Game object API documentation

Version: stable

FUNCTION
final() called when a script component is finalized
fixed_update() called at fixed intervals to update the script component
go.animate() animates a named property of the specified game object or component
go.cancel_animations() cancels all or specified property animations of the game object or component
go.delete() delete one or more game object instances
go.exists() check if the specified game object exists
go.get() gets a named property of the specified game object or component
go.get_id() gets the id of an instance
go.get_parent() get the parent for a specific game object instance
go.get_position() gets the position of a game object instance
go.get_rotation() gets the rotation of the game object instance
go.get_scale() gets the 3D scale factor of the game object instance
go.get_scale_uniform() gets the uniform scale factor of the game object instance
go.get_world_position() gets the game object instance world position
go.get_world_rotation() gets the game object instance world rotation
go.get_world_scale() gets the game object instance world 3D scale factor
go.get_world_scale_uniform() gets the uniform game object instance world scale factor
go.get_world_transform() gets the game object instance world transform matrix
go.property() define a property for the script
go.set() sets a named property of the specified game object or component, or a material constant
go.set_parent() sets the parent for a specific game object instance
go.set_position() sets the position of the game object instance
go.set_rotation() sets the rotation of the game object instance
go.set_scale() sets the scale factor of the game object instance
go.world_to_local_position() convert position to game object's coordinate space
go.world_to_local_transform() convert transformation matrix to game object's coordinate space
init() called when a script component is initialized
on_input() called when user input is received
on_message() called when a message has been sent to the script component
on_reload() called when the script component is reloaded
update() called every frame to update the script component
CONSTANT
go.EASING_INBACK in-back
go.EASING_INBOUNCE in-bounce
go.EASING_INCIRC in-circlic
go.EASING_INCUBIC in-cubic
go.EASING_INELASTIC in-elastic
go.EASING_INEXPO in-exponential
go.EASING_INOUTBACK in-out-back
go.EASING_INOUTBOUNCE in-out-bounce
go.EASING_INOUTCIRC in-out-circlic
go.EASING_INOUTCUBIC in-out-cubic
go.EASING_INOUTELASTIC in-out-elastic
go.EASING_INOUTEXPO in-out-exponential
go.EASING_INOUTQUAD in-out-quadratic
go.EASING_INOUTQUART in-out-quartic
go.EASING_INOUTQUINT in-out-quintic
go.EASING_INOUTSINE in-out-sine
go.EASING_INQUAD in-quadratic
go.EASING_INQUART in-quartic
go.EASING_INQUINT in-quintic
go.EASING_INSINE in-sine
go.EASING_LINEAR linear interpolation
go.EASING_OUTBACK out-back
go.EASING_OUTBOUNCE out-bounce
go.EASING_OUTCIRC out-circlic
go.EASING_OUTCUBIC out-cubic
go.EASING_OUTELASTIC out-elastic
go.EASING_OUTEXPO out-exponential
go.EASING_OUTINBACK out-in-back
go.EASING_OUTINBOUNCE out-in-bounce
go.EASING_OUTINCIRC out-in-circlic
go.EASING_OUTINCUBIC out-in-cubic
go.EASING_OUTINELASTIC out-in-elastic
go.EASING_OUTINEXPO out-in-exponential
go.EASING_OUTINQUAD out-in-quadratic
go.EASING_OUTINQUART out-in-quartic
go.EASING_OUTINQUINT out-in-quintic
go.EASING_OUTINSINE out-in-sine
go.EASING_OUTQUAD out-quadratic
go.EASING_OUTQUART out-quartic
go.EASING_OUTQUINT out-quintic
go.EASING_OUTSINE out-sine
go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_BACKWARD loop backward
go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_FORWARD loop forward
go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_PINGPONG ping pong loop
go.PLAYBACK_NONE no playback
go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_BACKWARD once backward
go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_FORWARD once forward
go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_PINGPONG once ping pong
MESSAGE
acquire_input_focus acquires the user input focus
disable disables the receiving component
enable enables the receiving component
release_input_focus releases the user input focus
set_parent sets the parent of the receiving instance
PROPERTIES
euler vector3 game object euler rotation
position vector3 game object position
rotation quaternion game object rotation
scale number game object scale

Functions

final()

final(self)

This is a callback-function, which is called by the engine when a script component is finalized (destroyed). It can be used to e.g. take some last action, report the finalization to other game object instances, delete spawned objects or release user input focus (see release_input_focus).

