Class reference primer

This page explains how to write the class reference. You will learn where to write new descriptions for the classes, methods, and properties for Godot's built-in node types.

INFO

To learn to submit your changes to the Godot project using the Git version control system, see Contributing to the class reference.

The reference for each class is contained in an XML file like the one below:

<class name="Node2D" inherits="CanvasItem" version="4.0">
    <brief_description>
        A 2D game object, inherited by all 2D-related nodes. Has a position, rotation, scale, and Z index.
    </brief_description>
    <description>
        A 2D game object, with a transform (position, rotation, and scale). All 2D nodes, including physics objects and sprites, inherit from Node2D. Use Node2D as a parent node to move, scale and rotate children in a 2D project. Also gives control of the node's render order.
    </description>
    <tutorials>
        <link title="Custom drawing in 2D">https://docs.godotengine.org/en/latest/tutorials/2d/custom_drawing_in_2d.html</link>
        <link title="All 2D Demos">https://github.com/godotengine/godot-demo-projects/tree/master/2d</link>
    </tutorials>
    <methods>
        <method name="apply_scale">
            <return type="void">
            </return>
            <argument index="0" name="ratio" type="Vector2">
            </argument>
            <description>
                Multiplies the current scale by the [code]ratio[/code] vector.
            </description>
        </method>
        [...]
        <method name="translate">
            <return type="void">
            </return>
            <argument index="0" name="offset" type="Vector2">
            </argument>
            <description>
                Translates the node by the given [code]offset[/code] in local coordinates.
            </description>
        </method>
    </methods>
    <members>
        <member name="global_position" type="Vector2" setter="set_global_position" getter="get_global_position">
            Global position.
        </member>
        [...]
        <member name="z_index" type="int" setter="set_z_index" getter="get_z_index" default="0">
            Z index. Controls the order in which the nodes render. A node with a higher Z index will display in front of others.
        </member>
    </members>
    <constants>
    </constants>
</class>

It starts with brief and long descriptions. In the generated docs, the brief description is always at the top of the page, while the long description lies below the list of methods, variables, and constants. You can find methods, member variables, constants, and signals in separate XML nodes.

For each, you want to learn how they work in Godot's source code. Then, fill their documentation by completing or improving the text in these tags:

• <brief_description>

• <description>

• <constant>

• <method> (in its <description> tag; return types and arguments don't take separate documentation strings)

• <member>

• <signal> (in its <description> tag; arguments don't take separate documentation strings)

• <constant>

Write in a clear and simple language. Always follow the Writing guidelines to keep your descriptions short and easy to read. Do not leave empty lines in the descriptions: each line in the XML file will result in a new paragraph, even if it is empty.

How to edit class XML

Edit the file for your chosen class in doc/classes/ to update the class reference. The folder contains an XML file for each class. The XML lists the constants and methods you will find in the class reference. Godot generates and updates the XML automatically.

INFO

For some modules in the engine's source code, you'll find the XML files in the modules/<module_name>/doc_classes/ directory instead.

Edit it using your favorite text editor. If you use a code editor, make sure that it doesn't change the indent style: you should use tabs for the XML and four spaces inside BBCode-style blocks. More on that below.

To check that the modifications you've made are correct in the generated documentation, navigate to the doc/ folder and run the command make rst. This will convert the XML files to the online documentation's format and output errors if anything's wrong.

Alternatively, you can build Godot and open the modified page in the built-in code reference. To learn how to compile the engine, read the compilation guide.

We recommend using a code editor that supports XML files like Vim, Atom, Visual Studio Code, Notepad++, or another to comfortably edit the file. You can also use their search feature to find classes and properties quickly.

TIP

If you use Visual Studio Code, you can install the vscode-xml extension to get linting for class reference XML files.

Improve formatting with BBCode style tags

Godot's XML class reference supports BBCode-like tags for linking as well as formatting text and code. In the tables below you can find the available tags, usage examples and the results after conversion to reStructuredText.

Linking

Whenever you link to a member of another class, you need to specify the class name. For links to the same class, the class name is optional and can be omitted.

Tag and Description	Example	Result
[Class] Link to class	Move the [Sprite2D].	Move the Sprite2D.
[annotation Class.name] Link to annotation	See [annotation @GDScript.@rpc].	See @GDScript.@rpc.
[constant Class.name] Link to constant	See [constant Color.RED].	See Color.RED.
[enum Class.name] Link to enum	See [enum Mesh.ArrayType].	See Mesh.ArrayType.
[member Class.name] Link to member	Get [member Node2D.scale].	Get Node2D.scale.
[method Class.name] Link to method	Call [method Node3D.hide].	Call Node3D.hide().
[constructor Class.name] Link to built-in constructor	Use [constructor Color.Color].	Use Color.Color.
[operator Class.name] Link to built-in operator	Use [operator Color.operator *].	Use Color.operator *.
[signal Class.name] Link to signal	Emit [signal Node.renamed].	Emit Node.renamed.
[theme_item Class.name] Link to theme item	See [theme_item Label.font].	See Label.font.
[param name] Parameter name (as code)	Takes [param size] for the size.	Takes size for the size.

