Jobs framework: clock-in, grades, paychecks

A job is a small state machine: off-duty or on-duty, plus a job name and grade that decide what the player may do. This lesson builds a framework-reading demo that keeps its own temporary duty table, gates one action by both job and grade, and calculates payroll on a timer. It prints the calculated pay; it does not change framework money or framework duty state.

You will learn: Duty state machine, framework detection, reading job and grade, a payroll loop, and an audit print.
Time: ~35 min
Project: qu_jobs_framework

Cruze: building a job center script from zero.

BEFORE YOU START

Build it

Make the resource folder

The server has one folder for this lesson.

Inside your server's resources folder, create this folder:

code

resources/qu_jobs_framework

Create the files

Every file named in the manifest exists.

Create this exact file layout:

code

resources/qu_jobs_framework/
fxmanifest.lua
server.lua

Write fxmanifest.lua

FiveM knows which files to load.

Open fxmanifest.lua and paste this:

code

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

server_script 'server.lua'

No lua54 'yes' line. As of June 2025 that directive is deprecated and ignored: Lua 5.4 is now the only Lua runtime, so you leave it out.

Write the lesson code

The topic is now represented by runnable code.

Open server.lua and paste this:

code

-- qu_jobs_framework: a framework-agnostic job spine.
-- Reads job + grade from whichever framework is running, toggles duty,
-- gates one grade-locked action, and pays players on a clock.

local duty = {}                 -- duty[src] = true|false, keyed by server id
local PAY_INTERVAL_MS = 60000   -- pay every 60 seconds while on duty
local BOSS_JOB = 'police'       -- the job allowed to use /jobaudit
local BOSS_GRADE = 2            -- minimum grade.level allowed to run /jobaudit

-- Return a normalised { name, grade, label } for the player on src,
-- regardless of which framework is installed. nil if no player is found.
local function getJob(src)
if GetResourceState('qbx_core') == 'started' then
    local player = exports.qbx_core:GetPlayer(src)
    if not player then return nil end
    local job = player.PlayerData.job
    return { name = job.name, grade = job.grade.level, label = job.grade.name }
elseif GetResourceState('qb-core') == 'started' then
    local QBCore = exports['qb-core']:GetCoreObject()
    local player = QBCore.Functions.GetPlayer(src)
    if not player then return nil end
    local job = player.PlayerData.job
    return { name = job.name, grade = job.grade.level, label = job.grade.name }
elseif GetResourceState('es_extended') == 'started' then
    local ESX = exports.es_extended:getSharedObject()
    local player = ESX.GetPlayerFromId(src)
    if not player then return nil end
    local job = player.getJob()
    return { name = job.name, grade = job.grade, label = job.grade_label }
end
return nil
end

RegisterCommand('clockin', function(src)
local job = getJob(src)
if not job then
    print(('[qu_jobs_framework] %s has no framework player (are you a loaded character?)'):format(GetPlayerName(src)))
    return
end

duty[src] = not duty[src]
print(('[qu_jobs_framework] %s job %s grade %d (%s) duty %s'):format(
    GetPlayerName(src), job.name, job.grade, job.label, tostring(duty[src])
))
end, false)

-- Grade-gated action: only a player at BOSS_GRADE or higher may run it.
RegisterCommand('jobaudit', function(src)
local job = getJob(src)
if not job then return end
if job.name ~= BOSS_JOB or job.grade < BOSS_GRADE then
    print(('[qu_jobs_framework] %s denied /jobaudit (%s grade %d)'):format(GetPlayerName(src), job.name, job.grade))
    return
end
print(('[qu_jobs_framework] %s ran /jobaudit as %s grade %d'):format(GetPlayerName(src), job.name, job.grade))
end, false)

-- Payroll loop: every interval, pay everyone currently on duty.
CreateThread(function()
while true do
    Wait(PAY_INTERVAL_MS)
    for src, onDuty in pairs(duty) do
        if onDuty then
            local job = getJob(src)
            if job then
                local pay = 50 + (job.grade * 25)   -- base + grade bonus
                print(('[qu_jobs_framework] payroll: %s (%s grade %d) earned $%d'):format(
                    GetPlayerName(src), job.name, job.grade, pay
                ))
            end
        end
    end
end
end)

-- Clear duty state when a player leaves, or the table leaks server ids forever.
AddEventHandler('playerDropped', function()
duty[source] = nil
end)

Start and test it

The expected proof appears in the correct console.

Open server.cfg and add this line below your framework's ensure line so the framework loads first:

code

ensure qu_jobs_framework

Save, then run:

code

restart qu_jobs_framework

Join the server with a loaded character, then run this from the F8 client console (these commands are server commands; the player's input is relayed to the server):

code

clockin

Read the result in txAdmin Live Console. On a typical default setup an unemployed character produces a line like this; your starting job and grade label can differ:

Leave the duty toggle on and wait one minute. The payroll loop fires and prints:

CLIENT

the player's game

network

SERVER

validate here

✓ trust boundary

The client requests clock-in; the server decides whether the job and grade allow it.

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