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Porting from Clockwork

Status: Not yet written. Clockwork has the most divergent architecture of any framework covered here; a dedicated guide is planned.

Why Clockwork Is Harder to Port

Helix and Nutscript share a common lineage, so their conceptual models map onto Parallax with a predictable rename-plus-reshape pattern. Clockwork does not share that lineage. Expect larger deltas:

  • Namespace style. Clockwork uses Clockwork.component on a deeply namespaced Clockwork global (Clockwork.player, Clockwork.inventory, Clockwork.plugin). Parallax uses short top-level libraries under ax. The rename is not mechanical — you're flattening a hierarchy.
  • Schema / plugin / addon separation. Clockwork formally distinguishes schemas, plugins, and "addons" (a third tier). Parallax has schemas and modules; Clockwork addons typically translate to schema-level code or modules depending on scope.
  • Character and inventory model. Clockwork characters and inventories carry more gameplay state natively than Helix's (faction belts, item equipment slots, weapon-carry trees). Expect to rebuild some of these on top of Parallax's simpler primitives rather than finding drop-in replacements.
  • Configuration. Clockwork uses a strongly-typed cwConfig system that scaffolds schema-level config. Parallax's ax.config covers the same ground but without the inheritance hierarchy Clockwork assumed.

Quick Namespace Sketch

A partial mapping for orientation. This is intentionally incomplete — a full port requires a dedicated guide.

Clockwork Parallax Notes
Clockwork.player ax.player / ax.character Clockwork merged player + character concerns; Parallax separates them.
Clockwork.faction ax.faction
Clockwork.item ax.item Item registration shape differs — Clockwork has explicit item classes and factories.
Clockwork.inventory ax.inventory Grid-like in Clockwork; weight-based in Parallax.
Clockwork.plugin ax.module Larger surface area in Clockwork.
Clockwork.config ax.config
Clockwork.command ax.command
Clockwork.chatBox ax.chat
Clockwork.hint ax.notification / client:Notify
Clockwork.datastream ax.net
cwEvents / cwEventListener Standard hook.Add or MODULE:HookName No eventListener concept.
cwKernel.SaveSchemaData() ax.data:Set or ax.database See helix/09-data-persistence.md.
  1. Read the Parallax core docs first — ../../01-ARCHITECTURE.md through ../../05-API_REFERENCE.md. Porting Clockwork content without internalizing Parallax's model will produce a lot of near-misses.
  2. Read the Helix porting guide. Much of the item/hook/faction advice applies to Clockwork too, just with an extra translation step.
  3. Port the simplest thing first. Factions port most cleanly. Items second. Plugins and anything involving the Clockwork event/plugin mesh last.
  4. Rebuild, don't translate, for grid inventory and PAC integration. These are Clockwork features with no Parallax framework equivalent; they're schema-level concerns you rebuild on top of Parallax's primitives.
  5. Keep notes. Each mismatch you find is input for the eventual dedicated Clockwork guide.

A Proper Guide Is Planned

The Clockwork porting guide is a substantial body of work and is deliberately deferred until the Helix guide is battle-tested. If you undertake a Clockwork port in the meantime, document what breaks and what works — it is the fastest path to a real guide.