Special Screen Names — Ren'Py Documentation

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# Special Screen Names

There are two kinds of special screen names in Ren'Py. The first are screens that will be automatically displayed when Ren'Py script language commands (or their programmatic equivalents) are run. The other type are menu screens. These have conventional names for conventional functionality, but screens can be omitted or changed as is deemed necessary.

On this page, we'll give example screens. It's important to realize that, while some screens must have minimal functionality, the screen system makes it possible to add additional functionality to screens. For example, while the standard say screen only displays text, the screen system makes it easy to add features like skipping, auto-forward mode, or muting.

Some special screens take parameters. These parameters can be accessed as variables in the screen's scope.

Some of the screens also have special ids associated with them. A special id should be assigned to a displayable of a given type. It can cause properties to be assigned to that displayable, and can make that displayable accessible to calling code.

## In-Game Screens

These screens are automatically displayed when certain Ren'Py statements execute.

### Say

The `say` screen is called by the say statement, when displaying ADV-mode dialogue. It is displayed with the following parameters:

who
  The text of the name of the speaking character.
what
  The dialogue being said by the speaking character.

It's expected to declare displayables with the following ids:

"who"
  A text displayable, displaying the name of the speaking character. The character object can be given arguments that style this displayable.
"what"
  A text displayable, displaying the dialogue being said by the speaking character. The character object can be given arguments that style this displayable. A displayable with this id must be defined, as Ren'Py uses it to calculate auto-forward-mode time, click-to-continue, and other things.
"window"
  A window or frame. This conventionally contains the who and what text. The character object can be given arguments that style this displayable.

    screen say(who, what):

        window id "window":
            has vbox

            if who:
                text who id "who"

            text what id "what"

### Choice

The `choice` screen is used to display the in-game choices created with the menu statement. It is given the following parameter:

items
  This is a list of (caption, action, chosen) tuples. For each choice, caption is the name of the choice, and action is the action to invoke for the choice, or None if this is a choice label. Chosen if a choice with this label has been chosen by the user before. (It doesn't have to be in the current game.)

    screen choice(items):

        window:
            style "menu_window"

            vbox:
                style "menu"

                for caption, action, chosen in items:

                    if action:

                        button:
                            action action
                            style "menu_choice_button"

                            text caption style "menu_choice"

                    else:
                        text caption style "menu_caption"

### Input

The `input` screen is used to display `renpy.input()`. It is given one parameter:

prompt
  The prompt text supplied to renpy.input.

It is expected to declare a displayable with the following id:

"input"
  An input displayable, which must exist. This is given all the parameters supplied to renpy.input, so it must exist.

    screen input(prompt):

        window:
            has vbox

            text prompt
            input id "input"

### NVL

The `nvl` screen is used to display NVL-mode dialogue. It is given the following parameter:

dialogue
  This is a list of ( who, what, who_id, what_id, window_id) tuples, each of which corresponds to a line of dialogue on the screen. Who and what are strings containing the speaking character and the line of dialogue, respectively. The ids should be assigned to the who and what text displayables, and a window containing each unit of dialogue.
items

  This is a list of (caption, action, chosen) tuples. For each choice, caption is the name of the choice, and action is the action to invoke for the choice, or None if this is a choice label. Chosen if a choice with this label has been chosen by the user before. (It doesn't have to be in the current game.)

  If items is empty, the menu should not be shown.

Ren'Py also supports an `nvl_choice` screen, which takes the same parameters as `nvl`, and is used in preference to `nvl` when an in-game choice is presented to the user, if it exists.

    screen nvl(dialogue, items=None):

        window:
            style "nvl_window"

            has vbox:
                style "nvl_vbox"

            # Display dialogue.
            for who, what, who_id, what_id, window_id in dialogue:
                window:
                    id window_id

                    has hbox:
                        spacing 10

                    if who is not None:
                        text who id who_id

                    text what id what_id

            # Display a menu, if given.
            if items:

                vbox:
                    id "menu"

                    for caption, action, chosen in items:

                        if action:

                            button:
                                style "nvl_menu_choice_button"
                                action action

                                text caption style "nvl_menu_choice"

                        else:

                            text caption style "nvl_dialogue"

### Notify

The `notify` screen is used by `renpy.notify()` to display notifications to the user. It's generally used in conjunction with a transform to handle the entire task of notification. It's given a single parameter:

message
  The message to display.

