I have been bashing my head about this and can't seem to figure it out. In another engine, I could make a struct, then make an array of that struct that I could then edit in the inspector. There seems to be no way of doing this that I can find in Godot.
I want to have a Resource that holds the starting Value and Type of multiple faces on a dice. For example, one side could have "2 Damage" while another has "Heal 3." (this is a first-time godot experiment inspired by Slice&Dice). Every tutorial I watch however makes it seem like, if I want to do so, I'd have to make a completely new Resource for each combination of Value and Type (Damage 1 Resource, Damage 2 Resource, etc.)
class_name DiceResource extends Resource
class DiceFaceData:
export var BaseValue = 0
export(Resource) var Type = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
func _init():
Type = 2
BaseValue = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
export(Array) var Faces = [DiceFaceData.new()]
I cannot get DiceFaceData to show up in the Inspector's array, or be on the list of object types for an array. Extending Object doesn't work. Extending Node means I have to instantiate it, which I don't want to do for an editor-only Resource.
I find it hard to imagine Godot doesn't have anything like this available. Is there anything I can load in the inspector as just data and not have to instantiate it? Another option is create two arrays, one with int and another Resource, but that seems inconvenient to fill out. Or should I just give up with Resources and make everything a Node attached to a Node attached to a Node? Thanks!
Godot version 3.4.3
EDIT: If you're someone coming from Unity or Unreal, what you're looking for is Resource. While compared to ScriptableObjects or DataAssets from those other engines, that's not the complete answer. You would think, because of the way those game engines handle it, you can only create custom SO or DA as assets in the filesystem/content browser, but you can also use Resources as instanced classes. Instead of creating a new Resource in the filesystem, you can use
export(Resource) var n = preload("res://MyResourceScript.gd").new()
In the inspector, you can choose from the list New MyResourceScript and create it. You won't be referencing an externally made Reference file, you'll be creating a custom one right there. And look at the below answer as well on good tips for using Resources in cool ways.
First of all, I want to say that I sympathize. Custom resources and the inspector do not work well. There is a solution on the work… However that does not mean that the only thing we can do is keep Waiting For Godot.
Observations on your code
About your code, I want to point out that DiceFaceData is not a resource type. You could write it like this:
class DiceFaceData extends Resource:
export var BaseValue = 0
export(Resource) var Type = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
func _init():
Type = 2
BaseValue = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
And… That solves nothing.
And, also, by the way, I remind you can put it on its own file:
class_name DiceFaceData
extends Resource:
export var BaseValue = 0
export(Resource) var Type = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
func _init():
Type = 2
BaseValue = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
And… That is not the solution either.
Something else I want to point out is that GDScript has types. See Static typing in GDScript. Use them. To illustrate…
This is a Variant with an ìnt value
var BaseValue = 0
This is an int, typed explicitly:
var BaseValue:int = 0
And this is an int, typed implicitly with type inference:
var BaseValue := 0
And if you were using types Godot would tell you that this is an error:
BaseValue = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
Because BaseValue is an int, and you setting a resource to it.
The Array of Resources problem
First of all, this is a Variant that happens to have an Array value, and it is exported as an Array:
export(Array) var Faces = []
Let us type it as an Array:
export(Array) var Faces := []
And sadly we cannot specify the type of the elements of the arrays in Godot 3.x (we need Godot 4.0 for that feature). However we can specify how we export it.
So, this is an Array exported as an Array of Resource:
export(Array, Resource) var Faces := []
See Exporting arrays.
Before you could not get your custom resource type to show up. And now you have the opposite problem: all the resource types show up. And this includes your custom resource type, if it in its own file.
You would guess that we need to specify the resource type we want:
export(Array, DiceFaceData) var Faces = []
And that would be correct if it were a build-in resource type. But it is a custom one. We are expecting this to be fixed in a future version. Meanwhile we will have to leave it with export(Array, Resource).
Mitigating the problem with an addon
To alleviate the pain of having all the possible resource types, consider using the addon "Improved resource picker" by MakovWait. You can find it on itch, or on github.
A proper solution
Anyway, we can do better. But you are going to need to make your script a tool script (you do that by putting tool on the top of the script, and it means that the code from the script can and will run on the editor).
We are going to define a setter with setget, and in there we are going to make sure the elements are of the correct type:
export(Array, Resource) var Faces = [] setget set_faces
func set_faces(new_value:Array) -> void:
Faces = []
for element in new_value:
element = element as DiceFaceData
if element == null:
element = DiceFaceData.new()
Faces.append(element)
Now, in the inspector panel when you increase the size of the array, Godot will insert a new null element to the array, which makes the setter we defined run, which will find that null and convert it to a new instance of your custom resource type, so you don't have to pick the resource type in the inspector panel at all.
