Night Shifts - Mobile Data Terminal Resource

Night Shifts - Mobile Data Terminal for FiveM

Welcome to Night Shifts MDT (v1) — a customizable Mobile Data Terminal for your FiveM community. Whether you run police, fire, EMS, tow, or other emergency services, Night Shifts helps you run operations from one place: dispatch (calls, map, units), shift and status, and PNC-style records (people, vehicles, warrants, cases, ANPR), alongside civilian council tools for identity, documents, and vehicles. The MDT is meant to fit your server — departments, ranks, permissions, forms, and reference data are managed in the tablet, with languages and settings so you can align emergency-services roleplay with any country or region.

v1 provides in-game tablet with modern looks and has a responsive feel with endless features.

🎯 Overview

Documentation in progress — This v1 page is being expanded as features and setup flows are finalized. Report inconsistencies or gaps via Discord support.

Night Shifts MDT is a standalone emergency-services and civilian registry stack for FiveM: police / fire / EMS / council-style workflows, rank-based permissions managed in the tablet (database-backed, with super-admin bootstrap in config), and heavy in-tablet configuration so server owners can shape departments, forms, penal codes, and lookups without touching the NUI code.

Tablet & UX (v1)

Full tablet NUI — Large-format interface (modern layout, sounds, toasts, modals, draggable notes taskbar where enabled)
Physical tablet prop & animations — Optional handheld tablet model and show/hide animations (configurable)
In-tablet admin & setup — User management, departments/ranks, permissions editor, MDT settings, form builder, penal code and reference data managers, system logs, emergency actions, bug-report inbox, and more
Deep linking — Navigate from dispatch map / alerts into PNC lookups, case files, ANPR, etc. where permissions allow

Dispatch & operations

Dispatch board — Live incident workflow: calls, unit status, dispatch notes, and integrated map (Leaflet) for spatial awareness
Communications — In-MDT comms channel for coordinated response
Hotline & civilian emergency flow — Emergency hotline integration; F3 (or configured key) civilian 911-style calls that create real dispatch traffic (with cooldowns / shift rules as configured)
Operations & applications — Configurable forms for operations and job applications; staff review pipelines (linked to admin form builder and submissions review)
Statistics — Department metrics with Chart.js dashboards

Police National Computer (PNC) & records

Unified lookups — Civilian profiles with tabbed detail: personal info, documents, licenses, vehicles, properties, businesses, charges/fines, criminal history, warrants
Vehicle & registration tools — Plate search, registration flows, flags, case files, warrant management
ANPR — In-MDT ANPR workspace plus optional ANPR HUD and camera lock hotkeys for patrol vehicles
Penal code browser — In-tablet reference for charges and sentencing context

Council / civilian registry

Self-service civilian portal — Profile, documents, licenses, vehicles, properties, businesses (as permitted)
Council administration — Review queues and staff-side management for pending civilian-side changes (where configured)

Department management (in-tablet)

Roster & fleet — View and manage unit roster and department vehicles from the MDT
Bulletins — Internal announcements for your department
Certifications — Track certification types and member compliance where enabled
Submissions review — Review form submissions tied to your operations/application workflows

World & identity

Show ID — Offer your registered ID to the nearest player (range-limited), with accept/decline flow for the viewer
Emergency Response Simulator — Optional integration: search ERS NPCs and linked vehicles in the MDT when night_ers is configured accordingly
Framework-linked civilians (optional) — With ESX, QBox (qbx_core), or QBCore (qb-core) running, the MDT can create or update a council civilian record from the player’s framework character on load (name, DOB, sex, phone, job, etc.) and optionally stamp identity documents when your admin rules allow—see Framework compatibility below
Framework fines (optional) — Council-side fine payment can deduct from bank or cash on ESX / QBCore / QBox when configured

Platform & localization

Multi-language — Translation-driven UI (per-locale files)
MySQL + oxmysql — Server-side persistence and migrations
Escrow protection — Product delivery model as published on the store

🛒 Purchase Information

Get Night Shifts MDT:

Purchase on Nights Software Store

⚠️ Important Pre-Installation Notes

Critical Installation Order: Always follow this exact sequence to avoid parsing errors in the F8 console:

Download ZIP Package from CFX Portal

Unpack in a folder on your local machine

Set File Transfer Protocol (FTP) type to binary

Drag files from local machine to server resources folder

Add to server.cfg (ensure script)

Boot up the server

Support Policy: Follow this guide step by step. If you’re stuck, ask for support in our Discord and provide the specific step name. Do not skip steps.

