Dialogue Editor

The Dialogue Editor is a powerful side panel that provides a dedicated interface for editing Dialogue nodes with support for text, player options, background images, and more.

Overview

The Dialogue Editor is a collapsible side panel that appears on the right side of the visual scripting system (also referred to as the node editor) when you're working with Dialogue nodes. It provides a rich editing experience with dedicated fields for all dialogue properties, making it easier to create complex interactive conversations than editing directly in the node visual.

Key Features:

• Dedicated Text Editing: Large text area with multiline support for dialogue content
• Visual Image Selector: Browse and preview background images from your project's Content folder
• Option Management: Add, edit, reorder, and delete player response options with drag-and-drop
• Unsaved Changes Tracking: See what you've modified before applying changes
• Auto-Preserve State: Your edits are preserved when switching between nodes or files

Opening the Editor

To open the Dialogue Editor, double-click any Dialogue node in the node graph. The editor panel will expand automatically from the right side of the screen.

The panel stays open as you work, allowing you to double-click different Dialogue nodes to instantly switch between editing them. The panel will automatically collapse when you select a non-Dialogue node (like a Branch node or Variable node), keeping your workspace clean.

User Interface

The Dialogue Editor is organized into four main sections, each handling a different aspect of your dialogue.

Title Field

The Title field is an optional text field that appears in the dialogue node header. It's primarily used for organization within the editor and is not displayed to players during playback.

• Optional: Can be left empty if not needed
• Display: Visible in the editor node header, but not shown to players during runtime
• Common uses: Speaker identification ("Narrator", "Alice"), scene labels ("Town Square - Morning"), conversation topics ("Quest Intro"), or any organizational text

Background Image

Add visual context to your dialogue with background images. Perfect for visual novels, illustrated stories, or creating atmosphere in your narrative.

Image Selection Features:

• Visual Browser: Browse all images from your project's Content folder with live previews
• Drag-and-Drop: Drag images directly from the Content Browser into the image selector
• Search Functionality: Filter images by filename to quickly find what you need
• Quick Actions:
  • Show in Content Browser: Locate the selected image in your file tree
  • Open File: View the image in your system's default image viewer
• Preview: See a thumbnail of the selected image directly in the editor

Drag-and-Drop Workflow:

1. Navigate to your images folder in the Content Browser (e.g., Content/Images/)
2. Drag an image file from the Content Browser
3. Drop it onto the image selector area in the Dialogue Editor
4. The image is automatically selected and previewed

Text Area

The Text field contains the main dialogue content that players will read. This is the core of your narrative.

Features:

• Multiline Support: Press Shift + Enter to create new lines within your dialogue
• Large Editing Area: Expanded text area makes it easy to write and edit longer passages
• Real-time Display: Text appears in the dialogue box exactly as you type it
• Variable Interpolation: Use {variableName} syntax to insert variable values dynamically
• Spellcheck: Enable spellcheck in Settings to underline misspelled words in text fields (disabled by default)

Options Management

The lower part of the Dialogue Editor is organized into three collapsible sections. Text and Options each have their own add button and support independent drag-and-drop reordering.

• Tags: Dialogue tags attached to this line, shown as removable chips. Click "Add tag" to open the project-wide tag picker (see Dialogue Tags).
• Text: The main dialogue text area plus additional text blocks. Click "Add Text Block" to create non-interactive display text.
• Options: Clickable button choices. Click "Add Option" to create a new button.

There is also a keybindable Add Dialogue Option command that inserts a new option and immediately focuses its text field so you can start typing. It ships unbound. Assign a chord in Settings → Keybindings. The command fires only while focus is inside the dialogue node's details panel.

Common Actions:

• Edit Text: Click on any item's text field to edit its label or content. You can use {variableName} syntax to display variable values.
• Multiline Text: Press Shift + Enter to add line breaks within any text field.
• Reorder: Drag and drop items within their section to change display order.
• Delete: Click the trash icon to remove an item. This cannot be undone.

Handles on the Node:

Items in the Text and Options sections create handles on the dialogue node in the graph:

• Text Blocks: Left condition handle (boolean) to show/hide the text block based on game state
• Options: Left condition handle (boolean) for visibility, and right "On Click" handle (execution) that fires when the player clicks the button

Tags create no handles. They are a data field on the node, read by the runtime when the line is entered.

Dialogue Sections

Two kinds of dialogue content sit below the text area, each serving a different purpose.

Options (Buttons)

Options are clickable button choices that players select to advance the dialogue. They are the primary way to create branching narratives.

• Behavior: Player clicks to select, dialogue continues from the button's output handle
• Once Only: Enable the "Once" checkbox to hide the button after the player clicks it (see One-Time Options)
• Use Cases: Dialogue choices, branching paths, menu selections

Text Blocks

Text blocks display non-interactive text in the dialogue area alongside the options. They are read-only and cannot be clicked or interacted with by the player.

• Behavior: Displays styled text (no interaction)
• Condition Handle: Supports conditional visibility via boolean input
• No Output Handles: Text blocks have no execution or value outputs
• Variable Interpolation: Supports {variableName} syntax for dynamic text
• Click-to-Advance: Text blocks do not block the header output handle - dialogue nodes with only text blocks still show click-to-advance
• Use Cases: Additional narrative text, instructions, context-sensitive descriptions, conditional flavor text

Dialogue Tags

A dialogue tag is a plain name you attach to a line so your interface can react to it. Tags are never shown to the player. When the runtime enters a tagged dialogue node, it fires each of that node's tags in the order you authored them, and any On Dialogue Tag Reached node bound to that name runs its chain.

