U-Link
Utility plugin for copying and invoking shareable links to assets and elements within the UE4 editor.
- Supported Platforms
- Supported Engine Versions4.23 - 4.27
- Download TypeEngine PluginThis product contains a code plugin, complete with pre-built binaries and all its source code that integrates with Unreal Engine, which can be installed to an engine version of your choice then enabled on a per-project basis.
Description
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U-Link is an editor plugin providing a way to grab, share and invoke links to various assets and asset elements. Links can be generated through context menu extensions, then shared as URLs. A link copied to the system clipboard can be navigated to in the editor by a simple, configurable shortcut command.
The plugin has an optional additional program (freely downloadable) which can make the generated links clickable when displayed in compatible 3rd party software, such as web browsers. See limitations section for details.
Links can be generated for jumping to the following elements:
- Assets (browse links for finding in the content browser, and edit links for opening the asset editor)
- Blueprint graph nodes (event, function)
- Animation Blueprint graph nodes (event, function, anim graph, state transition graph)
- Material graph nodes
- Actors in a level
All links can be invoked from anywhere within the editor, so long as keyboard shortcuts are not suppressed.
Intended use cases:
- Sharing links between team members within a project, saving time when communicating asset paths or how to locate a given actor or blueprint node.
- Embedding in external project notes/docs/todo lists for easy lookup later.
- Embedding in plugin/asset pack documentation to allow users of plugins and packs to jump to pack contents referenced by the documentation.
Technical Details
Code Modules:
- ULink (EditorNoCommandlet)
Supported Development Platforms: Windows
LIMITATIONS:
- Links use asset paths and internal names/ids to identify their target. As such they will only work when the project state matches that from when the link was captured. In practice this means the same project without significant local rearrangement, content in plugins of the same version, or content in matching asset packs installed to a matching location in the content directory. U-Link has no way to locate elements if they are located differently between the project in which they were captured and the project in which the link is being invoked.
- The accompanying URI handler program, if installed, allows textual links to show as clickable hyperlinks in any application that supports custom URIs. However, outside of web browsers most applications (including messaging apps) do not support custom URIs for security reasons. There is potential for future support in applications with plugin functionality, however I can make no guarantees about the contexts in which clickable links will or will not work.