Database Requirement: Night Shifts MDT requires a MySQL database and oxmysql resource to function properly.

Emergency Response Simulator Compatible: It is possible to search NPCs and their vehicles in the MDT when they have been interacted with via the Emergency Response Simulator.

🔧 System Requirements & Compatibility

OneSync Compatibility

✅ OneSync Legacy: Fully tested and compatible
✅ OneSync Infinity: Fully tested and compatible

Framework Compatibility

✅ Standalone: If no supported framework resource is running, the MDT runs in standalone mode: no automatic civilian generation from characters (players use council registration / staff workflows as you configure).
✅ Auto civilian generation (framework bridge): When a supported framework is detected and started before or with the MDT, the resource syncs each loaded character into nsmdt_civilians (create or update by framework id). Supported stacks (detection order on the server):

Framework Resource / API Character id used for sync

ESX es_extended identifier

QBox qbx_core (GetPlayer) citizenid

QBCore qb-core citizenid

On first sync, a council-style personal id (e.g. CIV-…) can be issued; identity documents may be auto-generated when your document types and council rules allow (see server logs for [MDT Framework]). Existing civilians are updated on subsequent loads (name, job, phone, etc., per bridge data).
✅ Framework fines: Optional bank/cash deduction for council fines when a framework player pays—configure Config.FrameworkFineAccount in config.lua (ESX / QBCore / QBox).

Framework	Resource / API	Character id used for sync
ESX	`es_extended`	`identifier`
QBox	`qbx_core` (`GetPlayer`)	`citizenid`
QBCore	`qb-core`	`citizenid`

Run es_extended, qbx_core, or qb-core on the same server as Night Shifts MDT if you want automatic civilian sync. Only one framework path is selected (ESX → QBox → QBCore in that order if multiple were present).

Dependencies

✅ MySQL Database - Required for data storage
✅ oxmysql - Required database API

Note: Database setup (MySQL + oxmysql) is required regardless of framework. Permissions and departments are configured inside the MDT (and initial super-admins in config.lua); Night Discord API is not part of the v1 install path. Framework features are optional: standalone operation, auto civilian sync on supported frameworks, and fine payments through the framework account when enabled.

📦 Installation Process

Step 1: Database Setup (Required)

We assume you have a database for your FiveM server. If you do not have one, contact your hosting providers’ documentation on how to get and build one. This is a dependency for Night Shifts MDT to work.

Set up your database via your hosting provider
Connect to your database using credentials in an SQL connection string
Add to server.cfg above the ensure/start of resources:

set mysql_connection_string "user=Your_Database_Username;password=Your_Database_Password;host=Your_Database_Host;port=3306;database=Your_Database_Name;charset=utf8mb4_general_ci"

Localhost Example:

set mysql_connection_string "user=root;password=;host=localhost;port=3306;database=Your_Database_Name;charset=utf8mb4_general_ci"

Automatic Table Installation - When you boot up the server, the code will run queries to install required tables

Manual Installation: The files include a datatables.sql file if you prefer to manually install the tables.

Step 2: Install oxmysql (Required)

If you don’t have oxmysql installed, download it from: Download oxmysql

Place oxmysql into your resources folder
Add to server.cfg - Ensure it starts before Night Shifts MDT:

ensure oxmysql

Documentation: For oxmysql questions, visit oxmysql documentation

Step 3: Test Database Connection

Start your server and check the console for oxmysql connection messages. You should see:

[script:oxmysql] Database server connection established!

Step 4: Postal codes (optional — auto-detect)

Night Shifts MDT does not require a specific postal resource name. It auto-detects which postal / map data is available on your server and uses it for player and world lookups (dispatch, addresses, etc.).

