOLID:skin]
        ...
        [ABSORPTION:100]
        [MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT:TAN_MAT:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:LEATHER]
        [IMPLIES_ANIMAL_KILL]
        [ROTS]

It says that the caller of the TAN_MAT hook always comes out as the LEATHER of whatever creature the skin has been peeled off of (LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT). For example, skin taken from a butchered dog would be turned into dog leather. Change the SKIN_TEMPLATE MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT to TAN_MAT:INORGANIC:GOLD instead and your tanner turns into Midas. Use your imagination.

As with reaction classes, some MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT identifiers have special meanings to the game itself - notably, the site finder knows that "FIRED_MAT" should be connected to the "Clay" filter, and "CHEESE_MAT" is used when making cheese from milk.

Item reaction products

Item reaction products are an even more powerful form of the above. Where material reaction products can only affect what type of stuff the predestined end product is made of, item reaction products can decide the entire end result ahead of time. Item AND material.

Let's assume for a moment that we're completely tired of leather earrings and hair crowns. We want a crafting reaction that takes cloth and only produces things that make sense.

     [REACTION:TAILOR_THE_BEST_THING]
           [NAME:weave something that makes sense]
           [BUILDING:CRAFTSMAN]
           [REAGENT:woven fabric:1:CLOTH:NONE:NONE:NONE]
              [HAS_ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT:BEST_OPTION]
           [PRODUCT:100:1:GET_ITEM_DATA_FROM_REAGENT:woven fabric:BEST_OPTION]
           [SKILL:CLOTHIER]

Now we need to come up with the counterpart tags in the materials. Hmmm... cotton is thin and soft, so it makes pretty good undergarments. An undershirt, maybe?

        [PLANT:COTTON] Gossypium hirsutum / sp.
                 [NAME:cotton plant][NAME_PLURAL:cotton plants][ADJ:cotton plant]
                 [USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:STRUCTURAL:STRUCTURAL_PLANT_TEMPLATE]
                 [BASIC_MAT:LOCAL_PLANT_MAT:STRUCTURAL]
                 [DRY][BIOME:ANY_TROPICAL]
                 [VALUE:2]
                 ...
                 [USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:THREAD:THREAD_PLANT_TEMPLATE]
                    [MATERIAL_VALUE:2]
                    [ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT:BEST_OPTION:ARMOR:ITEM_ARMOR_TUNIC:LOCAL_PLANT_MAT:THREAD]
                 ...

Then jute fabric. Isn't that burlap? And what's about the only thing they make from burlap?

        [PLANT:JUTE] Corchorus capsularis / Corchorus olitorius
                 [NAME:jute plant][NAME_PLURAL:jute plants][ADJ:jute plant]
                 [USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:STRUCTURAL:STRUCTURAL_PLANT_TEMPLATE]
                 [BASIC_MAT:LOCAL_PLANT_MAT:STRUCTURAL]
                 [DRY][BIOME:ANY_TROPICAL]
                 [VALUE:2]
                 ...
                 [USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:THREAD:THREAD_PLANT_TEMPLATE]
                    [MATERIAL_VALUE:2]
                    [ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT:BEST_OPTION:BOX:NONE:LOCAL_PLANT_MAT:THREAD]
                 ...

Sacks, of course! Wait, how about silk?

        [CREATURE:SPIDER_CAVE]
                 [DESCRIPTION:A tiny underground bug, sought after for its thread.]
                 [NAME:cave spider:cave spiders:cave spider]
                 ...
                 [USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:SILK:SILK_TEMPLATE]
                    [ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT:BEST_OPTION:PANTS:ITEM_PANTS_THONG:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:SILK]
                 ...

This goes on for as long as you let it. The ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT declares the identifier and then the item and material with subtypes, just like a normal reaction's product line would.

Do note that MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT and ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT use the same IDs, so you cannot have both a material and item reaction product of the same name. Also, though you cannot use GET_ITEM_DATA_FROM_REAGENT with a MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT (there'd be no item type information), you can use GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT on an ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT (in case you want to force your own item type).

Reactions and world generation

There are several things to keep in mind when you're adding reactions to a game that already exists.

Most entity changes require a regen, but adding PERMITTED_REACTION tokens for reactions that existed at the time of world generation to the entity file in the save directory do not.
Adding reactions to the raws in a save directory requires you to regen the world.
You can alter an existing reaction in any way you like without regenning the world, so long as you don't alter the reaction identifier.