PARAMETERS

self object reference to the script state to be used for storing data

EXAMPLES

function final(self)
    -- report finalization
    msg.post("my_friend_instance", "im_dead", {my_stats = self.some_value})
end

fixed_update()

fixed_update(self,dt)

This is a callback-function, which is called by the engine at fixed intervals to update the state of a script component. The function will be called if 'Fixed Update Frequency' is enabled in the Engine section of game.project. It can for instance be used to update game logic with the physics simulation if using a fixed timestep for the physics (enabled by ticking 'Use Fixed Timestep' in the Physics section of game.project).

PARAMETERS

self object reference to the script state to be used for storing data
dt number the time-step of the frame update

go.animate()

go.animate(url,property,playback,to,easing,duration,[delay],[complete_function])

This is only supported for numerical properties. If the node property is already being animated, that animation will be canceled and replaced by the new one. If a complete_function (lua function) is specified, that function will be called when the animation has completed. By starting a new animation in that function, several animations can be sequenced together. See the examples for more information. If you call go.animate() from a game object's final() function, any passed complete_function will be ignored and never called upon animation completion. See the properties guide for which properties can be animated and the animation guide for how them.

PARAMETERS

url string, hash, url url of the game object or component having the property
property string, hash id of the property to animate
playback constant playback mode of the animation
  • go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_FORWARD
  • go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_BACKWARD
  • go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_PINGPONG
  • go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_FORWARD
  • go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_BACKWARD
  • go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_PINGPONG
to number, vector3, vector4, quaternion target property value
easing constant, vector easing to use during animation. Either specify a constant, see the animation guide for a complete list, or a vmath.vector with a curve
duration number duration of the animation in seconds
[delay] number delay before the animation starts in seconds
[complete_function] function(self, url, property) optional function to call when the animation has completed
self
object The current object.
url
url The game object or component instance for which the property is animated.
property
hash The id of the animated property.

EXAMPLES

Animate the position of a game object to x = 10 during 1 second, then y = 20 during 1 second:
local function x_done(self, url, property)
    go.animate(go.get_id(), "position.y", go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_FORWARD, 20, go.EASING_LINEAR, 1)
end

function init(self)
    go.animate(go.get_id(), "position.x", go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_FORWARD, 10, go.EASING_LINEAR, 1, 0, x_done)
end
Animate the y position of a game object using a crazy custom easing curve:
local values = { 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
                 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
                 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
                 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
                 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
                 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
                 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
                 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 }
local vec = vmath.vector(values)
go.animate("go", "position.y", go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_PINGPONG, 100, vec, 2.0)

go.cancel_animations()

go.cancel_animations(url,[property])

By calling this function, all or specified stored property animations of the game object or component will be canceled. See the properties guide for which properties can be animated and the animation guide for how to animate them.

PARAMETERS

url string, hash, url url of the game object or component
[property] string, hash optional id of the property to cancel

EXAMPLES

Cancel the animation of the position of a game object:
go.cancel_animations(go.get_id(), "position")
Cancel all property animations of the current game object:
go.cancel_animations(".")
Cancel all property animations of the sprite component of the current game object:
go.cancel_animations("#sprite")

go.delete()

go.delete([id],[recursive])

Delete one or more game objects identified by id. Deletion is asynchronous meaning that the game object(s) are scheduled for deletion which will happen at the end of the current frame. Note that game objects scheduled for deletion will be counted against max_instances in "game.project" until they are actually removed. Deleting a game object containing a particle FX component emitting particles will not immediately stop the particle FX from emitting particles. You need to manually stop the particle FX using particlefx.stop(). Deleting a game object containing a sound component that is playing will not immediately stop the sound from playing. You need to manually stop the sound using sound.stop().

