The WindowSystem provides a structured approach to managing multiple ImGui windows in your plugin. Instead of manually handling window state and rendering, you create Window classes that the system automatically manages.
WindowSystem Overview
The WindowSystem class manages a collection of windows and handles their lifecycle, focus management, and rendering.
using Dalamud.Interface.Windowing;
public class MyPlugin : IDalamudPlugin
{
private WindowSystem WindowSystem { get; init; }
public MyPlugin(DalamudPluginInterface pluginInterface)
{
// Create a window system with a unique namespace
this.WindowSystem = new WindowSystem("MyPlugin_Windows");
// Add windows to the system
this.WindowSystem.AddWindow(new MainWindow());
this.WindowSystem.AddWindow(new ConfigWindow());
// Hook up the Draw event
pluginInterface.UiBuilder.Draw += this.WindowSystem.Draw;
}
public void Dispose()
{
this.WindowSystem.RemoveAllWindows();
}
}
Creating a Window
Extend the Window base class to create custom windows:
using Dalamud.Interface.Windowing;
public class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow() : base("My Plugin Main Window")
{
// Set window properties
this.Size = new Vector2(400, 300);
this.SizeCondition = ImGuiCond.FirstUseEver;
this.Flags = ImGuiWindowFlags.NoScrollbar | ImGuiWindowFlags.NoScrollWithMouse;
}
public override void Draw()
{
// ImGui.Begin() is already called for you
ImGui.Text("Hello from the main window!");
if (ImGui.Button("Click me"))
{
// Handle button click
}
// ImGui.End() is called automatically
}
}
The Window base class handles ImGui.Begin() and ImGui.End() automatically. Only implement your window content in the Draw() method.
Window Properties
Window Name and ID
The window name is set in the constructor. Use ### to append a unique ID:
public MainWindow() : base("Main Window###MyPluginMain")
{
// The window title shows "Main Window"
// The internal ID is "MyPluginMain"
}
Position and Size
Control window placement and dimensions:
public ConfigWindow() : base("Configuration")
{
// Set initial size
this.Size = new Vector2(500, 400);
this.SizeCondition = ImGuiCond.FirstUseEver;
// Set initial position
this.Position = new Vector2(100, 100);
this.PositionCondition = ImGuiCond.Appearing;
// Set size constraints
this.SizeConstraints = new WindowSizeConstraints
{
MinimumSize = new Vector2(300, 200),
MaximumSize = new Vector2(1920, 1080)
};
}
Window Flags
Customize window behavior with ImGuiWindowFlags:
public OverlayWindow() : base("Overlay")
{
this.Flags = ImGuiWindowFlags.NoTitleBar
| ImGuiWindowFlags.NoScrollbar
| ImGuiWindowFlags.NoResize
| ImGuiWindowFlags.NoMove
| ImGuiWindowFlags.NoBackground;
// Force window to stay in main game window
this.ForceMainWindow = true;
}
Background Alpha
Control window transparency:
this.BgAlpha = 0.8f; // 80% opaque
this.ShowCloseButton = false; // Hide the X button
Window State Management
Opening and Closing
Control window visibility with the IsOpen property:
public class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow() : base("Main Window")
{
// Window starts closed
this.IsOpen = false;
}
public void OpenWindow()
{
this.IsOpen = true;
}
public void CloseWindow()
{
this.IsOpen = false;
}
public void Toggle()
{
this.Toggle(); // Built-in toggle method
}
}
Lifecycle Callbacks
Implement callbacks for window lifecycle events:
public override void OnOpen()
{
// Called when the window is opened
// Load data, initialize state, etc.
}
public override void OnClose()
{
// Called when the window is closed
// Save settings, clean up, etc.
}
public override void OnSafeToRemove()
{
// Called when it's safe to dispose resources
// Used after fade-out animations complete
}
Pre/Post Draw
Execute code before or after the window draws:
public override void PreDraw()
{
// Called before the window begins drawing
// Set up styles, push fonts, etc.
ImGui.PushStyleVar(ImGuiStyleVar.WindowPadding, new Vector2(10, 10));
}
public override void PostDraw()
{
// Called after the window finishes drawing
// Clean up styles, pop fonts, etc.
ImGui.PopStyleVar();
}
Update
Run code every frame, even when the window is collapsed:
public override void Update()
{
// Called every frame
// Update animations, check conditions, etc.
