RPG Action Bar Kit
Buyer Guide

Start here: get your first bar

1. Install the engine-compatible plugin through Fab. For a manual source installation, put ActionBarKit in your existing project’s Plugins directory and build Development Editor with Unreal’s compatible Windows C++ toolchain.
2. Enable BIS RPG Action Bar in Edit > Plugins. Keep the engine ACLPlugin dependency enabled for the compressed punch clips. Restart if Unreal requests it. Enable Show Plugin Content in the Content Browser.
3. Press Play with a possessed local player. The automatic host displays the bar. If the starter actions have not been assigned, open the gear panel > Preview > Load Action Bar to assign its twelve demonstration actions.
4. Click a slot or use its displayed key. The standard first row is 1–9, 0, minus and equals. Preview buttons show cooldown feedback; the optional local Auto Attack example supplies the punch/melee demonstration. Your game still owns its actual abilities and resources.
5. If the bar is missing, confirm a local PlayerController exists and automatic startup is enabled in Project Settings > Plugins > BIS RPG Action Bar. Start Action Bar Kit can also reuse the existing host explicitly; do not create a second displaying host.

Included content and dependencies

1. This buyer guide covers descriptor version 1.1.0 for Unreal Engine 5.8 on Win64. The plugin contains 32 Unreal assets and two runtime modules: ActionBarKit and BISActionBarBeginnerAbilities. Manual source installation needs Unreal’s supported Windows C++ compiler.
2. The optional example includes three unarmed attack clips (two punches and a roundhouse kick) and eight BIS equipment-category icons. Other action buttons remain a showcase for cooldown and charge presentation. Icons do not add sword attacks, bow firing, spells or an inventory.
3. ACLPlugin is the required engine-distributed animation dependency. The standalone project’s mannequin, environment and ABP_Unarmed are demonstration-host content, not part of the plugin download. GAS, multiplayer prediction and production animation-notify hit timing are not supplied.
4. Auto Attack toggles on and off, including off during cooldown. Walking/running use punches only with locomotion legs and steering. Standing can use the full three-clip cycle, including the roundhouse. Starting movement fades an owned kick; stopping makes the kick eligible for the next attack. Optional character setup is in the equipment/showcase reference; ordinary action-bar use does not require it.

Connect one ability: simple Blueprint route

Use this route when you want to forward slot requests into an existing Blueprint without implementing the provider interface. The default starter IDs are Action01 through Action12; Fireball is a buyer-authored example.

1. After your local PlayerController exists, call Start Action Bar Kit from BeginPlay or your UI initialization event. Promote the returned Action Bar Host to a retained variable and check it is valid. Repeated startup calls reuse the existing host.
2. Create an ABKActionBarPreset with one slot: SlotIndex 1, stable ActionId Fireball, DisplayName Fireball, your imported Texture2D in Icon, and your chosen bound key. Connect the preset at first startup, or use Set Slots to supply the slot data. Set Simple Action Bar Slot changes an ID and label; it does not supply an icon.
3. Bind On Action Slot Requested on the retained host. Break the Action Slot Request and Switch on Name using ActionId. In the Fireball case, ask your existing ability owner to cast. Clicking the slot and pressing its key reach this same hook.
4. For a standalone bar, call Start Slot Cooldown with SlotIndex 1 and Duration Seconds 5 only after your ability owner accepts the cast. The bar displays and counts down the cooldown and blocks that slot. Clear Slot Cooldown ends the display lock early. Your ability owner still enforces its own gameplay cooldown; use the provider route for live authoritative state.
5. Use Set Slot Availability With Reason for an unavailable standalone action and its tooltip explanation, such as Requires 20 mana. Update availability when your gameplay state changes. Do not run the ability again from On Action Activated.
6. During teardown remove only your own event receiver. If you reconnect, remove the exact receiver before binding it again so one request reaches your owner once.

Connect an existing ability system: provider route

1. Choose this route when your ability, combat or inventory system owns live slot assignments, resource checks and cooldowns. Implement ABKActionProviderInterface on your owned object, or adapt BP_ABK_BuyerProvider in your project.
2. Connect Buyer Action Bar to the existing host in the editable actor example, or call Bind Action Provider with your interface object. Branch on the returned Boolean and Failure. A rejected connection must preserve the current owner.
3. Get Action Bar Slots returns your current snapshot. Can Trigger Action Slot checks readiness without effects. Trigger Action Slot performs the final check, commits your existing ability once, and returns true only when accepted.
4. Provider-backed activation calls Trigger Action Slot; it does not broadcast the standalone On Action Slot Requested event. On Action Activated observes an accepted provider request. In the simple event route it reports that the bar processed the request, not proof that your ability owner accepted it. Use your owner’s result for cast success, and keep this observer free of ability execution.
5. Handle move, clear, plain-key and complete-chord requests in your provider. An accepted mutation is followed by a refreshed snapshot; reject an operation your game does not allow. Do not apply the same swap or clear a second time in the host.
6. Disconnect before replacing the owner or changing hosts. Remove only your exact receivers. The supplied disconnect example also cleans up at EndPlay.