Typical uses are presentation cues: shake the dialogue box on an angry line, flash a portrait, play a screen effect or reveal a HUD element for one beat, all without wiring extra nodes into the story graph itself.

Adding a Tag to a Line

Tags live in their own collapsible Tags section at the top of the lower half of the Dialogue Editor. The tags already on the line appear as chips, each with an X to take it off this dialogue.

1. Click Add tag to open the picker
2. Type into the Filter or create... box to narrow the project's tag list as you type
3. Use Arrow Up/Down to move through the rows, Enter to apply the highlighted one or Escape to close
4. If what you typed does not match an existing tag, a Create tag "..." row appears at the bottom. Choosing it registers the tag project-wide and applies it in one step

The picker is backed by a project-wide registry, so every tag you have ever created is offered on every dialogue node in the project. Recently used tags sort to the top. Tags already on the current line still list at the bottom under On this dialogue, so you can rename or delete one without removing its chip first.

Renaming & Deleting Tags

Each row in the picker has a pencil and a trash icon that appear on hover. Both act on the whole project, not just this line.

• Rename: Click the pencil to edit the name inline. Committing it rewrites the registry, every dialogue node carrying the tag and every On Dialogue Tag Reached node bound to it. Renaming onto another existing name is refused rather than silently merging the two, and the field outlines red while the draft would collide.
• Delete: Click the trash icon to remove the tag from the project. If it is still in use, a confirmation first lists the files that use it and states that deleting will strip the tag from those dialogues and delete its On Dialogue Tag Reached nodes along with their connections. An unused tag is removed straight away.

Tags are also indexed by Global Search, so searching for a tag name finds every line that carries it.

Reacting to a Tag

Reactions are authored on the script canvas of a User Interface file. Right-click the canvas, open the Tags section of the create-node menu and pick a tag to place an On Dialogue Tag Reached node bound to it. The node is an event entry point: it has an execution output and no input, and its chain runs each time a line carrying that tag is entered.

A graph can hold at most one On Dialogue Tag Reached node per tag, so a tag can never fire the same chain twice. A tag already used in the graph is hidden from the menu, and the node cannot be copied or duplicated. See UI Scripting for the rest of the canvas.

Audio

Dialogue nodes can play audio when displayed. This is perfect for voice lines, ambient sounds, or musical cues tied to specific dialogue.

Adding Audio to Dialogue

In the Dialogue Editor sidebar, you'll find the Audio section below the Background Image:

• Audio Selector: Click to choose an audio file (MP3 or WAV) from your project
• Loop Checkbox: Enable to repeat the audio continuously
• Preview Controls: Play/stop button with progress bar to preview audio in the editor
• Reset Checkbox: Enable to stop any playing audio when this dialogue displays

Audio Behavior

• Audio starts playing when the dialogue node is reached
• Non-looping audio plays once and stops
• Looping audio continues until stopped by another node or reset
• The Reset option stops any currently playing audio

Characters

Dialogue nodes can be associated with a character, displaying their name and portrait in the runtime.

Selecting a Character

In the Dialogue Editor sidebar, use the Character selector to choose from your project's character files (.sfc):

• Character Dropdown: Shows all available characters with their portraits
• Search: Type to filter characters by name
• None Option: Clear the character selection

When a character is selected, the runtime will display their name and portrait alongside the dialogue text.

Character Variable Interpolation

You can reference character variables directly in your dialogue text using a special syntax. This allows dialogue to dynamically display character properties and custom variables.

Syntax: {Character.VariableName}

Examples:

• {Elena.Name} - Displays the character's name (e.g., "Elena")
• {Elena.Affection} - Displays a custom integer variable (e.g., "75")
• {Merchant.ShopName} - Displays a custom string variable (e.g., "The Golden Coin")
• {Player.Health} - Displays player health from a character file

Nested Interpolation:

Character variable interpolation supports nesting. If a character variable contains another variable reference, it will be resolved:

• If Elena.Greeting equals "Hello, {playerName}!"
• And playerName equals "Alice"
• Then {Elena.Greeting} displays "Hello, Alice!"

One-Time Options

Button options can be marked as "one-time" so they disappear after being clicked. This is perfect for exploration-based narratives where you want players to exhaust dialogue choices.

Enabling One-Time

Each button option in the Dialogue Editor has a "Once" checkbox. When enabled:

• The option displays normally the first time
• After the player clicks it, the option is hidden on subsequent visits
• This state persists within the current story session

Use Cases:

• NPCs with multiple topics to discuss (each topic disappears after being covered)
• Investigation scenes where clues can only be examined once
• Tutorial prompts that shouldn't repeat
• Side conversations that shouldn't clutter the main dialogue

Unsaved Changes

The Dialogue Editor intelligently tracks your modifications and provides clear feedback about unsaved changes.

How It Works:

• Automatic Tracking: The editor compares your current edits against the saved node data
• Visual Indicator: An amber asterisk (*) appears in the dialogue node's header on the canvas, and a "Reset Changes" button appears in the Dialogue Editor when you have unsaved modifications
• State Preservation: Your edits are preserved when you switch to other nodes or files, allowing you to continue editing later
• Click to Revert: Click "Reset Changes" to discard your edits and restore the node to its saved state

When Unsaved Changes Are Cleared:

• When you click "Reset Changes"
• When you click "Save Changes" (because there are no unsaved changes anymore)

Tips & Tricks