The Actor Lifecycle

Development Programming & Scripting Blueprint
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1

So I have been reading over the documentaiton on Actor lifecycles but I am having trouble trying to get my Actor to udate a Text render component in the ‘PostInitializeComponents’. I have setup a Test class, added a UTextRenderComponent and an FText:

virtual void PostInitializeComponents() override;

UPROPERTY(VisibleAnywhere, BlueprintReadOnly)
	UTextRenderComponent* InfoComp;
UPROPERTY(EditDefaultsOnly, BlueprintReadOnly)
	FText InfoText;

In the constructor of my class, I create the UTextRenderComponent and attach it to the root. This all works fine and shows up in the editor, as does my variable.

InfoComp = CreateDefaultSubobject<UTextRenderComponent>(TEXT("Info Comp"));
InfoComp->SetupAttachment(RootComponent);

But when I try to set the text of the component to the variable I change in the editor in the ‘PostInitializeComponents’, it just doesn’t work? I have debugged to make sure it is being hit and all the variables are correct. Closing and re-opening the editor does show the changed text, however, I want the text to update as I change it in the editor, similar to if I simply changed the Text field or did it in the Construction script of the Blueprint.

/*virtual*/ void ATestClass::PostInitializeComponents() /*override*/
{
    Super::PostInitializeComponents();

    InfoComp->SetText(WrapTextFunction(InfoText));
}
2

I have changed ‘PostInitializeComponents’ to ‘OnConstruction’, however I just wanted to get some clarification that this would be the best approach?

3

PostInitializeComponents is called when the game is running. Before you hit Play or Simulate, the editor only calls the constructor.

4

If I compile my blueprint, it was hitting the PostInitializeComponents, just not doing anything with my components. I assume this was because they were overwritted in a previous function. I used ‘PostLoad’ in components and that works fine in the editor, just couldn’t find a good/correct option for an actor.

5

I thought you wanted to change the text of an actor in the world editor, not open the BP, change the text, and recompile.

6

Hello.

UObject::PostEditChangeProperty function is perfect to achieve such thing.

Example usage. Header:

#if WITH_EDITOR
	virtual void PostEditChangeProperty(struct FPropertyChangedEvent& InChangeEvent) override;
#endif // WITH_EDITOR

Cpp:

#if WITH_EDITOR
void ATestClass::PostEditChangeProperty(FPropertyChangedEvent& InChangeEvent)
{
	Super::PostEditChangeProperty(InChangeEvent);

	if( !InChangeEvent.Property ) return;

	const FName ChangedPropertyName = InChangeEvent.Property->GetFName();
	
	static const FName InfoTextPropertyName = GET_MEMBER_NAME_CHECKED(ATestClass, InfoText);
	if( ChangedPropertyName == InfoTextPropertyName )
	{
		InfoComp->SetText(WrapTextFunction(InfoText));
	}
}
#endif // WITH_EDITOR