How it works

HUD-first (player position) — If a supported HUD exposes postal for the local player, that is preferred: rhud (get_postal), then SimpleHUD / ModernHUD (getPostal), in that order.
World coordinates — For map pins and coordinates, the MDT tries rhud world APIs first, then hinted postal resources in order: mnr_postals, nearest-postal.
Multiple formats — The same hints are probed for several backends: JSON lists referenced by the resource postal_file manifest metadata, MNR-style Lua data (config + data files), export-based nearest-postal (getNearestPostal, getPostalAtCoords, etc.), and similar. You can ship different postal file packs (or forks of nearest-postal / MNR) as long as the resource exposes one of these patterns; the MDT picks the first working match at runtime.
Dependencies of postal resources — Some MNR builds need ox_lib running. Install what your chosen postal resource documents.

You typically ensure your postal / map stack before Night Shifts MDT in server.cfg, for example:

ensure ox_lib
ensure nearest-postal
# or: ensure mnr_postals
# plus any minimap / postal overlay resource you use

No extra bridge resource — Integration is built into the MDT client; you do not need a separate “MDT ↔ postal” bridge. If nothing matches, postal-dependent UI may show blanks until a compatible resource is added.

Step 5: Install Night Shifts MDT

Download from CFX Portal Assets
Extract and transfer using binary FTP mode
Place the resource folder (e.g. night_shifts_mdt) into your resources directory—the folder name must match what you ensure and must match ERS integration checks if you use ERS (night_shifts_mdt in stock v1 layouts).
Add to server.cfg:

ensure night_shifts_mdt

Verify startup — Check console for oxmysql and night_shifts_mdt starting without errors

Using ERS? In server.cfg, ensure night_ers before your MDT resource so shift sync and other MDT → ERS exports work. See Emergency Response Simulator Integration below for config and behaviour.

First start & database setup: When the resource starts, it runs a sequence of MySQL queries to create or update the required tables, columns, and indexes automatically. That work can take a short time (often a few seconds; longer on a slow database or a very first install). Let the server console finish this phase before deciding something failed—brief delays here are normal.

⚙️ Configuration Setup

Required Tools

Visual Studio Code: We strongly recommend downloading VS Code for editing Lua files.

Configuration Files

Paths below use night_shifts_mdt as the resource folder name—use the same name you deploy and ensure in server.cfg (some installs rename the folder; paths are always relative to that folder).

Path	Purpose
`night_shifts_mdt/config/config.lua`	Main config — tablet prop/animations, ERS link (`Enable_ERS`), framework fine account, hotkeys, civilian emergency call, Show ID, initial super-admins, and other core toggles
`night_shifts_mdt/config/config_anpr.lua`	ANPR — static camera positions, scan radii, and related ANPR vehicle/hash lists
`night_shifts_mdt/config/config_npc_pool.lua`	ERS NPC pool — fictive NPC identities and vehicle-record probabilities for Emergency Response Simulator / PNC integration
`night_shifts_mdt/config/translations/<locale>.lua`	Languages — one file per locale (e.g. `en.lua`, `de.lua`, `fr.lua`, …)

Optional files some servers customize:

Path	Purpose
`night_shifts_mdt/client/c_functions.lua`	Client helpers (e.g. postal auto-detect, shared utilities)
`night_shifts_mdt/server/s_functions.lua`	Server helpers and shared server utilities

Configuration Process

Open VS Code and navigate to the config files
Read thoroughly - each line has explanatory comments
Configure in order - work from top to bottom
Watch for notes - important warnings are clearly marked
Test frequently - use F8 console and server console for error checking

Time Investment: Plan adequate time for configuration. Each variable is named descriptively to help you understand its purpose.

🎮 How It Works

Civilian-facing

Emergency call (e.g. F3) — Quick civilian emergency call into the dispatch ecosystem (subject to cooldowns and “on shift” rules in config)
Council self-service — Manage your civilian profile: documents, licenses, vehicles, properties, and businesses from the tablet
Show ID — Present government ID to a nearby player for RP identity checks

Emergency services (in the tablet)

Shift & status — Clock in/out, department selection, status codes, panic (command or MDT) as configured
Dispatch — Call board, units, notes, and map-backed situational awareness; quick-respond and communications as set up on your server
PNC — Full lookup stack: people, plates, warrants, case files, flags, ANPR, and penal code reference
Operations & forms — Department-specific configurable forms and workflows; applications and internal operations tied to the same form system
Management — Roster, fleet, bulletins, certifications, and submission review for leadership roles

Permissions

Two layers work together: who can open admin tools vs what each job role may do in the MDT while on shift.

