When to use
Load this when a UI node or a 2D world label shows a string. Layout stays on bevy-ui-layout.
ECS shape
- UI: spawn
Texton an entity.TextrequiresNode,TextFont,TextColor, andTextLayout. The string onTextis the first span. - Feature:
bevy_textships withDefaultPlugins. Thedefault_fontfeature embeds a default ASCII font, so aTextwith no customFonthandle still draws. - World text:
Text2drequiresTextFont,TextColor,TextLayout,TextBounds,Anchor, andTransform.Text2dShadowoffsets a second copy of the glyphs. - Systems: the engine runs
update_text2d_layoutinPostUpdateafter the string or style changes. Game systems writeText,Text2d,TextSpan,TextFont, andTextColor. They do not run a second layout pass.
Text is the HUD string. Node places it. One system owns later edits to that string.
#[derive(Component)]
struct ScoreLabel;
#[derive(Resource)] struct Score(u32);
fn spawn_score(mut commands: Commands) { commands.spawn(( Text::new("Score 0"), TextFont::from_font_size(FontSize::Px(28.0)), TextColor(Color::srgb(0.95, 0.95, 0.9)), TextLayout::new(Justify::Left, LineBreak::NoWrap), ScoreLabel, Node { position_type: PositionType::Absolute, top: Val::Px(16.0), left: Val::Px(16.0), ..default() }, )); commands.insert_resource(Score(0)); }
fn write_score(score: Res, mut labels: Query<&mut Text, With>) { if !score.is_changed() { return; } for mut text in &mut labels { text.0 = format!("Score {}", score.0); } }
pub struct ScoreTextPlugin;
impl Plugin for ScoreTextPlugin { fn build(&self, app: &mut App) { app.add_systems(Startup, spawn_score) .add_systems(Update, write_score); } }
Extra spans are child entities with `TextSpan`. Each child keeps its own `TextFont` and `TextColor`. The parent `TextLayout` lays out the whole block. `Underline` and `Strikethrough` are components on the span that should carry that mark.
```rust
fn spawn_status_line(mut commands: Commands) {
let root = commands
.spawn((
Text::new("HP "),
TextFont::from_font_size(FontSize::Px(24.0)),
TextLayout::justify(Justify::Center),
))
.id();
commands.spawn((
TextSpan::new("12"),
TextFont::from_font_size(FontSize::Px(24.0)).with_font_weight(FontWeight::BOLD),
TextColor(Color::srgb(0.9, 0.25, 0.2)),
ChildOf(root),
));
commands.spawn((
TextSpan::new(" / 20"),
TextFont::from_font_size(FontSize::Px(24.0)),
Underline,
ChildOf(root),
));
}
A world nameplate is Text2d plus a transform. Justify only aligns lines inside the block. Anchor places the block on the transform.
use bevy::sprite::{Anchor, Text2dShadow};
fn spawn_nameplate(mut commands: Commands) {
commands.spawn((
Text2d::new("Warden"),
TextFont::from_font_size(FontSize::Px(32.0)),
TextColor(Color::WHITE),
TextLayout::justify(Justify::Center),
Text2dShadow {
offset: Vec2::new(2.0, -2.0),
color: Color::BLACK,
},
Anchor::BOTTOM_CENTER,
Transform::from_xyz(0.0, 48.0, 0.0),
));
}
A custom face is an AssetServer handle stored on TextFont. UI drop shadows use TextShadow.
fn spawn_title(mut commands: Commands, assets: Res<AssetServer>) {
let font = assets.load("fonts/Display.ttf");
commands.spawn((
Text::new("Inventory"),
TextFont::from_font_size(FontSize::Px(40.0)).with_font(font),
TextColor(Color::srgb(0.93, 0.86, 0.62)),
TextShadow {
offset: Vec2::new(3.0, 3.0),
color: Color::linear_rgba(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.75),
},
));
}
[dependencies]
bevy = "0.20"
Which text entity
| Need | Spawn | Do not |
|---|---|---|
| HUD or menu string | Text on a Node, plus TextFont and TextColor |
A second layout system after Text changes |
| Nameplate in the 2D world | Text2d, Anchor, and Text2dShadow |
Justify as the world position |
| Two styles in one line | Child TextSpan entities with their own font, color, Underline, or Strikethrough |
A markup string parsed by the engine |
Scope
- Font and layout types used above:
TextFont,FontSize,FontWeight,TextLayout,Justify,LineBreak. - Emphasis is components (
Underline,Strikethrough,TextColor) onTextorTextSpan, not a markup string.
Expert Knowledge Delta
Target: Bevy 0.20+.
Core ECS types: Component, Resource, Query, Commands, Startup, Update, Fixed / FixedMain (bevy::time), .chain(), Plugin, DefaultPlugins, MinimalPlugins. Messages and observers are an ownership slot. See bevy-events-messaging for their APIs. Systems run in parallel unless .chain() orders the ones that conflict.
Who owns state
| Piece | Owner | Who may mutate | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data on one entity | Component |
One system via Query |
Update or FixedMain |
| One value for the whole app | Resource |
One system | Startup to insert, then the schedule that reads it |
| Spawn | Commands |
The spawning system | Startup for the initial world; later schedules for runtime spawn |
| Order that must not race | .chain() |
The chained systems only | Same schedule |
| Plugin boundary | Plugin |
build registers systems and resources |
Before the app runs |
Borrow rule: two systems that both mutably query the same component must be ordered (.chain()) or split so only one writes. Unrelated systems stay parallel. That is the ECS page rule, not a guess at a system-set API.
Decision
| If you need | Do this | Do not |
|---|---|---|
| Per-entity data | Component + Query |
One script that owns the whole node tree |
| App-wide config or clock | Resource |
Copy the value onto every entity |
| Stable simulation step | FixedMain and the Fixed clock |
Tie simulation to raw frame Update |
| Startup spawn | Commands in Startup |
Spawn from a render system |
| Cross-system notice that is not shared state | Message or observer slot in bevy-events-messaging |
A new event type invented in this file |
| An API outside the documented set | Leave it unnamed | A made-up crate or API |
Load references/ecs-ownership.md for the ownership table.
NEVER
-
Do not pin
/0.20.0/in docs URLs. WHY: links stay onlatest; the 0.20 target is stated once in prose. -
Do not mutably query the same component from two unordered systems. WHY: the schedule runs systems in parallel unless
.chain()orders them. -
Do not invent a physics, navigation, networking, or XR crate here. WHY: this skill only names documented Bevy crates and modules.
-
Do not store emphasis in a markup string. WHY:
UnderlineandStrikethroughare components onTextorTextSpan. -
Do not let two systems write the same
TextorTextSpan. WHY: the string has one owner; a second writer races the format system. -
No invented APIs or unnamed third-party crates as the chosen solver. WHY: Bevy code stays idiomatic ECS and uses only documented Bevy APIs.
Reference
The library pin on bevy-master stays 0.20.
Official Documentation
- Assets - Official asset catalog. No third-party crate was selected.
- Examples - Example tree on the
latestbranch. - ECS -
Component, systems,Query,Startup,Update, and.chain(). - Plugins -
Plugin,DefaultPlugins,MinimalPlugins, andadd_plugins. - UI examples - Text and node samples on the
latestbranch.
Related Skills
Prerequisites
- bevy-master - Hub and schedules.
- bevy-ecs-composition - Components and systems.
- bevy-ui-layout - The node that holds the text.
Complements
- bevy-dialogue-system - Line strings.
- bevy-ui-theming - Colors around the string.
Downstream / consumers
- None yet.
Master
- bevy-master - Bevy router.