The default notify screen, and its associated transform, are:

    screen notify(message):
        zorder 100

        text message at _notify_transform

        # This controls how long it takes between when the screen is
        # first shown, and when it begins hiding.
        timer 3.25 action Hide('notify')

    transform _notify_transform:
        # These control the position.
        xalign .02 yalign .015

        # These control the actions on show and hide.
        on show:
            alpha 0
            linear .25 alpha 1.0
        on hide:
            linear .5 alpha 0.0

## Menu Screens

These are the menu screens. The `main_menu` and `yesno_prompt` are invoked implicitly. When the user invokes the game menu, the screen named in `_game_menu_screen` will be displayed. (This defaults to `save`.)

Remember, menu screens can be combined and modified fairly freely.

### Main Menu

The `main_menu` screen is the first screen shown when the game begins.

    screen main_menu():

        # This ensures that any other menu screen is replaced.
        tag menu

        # The background of the main menu.
        window:
            style "mm_root"

        # The main menu buttons.
        frame:
            style_group "mm"
            xalign .98
            yalign .98

            has vbox

            textbutton _("Start Game") action Start()
            textbutton _("Load Game") action ShowMenu("load")
            textbutton _("Preferences") action ShowMenu("preferences")
            textbutton _("Help") action Help()
            textbutton _("Quit") action Quit(confirm=False)

    init python:

        # Make all the main menu buttons be the same size.
        style.mm_button.size_group = "mm"

### Navigation

The `navigation` screen isn't special to Ren'Py. But by convention, we place the game menu navigation in a screen named `navigation`, and then use that screen from the save, load and preferences screens.

    screen navigation():

        # The background of the game menu.
        window:
            style "gm_root"

        # The various buttons.
        frame:
            style_group "gm_nav"
            xalign .98
            yalign .98

            has vbox

            textbutton _("Return") action Return()
            textbutton _("Preferences") action ShowMenu("preferences")
            textbutton _("Save Game") action ShowMenu("save")
            textbutton _("Load Game") action ShowMenu("load")
            textbutton _("Main Menu") action MainMenu()
            textbutton _("Help") action Help()
            textbutton _("Quit") action Quit()

    init python:
        style.gm_nav_button.size_group = "gm_nav"

### Save

The `save` screen is used to select a file in which to save the game.

    screen save():

        # This ensures that any other menu screen is replaced.
        tag menu

        use navigation

        frame:
            has vbox

            # The buttons at the top allow the user to pick a
            # page of files.
            hbox:
                textbutton _("Previous") action FilePagePrevious()
                textbutton _("Auto") action FilePage("auto")

                for i in range(1, 9):
                    textbutton str(i) action FilePage(i)

                textbutton _("Next") action FilePageNext()

            # Display a grid of file slots.
            grid 2 5:
                transpose True
                xfill True

                # Display ten file slots, numbered 1 - 10.
                for i in range(1, 11):

                    # Each file slot is a button.
                    button:
                        action FileAction(i)
                        xfill True
                        style "large_button"

                        has hbox

                        # Add the screenshot and the description to the
                        # button.
                        add FileScreenshot(i)
                        text ( " %2d. " % i
                               + FileTime(i, empty=_("Empty Slot."))
                               + "\n"
                               + FileSaveName(i)) style "large_button_text"

### Load

The `load` screen is used to select a file from which to load the game.

    screen load():

        # This ensures that any other menu screen is replaced.
        tag menu

        use navigation

        frame:
            has vbox

            # The buttons at the top allow the user to pick a
            # page of files.
            hbox:
                textbutton _("Previous") action FilePagePrevious()
                textbutton _("Auto") action FilePage("auto")

                for i in range(1, 9):
                    textbutton str(i) action FilePage(i)

                textbutton _("Next") action FilePageNext()

