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veafInterpreter — Unit-Embedded Commands

Module ID: INTERPRETER | File: veafInterpreter.lua

Purpose

The VEAF Interpreter lets you embed VEAF commands directly in unit or static object names in the DCS Mission Editor, without writing a single line of Lua. When the mission starts, the interpreter scans all units, detects the embedded commands, executes them, and removes the trigger unit.

The result: your entire spawn setup lives in the DCS editor as named units — no scripts, no triggers, no magic.

How it works

  1. Place a unit (or static object) in the DCS Mission Editor anywhere on the map.
  2. Name it with the #veafInterpreter["command"] tag — where command is any VEAF marker command.
  3. One second after the mission starts, the interpreter scans all units in the mission database.
  4. For each unit carrying a valid tag, it executes the command at that unit's position, then destroys the unit (and its group) if the command succeeded — a refused command leaves its host unit in place.

The unit's position becomes the command position — perfect for JTAC setups, convoy waypoints, or SAM battery locations that you want to position visually in the editor.

If the hosting unit belongs to a group with waypoints, those waypoints are passed to the spawned groups. Convoys and patrols spawned this way will follow the route you drew in the editor.

Getting the trigger unit out of the way

The unit carrying the tag is only there to mark a spot. Two ways to keep it from cluttering your mission, and both work:

  • Late activation (the editor's "Late activation" box): the unit never exists in the world at all. The interpreter then reads its position from the mission data and runs the command anyway. Before 6.15.23 its command was silently dropped.
  • Hidden on MFD (the editor's "Hidden on MFD" box): the interpreter neither reads nor writes that flag, so tick it freely.

A late-activated unit is not destroyed afterwards: there is nothing to destroy.

Random values in commands

An interpreter command is a marker command, so every numeric parameter accepts a range:

#veafInterpreter["_spawn group, name sa6, size 3-8"]

The value is drawn when the mission starts, which gives a different mission each game without touching anything in the editor.

Unit naming convention

#veafInterpreter["<command>"]

The tag can appear anywhere in the unit name. Text before and after is ignored — which is useful for making unit names unique when DCS requires it:

#veafInterpreter["-sa11, side red"] #001
#veafInterpreter["-sa11, side red"] #002

Both units carry the same command but have different names.

Command syntax

The command inside the tag is the same syntax used for F10 map markers — the - prefix followed by a VEAF command and its options:

-sa11, side red
-jtac, laser 1688
-convoy, dest ZONE-B
-arty, side red

An unknown key aborts the command

Since the marker parsers were unified, a keyword the command does not know stops execution instead of being ignored, with a message suggesting the closest key. A misspelled #veafInterpreter tag therefore does nothing at mission start — check your keys against the alias reference.

All commands understood by the VEAF marker system work here. See the VEAF command reference for the full list.

Examples

JTAC at a fixed position

Place a dummy infantry unit named: 

#veafInterpreter["-jtac, laser 1688"]

At mission start the interpreter creates a JTAC at that position, designating its targets with laser code 1688. The dummy infantry disappears.

SA-11 battery

#veafInterpreter["-sa11, side red"]

A full SA-11 battery spawns at the unit's editor position. The alias already carries its Skynet integration and spacing; side picks the coalition.

Convoy following an editor route

  1. In the DCS editor, create a ground group and draw waypoints from A to B.
  2. Name the group (or one unit in it): 
    #veafInterpreter["-convoy, dest ZONE-B, size 8, defense 1, patrol"]
  3. At mission start the interpreter creates a convoy at the group's position, following the drawn route. The original group is destroyed.

dest is mandatory for a convoy: it is the named point it drives to. size is the number of vehicles (default 10).

Multiple SAM sites with unique names

#veafInterpreter["-sa10, side red"] NORTH-01
#veafInterpreter["-sa10, side red"] NORTH-02
#veafInterpreter["-sa6, side red"]  SOUTH-01

Artillery in a defensive position

#veafInterpreter["-arty, side red, spacing 2"]

Configuration

The interpreter needs no per-mission configuration. The only tunable is the startup delay:

-- Change before initialize() is called (default: 1 second)
veafInterpreter.DelayForStartup = 3

Increase this if your mission has many scripts loading in parallel and the interpreter fires before other modules are ready.

Tips

  • Use a visually representative unit type so you can see spawn positions clearly in the editor (e.g. a soldier for a JTAC, a SAM radar type for an IADS element).
  • All units carrying interpreter tags should be late-activation is not required — VEAF will destroy them anyway, but late-activation avoids them briefly appearing in-game.
  • The interpreter is a one-shot scan. It does not re-run during the mission.

See Also