A "hacky" solution
As you know, this does not work:
export(Array, DiceFaceData) var Faces = []
However, we can replace an export with _get_property_list. What happens is that Godot asks the object what properties it has to show up in the inspector panel. Godot does this by calling get_property_list And it will statically report the ones it found while parsing (the ones with export). However, Godot also defines a function _get_property_list where we can add more at run time.
See also Advanced exports.
Which begs the question, could we possibly make it work with _get_property_list? Kind of. The The code like this:
var Faces := []
func _get_property_list() -> Array:
return [
{
name = "Faces",
type = TYPE_ARRAY,
hint = 24,
hint_string = "17/17:DiceFaceData"
}
]
It will show up on the inspector as an array where the elements can only be of your custom resource type.
The issue is that it causes some error spam. Which you might or might not be OK with. It is your project, so it is up to you.
I know it looks like voodoo magic in part because we are using some undocumented stuff. If you want an explanation of that 24 and that 17/17: see How to add Array with hint and hint_string?.
About the sub-resources
Every tutorial I watch however makes it seem like, if I want to do so, I'd have to make a completely new Resource for each combination of Value and Type (Damage 1 Resource, Damage 2 Resource, etc.)
I'm not sure what you are getting to with "a completely new Resource", but yes. A resource is an instance of a resource type. And each of those combination would be a resource.
Perhaps "Damage", "Heal" and so on are resources too. Let us see… I'm guessing that is what the Type is for:
export(Resource) var Type = preload("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/Damage.tres")
Godot would be showing all the resource types it is aware of, which is a pain. I'm going to suggest a different approach than those above for this: Make an String enumeration.
export(String, "Damage", "Heal") var Type:String
That will show up as a drop down list on the inspector panel, with the options you specified.
Why String and not int? Ah, because you can then do this if you so desire:
var type_resource := load("Resources/DiceFaceTypes/" + Type + ".tres")
I'm assuming that those have the code that actually does damage or heal or whatever.
Alright, but when you add a new type of dice face, you would have to come here and update it… Or do you? With the power of tool scripts we are going to update that list to reflect the files that actually exist!
First of all, we are not going to use export, so it will be just:
var Type:String
And now we can export it from _get_property_list. There we can query the files. But before we do that, so we are clear what we have to do, the following code is equivalent to the export we had before:
func _get_property_list() -> Array:
return [
{
name = "Type",
type = TYPE_STRING,
hint = PROPERTY_HINT_ENUM,
hint_string = "Damage,Heal"
}
]
No undocumented stuff here.
Our task is to build that hint_string with the names of the files. And that looks like this:
const path := "res://"
func _get_property_list() -> Array:
var hint_string := ""
var directory := Directory.new()
if OK != directory.open(path) or OK != directory.list_dir_begin(true):
push_error("Unable to read path: " + path)
return []
var file_name := directory.get_next()
while file_name != "":
if not directory.current_is_dir() and file_name.get_extension() == "tres":
if hint_string != "":
hint_string += ","
hint_string += file_name
file_name = directory.get_next()
directory.list_dir_end()
return [
{
name = "Type",
type = TYPE_STRING,
hint = PROPERTY_HINT_ENUM,
hint_string = hint_string
}
]
Ah, yes, set the path constant to the path of the folder where the resources types you have are.
Addendum post edit
I want to elaborate on this example:
export(Resource) var n = preload("res://MyResourceScript.gd").new()
Here we are exporting a variable n as a Resource, which will appear in the Inspector panel. The variable is currently a Variant, we could type it Resource:
export(Resource) var n:Resource = preload("res://MyResourceScript.gd").new()
And then we don't need to tell Godot to export it as a Resource, because it is a Resource:
export var n:Resource = preload("res://MyResourceScript.gd").new()
Something else we can do is preload into a const. To be clear, preloads are resolved at parse time. Like this:
const MyResourceScript := preload("res://MyResourceScript.gd")
export var n:Resource = MyResourceScript.new()
This way, if you need to use the same script in multiple places, you don't need to repeat the path.
However, you might not need the path at all. If in the script res://MyResourceScript.gd we add a class_name (at the top of the script):
class_name MyResourceScript
Then we don't need to use preload at all. That name will be available everywhere, and you can just use it:
export var n:Resource = MyResourceScript.new()
Where is that resource stored?
Potentially nowhere. Above we are telling Godot to create a new one when our it initializes our object (e.g. which could be a Node, or another Resource - because, yes, Resources can have Resources) and those would only exist in RAM.
However, if you modify the Resource from the Inspector panel, Godot needs to store those changes somewhere. Now, if you are editing a Node, by default they go to the scene file. If you are editing another Resource, then it goes to wherever that Resource is stored. To be clear, scenes are resources too (PackedScene). And, yes, that means a file can have multiple Resources (A main resurce and sub-resources). You could also tell Godot to store the Resource in its own file from the Inspector panel. The advantage of giving a file to a Resource is in reusing it in multiple places (multiple scenes, for example).