Full token list

For the sake of convenience and readability, this is a complete compilation of the previously listed reaction tokens in alphabetical order:

Token	Arguments	Type	Description
ADVENTURE_MODE_ENABLED			This version of the reaction can be used by the wanderers of Adventure Mode without needing to also give the dwarves at home in a fortress access to it. When using this token, it will be allowed for adventurers of any race, without editing entity files. This token does not prevent Fortress Mode usage.
ANY_BONE_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [BONE] token.
ANY_GEM_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [IS_GEM] token.
ANY_HORN_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [HORN] token.
ANY_LEATHER_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [LEATHER] token.
ANY_PEARL_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [PEARL] token.
ANY_PLANT_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must be subordinate to a PLANT object.
ANY_SHELL_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [SHELL] token.
ANY_SILK_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [SILK] token.
ANY_SOAP_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [SOAP] token.
ANY_STONE_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [IS_STONE] token.
ANY_STRAND_TISSUE		Reagent modifier	Reagent is made of a tissue having [TISSUE_SHAPE:STRANDS], intended for matching hair and wool. Must be used with [USE_BODY_COMPONENT].
ANY_TOOTH_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [TOOTH] token.
ANY_WOOD_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [WOOD] token.
ANY_YARN_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [YARN] token.
ATTRIBUTE_IP	Integer	Skill modifier	Amount of attribute gain given per skill improvement. Default is 10.
AUTOMATIC			The reaction will be queued automatically if the reaction reagents are all present.
BAG (Deprecated)		Reagent modifier	Reagent has to be a bag. Intended to be used with an item type of BOX, to prevent chests, coffers, and other containers from being used instead. Deprecated as of Version 0.50.01 in favor of BAG:NONE item token.
BUILDING	Building name In-building reaction hotkey		Sets the building that the reaction will be performed in, and the button used to queue the reaction once that building's menu is accessed in-game.
BUILDMAT		Reagent modifier	Reagent is able to be used to build structures (Boulders, Wood, Blocks, Bars).
CAN_USE_ARTIFACT		Reagent modifier	Reagent can be an Artifact. Using [PRESERVE_REAGENT] with this is strongly advised.
CAN_USE_HOSPITAL_RESERVED		Reagent modifier	Allows the reagent to be an item that is otherwise reserved for use by a hospital.
CAN_USE_LOCATION_RESERVED		Reagent modifier	Allows the reagent to be an item that is otherwise reserved for use by a location.
CATEGORY	Category ID		Puts the reaction in a category. Categories are custom submenus for reaction menus. The category ID is a unique identifier for the category. It is only used in the raws, and will not appear in the game. If you're defining multiple categories within the same reaction - for example, if you intend the reaction to be nested two deep, and haven't yet defined the super-category - the last CATEGORY token within the reaction definition is the one that the reaction will appear in.
CATEGORY_NAME	String	Category	The name of the category as displayed in-game.
CATEGORY_DESCRIPTION	String	Category	If present, when the category is highlighted in a building menu, this string will be displayed in the Helpful Hint box.
CATEGORY_PARENT	Category ID	Category	If present, this category will be a submenu of the indicated category, rather than a submenu of the reaction's building.
CATEGORY_KEY	Hotkey	Category	If present, this category can be selected from its parent menu (whether a building or a parent category) using the given hotkey while playing in Classic mode.
CONTAINS	Reagent name	Reagent modifier	Reagent is a container that holds the specified reagent.
CONTAINS_LYE (Deprecated)		Reagent modifier	If the reagent is a container, it must contain LYE. No longer used - instead, use one reagent for the LYE itself and another reagent with [CONTAINS:lye_reagent].
DESCRIPTION	String		A description of the reaction that appears when it is highlighted in the building UI. String can also be replaced with a reference to existing DESCRIPTION tokens in tools (using USE_TOOL:<tool_id>) or musical instruments (using USE_TOOL:<instrument_id>).
DOES_NOT_ABSORB		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have [ABSORPTION:0].
DOES_NOT_DETERMINE_PRODUCT_AMOUNT		Reagent modifier	Performing a reaction with large stacks of inputs can allow multiple sets of outputs to be produced. Setting this flag causes the reagent to be ignored in this process - for example, with the reaction "1 plant + 1 barrel -> 5 alcohol (into barrel)", using this on the barrel allows the reaction to be performed as "5 plant + 1 barrel -> 25 alcohol" instead of "5 plant + 5 barrel -> 25 alcohol".
EMPTY		Reagent modifier	If the reagent is a container, it must be empty.
FIRE_BUILD_SAFE		Reagent modifier	Reagent must be considered fire-safe (stable temperature below 11000 °U) - i.e. not wood, and not coal.
FORCE_EDGE		Product modifier	Product is given a sharp edge. Used for knapping.
FOOD_STORAGE_CONTAINER		Reagent modifier	Reagent must be a barrel or any non-absorbing tool with [TOOL_USE:FOOD_STORAGE].
FUEL			Requires that the reaction either use up a unit of coal or charcoal or else be performed at a magma workshop.
GLASS_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material has [IS_GLASS].
HAS_EDGE		Reagent modifier	Reagent must be sharpened (used for carving).
HAS_ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT	PRODUCT_ID (custom)	Reagent modifier	Similar to HAS_MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT, but requires the reagents material to have a matching ITEM_REACTION_PRODUCT entry.