Admin permissions — A global admin level (0–3: regular user, moderator, admin, super admin) decides whether someone can use the admin panel at all, and which admin areas they get (users, departments, MDT settings, penal code editor, license/document/flag types, forms, system logs, emergency-wide actions, bug reports, and the admin-permissions editor for super admins). Moderators and up can have granular actions inside those modules (for example view vs edit on penal codes, or which settings tabs they may change). Levels are assigned when a super admin edits user management; initial super-admins can be seeded in config.lua for first-time setup.
Rank permissions — Separate from admin level: each rank inside a department has its own permission strings (for example PNC lookups, dispatch features, council administration). Super admins or department managers assign these when configuring ranks. Permissions can inherit from other ranks in the same department via rank hierarchy, so a sergeant can automatically include patrol allowances without duplicating every flag. The MDT resolves a player’s effective permissions when they clock in to a department (and refreshes when ranks or hierarchy change).

In practice: Admin level answers “May this person run the server / MDT configuration UI?” Rank permissions answer “Once clocked in as this job role, which operational menus and actions (dispatch, PNC, ANPR, …) are allowed?” A user can be a high rank in police without any admin level, and an admin can configure the server without needing a department rank.

Server owners & admins

First-run & roles — Initial super-admins and tiered admin levels (moderator / admin / super admin) in config; ongoing user management and permission matrices in-tablet
Reference data — Departments, ranks, penal codes, license/document/flag/certification types, and form builder without editing NUI source
Operations — System logs, emergency-wide actions, MDT-wide settings, and bug reports from the field

🔗 Integration & Compatibility

How Night Shifts MDT fits next to other resources. Required pieces are under System Requirements (OneSync, MySQL, oxmysql).

Frameworks (optional)

Standalone — MDT works with no ESX / QBCore / QBox; civilians are created through council flows and staff tools unless you add a framework.
ESX / QBox / QBCore — When es_extended, qbx_core, or qb-core is running, the framework bridge syncs characters into nsmdt_civilians and the banking bridge can charge council fines to the player’s bank or cash (Config.FrameworkFineAccount). Details and detection order: Framework Compatibility (earlier on this page).

Emergency Response Simulator (`night_ers`)

Optional integration for servers that run Emergency Response Simulator (night_ers).

MDT → ERS — With Config.Enable_ERS in the MDT, clock-in/out can call night_ers so ERS shift state stays aligned (set ManageShiftsByMDT in ERS where applicable so the MDT owns shift toggles).
PNC & world — ERS-driven NPCs and vehicles can appear in lookups, ANPR, and related flows according to your config_npc_pool.lua and ERS settings.
server.cfg — ensure night_ers before ensure night_shifts_mdt so shift sync and other MDT ↔ ERS calls resolve. If you do not run ERS, omit it.

Postal codes & HUD (optional)

The MDT auto-detects postal data from common resources (rhud, SimpleHUD, ModernHUD, mnr_postals, nearest-postal, JSON postal_file data, etc.)—no separate MDT bridge resource. See Step 4: Postal codes. Some MNR setups need ox_lib.

Discord webhooks (optional)

This is not the old Discord API permission resource. The implementation (reading URLs and posting embeds) lives in server/s_functions.lua; you do not paste webhook URLs into that file on a normal install.

URLs are read from server convars at runtime:

nsmdt_discord_webhook_dispatch — dispatch-related notifications
nsmdt_discord_webhook_admin — admin audit–style notifications

Set them in server.cfg (or any supported way you set FiveM convars), for example:

set nsmdt_discord_webhook_dispatch "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/…"
set nsmdt_discord_webhook_admin "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/…"

If a convar is empty or missing, the MDT skips posting for that channel (same behaviour as documented in the Lua comments above those convar names).

Calling the MDT from other resources

Other scripts can use exports['night_shifts_mdt'] (name must match your resource folder). See Exports below.

📊 Exports

Developers / integrators only. This section documents Lua exports for people writing other FiveM resources that talk to the MDT. Players and server owners doing a normal install and in-tablet setup do not need it—skip unless you are calling exports from code.

