An advanced [Variant] type. All classes in the engine inherit from Object. Each class may define new properties, methods or signals, which are available to all inheriting classes. For example, a [Sprite2D] instance is able to call [method Node.add_child] because it inherits from [Node].
You can create new instances, using [code]Object.new()[/code] in GDScript, or [code]new Object[/code] in C#.
To delete an Object instance, call [method free]. This is necessary for most classes inheriting Object, because they do not manage memory on their own, and will otherwise cause memory leaks when no longer in use. There are a few classes that perform memory management. For example, [RefCounted] (and by extension [Resource]) deletes itself when no longer referenced, and [Node] deletes its children when freed.
Objects can have a [Script] attached to them. Once the [Script] is instantiated, it effectively acts as an extension to the base class, allowing it to define and inherit new properties, methods and signals.
Inside a [Script], [method _get_property_list] may be overridden to customize properties in several ways. This allows them to be available to the editor, display as lists of options, sub-divide into groups, save on disk, etc. Scripting languages offer easier ways to customize properties, such as with the [annotation @GDScript.@export] annotation.
Godot is very dynamic. An object's script, and therefore its properties, methods and signals, can be changed at run-time. Because of this, there can be occasions where, for example, a property required by a method may not exist. To prevent run-time errors, see methods such as [method set], [method get], [method call], [method has_method], [method has_signal], etc. Note that these methods are [b]much[/b] slower than direct references.
In GDScript, you can also check if a given property, method, or signal name exists in an object with the [code]in[/code] operator:
[codeblock]
var node = Node.new()
print("name" in node) # Prints true
print("get_parent" in node) # Prints true
print("tree_entered" in node) # Prints true
print("unknown" in node) # Prints false
[/codeblock]
Notifications are [int] constants commonly sent and received by objects. For example, on every rendered frame, the [SceneTree] notifies nodes inside the tree with a [constant Node.NOTIFICATION_PROCESS]. The nodes receive it and may call [method Node._process] to update. To make use of notifications, see [method notification] and [method _notification].
Lastly, every object can also contain metadata (data about data). [method set_meta] can be useful to store information that the object itself does not depend on. To keep your code clean, making excessive use of metadata is discouraged.
[b]Note:[/b] Unlike references to a [RefCounted], references to an object stored in a variable can become invalid without being set to [code]null[/code]. To check if an object has been deleted, do [i]not[/i] compare it against [code]null[/code]. Instead, use [method @GlobalScope.is_instance_valid]. It's also recommended to inherit from [RefCounted] for classes storing data instead of [Object].
[b]Note:[/b] The [code]script[/code] is not exposed like most properties. To set or get an object's [Script] in code, use [method set_script] and [method get_script], respectively.
Override this method to customize the behavior of [method get]. Should return the given [param property]'s value, or [code]null[/code] if the [param property] should be handled normally.
Combined with [method _set] and [method _get_property_list], this method allows defining custom properties, which is particularly useful for editor plugins. Note that a property must be present in [method get_property_list], otherwise this method will not be called.
Override this method to customize how script properties should be handled by the engine.
Should return a property list, as an [Array] of dictionaries. The result is added to the array of [method get_property_list], and should be formatted in the same way. Each [Dictionary] must at least contain the [code]name[/code] and [code]type[/code] entries.
The example below displays [code]hammer_type[/code] in the Inspector dock, only if [code]holding_hammer[/code] is [code]true[/code]:
[b]Note:[/b] This method is intended for advanced purposes. For most common use cases, the scripting languages offer easier ways to handle properties. See [annotation @GDScript.@export], [annotation @GDScript.@export_enum], [annotation @GDScript.@export_group], etc.
[b]Note:[/b] If the object's script is not [annotation @GDScript.@tool], this method will not be called in the editor.
Called when the object's script is instantiated, oftentimes after the object is initialized in memory (through [code]Object.new()[/code] in GDScript, or [code]new Object[/code] in C#). It can be also defined to take in parameters. This method is similar to a constructor in most programming languages.
[b]Note:[/b] If [method _init] is defined with [i]required[/i] parameters, the Object with script may only be created directly. If any other means (such as [method PackedScene.instantiate] or [method Node.duplicate]) are used, the script's initialization will fail.