HAS_MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT	PRODUCT_ID (custom)	Reagent modifier	Similar to REACTION_CLASS, but requires the reagents material to have a matching MATERIAL_REACTION_PRODUCT entry. Intended for reactions which transform one class of material into another, such as skin->leather and fat->tallow.
HAS_TOOL_USE	TOOL_USE value	Reagent modifier	Reagent must be a tool with the specific TOOL_USE value. The reagents item type must be TOOL:NONE for this to make any sense.
HAS_WRITING_IMPROVEMENT		Reagent modifier	Reagent must contain writing.
IMPROVEMENT	Probability Reagent Name Improvement type Material Token		Improvement types include BANDS, COVERED, GLAZED, PAGES, RINGS_HANGING, and SPIKES
IS_CRAFTED_ARTIFACT^[Verify]		Reagent modifier	Reagent item must be an artifact.
IS_DIVINE_MATERIAL		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must have the [DIVINE] token.
MAGMA_BUILD_SAFE		Reagent modifier	Currently broken - Reagent must be considered magma-safe (stable temperature below 12000 °U).
MAX_MULTIPLIER	Integer		Sets the maximum number of times a reaction is allowed to run when using stacked reagents. This can be used to ensure that the reaction doesn't repeat until the entire stack is depleted.
METAL_ORE	Inorganic material	Reagent modifier	Reagent material must be an ore of the specified metal.
MIN_DIMENSION	Integer	Reagent modifier	Requires that the reagent have a size of at least integer. Only effective with BAR, POWDER_MISC, LIQUID_MISC, DRINK, THREAD, CLOTH, and GLOB items.
NAME	Name		Defines the name used by the reaction in-game.
NO_EDGE_ALLOWED		Reagent modifier	Reagent must not have an edge, so must be blunt. Sharp stones (produced using knapping) and most types of weapon/ammo can not be used with this token.
NOT_ARTIFACT^[Verify]		Reagent modifier	Reagent item must not be an artifact.
NOT_CONTAIN_BARREL_ITEM		Reagent modifier	If the reagent is a Barrel, it must not contain an item that has to reside in a barrel. Barrel items appear to be lye and milk. Alcohol appears to be covered as part of [EMPTY]. A reaction which places an item in a barrel should probably have both tags.
NOT_ENGRAVED		Reagent modifier	Reagent has not been engraved i.e. a blank memorial slab.
NOT_IMPROVED		Reagent modifier	Reagent has not been decorated.
NOT_PRESSED		Reagent modifier	Reagent must not be in the SOLID_PRESSED state.
NOT_WEB		Reagent modifier	Reagent must be "collected" - used with THREAD:NONE to exclude webs.
ON_GROUND		Reagent modifier	Reagent must be on the ground. Grabs from stockpiles. Does not grab from bins in stockpiles, nor inventories (workshops, wagon). Causes infinite collection of items if reaction is in workshop, as reagents are no longer on ground when brought to workshop. Untested in adventure mode; possibly more useful for adv. mode reactions.
POTASHABLE (Deprecated)		Reagent modifier	Alias for [CONTAINS_LYE].
PRESERVE_REAGENT		Reagent modifier	Reagent is not destroyed, which is the normal effect, at the completion of the reaction. Typically used for containers.
PRODUCT	Probability of success (%) Quantity Item token:subtype Material token:subtype		Defines a thing that comes out of the reaction. GET_MATERIAL_FROM_REAGENT and GET_ITEM_DATA_FROM_REAGENT can be used to defer the choice of material and/or item to the appropriate tag in a given reagent's material - the former comes in place of the material token, the latter replaces both the item and material tokens. See above for detailed information on how the hooks work.
PRODUCT_DIMENSION	Size	Product modifier	Specifies the size of the product for those items that use sizes. For items of type BAR, DRINK, GLOB, LIQUID_MISC, and POWDER_MISC, one item is size 150; one item of CLOTH is size 10000; and one item of THREAD is size 15000. Has no effect on any other item types. Note: this is not the actual storage volume of the product, which is hard-coded by the item token.
PRODUCT_PASTE		Product modifier	Product is created in the SOLID_PASTE state.
PRODUCT_PRESSED		Product modifier	Product is created in the SOLID_PRESSED state.
PRODUCT_TO_CONTAINER	Reagent ID	Product modifier	Places the product in a container; <id> must be the name of a reagent with the [PRESERVE_REAGENT] token and a container item type.
PRODUCT_TOKEN	Name	Product modifier	Allows the product to be referred to by the given name, for the purpose of being passed down as argument in other tokens.
REACTION	Identifier		Defines a new reaction.
REACTION_CLASS	CLASS_ID (custom)	Reagent modifier	Requires the reagent's material to have a matching REACTION_CLASS entry. Intended for reactions which accept a variety of materials but where the input material does not determine the output material, such as FLUX (for making pig iron and steel) and GYPSUM (for producing plaster powder).
REAGENT	Name/id Quantity Item token Material token		Specifies a given reagent as an input for a reaction.
SKILL	Skill token		Skill used by the reaction.
SKILL_IP	Integer	Skill modifier	Amount of skill given per product made. Default is 30.
SKILL_ROLL_RANGE	Range Multiplier	Skill modifier	Determines how skill level affects quality of the reaction product. The skill roll is random(range) + random((skill level * multipler)/2 + 1) + random((skill level * multipler)/2 + 1). random(x) returns a number between 0 and x-1, so range is always 1 or more. The default is 11. The default multiplier is 5. Higher skill rolls give better results.
TRANSFER_ARTIFACT_STATUS		Product modifier	Transfers artifact status from the reagent to the product.
UNROTTEN		Reagent modifier	Reagent must not be rotten, mainly for organic materials.
USE_BODY_COMPONENT		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must come off a creature's body.
WEB_ONLY		Reagent modifier	Reagent must be "undisturbed" - used with THREAD:NONE to gather webs.
WORTHLESS_STONE_ONLY		Reagent modifier	Reagent is not made of an economic stone.
WOVEN_ITEM		Reagent modifier	Reagent material must be a woven material, eg. plant cloth, silk, yarn. This excludes CLOTH or THREAD items.

