How to get all nodes that are currently referencing a specific resource instance?

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How to get all nodes that are currently referencing a specific resource instance?

RrR2010

Hello! I'm trying to making a CustomButtonGroup resource type and I want to be able to get all nodes that are referencing a specific instance of this resource. The scenario I'm trying to do is:

In my CustomButtonGroup I have

extends Resource
class_name CustomButtonGroup
    
var group_name: String
    
func get_all_buttons():
    #Here I want to be able to retrieve the buttons that references this instance
    var buttons_array = get_referencing() or get_dependents() or...
    return buttons_array
    
func execute_custom_function():
    for button in get_all_buttons():
        if not button is CustonButton: return
        button.custom_function()

And this is my CustomButton:

extends Button
class_name CustomButton

var custom_button_group: CustomButtonGroup

func custon_function():
    #Execute some code

I know that I can define the var custom_button_group as setget and every time it's changed, I append self inside an array in CustomButtonGroup, but I don't want to do this way because I will use various types of buttons I don't want to create the setget on all then. Futhermore, I want to performe this operations in other situations too. I was looking about ResourceLoader and ResourceFormatLoader but I cannot understand the documentation (because I'm new to godot yet - 1mo)

cybereality

You could use the built-in Godot group functionality. That may be easier. https://docs.godotengine.org/en/latest/tutorials/scripting/groups.html

RrR2010

Thx for answer. Today I'm using groups. But it's a little messy, because the buttons are being created dinamically and I have to remove_from_group / add_to_group every time I refresh GUI. Basically, what I'm trying to achieve is some sort of shared button containers with custom functionality (in game changing multi-single selection across containers, get pressed buttons, update some of the buttons and not others based on the group they are, draging buttons, etc). This app will have some others screns with same functionality too, so I will have to write setget on all my buttons types.

Here are a picture:

xyz

Couldn't you just parent all grouped buttons under a node that serves as a container and let the script in that container node handle all of the logic, including creation/deletion? Buttons themselves then wouldn't need to know anything about what's happening above them in the hierarchy. Top-down control is always a good design approach in tree-based systems like Godot's scenes.

RrR2010

I'll try this approach! The difficulty is that the buttons need to be on diferent scenes (one for each square showed in the picture - strengths, weaknesses, oportunities and threats). And these scenes cannot be simple vboxcontainers because they will handle others operations too. Today this is my hierachy (simplified): Singleton with the data (where I can add new itens, remove, check type Full program GUI (VBoxContaier - this is a Scene) Topbar Workspace (PanelContainer) Grid List of Custom Buttons (VBoxContainer - one for each type: strength, weakness, oportunities, threats - this is a Scene) CustomButtons

Every time I add/remove data from Singleton data, the list of buttons are listening to it through signals and update the buttons accordingly (removing or adding) Every time I click a button on a list, this list emit a signal to others to un-press other buttons if single selection is active or maintain selecion of multi selection is active. Every time I drag some buttons to other list, I change the data on the Singleton data and this Singleton emit a signal to lists update the buttons. This is the first part of the program (SWOT Analisys), and it will have a second screen to the second part (TOWS Strategies). It's working, but I'm pretending to implement undo-redo and for that I'll need to rework some code, and with button groups I can simplify some operations across lists.

xyz

How about this; make a small api in the singleton consisting of functions that control everything in the hierarchy below (e.g. add_button(), remove_button(), press_button(), rebuild_all() ...) Don't do anything outside of this api. Let it handle all updates by manipulating objects below (adding, deleting, calling methods on objects). A node/object in the hierarchy should never look above for data or state, nor call methods on objects above, let it always be a slave. It should only communicate upwards via signals about its state changes. Let the singleton decide what should be done with it and/or any other related object in the hierarchy below. Especially avoid horizontal communication e.g. buttons telling each other what to do.

In other words establish a strict top-down flow of information and control, and always handle things at the level high enough to have complete overview needed to make decisions. Just like in the army. Lower rank never tells higher rank what to do nor asks questions. It just executes orders and reports back if there is something to report :)

cybereality

Correct. A button should not be managing other buttons, that is how you get bugs. Make a button manager class (could be an autoload if you want to make it easy) and that handles the response to actions (like deselecting other buttons in a list the manager maintains). You could still use groups, if you want, or just check the class name. So in the manager class, when a signal comes in, it can check the caller.

if button is CustomButtonCheckBox:
   # do something for check box buttons

RrR2010

I appreciate the tips. I'm remodeling the codes of other parts and will rework the lists considering the top-down format. This way I dont need to use custom buttom groups. Thx all you!!!

xyz

It may help with the undo system as well :)