            # Display a grid of file slots.
            grid 2 5:
                transpose True
                xfill True

                # Display ten file slots, numbered 1 - 10.
                for i in range(1, 11):

                    # Each file slot is a button.
                    button:
                        action FileAction(i)
                        xfill True
                        style "large_button"

                        has hbox

                        # Add the screenshot and the description to the
                        # button.
                        add FileScreenshot(i)
                        text ( " %2d. " % i
                               + FileTime(i, empty=_("Empty Slot."))
                               + "\n"
                               + FileSaveName(i)) style "large_button_text"

### Preferences

The `preferences` screen is used to select options that control the display of the game.

    screen preferences():

        tag menu

        # Include the navigation.
        use navigation

        # Put the navigation columns in a three-wide grid.
        grid 3 1:
            style_group "prefs"
            xfill True

            # The left column.
            vbox:
                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Display")
                    textbutton _("Window") action Preference("display", "window")
                    textbutton _("Fullscreen") action Preference("display", "fullscreen")

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Transitions")
                    textbutton _("All") action Preference("transitions", "all")
                    textbutton _("None") action Preference("transitions", "none")

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Text Speed")
                    bar value Preference("text speed")

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    textbutton _("Joystick...") action ShowMenu("joystick_preferences")

            vbox:

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Skip")
                    textbutton _("Seen Messages") action Preference("skip", "seen")
                    textbutton _("All Messages") action Preference("skip", "all")

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    textbutton _("Begin Skipping") action Skip()

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("After Choices")
                    textbutton _("Stop Skipping") action Preference("after choices", "stop")
                    textbutton _("Keep Skipping") action Preference("after choices", "skip")

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Auto-Forward Time")
                    bar value Preference("auto-forward time")

            vbox:

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Music Volume")
                    bar value Preference("music volume")

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Sound Volume")
                    bar value Preference("sound volume")
                    textbutton "Test" action Play("sound", "sound_test.ogg") style "soundtest_button"

                frame:
                    style_group "pref"
                    has vbox

                    label _("Voice Volume")
                    bar value Preference("voice volume")
                    textbutton "Test" action Play("voice", "voice_test.ogg") style "soundtest_button"

    init python:

        style.pref_frame.xfill = True
        style.pref_frame.xmargin = 5
        style.pref_frame.top_margin = 5

        style.pref_vbox.xfill = True

        style.pref_button.size_group = "pref"
        style.pref_button.xalign = 1.0

        style.pref_slider.xmaximum = 192
        style.pref_slider.xalign = 1.0

        style.soundtest_button.xalign = 1.0

### Yesno_Prompt

The `yesno_prompt` message is used to ask yes/no choices of the user. It takes the following parameters:

message

  The message to display to the user. This is one of:

  - layout.ARE_YOU_SURE - "Are you sure?" This should be the default if the message is unknown.
  - layout.DELETE_SAVE - "Are you sure you want to delete this save?"
  - layout.OVERWRITE_SAVE - "Are you sure you want to overwrite your save?"
  - layout.LOADING - "Loading will lose unsaved progress.nAre you sure you want to do this?"
  - layout.QUIT - "Are you sure you want to quit?"
  - layout.MAIN_MENU - "Are you sure you want to return to the mainnmenu? This will lose unsaved progress."

  The values of the variables are strings, which means they can be displayed using a text displayable.

yes_action
  The action to run when the user picks "Yes".
no_action
  The action to run when the user picks "No".

    screen yesno_prompt(message, yes_action, no_action):

        modal True

        window:
            style "gm_root"

        frame:
            style_group "yesno_prompt"

            xfill True
            xmargin 50
            ypadding 25
            yalign .25

            vbox:
                xfill True
                spacing 25

                text _(message):
                    text_align 0.5
                    xalign 0.5

                hbox:
                    spacing 100
                    xalign .5
                    textbutton _("Yes") action yes_action
                    textbutton _("No") action no_action

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