Token	Arguments	Description
CATEGORY	Category ID	The category ID is a unique identifier for the category. It is only used in the raws, and will not appear in the game. If you're defining multiple categories within the same reaction - for example, if you intend the reaction to be nested two deep, and haven't yet defined the super-category - the last CATEGORY token within the reaction definition is the one that the reaction will appear in.
CATEGORY_NAME	String	The name of the category as displayed in-game.
CATEGORY_DESCRIPTION	String	Optional. If present, when the category is highlighted in a building menu, this string will be displayed in the Helpful Hint box.
CATEGORY_PARENT	Category ID	Optional. If present, this category will be a submenu of the indicated category, rather than a submenu of the reaction's building.
CATEGORY_KEY	Hotkey token	Optional. If present, this category can be selected from its parent menu (whether a building or a parent category) using the given hotkey. Uses the same format as the BUILDING KEY described above.

Reaction

Reaction differences between modes

Anatomy of a reaction

Reaction identifier

Reaction name

name

Building

building name

building key

Category

Defining a category

Adding reactions to an existing category

Reagents

name

quantity

item token

material token

Modifiers

Products

probability

quantity

item token

material token

Product modifiers

Improvements

probability

reagent name

improvement type

material token

Other tokens

fuel

skill

automatic

Adventure Mode enabled

max multiplier

description

Reaction classes and products

Reaction classes

Material reaction products

Item reaction products

Reactions and world generation

Full token list

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