Custom Master Buttons - UI - Unreal Engine 5 Tutorial [UE5]

Introduction

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create custom master button widgets in Unreal Engine 5. These buttons not only provide functionality similar to standard buttons but also allow you to style them for a more visually appealing user interface. By the end of this guide, you'll be equipped to implement and customize buttons in your own projects.

Step 1: Create the Button Functionality

To start, you need to create the functionality for your master button widget.

1. Open Your Project in Unreal Engine 5.
2. Create a New Widget Blueprint:
   • Right-click in the Content Browser.
   • Navigate to User Interface > Widget Blueprint.
   • Name your widget (e.g., "MasterButton").
3. Design the Button:
   • Open your new widget blueprint.
   • Drag a Button from the Palette onto the Canvas Panel.
   • Name the button in the hierarchy (e.g., "MyButton").
4. Add Functionality:
   • Select the button and go to the Details panel.
   • Under Events, click the "+" next to OnClicked to create an event handler.
   • In the Graph view, add the desired functionality (e.g., print a message).

Step 2: Style the Button UI

Now that your button has basic functionality, it’s time to style it to enhance its appearance.

1. Select the Button in the widget designer.
2. Set Up Normal and Hover States:
   • In the Details panel, locate the Appearance section.
   • Customize the Background Color for Normal and Hover states.
3. Add Text to the Button:
   • Drag a Text Block onto the Button in the hierarchy.
   • Set the Text property to your desired label (e.g., "Click Me").
4. Adjust Text Properties:
   • In the Text Block settings, adjust Font Size and Color.
   • Ensure the text is centered within the button.

Step 3: Adjustable Font Size

To make your button more flexible, you can implement adjustable font sizes.

1. Expose Font Size to Blueprint:
   • In your MasterButton widget, select the Text Block.
   • In the Details panel, locate the Font section.
   • Click on the small arrow to expand options and expose the Font Size property to be adjustable in the editor.
2. Create a Variable for Font Size:
   • Go to the Graph view and create a new variable named "ButtonFontSize."
   • Set its type to Integer.
3. Bind Font Size:
   • Click the Font Size property of the Text Block.
   • Bind it to the "ButtonFontSize" variable.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to create and customize master buttons in Unreal Engine 5. You set up basic functionality, styled the button to improve its appearance, and made the font size adjustable for better usability.

Next steps for you could include experimenting with additional features like animations on button clicks or integrating these buttons into a larger UI system. Happy developing!