ESX script generator for FiveM

From a description to a resource

Choose ESX in ScriptForge and describe the script: what the player does, where, what it costs and who may use it. The files are written in front of you and arrive as one zip with a README covering installation, dependencies and the check results. Changes go in the same chat; the resource is updated rather than started from scratch.

For larger ideas, switch on Plan. The free plan lists the files, events, config options and dependencies before anything is built, and you can edit it until it matches the server you run.

The ESX details it gets right

ESX has habits that trip up generic code. Every ESX build is given a framework profile, checked against es_extended 1.15.2 and its addons. Some of its rules:

• Get ESX from @es_extended/imports.lua or exports['es_extended']:getSharedObject() — never the old esx:getSharedObject event.
• Accounts are 'money', 'bank' and 'black_money'. There is no 'cash' account.
• removeAccountMoney does not check the balance, so read xPlayer.getAccount(name).money first instead of trusting its return value.
• Amounts and counts are whole numbers of at least 1, and canCarryItem runs before addInventoryItem, which checks no weight on its own.
• Job checks read xPlayer.job.name and the numeric grade; an on-duty check is job.onDuty ~= false, and ESX.DoesJobExist runs before setJob.
• Server callbacks use ESX.RegisterServerCallback and answer on every path; notifications go through xPlayer.showNotification.

Checks on every build

The Lua is compiled as Lua 5.4 with FiveM's syntax extensions understood, then scanned for the mistakes that cost servers money: a client-chosen price or quantity paid out, a purchase without a balance check, string-built SQL, a reward handler with no server-side distance or cooldown check. The manifest is compared with the files, and a NUI page with the messages and callbacks its Lua uses. A failing draft gets one correction before delivery, and the findings are written into the README.

Treat the checks as a safety net, not a promise: run a new resource on a test server first.

Example: an ESX coffee counter

The description, sent with ESX selected:

“Coffee shop counter using ox_target: players buy a coffee for $5 (cash) and receive the 'coffee' item. Show an error if they cannot afford it.”

The purchase handler from the server file it wrote:

local ESX = exports['es_extended']:getSharedObject()

local busy = {}
local lastBuy = {}

local function nearCounter(src)
    local ped = GetPlayerPed(src)
    if not ped or ped == 0 then return false end
    local pos = GetEntityCoords(ped)
    for _, c in ipairs(Config.Counters) do
        if #(pos - c.coords) <= Config.ServerMaxDistance then
            return true
        end
    end
    return false
end

local function itemCount(xPlayer)
    local item = xPlayer.getInventoryItem(Config.Item)
    return item and item.count or 0
end

ESX.RegisterServerCallback('coffee_counter:buy', function(source, cb)
    local src = source
    local xPlayer = ESX.GetPlayerFromId(src)
    if not xPlayer then return cb({ ok = false, code = 'failed' }) end

    if busy[src] then return cb({ ok = false, code = 'cooldown' }) end
    local now = GetGameTimer()
    if lastBuy[src] and now - lastBuy[src] < Config.PurchaseCooldownMs then
        return cb({ ok = false, code = 'cooldown' })
    end
    busy[src] = true
    lastBuy[src] = now

    local code = 'failed'
    local ok = false

    repeat
        if not nearCounter(src) then code = 'too_far'; break end

        local price = Config.Price
        local cash = xPlayer.getMoney()
        if cash < price then code = 'not_enough_cash'; break end
        if not xPlayer.canCarryItem(Config.Item, 1) then code = 'cannot_carry'; break end

        -- ESX removeMoney has no documented return value: verify via balance change
        local called = pcall(function() xPlayer.removeMoney(price, 'Coffee purchase') end)
        local removed = called and xPlayer.getMoney() == cash - price
        if not removed then
            local diff = (cash - price) - xPlayer.getMoney()
            if called and diff < 0 then
                xPlayer.addMoney(-diff, 'Coffee purchase correction')
            end
            break
        end

        local before = itemCount(xPlayer)
        pcall(function() xPlayer.addInventoryItem(Config.Item, 1) end)
        if itemCount(xPlayer) ~= before + 1 then
            xPlayer.addMoney(price, 'Coffee purchase refund')
            break
        end

        ok = true
        code = 'ok'
        MySQL.insert('INSERT INTO coffee_purchases (identifier, item, price) VALUES (?, ?, ?)',
            { xPlayer.getIdentifier(), Config.Item, price })
    until true

    busy[src] = nil
    cb({ ok = ok, code = code })
end)

The price is read from the config on the server, the player must stand at a counter, the cash is compared before anything is taken, and the coffee is only handed over when it fits — the money goes back if it does not arrive.

Frequently asked questions