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url, table optional id or table of id's of the instance(s) to delete, the instance of the calling script is deleted by default
[recursive] boolean optional boolean, set to true to recursively delete child hiearchy in child to parent order

EXAMPLES

This example demonstrates how to delete game objects
-- Delete the script game object
go.delete()
-- Delete a game object with the id "my_game_object".
local id = go.get_id("my_game_object") -- retrieve the id of the game object to be deleted
go.delete(id)
-- Delete a list of game objects.
local ids = { hash("/my_object_1"), hash("/my_object_2"), hash("/my_object_3") }
go.delete(ids)
This example demonstrates how to delete a game objects and their children (child to parent order)
-- Delete the script game object and it's children
go.delete(true)
-- Delete a game object with the id "my_game_object" and it's children.
local id = go.get_id("my_game_object") -- retrieve the id of the game object to be deleted
go.delete(id, true)
-- Delete a list of game objects and their children.
local ids = { hash("/my_object_1"), hash("/my_object_2"), hash("/my_object_3") }
go.delete(ids, true)

go.exists()

go.exists(url)

check if the specified game object exists

PARAMETERS

url string, hash, url url of the game object to check

RETURNS

exists bool true if the game object exists

EXAMPLES

Check if game object "my_game_object" exists
go.exists("/my_game_object")

go.get()

go.get(url,property,[options])

gets a named property of the specified game object or component

PARAMETERS

url string, hash, url url of the game object or component having the property
property string, hash id of the property to retrieve
[options] table optional options table - index integer index into array property (1 based) - key hash name of internal property

RETURNS

value any the value of the specified property

EXAMPLES

Get a named property
function init(self)
    -- get the resource of a certain gui font
    local font_hash = go.get("#gui", "fonts", {key = "system_font_BIG"})
end

go.get_id()

go.get_id([path])

Returns or constructs an instance identifier. The instance id is a hash of the absolute path to the instance.

  • If path is specified, it can either be absolute or relative to the instance of the calling script.
  • If path is not specified, the id of the game object instance the script is attached to will be returned.

PARAMETERS

[path] string path of the instance for which to return the id

RETURNS

id hash instance id

EXAMPLES

For the instance with path /my_sub_collection/my_instance, the following calls are equivalent:
local id = go.get_id() -- no path, defaults to the instance containing the calling script
print(id) --> hash: [/my_sub_collection/my_instance]

local id = go.get_id("/my_sub_collection/my_instance") -- absolute path
print(id) --> hash: [/my_sub_collection/my_instance]

local id = go.get_id("my_instance") -- relative path
print(id) --> hash: [/my_sub_collection/my_instance]

go.get_parent()

go.get_parent([id])

Get the parent for a game object instance.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get parent for, defaults to the instance containing the calling script

RETURNS

parent_id hash, nil parent instance or nil

EXAMPLES

Get parent of the instance containing the calling script:
local parent_id = go.get_parent()
Get parent of the instance with id "x":
local parent_id = go.get_parent("x")

go.get_position()

go.get_position([id])

The position is relative the parent (if any). Use go.get_world_position to retrieve the global world position.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the position for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

position vector3 instance position

EXAMPLES

Get the position of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local p = go.get_position()
Get the position of another game object instance "my_gameobject":
local pos = go.get_position("my_gameobject")

go.get_rotation()

go.get_rotation([id])

The rotation is relative to the parent (if any). Use go.get_world_rotation to retrieve the global world rotation.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the rotation for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

rotation quaternion instance rotation

EXAMPLES

Get the rotation of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local r = go.get_rotation()
Get the rotation of another game object instance with id "x":
local r = go.get_rotation("x")

go.get_scale()

go.get_scale([id])

The scale is relative the parent (if any). Use go.get_world_scale to retrieve the global world 3D scale factor.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the scale for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

scale vector3 instance scale factor

EXAMPLES

Get the scale of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local s = go.get_scale()
Get the scale of another game object instance with id "x":
local s = go.get_scale("x")

go.get_scale_uniform()

go.get_scale_uniform([id])