So, a Resource could be stored in a file, or not stored at all. And a resource file could have a Resource alone, or it could also have sub-resources as well.
I'll take a moment to remind you that scenes can have instances of other scenes inside. So, there is no line between scenes and the so called "prefabs" in Godot.
… Did you know?
You can save the resources you created in runtime, using ResourceSaver. Which could be a way to save player progress, for example. You can also load them using load or ResourceLoader (in fact, load is a shorthand for ResourceLoader.load).
In fact, if you can use load or preload on something, it is a Resource. Wait a minute, we did this above:
const MyResourceScript := preload("res://MyResourceScript.gd")
Yep. The Script is a Resource. And yes, you can create that kind of resources in runtime too. Create a GDScript object (GDScript.new()), set its source_code, and reload it. Then you can attach it to an Object (e.g. a Node) with set_script. You can now start thinking of meta-programming, or modding support.
First off, I'd like to apologize for the newbie question, I'm trying to learn as I go with this. I've made a couple basic iOS apps but this is my first venture into macOS Storyboard apps with no formal training in programming.
I'm trying to create a program to help my partner (a writer by profession) with their creative blocks by displaying character, setting, and action attributes that can be used in a story. (Screenshots attached for a better representation)
I believe I have the basic window formatting down but I'm getting stuck on how to link the "Attribute" buttons to the text fields to display elements in the array. I just have placeholder elements until I get it working but ideally you would click the attribute button and it would display a random attribute from the array into the text box.
I've included what I was able to piece together so far but it's failing to build at the line to output to the text box and I can't seem to figure it out.
The error is:
Cannot assign value of type () to type String
Any assistance is appreciated!
import Cocoa
class SecondViewController: NSViewController {
#IBOutlet weak var CharAtt1: NSTextField!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
// Do any additional setup after loading the view.
}
override var representedObject: Any? {
didSet {
// Update the view, if already loaded.
}
}
#IBAction func CharAttBut1(_ sender: NSButton) {
let array = ["Swift", "SwiftUI", "UIKit"]
let randomElement = array.randomElement()!
CharAtt1.stringValue = print("\(randomElement)")
}
}
Obviously, the offending line of code is:
CharAtt1.stringValue = print("\(randomElement)")
It's got a fair number of issues. The most prudent is that print has a type of (approximately, I'm simplifying) (Any) -> Void. You're calling it, passing it a string ("\(randomElement)"). This will print the string to the console, but it will also return back a () (a.k.a. the empty Tuple, of type Void). As the error message suggests, this can't be assigned to CharAtt1.stringValue, which is expecting a String.
The fix is simple, don't call print:
// If you do want to print it, do it in a separate expression
print("\(randomElement)")
CharAtt1.stringValue = "\(randomElement)"
But there's another issue: "\(randomElement)" is useless. randomElement is already a String. You could just write:
print(randomElement)
CharAtt1.stringValue = randomElement
I'd say that "\(anything)" is kind of anti-pattern. If you need to convert something to a string, I think it's better to do so in a way that's more explicit about the conversion you want. E.g. using String(anything) (if such an initializer exists), or String(describing: anything), or String(reflecting: anything) (depending on your usecase)
I am developing an windows application in F#. In the application I have to show the TextBox mode in Password Format. What is the code for using the password mode of TextBox in F#?
I have applied the following code:
let txtpwd = new TextBox(Top = 70, Left = 120)
From the above code the textbox is displaying. No problem. I have applied following code for password mode:
txtpwd.PasswordChar
The above code is not working properly.
You should set desired properties upon initialization of your control, for example:
txtpwd.Text <- "" // Set to no text
txtpwd.PasswordChar <-'*' // The password character is an asterisk
txtpwd.MaxLength <- 14 // The control will allow no more than 14 characters
Better yet, set the properties in your call to the constructor. One of the cool things about F# is that you can set properties in the call that you wouldn't normally be able to set in the constructor. Like this:
let txtpwd = new TextBox(Top = 70, Left = 120, Text = "", PasswordChar = '*',MaxLength = 14, Multiline = true)
This is basically equivalent to what Gene posted but, as far as I know, it's a little more idiomatic in F#.
If you check this page under the topic "Assigning Values To Properties At Initialization" (sorry can't post a direct link) although the page is discussing F# code, it holds for other .Net code as well.