How this section is organised

Kind	Meaning
Getter	Read-only; returns data (or calls your callback with data).
Setter / mutator	Writes or updates server-side state (DB and/or cache).
Action	Performs a side effect (create call, relay event, open UI). Check return values and callbacks where documented.

Server — integration exports

Getters

`GetUserShiftData(targetServerId)`


Parameters	`targetServerId` (number) — FiveM player server id (`source` from events, or any valid id).
Returns	Single table (not an array). Empty `{}` if the player cannot be resolved or has no session. Keys (values may be `nil` when not on shift or not yet pushed): `serverId`, `rockstarLicense`, `userName`, `nickName`, `adminLevel`, `isOnShift`, `departmentId`, `subDepartmentId`, `rankId`, `callsign`, `statusCode`, `statusLabel`, `statusColor`, `shiftDuration` (seconds), `totalShiftTime`, `shiftTimeByDepartment` (table), `location`, `speed`, `heading`, `compassDirection`, `postal`, `distanceToNearestPostal`, `street`, `zone`, `modeOfTransport`, `sirens`, `plate`.
Limitations	Server-only. Location fields depend on the client having pushed location while on shift; they may be empty/nil shortly after clock-in.

local mdt = exports['night_shifts_mdt']
local data = mdt:GetUserShiftData(source)
if data.isOnShift then
    print(data.userName, data.callsign, data.statusCode or "")
    print("Location:", data.street or "—", data.postal or "")
end

`GetPostalForPlayer(source)`


Parameters	`source` (number) — player server id. Invalid id returns the translated unknown postal string.
Returns	String — postal / zone code for that player’s current ped position.
Limitations	Server-only. Without a supported postal backend, you only get the unknown label.

Resolution order (same behaviour as Step 4: Postal codes):

rhud — if started, exports.rhud:get_postal at the ped’s X/Y.
SimpleHUD or ModernHUD — if started, getPostal(source) on that resource.
Static postal data — nearest code from mnr_postals, nearest-postal, or JSON via postal_file metadata, using the ped’s coordinates.

local postal = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetPostalForPlayer(source)

`GetDepartments()`


Parameters	None.
Returns	Array table of active department rows from cache (`SELECT ` from `nsmdt_departments`, filtered to `isActive`). Each element is a table* with at least: `id`, `departmentName`, `departmentShortName`, `departmentDescription`, `departmentIcon`, `departmentBanner`, `departmentLogo`, `departmentType`, `departmentColor`, `blipColour`, `blipSprite`, `displayOrder`, `isActive`, `createdAt`, `createdBy`, `modifiedAt`, `modifiedBy`.
Limitations	Server-only. Archived departments (`isActive = 0`) are omitted (clock-in pickers only see active rows).

for _, d in ipairs(exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetDepartments()) do
    print(d.id, d.departmentName)
end

`GetRanksByDepartmentId(departmentId)`


Parameters	`departmentId` (number).
Returns	Array table of rank rows for that department from cache. Each element includes: `id`, `departmentId`, `departmentName` (joined from departments), `rankName`, `rankShortName`, `rankDescription`, `rankOrder`, `permissions` (array of permission strings, e.g. PNC/dispatch flags — parsed from `nsmdt_rank_permissions`).
Limitations	Server-only. Empty `{}` if `departmentId` is invalid or there are no ranks.

local ranks = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetRanksByDepartmentId(1)

`GetSubDepartmentsByDepartmentId(departmentId)`


Parameters	`departmentId` (number).
Returns	Array table of sub-department rows for that department from cache. Each element includes: `id`, `departmentId`, `departmentName` (joined), `subDepartmentName`, `subDepartmentShortName`, `subDepartmentDescription`, `displayOrder`, `createdAt`. Use `id` as `subDepartmentId` when calling `StartShiftByServerId`.
Limitations	Server-only. Empty `{}` if the department has no sub-departments or id is invalid.

local sub = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetSubDepartmentsByDepartmentId(1)

`GetSetting(key)`


Parameters	`key` (string) — e.g. `currency`, `currencyPosition`, `timeFormat`, `dateFormat`, `speedUnit`, `vehicleInspectionEnabled`, `vehicleInspectionLabel`, alert duration keys.
Returns	Value for that setting (type depends on key).
Limitations	Server-only. Read-only.

