The public repository was created on December 18, 2021. Its first published GitHub release, v0.1.0-alpha, followed on July 24, 2022. Those dates are stronger than an inferred launch year because they come from the project's own repository and release record.

LapisItemEditor was written in C# with Avalonia and explicitly credits ottools/ItemEditor. Its defining purpose is modern-format support: version 11+ appearances.dat metadata and LZMA-compressed sprites, while partial classic DAT/SPR work remains unfinished in a separate backend area.

Evidence classification: Release-backed. The date shown in the reference box is phrased to match what the surviving source actually proves.

The project represents the Open Tibia asset transition from classic DAT/SPR editors to tools that understand protobuf-derived appearance definitions and compressed sprite storage. That shift changes both the file parser and the operator's mental model.

Its release labels remain alpha, and the README is candid about partially implemented item-attribute editing and known bugs. That transparency is valuable: modern format support does not make the tool production-safe without validation.

Documented uses include creating items.otb files, loading modern client assets, creating missing items, importing item names, changing supported appearance options, saving OTB output, and saving a modified appearances.dat for the client.

The distinction between server and client output is essential. Some properties are stored in items.otb, while options such as takeability, lying-object behavior, and animation flags may live in appearances.dat. A server-only save will not reproduce a client-side appearance change.

The project also exposes configurable client versions and OTB major versions, making it useful as a reference for developers studying the relationship between modern appearance data and Open Tibia item mappings.

LapisItemEditor is notable less for age than for timing: it appeared when newer OT stacks needed a practical bridge between appearances.dat, compressed sprites, and the familiar items.otb server contract.

Its cross-platform Avalonia UI and explicit limitations make it a useful case study in modernizing old OT tooling while preserving compatibility concepts inherited from ItemEditor.

Treat every alpha build as experimental. Read the repository limitations, inspect open issues, keep source assets and backups, and test whether both the generated OTB and client appearances file behave correctly.

Confirm the configured client version, OTB version, asset package, and server engine before saving. If a feature is marked partial or buggy upstream, do not rely on it for a production migration without reviewing the output.

This page separates a confirmed public date from an assumed development date. Its release statement is: First GitHub release: July 24, 2022.

The recorded lineage is Independent modern editor crediting ottools/ItemEditor. The source links preserve the repository, release page, official documentation, publisher archive, or contemporary discussion used to support that description.

Project activity, compatibility, and security can change. Readers should use the linked upstream repository or official documentation to confirm current support before adopting the resource.