INFO

Currently only @GDScript has annotations.

Formatting text

Tag and Description	Example	Result
[br] Line break	Line 1.[br] Line 2.	Line 1. Line 2.
[lb] [rb] [ and ] respectively	[lb]b[rb]text[lb]/b[rb]	[b]text[/b]
[b] [/b] Bold	Do [b]not[/b] call this method.	Do not call this method.
[i] [/i] Italic	Returns the [i]global[/i] position.	Returns the global position.
[u] [/u] Underline	[u]Always[/u] use this method.	Always use this method.
[s] [/s] Strikethrough	[s]Outdated information.[/s]	Outdated information.
[url] [/url] Hyperlink	[url]https://example.com[/url] [url=https://example.com]Website[/url]	https://example.com Website
[center] [/center] Horizontal centering	[center]2 + 2 = 4[/center]
[kbd] [/kbd] Keyboard/mouse shortcut	Press [kbd]Ctrl + C[/kbd].	Press Ctrl + C.
[code] [/code] Inline code fragment	Returns [code]true[/code].	Returns true.

INFO

1. Some supported tags like [color] and [font] are not listed here because they are not recommended in the engine documentation.

2. [kbd] disables BBCode until the parser encounters [/kbd].

3. [code] disables BBCode until the parser encounters [/code].

Formatting code blocks

There are two options for formatting code blocks:

1. Use [codeblock] if you want to add an example for a specific language.

2. Use [codeblocks], [gdscript], and [csharp] if you want to add the same example for both languages, GDScript and C#.

By default, [codeblock] highlights GDScript syntax. You can change it using the lang attribute. Currently supported options are:

• [codeblock lang=text] disables syntax highlighting;

• [codeblock lang=gdscript] highlights GDScript syntax;

• [codeblock lang=csharp] highlights C# syntax (only in .NET version).

INFO

[codeblock] disables BBCode until the parser encounters [/codeblock].

WARNING

Use [codeblock] for pre-formatted code blocks. Inside [codeblock], always use four spaces for indentation. The parser will delete tabs.

For example:

[codeblock]
func _ready():
    var sprite = get_node("Sprite2D")
    print(sprite.get_pos())
[/codeblock]

Will display as:

func _ready():
    var sprite = get_node("Sprite2D")
    print(sprite.get_pos())

If you need to have different code version in GDScript and C#, use [codeblocks] instead. If you use [codeblocks], you also need to have at least one of the language-specific tags, [gdscript] and [csharp].

Always write GDScript code examples first! You can use this experimental code translation tool to speed up your workflow.

[codeblocks]
[gdscript]
func _ready():
    var sprite = get_node("Sprite2D")
    print(sprite.get_pos())
[/gdscript]
[csharp]
public override void _Ready()
{
    var sprite = GetNode("Sprite2D");
    GD.Print(sprite.GetPos());
}
[/csharp]
[/codeblocks]

The above will display as:

func _ready():
    var sprite = get_node("Sprite2D")
    print(sprite.get_pos())

Formatting notes and warnings

To denote important information, add a paragraph starting with "[b]Note:[/b]" at the end of the description:

[b]Note:[/b] Only available when using the Vulkan renderer.

To denote crucial information that could cause security issues or loss of data if not followed carefully, add a paragraph starting with "[b]Warning:[/b]" at the end of the description:

[b]Warning:[/b] If this property is set to [code]true[/code], it allows clients to execute arbitrary code on the server.

In all the paragraphs described above, make sure the punctuation is part of the BBCode tags for consistency.

Marking API as deprecated/experimental

To mark an API as deprecated or experimental, you need to add the corresponding XML attribute. The attribute value must be a message explaining why the API is not recommended (BBCode markup is supported) or an empty string (the default message will be used). If an API element is marked as deprecated/experimental, then it is considered documented even if the description is empty.

<class name="Parallax2D" inherits="Node2D" experimental="This node is meant to replace [ParallaxBackground] and [ParallaxLayer]. The implementation may change in the future." xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="../class.xsd">
    [...]
</class>

<constant name="RESPONSE_USE_PROXY" value="305" enum="ResponseCode" deprecated="Many clients ignore this response code for security reasons. It is also deprecated by the HTTP standard.">
    HTTP status code [code]305 Use Proxy[/code].
</constant>

<member name="auto_translate" type="bool" setter="set_auto_translate" getter="is_auto_translating" deprecated="Use [member Node.auto_translate_mode] instead.">
    Toggles if any text should automatically change to its translated version depending on the current locale.
</member>

<method name="get_method_call_mode" qualifiers="const" deprecated="Use [member AnimationMixer.callback_mode_method] instead.">
    <return type="int" enum="AnimationPlayer.AnimationMethodCallMode" />
    <description>
        Returns the call mode used for "Call Method" tracks.
    </description>
</method>