Supply icons, cooldowns and live availability

1. Keep SlotIndex positive and unique and ActionId stable. Supply DisplayName, Description, Icon, bound key/chord and count data through FABKActionSlotViewData. Changing a label or icon must not change the saved action identity.
2. For Fireball with a five-second cooldown, return CooldownDuration 5 and CooldownRemaining equal to your gameplay owner’s current remaining time, for example 3.2 seconds. Return zero remaining time when ready; keep the original duration while it is cooling down.
3. Call Refresh From Action Provider after external cooldown, resource, availability, count or icon changes, and on your chosen update cadence for a live countdown. The host reads your new snapshot; it does not advance the provider’s gameplay cooldown for you.
4. Supply enabled/usable state, Availability and UnavailableReason from your owner. A visible countdown is presentation; Can Trigger Action Slot and Trigger Action Slot must still enforce the real cooldown and resource rules.
5. Start Slot Cooldown and Clear Slot Cooldown are for standalone bars and are refused on provider-backed bars. Keep one cooldown authority. Reference custom textures/presets in project assets so they are included when your game is cooked.

Use the bar and manage player setups

1. Activate an assigned slot by clicking it when your game exposes the cursor, or press its displayed keyboard/gamepad binding. The bar needs no separate Enhanced Input mapping for its own key polling. Your game retains control of cursor and input mode.
2. In a standalone setup, open the gear panel > Preview. Load Action Bar assigns the twelve demonstration actions while preserving keys; it replaces preview assignments and is disabled when a provider owns the bar. Drag a sample onto a slot to assign it, drag between slots to swap, or drop an assignment outside the bar to clear it.
3. Action Slots Locked blocks assigning, swapping and drag-off clearing while leaving activation available. Right-click clears a keybind only while Key Binds mode is active; it does not remove the assigned action.
4. Input > Key Binds: hover a slot, hold any supported modifiers and press the desired keyboard/gamepad button. Backspace/Delete or right-click clears that hovered binding. Escape clears the hovered or explicitly captured slot; with no target it exits Key Binds mode.
5. Use Profiles to create, load, rename, save or delete a named player setup and select its default. The last profile cannot be deleted. Existing player saves take precedence over a new project preset. Provider-owned gameplay assignments and live cooldowns remain in your own save system.
6. Call Show Action Bar or Hide Action Bar when your game controls HUD visibility. Use the gear panel for appearance, bar groups, labels and cooldown presentation; movement locks and category resets preserve unrelated settings.

Troubleshoot an integration

1. No bar or an invalid host: initialize after a local PlayerController exists and check automatic startup in Project Settings > Plugins > BIS RPG Action Bar. Dedicated servers do not display the local UI.
2. Two bars: reuse Start Action Bar Kit and avoid adding another auto-displaying host to the same controller.
3. Clicks do nothing: check your cursor/input mode and bind the hook for your chosen route. Standalone uses On Action Slot Requested; a provider uses Trigger Action Slot.
4. Cooldown or icon is stale: update the provider snapshot and call Refresh From Action Provider. Check the texture reference and cooking inclusion. Do not use standalone cooldown helpers with a provider.
5. An ability fires twice: commit it in one request handler and keep On Action Activated observational. Remove your exact receiver before re-binding.
6. Your new preset seems ignored: inspect the existing player profile first. Do not delete or reset a player’s saved setup just to apply a development default.