The uniform scale is relative the parent (if any). If the underlying scale vector is non-uniform the min element of the vector is returned as the uniform scale factor.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the uniform scale for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

scale number uniform instance scale factor

EXAMPLES

Get the scale of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local s = go.get_scale_uniform()
Get the uniform scale of another game object instance with id "x":
local s = go.get_scale_uniform("x")

go.get_world_position()

go.get_world_position([id])

The function will return the world position calculated at the end of the previous frame. Use go.get_position to retrieve the position relative to the parent.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the world position for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

position vector3 instance world position

EXAMPLES

Get the world position of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local p = go.get_world_position()
Get the world position of another game object instance with id "x":
local p = go.get_world_position("x")

go.get_world_rotation()

go.get_world_rotation([id])

The function will return the world rotation calculated at the end of the previous frame. Use go.get_rotation to retrieve the rotation relative to the parent.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the world rotation for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

rotation quaternion instance world rotation

EXAMPLES

Get the world rotation of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local r = go.get_world_rotation()
Get the world rotation of another game object instance with id "x":
local r = go.get_world_rotation("x")

go.get_world_scale()

go.get_world_scale([id])

The function will return the world 3D scale factor calculated at the end of the previous frame. Use go.get_scale to retrieve the 3D scale factor relative to the parent. This vector is derived by decomposing the transformation matrix and should be used with care. For most cases it should be fine to use go.get_world_scale_uniform instead.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the world scale for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

scale vector3 instance world 3D scale factor

EXAMPLES

Get the world 3D scale of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local s = go.get_world_scale()
Get the world scale of another game object instance "x":
local s = go.get_world_scale("x")

go.get_world_scale_uniform()

go.get_world_scale_uniform([id])

The function will return the world scale factor calculated at the end of the previous frame. Use go.get_scale_uniform to retrieve the scale factor relative to the parent.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the world scale for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

scale number instance world scale factor

EXAMPLES

Get the world scale of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local s = go.get_world_scale_uniform()
Get the world scale of another game object instance with id "x":
local s = go.get_world_scale_uniform("x")

go.get_world_transform()

go.get_world_transform([id])

The function will return the world transform matrix calculated at the end of the previous frame.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the world transform for, by default the instance of the calling script

RETURNS

transform matrix4 instance world transform

EXAMPLES

Get the world transform of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local m = go.get_world_transform()
Get the world transform of another game object instance with id "x":
local m = go.get_world_transform("x")

go.property()

go.property(name,value)

This function defines a property which can then be used in the script through the self-reference. The properties defined this way are automatically exposed in the editor in game objects and collections which use the script. Note that you can only use this function outside any callback-functions like init and update.

PARAMETERS

name string the id of the property
value number, hash, url, vector3, vector4, quaternion, resource, boolean default value of the property. In the case of a url, only the empty constructor msg.url() is allowed. In the case of a resource one of the resource constructors (eg resource.atlas(), resource.font() etc) is expected.

EXAMPLES

This example demonstrates how to define a property called "health" in a script. The health is decreased whenever someone sends a message called "take_damage" to the script.
go.property("health", 100)

function init(self)
    -- prints 100 to the output
    print(self.health)
end

function on_message(self, message_id, message, sender)
    if message_id == hash("take_damage") then
        self.health = self.health - message.damage
        print("Ouch! My health is now: " .. self.health)
    end
end

go.set()

go.set(url,property,value,[options])

sets a named property of the specified game object or component, or a material constant

PARAMETERS

url string, hash, url url of the game object or component having the property
property string, hash id of the property to set
value any, table the value to set
[options] table optional options table - index integer index into array property (1 based) - key hash name of internal property

EXAMPLES

Set a named property
go.property("big_font", resource.font())

function init(self)
    go.set("#gui", "fonts", self.big_font, {key = "system_font_BIG"})
end

go.set_parent()

go.set_parent([id],[parent_id],[keep_world_transform])

Sets the parent for a game object instance. This means that the instance will exist in the geometrical space of its parent, like a basic transformation hierarchy or scene graph. If no parent is specified, the instance will be detached from any parent and exist in world space. This function will generate a set_parent message. It is not until the message has been processed that the change actually takes effect. This typically happens later in the same frame or the beginning of the next frame. Refer to the manual to learn how messages are processed by the engine.

