GDScript Source Generation Addon for Godot

An addon for Godot that adds basic scriptable source generation. Inspired by C# source generators.

All you have to do is extend ScriptGenerator and Click Run Source Generation in Project -> Tools.

Example

# minimal_generator.gd
extends ScriptGenerator

func get_source_data() -> Array:
	return ["1", "2"]

func get_file_name(source_data: Variant) -> String:
	return "example_" + source_data
	
func generate_source(source_data: Variant) -> String:
	return """extends RefCounted
class_name Example{name}

func test() -> String:
	return \"Hello from {name}\"
""".format({ "name": source_data })

This generator will generate the following files:

# _generated_/example_1_gen.gd
extends RefCounted
class_name Example1

func test() -> String:
	return "Hello from 1"

# _generated_/example_2_gen.gd
extends RefCounted
class_name Example2

func test() -> String:
	return "Hello from 2"

Installation

Requires Godot 4.5 or higher

• Copy gdscript_source_generation from the addons folder in this repo to your project's addons folder.
• Open Project Settings -> Plugins then enable the plugin.

FAQ

Why?

Read my post for why I made this: https://jacobcoughenour.com/posts/gdscript-fake-generics/

Does this use AI?

No.

Can I generate the files outside of the editor?

Yes. Both the generate and clean commands are available as scripts. In the same directory that your project.godot file is in, you can run them like this:

godot --script addons/gdscript_source_generation/generate.gd
godot --script addons/gdscript_source_generation/clean.gd

The generate script also cleans up the generated files so you don't have to always run clean

Should I track the generated files in git/source control?

That is up to you. You can chose to ignore the _generated_ folders but . To get around any automated build issues, add godot --script addons/gdscript_source_generation/generate.gd to your build script.

Why make a _generated_ folder?

This makes it easier for me to clean up all the generated files before generating new ones. I had it ending the files with .gen.gd but that broke gdUnit4 when I was generating unit tests.

Can I change where the the generated files go?

Yes, If you override the destination_directory_path() method in your generator. It will still append _generated_ to whatever path is returned.

Is this maintained?

As long as I'm actually using it for my own projects.