Customize appearance, keys and your own actions

1. Open the gear panel. General changes overall scale, glass, border and movement. Bars selects all bars or one numbered group; Bar appearance adjusts slot size, artwork, spacing and opacity. Labels and Cooldowns control presentation.
2. Use Input > Key Binds, hover a slot and press the desired keyboard/gamepad button with any supported modifiers. Right-click or Backspace/Delete clears only that binding while rebinding. Escape clears the hovered binding, or leaves capture mode when no slot is hovered.
3. For a starting layout, create an ABKActionBarPreset Data Asset, edit Layout and Slots, and select it as Default Preset in plugin Project Settings. Existing saved settings take precedence; do not reset a player’s setup merely to change the project default.
4. Give each buyer-defined action a stable ActionId and update its label, icon, enabled/usable state and cooldown data. Use Set Slots or your provider snapshot. Changing artwork must not change the saved action identity.
5. For your game’s effects, connect the editable buyer provider below. Keep readiness read-only, commit the effect once in Trigger Action Slot, return acceptance and refresh state. Do not apply gameplay again from the notification callback.

Profiles, persistence and cleanup

1. Use the provider’s Save Buyer Presentation and Reload Buyer Presentation functions for UI setup. Named profile functions create, load, rename, delete and choose a default profile. Keep destructive confirmation separate: request, then confirm or cancel.
2. UI persistence stores presentation and standalone configuration under the host’s SaveGameSlotName/UserIndex. It does not save or recreate your gameplay inventory, combat state or provider authority. Your existing game owns those saves.
3. For slot removal, use Request Buyer Clear Confirmation, then Confirm Buyer Clear or Cancel Buyer Clear Confirmation. Cancelling preserves the assignment. Reset/profile deletion have their own request, confirm and cancel paths.
4. Disconnect this provider before changing hosts or during teardown. Remove only this provider’s receivers. Rebinding must not duplicate callbacks or clear another UI owner. EndPlay also cleans up the example’s connection.
5. For a packaged game, reference custom icons, presets and textures so they are cooked. A soft path stored only in player SaveGame data is insufficient proof of inclusion. Inspect the packaged result separately.

Native integration and gameplay ownership

1. The equivalent public C++ recipe is bundled in Reference/NativeBuyerIntegration.md. Its minimal provider lives in Source/ActionBarKit/Public/ABKDemoActionProvider.h and the corresponding Private .cpp. Add ActionBarKit to your existing game module’s dependencies; buyer Blueprint use does not require modifying plugin source.
2. Implement IABKActionProviderInterface’s seven callbacks: slot snapshot, readiness, trigger, move, clear, bound key and complete chord. BindActionProvider returns acceptance plus Failure. RequestTriggerSlot returns the provider’s acceptance; OnActionActivated observes an already accepted request.
3. OnBagRequested asks your inventory owner to open its window. RecordDamageForDps receives damage already confirmed by your combat owner. Neither callback supplies production inventory transactions or applies damage a second time.
4. The optional beginner native route adds BISActionBarBeginnerAbilities. RequestAutoAttack returns acceptance, hit/miss, target, applied damage, reason and punch index. Initialize after local possession; remove your receiver and call ShutdownBeginnerAbilityBar during cleanup.
5. Check normal requests, invalid references, rejection, cooldown, cancellation, disconnect/rebind and save/reload in your own host. The release candidate’s native and buyer Blueprint workflows have been validated in the existing validation host. Packaged validation remains open for this local draft.

Optional Auto Attack showcase

1. The optional local example toggles Auto Attack on and off, including off during cooldown. Standing uses two punches and a roundhouse; walking/running selects punches while preserving locomotion and steering.
2. Use ExecuteAutoAttack only when adapting this optional combat example. Your existing combat owner still decides effects, targeting, resources and damage. Equipment-category icons do not implement weapon combat.
3. The download does not include the standalone character or its Animation Blueprint. If you want to reproduce that demonstration on a compatible character, follow Reference/Equipment-Showcase-Setup.md. General action-bar integration does not require changing your Animation Blueprint.

Edit equipment-category icons

1. Open BP_ABK_SimpleAbilityRouter > Class Defaults. In Details search Weapon Category Icons; expand the array under Auto Attack > Equipment Icon.
2. Keep None for empty hands, then edit each supported category’s texture reference. Add a row for another category your equipment system supports. The current eight categories are None, Sword, Axe, Mace, Bow, Dagger, Spear and Staff.
3. Call Set Equipped Weapon Category to inspect acceptance/Failure, or use the same-pawn equipment source’s events. An unmapped category retains the last known icon. Category changes do not replace punches with weapon combat.
4. Compile/save and test equip, replace and unequip. Walkthrough 10 shows the actual expanded mapping. All eight native icon previews were saved and verified after a fresh editor reload.

Support and reference

Contact support.blackironspine@proton.me. Target initial response is within 24 hours; this is not a promised resolution time.

Detailed settings reference · Blueprint quick start · Equivalent native integration · Full guide (PDF) · Optional equipment/showcase setup