PARAMETERS

[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to set parent for, defaults to the instance containing the calling script
[parent_id] string, hash, url optional id of the new parent game object, defaults to detaching game object from its parent
[keep_world_transform] boolean optional boolean, set to true to maintain the world transform when changing spaces. Defaults to false.

EXAMPLES

Attach myself to another instance "my_parent":
go.set_parent(go.get_id(),go.get_id("my_parent"))
Attach an instance "my_instance" to another instance "my_parent":
go.set_parent(go.get_id("my_instance"),go.get_id("my_parent"))
Detach an instance "my_instance" from its parent (if any):
go.set_parent(go.get_id("my_instance"))

go.set_position()

go.set_position(position,[id])

The position is relative to the parent (if any). The global world position cannot be manually set.

PARAMETERS

position vector3 position to set
[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to set the position for, by default the instance of the calling script

EXAMPLES

Set the position of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local p = ...
go.set_position(p)
Set the position of another game object instance with id "x":
local p = ...
go.set_position(p, "x")

go.set_rotation()

go.set_rotation(rotation,[id])

The rotation is relative to the parent (if any). The global world rotation cannot be manually set.

PARAMETERS

rotation quaternion rotation to set
[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the rotation for, by default the instance of the calling script

EXAMPLES

Set the rotation of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local r = ...
go.set_rotation(r)
Set the rotation of another game object instance with id "x":
local r = ...
go.set_rotation(r, "x")

go.set_scale()

go.set_scale(scale,[id])

The scale factor is relative to the parent (if any). The global world scale factor cannot be manually set. Physics are currently not affected when setting scale from this function.

PARAMETERS

scale number, vector3 vector or uniform scale factor, must be greater than 0
[id] string, hash, url optional id of the game object instance to get the scale for, by default the instance of the calling script

EXAMPLES

Set the scale of the game object instance the script is attached to:
local s = vmath.vector3(2.0, 1.0, 1.0)
go.set_scale(s)
Set the scale of another game object instance with id "x":
local s = 1.2
go.set_scale(s, "x")

go.world_to_local_position()

go.world_to_local_position(position,url)

The function uses world transformation calculated at the end of previous frame.

PARAMETERS

position vector3 position which need to be converted
url string, hash, url url of the game object which coordinate system convert to

RETURNS

converted_postion vector3 converted position

EXAMPLES

Convert position of "test" game object into coordinate space of "child" object.
  local test_pos = go.get_world_position("/test")
  local child_pos = go.get_world_position("/child")
  local new_position = go.world_to_local_position(test_pos, "/child")

go.world_to_local_transform()

go.world_to_local_transform(transformation,url)

The function uses world transformation calculated at the end of previous frame.

PARAMETERS

transformation matrix4 transformation which need to be converted
url string, hash, url url of the game object which coordinate system convert to

RETURNS

converted_transform matrix4 converted transformation

EXAMPLES

Convert transformation of "test" game object into coordinate space of "child" object.
   local test_transform = go.get_world_transform("/test")
   local child_transform = go.get_world_transform("/child")
   local result_transform = go.world_to_local_transform(test_transform, "/child")

init()

init(self)

This is a callback-function, which is called by the engine when a script component is initialized. It can be used to set the initial state of the script.