Called when the object receives a notification, which can be identified in [param what] by comparing it with a constant. See also [method notification].
[b]Note:[/b] The base [Object] defines a few notifications ([constant NOTIFICATION_POSTINITIALIZE] and [constant NOTIFICATION_PREDELETE]). Inheriting classes such as [Node] define a lot more notifications, which are also received by this method.
Override this method to customize the given [param property]'s revert behavior. Should return [code]true[/code] if the [param property] can be reverted in the Inspector dock. Use [method _property_get_revert] to specify the [param property]'s default value.
[b]Note:[/b] This method must return consistently, regardless of the current value of the [param property].
Override this method to customize the given [param property]'s revert behavior. Should return the default value for the [param property]. If the default value differs from the [param property]'s current value, a revert icon is displayed in the Inspector dock.
[b]Note:[/b] [method _property_can_revert] must also be overridden for this method to be called.
Override this method to customize the behavior of [method set]. Should set the [param property] to [param value] and return [code]true[/code], or [code]false[/code] if the [param property] should be handled normally. The [i]exact[/i] way to set the [param property] is up to this method's implementation.
Combined with [method _get] and [method _get_property_list], this method allows defining custom properties, which is particularly useful for editor plugins. Note that a property [i]must[/i] be present in [method get_property_list], otherwise this method will not be called.
Adds a user-defined [param signal]. Optional arguments for the signal can be added as an [Array] of dictionaries, each defining a [code]name[/code] [String] and a [code]type[/code] [int] (see [enum Variant.Type]). See also [method has_user_signal].
Calls the [param method] on the object and returns the result. This method supports a variable number of arguments, so parameters can be passed as a comma separated list.
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param method] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot methods. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]MethodName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
Calls the [param method] on the object during idle time. This method supports a variable number of arguments, so parameters can be passed as a comma separated list.
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param method] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot methods. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]MethodName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
Calls the [param method] on the object and returns the result. Unlike [method call], this method expects all parameters to be contained inside [param arg_array].
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param method] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot methods. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]MethodName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call
Returns [code]true[/code] if the object is allowed to translate messages with [method tr] and [method tr_n]. See also [method set_message_translation].
Connects a [param signal] by name to a [param callable]. Optional [param flags] can be also added to configure the connection's behavior (see [enum ConnectFlags] constants).
A signal can only be connected once to the same [Callable]. If the signal is already connected, this method returns [constant ERR_INVALID_PARAMETER] and pushes an error message, unless the signal is connected with [constant CONNECT_REFERENCE_COUNTED]. To prevent this, use [method is_connected] first to check for existing connections.
If the [param callable]'s object is freed, the connection will be lost.
Connecting signals is one of the most common operations in Godot and the API gives many options to do so, which are described further down. The code block below shows the recommended approach.
// Signals as events (`player.Hit += OnPlayerHit;`) do not support argument binding. You have to use:
player.Hit.Connect(OnPlayerHit, new Godot.Collections.Array {"sword", 100 });
}
private void OnButtonDown()
{
GD.Print("Button down!");
}
private void OnPlayerHit(string weaponType, int damage)
{
GD.Print(String.Format("Hit with weapon {0} for {1} damage.", weaponType, damage));
}
[/csharp]
[/codeblocks]
[b][code]Object.connect()[/code] or [code]Signal.connect()[/code]?[/b]
As seen above, the recommended method to connect signals is not [method Object.connect]. The code block below shows the four options for connecting signals, using either this legacy method or the recommended [method Signal.connect], and using either an implicit [Callable] or a manually defined one.