I have a simple handler that adds an ellipse to an empty Silverlight canvas
private void UCLoaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
var geometry = MakeElipse(20, 15, new Point(100, 100));
var ellipsePath = new Path
{
Data = geometry,
Fill = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.DarkGray),
StrokeThickness = 4,
Stroke = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.Gray)
};
LayoutRoot.Children.Add(ellipsePath);
//
var duplicateEllipsePath = new Path();
//duplicateEllipsePath.Data = ellipsePath.Data;
duplicateEllipsePath.Data = geometry;
duplicateEllipsePath.Fill = ellipsePath.Fill;
duplicateEllipsePath.StrokeThickness = ellipsePath.StrokeThickness;
duplicateEllipsePath.Stroke = ellipsePath.Stroke;
LayoutRoot.Children.Add(duplicateEllipsePath);
}
The first ellipse, ellipsePath, is fine and renders as expected. But the line duplicateEllipsePath.Data = ellipsePath.Data or the alternative duplicateEllipsePath.Data = geometry each throw the System.ArgumentException "Value does not fall within the expected range". How can it be in range once, and out-of-range immediately afterwards? What is the correct way of duplicating a path in code like this?
It looks like the only way to clone a path is to do so manually. To quote this answer from Yi-Lun Luo:
The Data property is actually a Geometry. While not noticeable in Silverlight, A Geometry actually relies on an underlying system resource (because it needs to draw something). If you need to draw another Geometry, you'll need another system resource. So you must clone it before you assign it to a new Path. In WPF, we do have a Clone method on Geometry, unfortunately this is not supported in Silverlight. So you have to manually do the clone.
Another post above Yi-Lun's claims to contain reflective code to clone a geometry, and the same code seems to appear here, although the latter is more clearly formatted. However, in your case, it seems overkill to use a method such as this. The geometry you use is created by your MakeElipse [sic] method. Extracting the common code to generate the geometries into a method seems about the best way to proceed here.
The error message 'Value does not fall within the expected range' is a bit misleading. I don't see anything 'out of range', given that the exact same object was supposedly in range for your first ellipse. I can't say exactly why this error message is reported, but I can speculate. Silverlight is implemented in native code, and I believe that because the native code can't throw exceptions it instead returns numeric error codes. Perhaps there's a limited number of error codes and the one for 'Value does not fall within the expected range' was the one chosen for this error?
Greetings,
I have a problem with printing in WPF.
I am creating a flow document and add some controls to that flow document.
Print Preview works ok and i have no problem with printing from a print preview window.
The problem exists when I print directly to the printer without a print preview. But what is more surprisingly - when I use XPS Document Writer as a printer
everyting is ok, when i use some physical printer, some controls on my flow document are not displayed.
Thanks in advance
Important thing to note : You can use XpsDocumentWriter even when printing directly to a physical printer. Don't make the mistake I did of avoiding it just because you're not creating an .xps file!
Anyway - I had this same problem, and none of the DoEvents() hacks seemed to work. I also wasn't particularly happy about having to use them in the first place. In my situation some of the databound controls printed fine, but some others (nested UserControls) didnt. It was as if only one 'level' was being databound and the rest wouldn't bind even with a 'DoEvents()' hack.
The solution was simple though. Use XpsDocumentWriter like this. it will open a dialog where you can choose whichever installed physical printer you want.
// 8.5 x 11 paper
Size sz = new Size(96 * 8.5, 96 * 11);
// create your visual (this is a WPF UserControl)
var template = new PackingSlipTemplate()
{
DataContext = new PackingSlipViewModel(order)
};
// arrange
template.Measure(sz);
template.Arrange(new Rect(sz));
template.UpdateLayout();
// print to XpsDocumentWriter
// this will open a dialog and you can print to any installed printer
// not just a 'virtual' .xps file
PrintDocumentImageableArea area = null;
XpsDocumentWriter xps = PrintQueue.CreateXpsDocumentWriter(ref area,);
xps.Write(template);
I found the OReilly book on 'Programming WPF' quite useful with its chapter on Printing - found through Google Books.
If you don't want a print dialog to appear, but want to print directly to the default printer you can do the following. (For me the application is to print packing slips in a warehouse environment - and I don't want a dialog popping up every time).
var template = new PackingSlipTemplate()
{
DataContext = new PackingSlipViewModel(orders.Single())
};
// arrange
template.Measure(sz);
template.Arrange(new Rect(sz));
template.UpdateLayout();
LocalPrintServer localPrintServer = new LocalPrintServer();
var defaultPrintQueue = localPrintServer.DefaultPrintQueue;
XpsDocumentWriter xps = PrintQueue.CreateXpsDocumentWriter(defaultPrintQueue);
xps.Write(template, defaultPrinter.DefaultPrintTicket);
XPS Document can be printed without a problem
i have noticed one thing:
tip: the controls that are not displayed are the controls I am binding some data, so the conclusion is that the binding doesn't work. Can it be the case that binding is not executing before sending the document to the printer?