Single part, mulitple stage actions?

[Flamin_Squirrel]

I'm in the process of creating some parts that combine several staging actions (e.g. a part that combines an engine, fuel tank and decoupler) in one.

The part works how I want it to for the mostly, with the only problem being I have to right click on the part when in game to select the correct action. Because I've only got a single staging icon, I can't arrange the order in the stage list; pressing space often activates the wrong action (e.g. instead of starting an engine, it activates the decoupler).

I can use action groups as a kind of work around, but this isn't ideal.

So, is it possible to modify a cfg file to allow multiple icons for a single part, or does this require more in-depth development i.e. plugin?

[Shadowmage]

Yes and no.  You can enable/disable the staging-by-spacebar for most MODULEs through their config files; well, at least decouplers.

For an example (as used on decoupler modules), see: https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/blob/master/GameData/SSTU/Parts/ShipCore/General/PetalAdapters/SC-GEN-IPA.cfg#L86-L109

I believe the syntax is the same for all modules; e.g. the same code should work when added to any stage-able module.

 

Note, however, that you can only ever have a single staging icon per part, and a part can only occupy a single spot on the staging list (e.g. you cannot have the engines activate in a different stage than the decoupler; you can only choose which module responds to staging actions).  Those are limitations imposed by the KSP engine that cannot be worked around even through custom plugins (I've tried...).

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Excellent, thanks for the comprehensive answer!