API Reference

Read with GetLightState, drive with the write exports. Every vehicle-taking export returns nil on a non-tELS entity.

Read exports

For another player's PA, read lbarPaActive on the player state bag.

GetLightState

A vehicle's whole replicated state in one read.

local st = exports['tELS']:GetLightState(vehicle)
if st and st.active and st.sirenOn then
    -- running code 3
end

Returns every tels:sync field — live local state, else the replicated bag, else the documented defaults — plus:

GetTelsState

Captures a vehicle's lighting for replay.

local captured = exports['tELS']:GetTelsState(vehicle)

SetTelsState

Drives lighting from a capture. Pass nil to return control to live triggers. Returns false with no tELS config, and is safe every frame.

exports['tELS']:SetTelsState(vehicle, captured)
exports['tELS']:SetTelsState(vehicle, nil)  -- release

SetTelsCinematicAudio

The audio half of a replay. Call it each frame with the captured audio fields.

exports['tELS']:SetTelsCinematicAudio(vehicle, {
    sirenOn = true, sirenTone = 2,
    auxSirenOn = false,
    sirenBurst = false, burstTone = 1,
    hornActive = false,
    rumblerOn = false,
})
exports['tELS']:SetTelsCinematicAudio(vehicle, nil)  -- silence

Idempotent: an unchanged spec makes no sound.

• Returns nil with no tELS config
• Returns false for an untracked vehicle, or one with a real player in either front seat. It silences what it had started as it refuses
• An NPC driver puppet is not a player, so a recorded take keeps its sound

Write exports

These run the same code the keybinds run.

When a write is refused

A write is accepted only on the vehicle the caller owns, has been confirmed as owning by the server, and is currently sitting in. Test canWrite rather than branching on a false.

• canControl is a different question — whether the player sitting in the vehicle can operate it. Both front seats can, so a passenger has canControl true and canWrite false at once. A script sits nowhere and is judged on canWrite
• An open LED editor session refuses every write
• No User Controls does not. It only stops tELS taking the driver's keys
• Lights being off does not. Sirens, takedown, cruise, the traffic advisor and the rumbler are independent of the light stage

Lights

exports['tELS']:SetLights(vehicle, true)      -- on (stage 1 if the model has stages)
exports['tELS']:SetStage(vehicle, 2)          -- straight to stage 2; 0 is off
exports['tELS']:CycleLights(vehicle)          -- off -> 1 -> 2 -> ... -> off

Patterns

exports['tELS']:SetPattern(vehicle, 'Slow Cross')  -- by name
exports['tELS']:SetPattern(vehicle, 0)             -- lights only
exports['tELS']:CyclePattern(vehicle, -1)          -- step back one

Sirens and horn

exports['tELS']:SetSiren(vehicle, true, 2)     -- main siren on, tone 2
exports['tELS']:SetSiren(vehicle, true)        -- main siren on, keep the current tone
exports['tELS']:SetAuxSiren(vehicle, false)    -- aux siren off
exports['tELS']:SetAirhorn(vehicle, true)      -- and false to release it
exports['tELS']:SetRumbler(vehicle, true)

A tone outside the vehicle's list is refused, and so is one whose slot is off. Trigger-only tones are available here.

Traffic advisor, takedown, cruise

exports['tELS']:SetTrafficAdvisor(vehicle, 'left')
exports['tELS']:CycleTrafficAdvisor(vehicle)
exports['tELS']:SetTakedown(vehicle, true)
exports['tELS']:SetCruise(vehicle, false)

A direction with no trigger rule is refused. "off" is always accepted.

Blackout

exports['tELS']:SetBlackout(vehicle, true)   -- run dark
exports['tELS']:SetBlackout(vehicle, false)  -- come back up exactly as before

Blackout hides the lighting without switching it off.

• Stage, pattern, pattern position, cruise, takedown, traffic advisor and spotlight aim keep running underneath, so false restores exactly what was showing
• Visual only — the siren and horn keep playing
• It replicates. GetLightState reports blackout, with active still true

PA

exports['tELS']:SetPa(vehicle, true)    -- and false to release

Hold-style: the caller releases it. Check IsPaAvailable first — without pma-voice this refuses where every other write export would succeed.

Spotlight

exports['tELS']:SetArges(vehicle, true)                  -- beam on
exports['tELS']:SetArgesAim(vehicle, 'left', true)       -- start swinging left
exports['tELS']:SetArgesAim(vehicle, 'left', false)      -- stop
exports['tELS']:ReleaseArgesAim(vehicle)                 -- stop, whatever was held

Aim is held, not absolute: the beam swings while a direction is down.

• A direction left down sweeps forever. If your key-up can go missing, call ReleaseArgesAim — it drops everything held and is safe when nothing is
• SetArges(vehicle, false) does not cancel a trigger rule holding the spotlight on

Example

-- Dispatch puts this unit into code 3.
local function goCode3()
    local veh = GetVehiclePedIsIn(PlayerPedId(), false)
    local st = exports['tELS']:GetLightState(veh)
    if not st then return end          -- not a tELS vehicle
    if not st.canWrite then return end -- not ours to drive right now

    if st.maxStage > 0 then
        exports['tELS']:SetStage(veh, st.maxStage)
    else
        exports['tELS']:SetLights(veh, true)
    end
    exports['tELS']:SetSiren(veh, true, 1)
end

State bags

Entity state bags

Read with Entity(vehicle).state['key'], from client or server. The server writes exactly four keys.

tels:sync fields

A field is absent until first set, so always supply a default.

Player state bags

Read with Player(serverId).state['key'].

lbarPaActive and tels:sync.paActive are different facts: the vehicle field says the speaker is live, this one says who is talking. A front passenger's PA is relayed by the controller, so the two can differ.

Example

-- React to a nearby vehicle going Code 3
CreateThread(function()
    while true do
        Wait(500)
        local veh = GetClosestVehicle(coords.x, coords.y, coords.z, 30.0, 0, 71)
        local sync = veh ~= 0 and Entity(veh).state['tels:sync']
        if sync and sync.active and (sync.stage or 0) >= 2 and sync.sirenOn then
            -- code 3 behavior
        end
    end
end)

tels:sync is nil on any vehicle tELS has never written state for. Check before indexing.

Network events

Server → client

Client → server

Discovery events

Discovery metadata

Full setup: Configuration → Vehicle-developer export.

Internal globals

For scripts that merge into the tELS resource. Names and signatures may change.