local mdt = exports['night_shifts_mdt']
print(mdt:GetSetting('currency'), mdt:GetSetting('speedUnit'))

`GetAllSettings()`


Parameters	None.
Returns	Table — full settings (defaults merged with DB), including `alertDurations` and similar.
Limitations	Server-only. Read-only.

local settings = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetAllSettings()

`GetCurrencySymbol()`


Parameters	None.
Returns	String — display symbol (e.g. `$`, `€`).
Limitations	Server-only.

local symbol = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetCurrencySymbol()

`GetCurrentLanguage()`


Parameters	None.
Returns	String — language code (e.g. `en`).
Limitations	Server-only.

`GetAvailableLanguages()`


Parameters	None.
Returns	Table — array of language codes.
Limitations	Server-only.

for _, code in ipairs(exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetAvailableLanguages()) do print(code) end

`GetActiveShiftByServerId(serverId)`


Parameters	`serverId` (number) — player server id.
Returns	Active shift table, or `nil` if not on shift.
Limitations	Server-only. Raw shift object (internal shape).

local shift = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetActiveShiftByServerId(source)
if shift then print(shift.callsign, shift.departmentId, shift.statusCode) end

`GetCurrentShiftDurationByServerId(serverId)`


Parameters	`serverId` (number) — player server id.
Returns	Number — seconds in the current shift; `0` if not on shift.
Limitations	Server-only.

local seconds = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:GetCurrentShiftDurationByServerId(source)

Actions — Shift

`StartShiftByServerId(serverId, departmentId, subDepartmentId, rankId, callsign)`


Parameters	`serverId` — player server id. `departmentId`, `subDepartmentId`, `rankId` — from `GetDepartments` / `GetRanksByDepartmentId` / `GetSubDepartmentsByDepartmentId`. `callsign` — string you want for this shift (export does not load a saved callsign from the DB; empty → `"UNASSIGNED"`).
Returns	`success` (boolean), `result` (table or error string). On success, `result.callsign` reflects what was stored.
Limitations	Server-only. Player must already have an MDT session.

local mdt = exports['night_shifts_mdt']
local depts = mdt:GetDepartments()
local dept = nil
for _, d in ipairs(depts) do
    if d.departmentName == "LSPD" then dept = d; break end
end
if not dept then return end
local ranks = mdt:GetRanksByDepartmentId(dept.id)
local rank = nil
for _, r in ipairs(ranks) do
    if r.rankName == "Officer" then rank = r; break end
end
if not rank then return end
local success, result = mdt:StartShiftByServerId(source, dept.id, nil, rank.id, "L-42")
if success then print("Clocked in:", result.callsign) else print("Failed:", tostring(result)) end

`EndShiftByServerId(serverId [, callback])`


Parameters	`serverId` (number). `callback` (optional) — `function(success, durationOrError, totalTime)`.
Returns	`success` (boolean), `duration` (number or error string), `totalTime` (number).
Limitations	Server-only.

local mdt = exports['night_shifts_mdt']
local ok, duration, total = mdt:EndShiftByServerId(source)
mdt:EndShiftByServerId(source, function(success, durationOrErr, totalTime)
    if success then print("Ended. Duration:", durationOrErr) end
end)

`UpdateShiftStatusByServerId(serverId, statusCode [, callback])`


Parameters	`serverId` (number). `statusCode` (string) — e.g. `10-8`, `10-6` (must exist for the department).
Returns	`success` (boolean), `result` (string or nil).
Limitations	Server-only.

local ok, err = exports['night_shifts_mdt']:UpdateShiftStatusByServerId(source, "10-8")

`UpdateCallsignByServerId(serverId, newCallsign)`


Parameters	`serverId` (number). `newCallsign` (string) — alphanumeric, spaces, hyphens; max 20 characters.
Returns	`success` (boolean), `result` (table or error string).
Limitations	Server-only.

exports['night_shifts_mdt']:UpdateCallsignByServerId(source, "L-99")

Actions — Dispatch

`ForwardCallToMDT(callData [, callback])`


Parameters	`callData` (table) — see required fields below. `callback` (optional) — `function(success, callId)`.
Returns	Nothing useful synchronously; use `callback` when you need `callId`.
Limitations	Server-only. Validation rejects if `callType` or `description` is empty; `x`/`y` missing or both zero; or no routing flag is set. At least one of `requiresPolice`, `requiresAmbulance`, `requiresFire`, `requiresTow`, `requiresCouncil` must be `1`.

