UE_Angelscript — Binding native and DataTable GameplayTags#

GameplayTag limitations and solutions#

Known binding issue: DataTable and cpp tags do not appear#

UE-AS 5.4 cannot properly bind GameplayTags declared and defined in DataTables or cpp, and does not support GameFeature ini files either. UE-AS 5.4 only supports tags in Config/DefaultGameplayTags.ini and under Config/Tags.

For example, create an .ini file such as Test.ini in Config/Tags:

[/Script/GameplayTags.GameplayTagsList]
GameplayTagList=(Tag="DfTest.Test1",DevComment="")
GameplayTagList=(Tag="DfTest.Test2",DevComment="")
GameplayTagList=(Tag="DfTest.Test3",DevComment="")
GameplayTagList=(Tag="DfTest.Test4",DevComment="")

Do not add + before GameplayTagList. Regenerate project files after adding an ini so it is recognized.

Known interaction issue#

Adding a Tag in the Editor updates AS immediately, but deletion is not reflected immediately in GameplayTags::.

Fixing binding: make AS recognize cpp and DataTable GameplayTags#

After this change, DataTables allow live interaction. Without restarting the Editor, a deleted Tag still appears under GameplayTags::, but cannot be used. It will fail or return nothing; for example, FGameplayTag::RequestGameplayTag(n"Test.DfContent.666",false) returns None.

Reference: https://discord.com/channels/551756549962465299/551756549962465303/threads/1290243753852014633

Find this binding function, comment out its previous collection paths, and use RequestAllGameplayTags instead. Here is the whole function:

bool Bind_AddNewGameplayTags()
{
	bool Result = false;
	// TArray<const FGameplayTagSource*> Sources;
	// UGameplayTagsManager::Get().FindTagSourcesWithType(EGameplayTagSourceType::Native, Sources);
	// UGameplayTagsManager::Get().FindTagSourcesWithType(EGameplayTagSourceType::DefaultTagList, Sources);
	// UGameplayTagsManager::Get().FindTagSourcesWithType(EGameplayTagSourceType::TagList, Sources);
	// UGameplayTagsManager::Get().FindTagSourcesWithType(EGameplayTagSourceType::RestrictedTagList, Sources);
	// UGameplayTagsManager::Get().FindTagSourcesWithType(EGameplayTagSourceType::DataTable, Sources);
	//
	// for (const FGameplayTagSource* Source : Sources)
	// {
	// 	if (Source->SourceTagList != nullptr)
	// 	{
	// 		for (const auto& RowTag : Source->SourceTagList->GameplayTagList)
	// 		{
	// 			Result |= Bind_ProcessGameplayTag(RowTag.Tag);
	// 		}
	// 	}
	//
	// 	if (Source->SourceRestrictedTagList != nullptr)
	// 	{
	// 		for (const auto& RowTag : Source->SourceRestrictedTagList->RestrictedGameplayTagList)
	// 		{
	// 			Result |= Bind_ProcessGameplayTag(RowTag.Tag);
	// 		}
	// 	}
	// }

	// tdxh -- try to fix Problem: If a native game tag is defined with UE_DEFINE_GAMEPLAY_TAG in a game module, it won't appear in GameplayTags:: in AS.
	FGameplayTagContainer Tags;
	UGameplayTagsManager::Get().RequestAllGameplayTags(Tags, false);
	for (const FGameplayTag& Tag : Tags)
	{
		Result |= Bind_ProcessGameplayTag(Tag.GetTagName());
	}

	return Result;
}

The interaction issue? Not solved yet.#

I suspect AS is not refreshed on deletion. It is not a big issue. Deleting Tags is dangerous and not something to do casually anyway.

Another useful trick: GameplayTag range metadata#

It is Categories, not Category. This is much like the cpp restriction.

UPROPERTY(Category = "Dialogue|Talking",Meta = (Categories = "UI.Layer"))
FGameplayTag UI_LayerName();

Try not to mix cpp and AS with UGameplayMessageSubsystem#

UGameplayMessageSubsystem uses GameplayTags extensively, so I will mention it here.

The official documentation supplies the GameplayMessageRouter with Angelscript binding. Usage is simple and explained in the Readme, so I will not repeat it.

You may hit problems if the sender and receiver are split between cpp and AS; that can produce errors.

Summary#

GameplayTags are useful. Manage them carefully: later changes are awkward because they spread throughout the code.

If a third-party tool such as Excel manages your GameplayTags, extending the UE editor with one-click live updates becomes an important part of the workflow.