PARAMETERS

self object reference to the script state to be used for storing data

EXAMPLES

function init(self)
    -- set up useful data
    self.my_value = 1
end

on_input()

on_input(self,action_id,action)

This is a callback-function, which is called by the engine when user input is sent to the game object instance of the script. It can be used to take action on the input, e.g. move the instance according to the input. For an instance to obtain user input, it must first acquire input focus through the message acquire_input_focus. Any instance that has obtained input will be put on top of an input stack. Input is sent to all listeners on the stack until the end of stack is reached, or a listener returns true to signal that it wants input to be consumed. See the documentation of acquire_input_focus for more information. The action parameter is a table containing data about the input mapped to the action_id. For mapped actions it specifies the value of the input and if it was just pressed or released. Actions are mapped to input in an input_binding-file. Mouse movement is specifically handled and uses nil as its action_id. The action only contains positional parameters in this case, such as x and y of the pointer. Here is a brief description of the available table fields:

Field Description
value The amount of input given by the user. This is usually 1 for buttons and 0-1 for analogue inputs. This is not present for mouse movement.
pressed If the input was pressed this frame. This is not present for mouse movement.
released If the input was released this frame. This is not present for mouse movement.
repeated If the input was repeated this frame. This is similar to how a key on a keyboard is repeated when you hold it down. This is not present for mouse movement.
x The x value of a pointer device, if present.
y The y value of a pointer device, if present.
screen_x The screen space x value of a pointer device, if present.
screen_y The screen space y value of a pointer device, if present.
dx The change in x value of a pointer device, if present.
dy The change in y value of a pointer device, if present.
screen_dx The change in screen space x value of a pointer device, if present.
screen_dy The change in screen space y value of a pointer device, if present.
gamepad The index of the gamepad device that provided the input.
touch List of touch input, one element per finger, if present. See table below about touch input
Touch input table:
Field Description
id A number identifying the touch input during its duration.
pressed True if the finger was pressed this frame.
released True if the finger was released this frame.
tap_count Number of taps, one for single, two for double-tap, etc
x The x touch location.
y The y touch location.
dx The change in x value.
dy The change in y value.
acc_x Accelerometer x value (if present).
acc_y Accelerometer y value (if present).
acc_z Accelerometer z value (if present).

PARAMETERS

self object reference to the script state to be used for storing data
action_id hash id of the received input action, as mapped in the input_binding-file
action table a table containing the input data, see above for a description

RETURNS

consume boolean, nil optional boolean to signal if the input should be consumed (not passed on to others) or not, default is false

EXAMPLES

This example demonstrates how a game object instance can be moved as a response to user input.
function init(self)
    -- acquire input focus
    msg.post(".", "acquire_input_focus")
    -- maximum speed the instance can be moved
    self.max_speed = 2
    -- velocity of the instance, initially zero
    self.velocity = vmath.vector3()
end

function update(self, dt)
    -- move the instance
    go.set_position(go.get_position() + dt * self.velocity)
end

function on_input(self, action_id, action)
    -- check for movement input
    if action_id == hash("right") then
        if action.released then -- reset velocity if input was released
            self.velocity = vmath.vector3()
        else -- update velocity
            self.velocity = vmath.vector3(action.value * self.max_speed, 0, 0)
        end
    end
end

on_message()

on_message(self,message_id,message,sender)

This is a callback-function, which is called by the engine whenever a message has been sent to the script component. It can be used to take action on the message, e.g. send a response back to the sender of the message. The message parameter is a table containing the message data. If the message is sent from the engine, the documentation of the message specifies which data is supplied.

PARAMETERS

self object reference to the script state to be used for storing data
message_id hash id of the received message
message table a table containing the message data
sender url address of the sender

EXAMPLES

This example demonstrates how a game object instance, called "a", can communicate with another instance, called "b". It is assumed that both script components of the instances has id "script". Script of instance "a":
function init(self)
    -- let b know about some important data
    msg.post("b#script", "my_data", {important_value = 1})
end
Script of instance "b":
function init(self)
    -- store the url of instance "a" for later use, by specifying nil as socket we
    -- automatically use our own socket
    self.a_url = msg.url(nil, go.get_id("a"), "script")
end

function on_message(self, message_id, message, sender)
    -- check message and sender
    if message_id == hash("my_data") and sender == self.a_url then
        -- use the data in some way
        self.important_value = message.important_value
    end
end

on_reload()

on_reload(self)

This is a callback-function, which is called by the engine when the script component is reloaded, e.g. from the editor. It can be used for live development, e.g. to tweak constants or set up the state properly for the instance.

