How to add new HUD elements

Artfunkel

This took me hours to work out, so I'm posting it.

Your first thought when trying to add new HUD elements would be to override a function in the relevant GUI class, but this fails because the classes themselves don't exist until the player spawns (<3 loosely-typed languages) but your scripts run when the map starts. The best solution I've found is to hook into GUIManager:CreateGUIScript instead and check the name of each script which is created.

Here is a function which adds a new text item to the marine HUD:

local base_CreateGUIScript = GUIManager.CreateGUIScript

function GUIManager:CreateGUIScript(scriptName)
	script = base_CreateGUIScript(self,scriptName)
	
	if (scriptName == "Hud/Marine/GUIMarineHUD") then
		script.testString = script:CreateAnimatedTextItem()
		script.testString:SetFontName(GUIMarineHUD.kTextFontName)
		script.testString:SetLayer(kGUILayerPlayerHUDForeground1)
		script.testString:SetColor(Color(1,1,1,1))
		script.testString:SetText("TEST TEXT")
		script.testString:SetPosition(Vector(100, 400, 0))
		
		script.background:AddChild(script.testString)
	end
	
	return script
end

Make sure this is only running on the client, obviously!

Mendasp

I was actually thinking of looking into this recently (hooking into the GUIScript creation) so I could do my HUD modifications and make them as forward compatible as possible, as I was "overwriting" files until now, but you saved me the headache of researching it myself

Thanks!

McGlaspie

In addition to this, take a look at ClientUI.lua

It contains all of the UI elements specific to a given class (I.e. what the player "is"). Once you have created your GUI script/element, then add it in the appropriate place in ClientUI.lua so it will be auto-loaded.