Nodes are Godot's building blocks. They can be assigned as the child of another node, resulting in a tree arrangement. A given node can contain any number of nodes as children with the requirement that all siblings (direct children of a node) should have unique names.
A tree of nodes is called a [i]scene[/i]. Scenes can be saved to the disk and then instanced into other scenes. This allows for very high flexibility in the architecture and data model of Godot projects.
[b]Scene tree:[/b] The [SceneTree] contains the active tree of nodes. When a node is added to the scene tree, it receives the [constant NOTIFICATION_ENTER_TREE] notification and its [method _enter_tree] callback is triggered. Child nodes are always added [i]after[/i] their parent node, i.e. the [method _enter_tree] callback of a parent node will be triggered before its child's.
Once all nodes have been added in the scene tree, they receive the [constant NOTIFICATION_READY] notification and their respective [method _ready] callbacks are triggered. For groups of nodes, the [method _ready] callback is called in reverse order, starting with the children and moving up to the parent nodes.
This means that when adding a node to the scene tree, the following order will be used for the callbacks: [method _enter_tree] of the parent, [method _enter_tree] of the children, [method _ready] of the children and finally [method _ready] of the parent (recursively for the entire scene tree).
[b]Processing:[/b] Nodes can override the "process" state, so that they receive a callback on each frame requesting them to process (do something). Normal processing (callback [method _process], toggled with [method set_process]) happens as fast as possible and is dependent on the frame rate, so the processing time [i]delta[/i] is passed as an argument. Physics processing (callback [method _physics_process], toggled with [method set_physics_process]) happens a fixed number of times per second (60 by default) and is useful for code related to the physics engine.
Nodes can also process input events. When present, the [method _input] function will be called for each input that the program receives. In many cases, this can be overkill (unless used for simple projects), and the [method _unhandled_input] function might be preferred; it is called when the input event was not handled by anyone else (typically, GUI [Control] nodes), ensuring that the node only receives the events that were meant for it.
To keep track of the scene hierarchy (especially when instancing scenes into other scenes), an "owner" can be set for the node with the [member owner] property. This keeps track of who instanced what. This is mostly useful when writing editors and tools, though.
[b]Groups:[/b] Nodes can be added to as many groups as you want to be easy to manage, you could create groups like "enemies" or "collectables" for example, depending on your game. See [method add_to_group], [method is_in_group] and [method remove_from_group]. You can then retrieve all nodes in these groups, iterate them and even call methods on groups via the methods on [SceneTree].
[b]Networking with nodes:[/b] After connecting to a server (or making one, see [NetworkedMultiplayerENet]) it is possible to use the built-in RPC (remote procedure call) system to communicate over the network. By calling [method rpc] with a method name, it will be called locally and in all connected peers (peers = clients and the server that accepts connections). To identify which node receives the RPC call Godot will use its [NodePath] (make sure node names are the same on all peers). Also take a look at the high-level networking tutorial and corresponding demos.
Called when the node enters the [SceneTree] (e.g. upon instancing, scene changing, or after calling [method add_child] in a script). If the node has children, its [method _enter_tree] callback will be called first, and then that of the children.
Called when the node is about to leave the [SceneTree] (e.g. upon freeing, scene changing, or after calling [method remove_child] in a script). If the node has children, its [method _exit_tree] callback will be called last, after all its children have left the tree.
Corresponds to the [constant NOTIFICATION_EXIT_TREE] notification in [method Object._notification] and signal [signal tree_exiting]. To get notified when the node has already left the active tree, connect to the [signal tree_exited]
It is only called if input processing is enabled, which is done automatically if this method is overridden, and can be toggled with [method set_process_input].
To consume the input event and stop it propagating further to other nodes, [method SceneTree.set_input_as_handled] can be called.
For gameplay input, [method _unhandled_input] and [method _unhandled_key_input] are usually a better fit as they allow the GUI to intercept the events first.
Called during the physics processing step of the main loop. Physics processing means that the frame rate is synced to the physics, i.e. the [code]delta[/code] variable should be constant.
It is only called if physics processing is enabled, which is done automatically if this method is overridden, and can be toggled with [method set_physics_process].
Called during the processing step of the main loop. Processing happens at every frame and as fast as possible, so the [code]delta[/code] time since the previous frame is not constant.
Called when the node is "ready", i.e. when both the node and its children have entered the scene tree. If the node has children, their [method _ready] callbacks get triggered first, and the parent node will receive the ready notification afterwards.
Corresponds to the [constant NOTIFICATION_READY] notification in [method Object._notification]. See also the [code]onready[/code] keyword for variables.
Called when an [InputEvent] hasn't been consumed by [method _input] or any GUI. The input event propagates up through the node tree until a node consumes it.
It is only called if unhandled input processing is enabled, which is done automatically if this method is overridden, and can be toggled with [method set_process_unhandled_input].
To consume the input event and stop it propagating further to other nodes, [method SceneTree.set_input_as_handled] can be called.
For gameplay input, this and [method _unhandled_key_input] are usually a better fit than [method _input] as they allow the GUI to intercept the events first.