Required callData

Field	Rule
`callType`	Non-empty string
`description`	Non-empty string
`x`, `y`	Numbers; not both zero
`requiresPolice` / `requiresAmbulance` / `requiresFire` / `requiresTow` / `requiresCouncil`	At least one `1`

Optional callData (examples)

Field	Notes
`priority`	Default 3 (grades 1–5).
`priorityLabel`, `priorityColor`	Override from settings.
`incidentRef`	Dispatcher reference (e.g. CAD).
`callerName`, `contactDetails`	Reporting party.
`z`	Optional height.
`street`, `postal`, `zone`	Display on call card.

exports['night_shifts_mdt']:ForwardCallToMDT({
    callType = "Road Traffic Collision",
    description = "Two vehicles, one driver unconscious.",
    x = -561.3, y = -199.7, z = 37.9,
    requiresPolice = 1, requiresAmbulance = 1,
    requiresFire = 0, requiresTow = 0, requiresCouncil = 0,
    priority = 2, callerName = "Dispatch", contactDetails = "555-0100",
}, function(success, callId)
    if success then print("Call #" .. tostring(callId)) end
end)

Client — integration exports

Getters

`IsMenuOpen()`


Returns	Boolean — whether the MDT NUI/tablet is considered open.
Limitations	Client-only.

if exports['night_shifts_mdt']:IsMenuOpen() then
    -- tablet is up
end

`IsOnPoliceShift()` · `IsOnAmbulanceShift()` · `IsOnFireShift()` · `IsOnTowShift()` · `IsOnCouncilShift()`


Returns	Boolean each — whether the local player is clocked into that department type (synced from MDT state).
Limitations	Client-only. At most one shift type at a time. Cached; MDT does not need to be open.

local mdt = exports['night_shifts_mdt']
if mdt:IsOnPoliceShift() then
    -- police shift HUD branch
elseif mdt:IsOnAmbulanceShift() then
    -- ambulance shift HUD branch
end

Actions (tablet / UI)

`OpenMenu()` · `CloseMenu()` · `ToggleMenu()`


Parameters	None.
Returns	Depends on internal helpers; use for control flow, not strict contracts.
Limitations	Client-only. May interact with focus/NUI; avoid re-entrancy spam.

exports['night_shifts_mdt']:OpenMenu()

Actions (dispatch)

`ForwardCallToMDT(callData)`


Parameters	Same validation rules as the server export (`callType`, `description`, `x`/`y`, at least one *`requires` = `1`). Optional: `attachCreatingUnit = true` or `1` — attach the local player** as a unit on the new call (must be clocked in).
Returns	Nothing.
Limitations	Client-only. No callback — cannot read `callId` here. Use server `ForwardCallToMDT` if you need `callId`. Server receives attach intent as `1`/`0` for reliable serialization.

exports['night_shifts_mdt']:ForwardCallToMDT({
    callType = "Medical Emergency",
    description = "Person down near the pier.",
    x = -1850.0, y = -1230.0, z = 13.0,
    requiresPolice = 0, requiresAmbulance = 1,
    requiresFire = 0, requiresTow = 0, requiresCouncil = 0,
    callerName = "Civilian", contactDetails = "555-0199",
})

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Parsing Errors in F8 Console

Ensure files are transferred in binary mode via FTP

Follow the installation order: ZIP → Unpack → Binary FTP → Resources → server.cfg

Database Connection Issues

Verify MySQL connection string is correct

Check database credentials and accessibility

Ensure oxmysql is properly installed and started

FiveM ID Not Found

Log into FiveM app when inside the app

Close and reopen FiveM app

Join server as a logged in user

Resource Naming

Use the shipped resource folder name (v1 default: night_shifts_mdt). Renaming breaks exports['…'] calls and ERS checks that expect the MDT resource name.

Keep config/, client/, server/, and fxmanifest.lua layout intact.