[codeblocks]
[gdscript]
func _ready():
var button = Button.new()
# Option 1: Object.connect() with an implicit Callable for the defined function.
button.connect("button_down", _on_button_down)
# Option 2: Object.connect() with a constructed Callable using a target object and method name.
While all options have the same outcome ([code]button[/code]'s [signal BaseButton.button_down] signal will be connected to [code]_on_button_down[/code]), [b]option 3[/b] offers the best validation: it will print a compile-time error if either the [code]button_down[/code] [Signal] or the [code]_on_button_down[/code] [Callable] are not defined. On the other hand, [b]option 2[/b] only relies on string names and will only be able to validate either names at runtime: it will print a runtime error if [code]"button_down"[/code] doesn't correspond to a signal, or if [code]"_on_button_down"[/code] is not a registered method in the object [code]self[/code]. The main reason for using options 1, 2, or 4 would be if you actually need to use strings (e.g. to connect signals programmatically based on strings read from a configuration file). Otherwise, option 3 is the recommended (and fastest) method.
[b]Binding and passing parameters:[/b]
The syntax to bind parameters is through [method Callable.bind], which returns a copy of the [Callable] with its parameters bound.
When calling [method emit_signal], the signal parameters can be also passed. The examples below show the relationship between these signal parameters and bound parameters.
Disconnects a [param signal] by name from a given [param callable]. If the connection does not exist, generates an error. Use [method is_connected] to make sure that the connection exists.
Emits the given [param signal] by name. The signal must exist, so it should be a built-in signal of this class or one of its inherited classes, or a user-defined signal (see [method add_user_signal]). This method supports a variable number of arguments, so parameters can be passed as a comma separated list.
Returns [constant ERR_UNAVAILABLE] if [param signal] does not exist or the parameters are invalid.
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param signal] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot signals. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]SignalName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
Deletes the object from memory. Pre-existing references to the object become invalid, and any attempt to access them will result in a run-time error. Checking the references with [method @GlobalScope.is_instance_valid] will return [code]false[/code].
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param property] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot properties. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]PropertyName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
Returns the object's built-in class name, as a [String]. See also [method is_class].
[b]Note:[/b] This method ignores [code]class_name[/code] declarations. If this object's script has defined a [code]class_name[/code], the base, built-in class name is returned instead.
Gets the object's property indexed by the given [param property_path]. The path should be a [NodePath] relative to the current object and can use the colon character ([code]:[/code]) to access nested properties.
[b]Examples:[/b] [code]"position:x"[/code] or [code]"material:next_pass:blend_mode"[/code].
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param property_path] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot properties.
[b]Note:[/b] This method does not support actual paths to nodes in the [SceneTree], only sub-property paths. In the context of nodes, use [method Node.get_node_and_resource] instead.
Returns the object's unique instance ID. This ID can be saved in [EncodedObjectAsID], and can be used to retrieve this object instance with [method @GlobalScope.instance_from_id].
Returns the object's metadata value for the given entry [param name]. If the entry does not exist, returns [param default]. If [param default] is [code]null[/code], an error is also generated.
[b]Note:[/b] Metadata that has a [param name] starting with an underscore ([code]_[/code]) is considered editor-only. Editor-only metadata is not displayed in the Inspector dock and should not be edited.
Returns this object's methods and their signatures as an [Array] of dictionaries. Each [Dictionary] contains the following entries:
- [code]name[/code] is the name of the method, as a [String];
- [code]args[/code] is an [Array] of dictionaries representing the arguments;
- [code]default_args[/code] is the default arguments as an [Array] of variants;
- [code]flags[/code] is a combination of [enum MethodFlags];
- [code]id[/code] is the method's internal identifier [int];
- [code]return[/code] is the returned value, as a [Dictionary];
[b]Note:[/b] The dictionaries of [code]args[/code] and [code]return[/code] are formatted identically to the results of [method get_property_list], although not all entries are used.
Returns [code]true[/code] if a metadata entry is found with the given [param name]. See also [method get_meta], [method set_meta] and [method remove_meta].
[b]Note:[/b] Metadata that has a [param name] starting with an underscore ([code]_[/code]) is considered editor-only. Editor-only metadata is not displayed in the Inspector and should not be edited, although it can still be found by this method.
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param method] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot methods. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]MethodName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param signal] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot methods. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]SignalName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param signal] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot methods. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]SignalName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
Sends the given [param what] notification to all classes inherited by the object, triggering calls to [method _notification], starting from the highest ancestor (the [Object] class) and going down to the object's script.
