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Node Templates

Node templates let you save any selection of nodes as a reusable stamp. Drag a template pill onto any graph to instantiate a fresh copy — all nodes get new GUIDs, internal connections are re-wired, and you can immediately edit the stamp without affecting the original.

Templates are stamp-and-detach: once placed, the copy is completely independent of the template asset. For live-linked reuse (one graph called from many places without duplication), use the Sub Graph Node instead.

Saving a template

  1. Select the nodes you want to capture in the graph editor
  2. In the NODE TEMPLATES sidebar section, click Save Selection
  3. A save-file dialog appears — choose a folder and name for the .asset
  4. The template is created and immediately appears in the sidebar panel

Internal connections (edges between selected nodes) are preserved. External connections (edges to nodes outside the selection) are dropped.

Using a template

From the NODE TEMPLATES sidebar:

Drag a template pill from the sidebar directly onto the graph canvas. The nodes are stamped at the drop position, preserving their relative layout. All nodes receive fresh GUIDs; internal wiring is re-connected automatically. The pasted nodes are selected immediately so you can move them as a group.

From the Project window:

Dragging a DialogueNodeTemplate .asset directly from Unity's Project window onto the graph canvas also works — same result as dragging from the sidebar.

Managing templates

Rename

Right-click any template pill → Rename…

A small modal window opens with a text field. Edit the name and click Rename (or press Enter) to confirm. This updates both the display name stored in the asset and the .asset filename on disk.

Delete

Right-click any template pill → Delete

A confirmation dialog appears before the asset is removed from disk.

Refresh

Click the Refresh button in the NODE TEMPLATES section to re-scan the project for template assets. The list updates automatically when you save or rename a template, but use Refresh if you move or add assets manually.

DialogueNodeTemplate asset

DialogueNodeTemplate : ScriptableObject

Create manually via Assets → Create → Threader → Dialogue Node Template, or automatically via Save Selection.

The asset stores:

  • A deep-copy snapshot of each node in the selection
  • A TemplateEdge list of internal connections
  • A BoundsMin value for positioning nodes relative to the drop point
  • A TemplateName string (also reflected in the .asset filename)

The asset is plain JSON under the hood and safe to version-control. Moving it between projects works as long as all node types referenced in the template are available.

Contrast with Sub-Graph Node

Templates Sub-Graph Node
How it works Stamps a copy; nodes are independent Live-links to another graph at runtime
Edit after placing Yes — each stamp is its own copy Edits to the sub-graph affect all callers
Speaker fallback Each copy has its own speaker fields Inherits caller speaker chain
Best for Boilerplate patterns you customise per NPC Shared content reused verbatim