PARAMETERS

self object reference to the script state to be used for storing data

EXAMPLES

This example demonstrates how to tweak the speed of a game object instance that is moved on user input.
function init(self)
    -- acquire input focus
    msg.post(".", "acquire_input_focus")
    -- maximum speed the instance can be moved, this value is tweaked in the on_reload function below
    self.max_speed = 2
    -- velocity of the instance, initially zero
    self.velocity = vmath.vector3()
end

function update(self, dt)
    -- move the instance
    go.set_position(go.get_position() + dt * self.velocity)
end

function on_input(self, action_id, action)
    -- check for movement input
    if action_id == hash("right") then
        if action.released then -- reset velocity if input was released
            self.velocity = vmath.vector3()
        else -- update velocity
            self.velocity = vmath.vector3(action.value * self.max_speed, 0, 0)
        end
    end
end

function on_reload(self)
    -- edit this value and reload the script component
    self.max_speed = 100
end

update()

update(self,dt)

This is a callback-function, which is called by the engine every frame to update the state of a script component. It can be used to perform any kind of game related tasks, e.g. moving the game object instance.

PARAMETERS

self object reference to the script state to be used for storing data
dt number the time-step of the frame update

EXAMPLES

This example demonstrates how to move a game object instance through the script component:
function init(self)
    -- set initial velocity to be 1 along world x-axis
    self.my_velocity = vmath.vector3(1, 0, 0)
end

function update(self, dt)
    -- move the game object instance
    go.set_position(go.get_position() + dt * self.my_velocity)
end

Constants

go.EASING_INBACK

in-back


go.EASING_INBOUNCE

in-bounce


go.EASING_INCIRC

in-circlic


go.EASING_INCUBIC

in-cubic


go.EASING_INELASTIC

in-elastic


go.EASING_INEXPO

in-exponential


go.EASING_INOUTBACK

in-out-back


go.EASING_INOUTBOUNCE

in-out-bounce


go.EASING_INOUTCIRC

in-out-circlic


go.EASING_INOUTCUBIC

in-out-cubic


go.EASING_INOUTELASTIC

in-out-elastic


go.EASING_INOUTEXPO

in-out-exponential


go.EASING_INOUTQUAD

in-out-quadratic


go.EASING_INOUTQUART

in-out-quartic


go.EASING_INOUTQUINT

in-out-quintic


go.EASING_INOUTSINE

in-out-sine


go.EASING_INQUAD

in-quadratic


go.EASING_INQUART

in-quartic


go.EASING_INQUINT

in-quintic


go.EASING_INSINE

in-sine


go.EASING_LINEAR

linear interpolation


go.EASING_OUTBACK

out-back


go.EASING_OUTBOUNCE

out-bounce


go.EASING_OUTCIRC

out-circlic


go.EASING_OUTCUBIC

out-cubic


go.EASING_OUTELASTIC

out-elastic


go.EASING_OUTEXPO

out-exponential


go.EASING_OUTINBACK

out-in-back


go.EASING_OUTINBOUNCE

out-in-bounce


go.EASING_OUTINCIRC

out-in-circlic


go.EASING_OUTINCUBIC

out-in-cubic


go.EASING_OUTINELASTIC

out-in-elastic


go.EASING_OUTINEXPO

out-in-exponential


go.EASING_OUTINQUAD

out-in-quadratic


go.EASING_OUTINQUART

out-in-quartic


go.EASING_OUTINQUINT

out-in-quintic


go.EASING_OUTINSINE

out-in-sine


go.EASING_OUTQUAD

out-quadratic


go.EASING_OUTQUART

out-quartic


go.EASING_OUTQUINT

out-quintic


go.EASING_OUTSINE

out-sine


go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_BACKWARD

loop backward


go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_FORWARD

loop forward


go.PLAYBACK_LOOP_PINGPONG

ping pong loop


go.PLAYBACK_NONE

no playback


go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_BACKWARD

once backward


go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_FORWARD

once forward


go.PLAYBACK_ONCE_PINGPONG

once ping pong


Messages

acquire_input_focus

Post this message to a game object instance to make that instance acquire the user input focus. User input is distributed by the engine to every instance that has requested it. The last instance to request focus will receive it first. This means that the scripts in the instance will have first-hand-chance at reacting on user input, possibly consuming it (by returning true from on_input) so that no other instances can react on it. The most common case is for a script to send this message to itself when it needs to respond to user input. A script belonging to an instance which has the user input focus will receive the input actions in its on_input callback function. See on_input for more information on how user input can be handled.

