Factorio Forums

If recipes in assembling machines wouldnt be read-only, we could make machines that only make some sort of item (when the recipe is changed, the recipe is automatically changed back), make assembling machines that only use energy up etc.

There is just one question that needs to be answered before this is done:
What should be done with items in the assembling machine input, when the recipe changes, and these items don't fit to the new recipe anymore?

Same thing as when you change them manually ? Unless the items go to your inventory.
In this case, drop the items on the ground ?

items go on the players inventory when the recipe is changed.

What should be done is removing the items, if you want to do something with them before changing the recipe, like droping them on the floor, do it with the code, using getinventory etc.