💡 Best Practices

Configuration Tips

Role Planning - Plan departments, ranks, and in-tablet permission matrices before go-live
Department Structure - Plan department, sub-department, and rank hierarchy
Language Localization - Configure for your country’s emergency services
Backup Configurations - Keep backups of working configurations

Database Management

Regular Backups - Backup your database regularly
Performance Monitoring - Monitor database performance
Table Maintenance - Periodically optimize database tables

User Experience

Clear Documentation - Provide users with MDT usage guidelines
Role Training - Train users on department-specific features
Emergency Procedures - Establish clear emergency call procedures

🆘 Support

Read through the instructions again if you have not managed to install the resource. Can’t get it to work still? Create a ticket through our dedicated support system in Discord:

Nights Software Discord

Night Shifts - Mobile Data Terminal for FiveM

📋 Table of Contents

🎯 Overview

Tablet & UX (v1)

Dispatch & operations

Police National Computer (PNC) & records

Council / civilian registry

Department management (in-tablet)

World & identity

Platform & localization

🛒 Purchase Information

⚠️ Important Pre-Installation Notes

🔧 System Requirements & Compatibility

OneSync Compatibility

Framework Compatibility

Dependencies

📦 Installation Process

Step 1: Database Setup (Required)

Step 2: Install oxmysql (Required)

Step 3: Test Database Connection

Step 4: Postal codes (optional — auto-detect)

Step 5: Install Night Shifts MDT

⚙️ Configuration Setup

Required Tools

Configuration Files

Configuration Process

🎮 How It Works

Civilian-facing

Emergency services (in the tablet)

Permissions

Server owners & admins

🔗 Integration & Compatibility

Frameworks (optional)

Emergency Response Simulator (night_ers)

Postal codes & HUD (optional)

Discord webhooks (optional)

Calling the MDT from other resources

📊 Exports

How this section is organised

Server — integration exports

Getters

GetUserShiftData(targetServerId)

GetPostalForPlayer(source)

GetDepartments()

GetRanksByDepartmentId(departmentId)

GetSubDepartmentsByDepartmentId(departmentId)

GetSetting(key)

GetAllSettings()

GetCurrencySymbol()

GetCurrentLanguage()

GetAvailableLanguages()

GetActiveShiftByServerId(serverId)

GetCurrentShiftDurationByServerId(serverId)

Actions — Shift

StartShiftByServerId(serverId, departmentId, subDepartmentId, rankId, callsign)

EndShiftByServerId(serverId [, callback])

UpdateShiftStatusByServerId(serverId, statusCode [, callback])

UpdateCallsignByServerId(serverId, newCallsign)

Actions — Dispatch

ForwardCallToMDT(callData [, callback])

Client — integration exports

Getters

IsMenuOpen()

IsOnPoliceShift() · IsOnAmbulanceShift() · IsOnFireShift() · IsOnTowShift() · IsOnCouncilShift()

Actions (tablet / UI)

OpenMenu() · CloseMenu() · ToggleMenu()

Actions (dispatch)

ForwardCallToMDT(callData)

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

💡 Best Practices

Configuration Tips

Database Management

User Experience

🆘 Support

Emergency Response Simulator (`night_ers`)

`GetUserShiftData(targetServerId)`

`GetPostalForPlayer(source)`

`GetDepartments()`

`GetRanksByDepartmentId(departmentId)`

`GetSubDepartmentsByDepartmentId(departmentId)`

`GetSetting(key)`

`GetAllSettings()`

`GetCurrencySymbol()`

`GetCurrentLanguage()`

`GetAvailableLanguages()`

`GetActiveShiftByServerId(serverId)`

`GetCurrentShiftDurationByServerId(serverId)`

`StartShiftByServerId(serverId, departmentId, subDepartmentId, rankId, callsign)`

`EndShiftByServerId(serverId [, callback])`

`UpdateShiftStatusByServerId(serverId, statusCode [, callback])`

`UpdateCallsignByServerId(serverId, newCallsign)`

`ForwardCallToMDT(callData [, callback])`

`IsMenuOpen()`

`IsOnPoliceShift()` · `IsOnAmbulanceShift()` · `IsOnFireShift()` · `IsOnTowShift()` · `IsOnCouncilShift()`

`OpenMenu()` · `CloseMenu()` · `ToggleMenu()`

`ForwardCallToMDT(callData)`