If [param reversed] is [code]true[/code], the call order is reversed.
Emits the [signal property_list_changed] signal. This is mainly used to refresh the editor, so that the Inspector and editor plugins are properly updated.
Returns [code]true[/code] if the given [param property] has a custom default value. Use [method property_get_revert] to get the [param property]'s default value.
[b]Note:[/b] This method is used by the Inspector dock to display a revert icon. The object must implement [method _property_can_revert] to customize the default value. If [method _property_can_revert] is not implemented, this method returns [code]false[/code].
Returns the custom default value of the given [param property]. Use [method property_can_revert] to check if the [param property] has a custom default value.
[b]Note:[/b] This method is used by the Inspector dock to display a revert icon. The object must implement [method _property_get_revert] to customize the default value. If [method _property_get_revert] is not implemented, this method returns [code]null[/code].
[b]Note:[/b] Metadata that has a [param name] starting with an underscore ([code]_[/code]) is considered editor-only. Editor-only metadata is not displayed in the Inspector and should not be edited.
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param property] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot properties. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]PropertyName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
If set to [code]true[/code], the object becomes unable to emit signals. As such, [method emit_signal] and signal connections will not work, until it is set to [code]false[/code].
Assigns [param value] to the given [param property], after the current frame's physics step. This is equivalent to calling [method set] through [method call_deferred].
[b]Note:[/b] In C#, [param property] must be in snake_case when referring to built-in Godot properties. Prefer using the names exposed in the [code]PropertyName[/code] class to avoid allocating a new [StringName] on each call.
Assigns a new [param value] to the property identified by the [param property_path]. The path should be a [NodePath] relative to this object, and can use the colon character ([code]:[/code]) to access nested properties.
If set to [code]true[/code], allows the object to translate messages with [method tr] and [method tr_n]. Enabled by default. See also [method can_translate_messages].
Adds or changes the entry [param name] inside the object's metadata. The metadata [param value] can be any [Variant], although some types cannot be serialised correctly.
If [param value] is [code]null[/code], the entry is removed. This is the equivalent of using [method remove_meta]. See also [method has_meta] and [method get_meta].
[b]Note:[/b] Metadata that has a [param name] starting with an underscore ([code]_[/code]) is considered editor-only. Editor-only metadata is not displayed in the Inspector dock and should not be edited.
Attaches [param script] to the object, and instantiates it. As a result, the script's [method _init] is called. A [Script] is used to extend the object's functionality.
If a script already exists, its instance is detached, and its property values and state are lost. Built-in property values are still kept.
Returns a [String] representing the object. Defaults to [code]"<ClassName#RID>"[/code]. Override [method _to_string] to customize the string representation of the object.
Translates a [param message], using the translation catalogs configured in the Project Settings. Further [param context] can be specified to help with the translation.
If [method can_translate_messages] is [code]false[/code], or no translation is available, this method returns the [param message] without changes. See [method set_message_translation].
For detailed examples, see [url=$DOCS_URL/tutorials/i18n/internationalizing_games.html]Internationalizing games[/url].
Translates a [param message] or [param plural_message], using the translation catalogs configured in the Project Settings. Further [param context] can be specified to help with the translation.
If [method can_translate_messages] is [code]false[/code], or no translation is available, this method returns [param message] or [param plural_message], without changes. See [method set_message_translation].
The [param n] is the number, or amount, of the message's subject. It is used by the translation system to fetch the correct plural form for the current language.
For detailed examples, see [url=$DOCS_URL/tutorials/i18n/localization_using_gettext.html]Localization using gettext[/url].
[b]Note:[/b] Negative and [float] numbers may not properly apply to some countable subjects. It's recommended handling these cases with [method tr].
[b]Note:[/b] When this signal is emitted, the new script is not initialized yet. If you need to access the new script, defer connections to this signal with [constant CONNECT_DEFERRED].
Persisting connections are stored when the object is serialized (such as when using [method PackedScene.pack]). In the editor, connections created through the Node dock are always persisting.
Reference-counted connections can be assigned to the same [Callable] multiple times. Each disconnection decreases the internal counter. The signal fully disconnects only when the counter reaches 0.