Called when an [InputEventKey] hasn't been consumed by [method _input] or any GUI. The input event propagates up through the node tree until a node consumes it.
It is only called if unhandled key input processing is enabled, which is done automatically if this method is overridden, and can be toggled with [method set_process_unhandled_key_input].
To consume the input event and stop it propagating further to other nodes, [method SceneTree.set_input_as_handled] can be called.
For gameplay input, this and [method _unhandled_input] are usually a better fit than [method _input] as they allow the GUI to intercept the events first.
Adds a child node. Nodes can have any number of children, but every child must have a unique name. Child nodes are automatically deleted when the parent node is deleted, so an entire scene can be removed by deleting its topmost node.
Setting [code]legible_unique_name[/code] to [code]true[/code] creates child nodes with human-readable names, based on the name of the node being instanced instead of its type.
Setting [code]legible_unique_name[/code] to [code]true[/code] creates child nodes with human-readable names, based on the name of the node being instanced instead of its type.
Adds the node to a group. Groups are helpers to name and organize a subset of nodes, for example "enemies" or "collectables". A node can be in any number of groups. Nodes can be assigned a group at any time, but will not be added until they are inside the scene tree (see [method is_inside_tree]). See notes in the description, and the group methods in [SceneTree].
Returns [code]true[/code] if the node can process while the scene tree is paused (see [member pause_mode]). Always returns [code]true[/code] if the scene tree is not paused, and [code]false[/code] if the node is not in the tree.
Finds a descendant of this node whose name matches [code]mask[/code] as in [method String.match] (i.e. case sensitive, but '*' matches zero or more characters and '?' matches any single character except '.'). Note that it does not match against the full path, just against individual node names.
If [code]owned[/code] is [code]true[/code], this method only finds nodes whose owner is this node. This is especially important for scenes instantiated through script, because those scenes don't have an owner.
Finds the first parent of the current node whose name matches [code]mask[/code] as in [method String.match] (i.e. case sensitive, but '*' matches zero or more characters and '?' matches any single character except '.'). Note that it does not match against the full path, just against individual node names.
Fetches a node. The [NodePath] can be either a relative path (from the current node) or an absolute path (in the scene tree) to a node. If the path does not exist, a [code]null instance[/code] is returned and attempts to access it will result in an "Attempt to call <method> on a null instance." error.
Fetches a node and one of its resources as specified by the [NodePath]'s subname (e.g. [code]Area2D/CollisionShape2D:shape[/code]). If several nested resources are specified in the [NodePath], the last one will be fetched.
The return value is an array of size 3: the first index points to the [Node] (or [code]null[/code] if not found), the second index points to the [Resource] (or [code]null[/code] if not found), and the third index is the remaining [NodePath], if any.
For example, assuming that [code]Area2D/CollisionShape2D[/code] is a valid node and that its [code]shape[/code] property has been assigned a [RectangleShape2D] resource, one could have this kind of output:
Returns the time elapsed since the last physics-bound frame (see [method _physics_process]). This is always a constant value in physics processing unless the frames per second is changed via [member Engine.target_fps].
Returns [code]true[/code] if the [NodePath] points to a valid node and its subname points to a valid resource, e.g. [code]Area2D/CollisionShape2D:shape[/code]. Properties with a non-[Resource] type (e.g. nodes or primitive math types) are not considered resources.
Moves a child node to a different position (order) among the other children. Since calls, signals, etc are performed by tree order, changing the order of children nodes may be useful.
Prints the tree to stdout. Used mainly for debugging purposes. This version displays the path relative to the current node, and is good for copy/pasting into the [method get_node] function. Example output:
[codeblock]
TheGame
TheGame/Menu
TheGame/Menu/Label
TheGame/Menu/Camera2D
TheGame/SplashScreen
TheGame/SplashScreen/Camera2D
[/codeblock]
</description>
</method>
<methodname="print_tree_pretty">
<returntype="void">
</return>
<description>
Similar to [method print_tree], this prints the tree to stdout. This version displays a more graphical representation similar to what is displayed in the scene inspector. It is useful for inspecting larger trees. Example output:
Calls the given method (if present) with the arguments given in [code]args[/code] on this node and recursively on all its children. If the [code]parent_first[/code] argument is [code]true[/code] then the method will be called on the current node first, then on all children. If it is [code]false[/code] then the children will be called first.
Queues a node for deletion at the end of the current frame. When deleted, all of its child nodes will be deleted as well. This method ensures it's safe to delete the node, contrary to [method Object.free]. Use [method Object.is_queued_for_deletion] to check whether a node will be deleted at the end of the frame.
Moves this node to the top of the array of nodes of the parent node. This is often useful in GUIs ([Control] nodes), because their order of drawing depends on their order in the tree.
Removes a node and sets all its children as children of the parent node (if it exists). All event subscriptions that pass by the removed node will be unsubscribed.