EXAMPLES

This example demonstrates how to acquire and act on user input.
function init(self)
    -- acquire input focus as soon as the instance has been initialized
    msg.post(".", "acquire_input_focus")
end

function on_input(self, action_id, action)
    -- check which input we received
    if action_id == hash("my_action") then
        -- act on the input
        self.my_action_amount = action.value
    end
end

disable

This message disables the receiving component. All components are enabled by default, which means they will receive input, updates and be a part of the simulation. A component is disabled when it receives the disable message. Components that currently supports this message are:

  • Collection Proxy
  • Collision Object
  • Gui
  • Label
  • Spine Model
  • Sprite
  • Tile Grid
  • Model
  • Mesh

EXAMPLES

Disable the component "my_component":
msg.post("#my_component", "disable")

enable

This message enables the receiving component. All components are enabled by default, which means they will receive input, updates and be a part of the simulation. A component is disabled when it receives the disable message. Components that currently supports this message are:

  • Collection Proxy
  • Collision Object
  • Gui
  • Label
  • Spine Model
  • Sprite
  • Tile Grid
  • Model
  • Mesh

EXAMPLES

Enable the component "my_component":
msg.post("#my_component", "enable")

release_input_focus

Post this message to an instance to make that instance release the user input focus. See acquire_input_focus for more information on how the user input handling works.

EXAMPLES

How to make a game object stop receiving input:
msg.post(".", "release_input_focus")

set_parent

When this message is sent to an instance, it sets the parent of that instance. This means that the instance will exist in the geometrical space of its parent, like a basic transformation hierarchy or scene graph. If no parent is specified, the instance will be detached from any parent and exist in world space. A script can send this message to itself to set the parent of its instance.

parent_id hash the id of the new parent
keep_world_transform number if the world transform of the instance should be preserved when changing spaces, 0 for false and 1 for true. The default value is 1.

EXAMPLES

Attach myself to another instance "my_parent":
msg.post(".", "set_parent", {parent_id = go.get_id("my_parent")})
Attach an instance "my_instance" to another instance "my_parent":
msg.post("my_instance", "set_parent", {parent_id = go.get_id("my_parent")})
Detach an instance "my_instance" from its parent (if any):
msg.post("my_instance", "set_parent")

Properties

euler

The rotation of the game object expressed in Euler angles. Euler angles are specified in degrees in the interval (-360, 360). The type of the property is vector3.

EXAMPLES

How to set a game object's rotation with euler angles, either as a vector3 or selecting a specific dimension:
function init(self)
  -- set "player" euler z rotation component to 45 degrees around z.
  local rotz = 45
  go.set("player", "euler.z", rotz)
  local rot = go.get("player", "euler")
  -- do something useful
  assert(rot.z == rotz)
end

position

The position of the game object. The type of the property is vector3.

EXAMPLES

How to query a game object's position, either as a vector3 or selecting a specific dimension:
function init(self)
  -- get position from "player"
  local pos = go.get("player", "position")
  local posx = go.get("player", "position.x")
  -- do something useful
  assert(pos.x == posx)
end

rotation

The rotation of the game object. The type of the property is quaternion.

EXAMPLES

How to set a game object's rotation:
function init(self)
  -- set "player" rotation to 45 degrees around z.
  local rotz = vmath.quat_rotation_z(3.141592 / 4)
  go.set("player", "rotation", rotz)
end

scale

The uniform scale of the game object. The type of the property is number.

EXAMPLES

How to scale a game object:
function init(self)
  -- Double the scaling on "player"
  local scale = go.get("player", "scale")
  go.set("player", "scale", scale * 2)
end