Godot Addon - Simple Tool Button

A lightweight Godot addon that turns your bool button-like checkboxes into real buttons. Just in place. Without changing the code logic or having dependencies. It's easier than you might think.

Getting started

Just download the addon and enable it in your project settings. Prefix your bool exports with btn_ and enjoy your buttons. Reload the scene (Scene > Reload Saved Scene) if you see no buttons.

Example

@export var btn_update: bool:
  set(v): update()

func update():
  print("Button pressed")

This replaces the checkbox by a button.

Now in Color!

There are four colors available that you can use as the second word.

• danger (red)
• warning (yellow)
• success (green)
• info (blue)

@export var btn_danger_delete: bool:
  set(v): delete_all()

Advanced buttons

With advanced buttons you can use icons (build-in or custom), having multiple buttons in row and more. See examples:

@export var btn_advanced: Array:
  get: return [{
    "icon": "res://icons/check.svg",
    "color": "#FF00FF",
    "text": "Custom Icon",
    "click": func(): update(),
  }]

@export var btn_custom_image: Array:
  get: return [{
    "icon": "res://icons/image.png",
    "click": func(): update(),
  }]

@export var btn_editor_icon: Array:
  get: return [{
    "icon": "Button",
    "fill": true,
    "click": func(): update(),
  }]

var playing = false
@export var btn_mutiple_buttons: Array:
  get: return [
    {
      "text": "Pause" if playing else "Play",
      "icon": "Pause" if playing else "Play",
      "align": "end",
      "click": func():
        playing = !playing
        return true,
    },
    {
      "text": "Stop",
      "icon": "Stop",
      "click": func():
        playing = false
        return true,
    }
  ]

Property	Description
click	Function to call.
icon	Icon name of EditorIcons (see below) or path to your image (svg, png, etc).
color	Color name (see above) or custom hex string or Color object.
text	Text for the button. Uses the variable name if not set.
fill	The button will use the full available width.
align	Aligns all buttons in row to "begin", "center" or "end". Depends left/right on LTR or RTL.

All properties are optional. But a button without "click" makes no sense.

Since the you export an Array, you can use multiple buttons in row. You can also only return a Dictionary.

A button can return true, to refresh all (advanced) buttons. For example to change the state of a button.

For EditorIcons see https://github.com/godotengine/godot/tree/master/editor/icons (it should also be visible in autocomplete panel)

Note: Changes within exported Array/Dictionary will not update until you change the variable name. You could rename, save and revert again. A workaround is using getter only. So that the editor value does not persist. Because the value is stored in scene (tscn).

Note: The advanced buttons require this addon and is currently experimental. The bool buttons work without this addon.

FAQ

Why isn't this working?

Try one of the following:

• Reload the scene: Scene > Reload Saved Scene.
• If you are using advanced buttons, try renaming the exported variable or use getter only.
• Re-enable the addon: Project > Project Settings... > Plugins.
• Restart Godot.

What's the trick?

In Godot you can export a bool variable, which will appear as a checkbox in the inspector. Then define a setter that ignores the value and only calls a function. Since a checkbox is confusing when expecting a button, I developed this addon to replace it with a real button. It detects buttons by the variable name prefix, which still allows regular checkboxes.

Why is the bool export still used and not another custom solution?

Because this is currently the way to implement button-like behavior in Godot inspector. If this addon is not present, you can still use it as a fallback like before. No changes needed. It simply replaces the checkbox with the button appearance.

Can I change the color or show an icon?

Yes, you can change the color and icon. See examples above. Icons are only possible for advanced buttons (which requires this addon).

Why use get for advanced buttons?

This prevents the editor from storing values ​​persistently. Otherwise, you will have to rename the variable name when you change a value. Currently, the best solution is to use get.

Support

If you like my work, I would greatly appreciate your support!