Sends a remote procedure call request for the given [code]method[/code] to peers on the network (and locally), optionally sending all additional arguments as arguments to the method called by the RPC. The call request will only be received by nodes with the same [NodePath], including the exact same node name. Behaviour depends on the RPC configuration for the given method, see [method rpc_config]. Methods are not exposed to RPCs by default. Also see [method rset] and [method rset_config] for properties. Returns an empty [Variant]. Note that you can only safely use RPCs on clients after you received the [code]connected_to_server[/code] signal from the [SceneTree]. You also need to keep track of the connection state, either by the [SceneTree] signals like [code]server_disconnected[/code] or by checking [code]SceneTree.network_peer.get_connection_status() == CONNECTION_CONNECTED[/code].
Changes the RPC mode for the given [code]method[/code] to the given [code]mode[/code]. See [enum MultiplayerAPI.RPCMode]. An alternative is annotating methods and properties with the corresponding keywords ([code]remote[/code], [code]master[/code], [code]puppet[/code], [code]remotesync[/code], [code]mastersync[/code], [code]puppetsync[/code]). By default, methods are not exposed to networking (and RPCs). Also see [method rset] and [method rset_config] for properties.
Sends a [method rpc] to a specific peer identified by [code]peer_id[/code] (see [method NetworkedMultiplayerPeer.set_target_peer]). Returns an empty [Variant].
Sends a [method rpc] to a specific peer identified by [code]peer_id[/code] using an unreliable protocol (see [method NetworkedMultiplayerPeer.set_target_peer]). Returns an empty [Variant].
Remotely changes a property's value on other peers (and locally). Behaviour depends on the RPC configuration for the given property, see [method rset_config]. Also see [method rpc] for RPCs for methods, most information applies to this method as well.
Changes the RPC mode for the given [code]property[/code] to the given [code]mode[/code]. See [enum MultiplayerAPI.RPCMode]. An alternative is annotating methods and properties with the corresponding keywords ([code]remote[/code], [code]master[/code], [code]puppet[/code], [code]remotesync[/code], [code]mastersync[/code], [code]puppetsync[/code]). By default, properties are not exposed to networking (and RPCs). Also see [method rpc] and [method rpc_config] for methods.
Remotely changes property's value on a specific peer identified by [code]peer_id[/code] using an unreliable protocol (see [method NetworkedMultiplayerPeer.set_target_peer]).
Sets the node's network master to the peer with the given peer ID. The network master is the peer that has authority over the node on the network. Useful in conjunction with the [code]master[/code] and [code]puppet[/code] keywords. Inherited from the parent node by default, which ultimately defaults to peer ID 1 (the server). If [code]recursive[/code], the given peer is recursively set as the master for all children of this node.
Enables or disables physics (i.e. fixed framerate) processing. When a node is being processed, it will receive a [constant NOTIFICATION_PHYSICS_PROCESS] at a fixed (usually 60 FPS, see [member Engine.target_fps] to change) interval (and the [method _physics_process] callback will be called if exists). Enabled automatically if [method _physics_process] is overridden. Any calls to this before [method _ready] will be ignored.
Enables or disables internal physics for this node. Internal physics processing happens in isolation from the normal [method _physics_process] calls and is used by some nodes internally to guarantee proper functioning even if the node is paused or physics processing is disabled for scripting ([method set_physics_process]). Only useful for advanced uses to manipulate built-in nodes behavior.
Enables or disables processing. When a node is being processed, it will receive a [constant NOTIFICATION_PROCESS] on every drawn frame (and the [method _process] callback will be called if exists). Enabled automatically if [method _process] is overridden. Any calls to this before [method _ready] will be ignored.
Enables or disables input processing. This is not required for GUI controls! Enabled automatically if [method _input] is overridden. Any calls to this before [method _ready] will be ignored.
Enables or disabled internal processing for this node. Internal processing happens in isolation from the normal [method _process] calls and is used by some nodes internally to guarantee proper functioning even if the node is paused or processing is disabled for scripting ([method set_process]). Only useful for advanced uses to manipulate built-in nodes behavior.
Sets the node's priority in the execution order of the enabled processing callbacks (i.e. [constant NOTIFICATION_PROCESS], [constant NOTIFICATION_PHYSICS_PROCESS] and their internal counterparts). Nodes with a higher process priority will have their processing callbacks executed first.
Enables unhandled input processing. This is not required for GUI controls! It enables the node to receive all input that was not previously handled (usually by a [Control]). Enabled automatically if [method _unhandled_input] is overridden. Any calls to this before [method _ready] will be ignored.
Enables unhandled key input processing. Enabled automatically if [method _unhandled_key_input] is overridden. Any calls to this before [method _ready] will be ignored.
The name of the node. This name is unique among the siblings (other child nodes from the same parent). When set to an existing name, the node will be automatically renamed
The node owner. A node can have any other node as owner (as long as it is a valid parent, grandparent, etc. ascending in the tree). When saving a node (using [PackedScene]) all the nodes it owns will be saved with it. This allows for the creation of complex [SceneTree]s, with instancing and subinstancing.
Notification received when translations may have changed. Can be triggered by the user changing the locale. Can be used to respond to language changes, for example to change the UI strings on the fly. Useful when working with the built-in translation support, like [method Object.tr].