}
Draw Conditions
Control when the window should be drawn:
public override bool DrawConditions()
{
// Return false to skip drawing this frame
// Useful for hiding UI based on game state
return !IsInPvP();
}
Pre-Open Check
Execute code before checking if the window should be drawn:
public override void PreOpenCheck()
{
// Called before IsOpen is checked
// Update state that affects visibility
}
Window Interactions
Focus Management
Check and control window focus:
public override void Draw()
{
if (this.IsFocused)
{
ImGui.TextColored(new Vector4(0, 1, 0, 1), "Window has focus!");
}
if (ImGui.Button("Bring to Front"))
{
this.BringToFront();
}
}
Escape Key Behavior
Control whether Escape closes the window:
public ConfigWindow() : base("Configuration")
{
// Pressing Escape will close this window
this.RespectCloseHotkey = true;
}
Window Features
Sound Effects
Customize window open/close sounds:
public MainWindow() : base("Main Window")
{
// Disable all sounds
this.DisableWindowSounds = true;
// Or customize sound effect IDs
this.OnOpenSfxId = 23u; // Default open sound
this.OnCloseSfxId = 24u; // Default close sound
}
Fade Effects
Disable fade-in/fade-out animations:
this.DisableFadeInFadeOut = true;
Pinning and Clickthrough
Allow users to pin windows or make them clickthrough:
public OverlayWindow() : base("Overlay")
{
// Allow pinning (prevents move/resize)
this.AllowPinning = true;
// Allow clickthrough mode
this.AllowClickthrough = true;
}
public override void Draw()
{
if (this.IsPinned)
{
ImGui.Text("Window is pinned!");
}
if (this.IsClickthrough)
{
ImGui.Text("Window is clickthrough!");
}
}
When a window is clickthrough, most input is ignored. Use AvailableClickthrough on title bar buttons to make them work in clickthrough mode.
public MainWindow() : base("Main Window")
{
this.TitleBarButtons = new List<TitleBarButton>
{
new TitleBarButton
{
Icon = FontAwesomeIcon.Cog,
IconOffset = new Vector2(2, 1),
ShowTooltip = () => ImGui.SetTooltip("Settings"),
Click = (button) =>
{
// Handle click
OpenSettings();
},
Priority = 0
},
new TitleBarButton
{
Icon = FontAwesomeIcon.QuestionCircle,
IconOffset = new Vector2(2, 1),
ShowTooltip = () => ImGui.SetTooltip("Help"),
Click = (button) => OpenHelp(),
Priority = -1,
AvailableClickthrough = true // Works even when window is clickthrough
}
};
}
Managing Multiple Windows
Adding and Removing Windows
// Add a window
var mainWindow = new MainWindow();
this.WindowSystem.AddWindow(mainWindow);
// Remove a specific window
this.WindowSystem.RemoveWindow(mainWindow);
// Remove all windows
this.WindowSystem.RemoveAllWindows();
Accessing Windows
// Get all windows
IReadOnlyList<Window> windows = this.WindowSystem.Windows;
// Find a specific window
var configWindow = this.WindowSystem.Windows
.OfType<ConfigWindow>()
.FirstOrDefault();
Window Focus State
// Check if any window has focus
if (this.WindowSystem.HasAnyFocus)
{
// At least one window is focused
}
// Get the focused window's namespace
string focusedNamespace = WindowSystem.FocusedWindowSystemNamespace;
Advanced Features
Window Namespace
Assign namespaces for organizing windows:
public MainWindow() : base("Main Window")
{
this.Namespace = "MyPlugin.Main";
}
Collapsed State
Control initial collapsed state:
this.Collapsed = true;
this.CollapsedCondition = ImGuiCond.FirstUseEver;
Complete Example
using System.Numerics;
using Dalamud.Interface.Windowing;
using ImGuiNET;
public class ExampleWindow : Window, IDisposable
{
private string inputText = string.Empty;
private float sliderValue = 0.5f;
public ExampleWindow() : base(
"Example Window###ExamplePluginWindow",
ImGuiWindowFlags.NoScrollbar | ImGuiWindowFlags.NoScrollWithMouse)
{
// Set size constraints
this.SizeConstraints = new WindowSizeConstraints
{
MinimumSize = new Vector2(375, 330),
MaximumSize = new Vector2(float.MaxValue, float.MaxValue)
};
// Add a title bar button
this.TitleBarButtons = new List<TitleBarButton>
{
new TitleBarButton
{
Icon = FontAwesomeIcon.Cog,
IconOffset = new Vector2(2, 1),
Click = _ => OpenSettings(),
ShowTooltip = () => ImGui.SetTooltip("Open Settings")
}
};
}
public override void OnOpen()
{
// Initialize when window opens
this.inputText = "Hello, world!";
}
public override void Draw()
{
ImGui.Text("This is an example window.");
if (this.IsFocused)
{
ImGui.TextColored(new Vector4(0, 1, 0, 1), "Window is focused");
}
ImGui.InputText("Text Input", ref this.inputText, 100);
ImGui.SliderFloat("Slider", ref this.sliderValue, 0f, 1f);
if (ImGui.Button("Close Window"))
{
this.IsOpen = false;
}
}
public override void OnClose()
{
// Save settings when window closes
}
private void OpenSettings()
{
// Handle settings button
}
public void Dispose()
{
// Clean up resources
}
}
Best Practices
Use One WindowSystem per Plugin
Create a single WindowSystem instance and add all your windows to it.
Set Appropriate Size Constraints
Always set minimum and maximum sizes to prevent windows from becoming unusable.
Use Meaningful Window IDs
Append unique IDs with ### to avoid conflicts with other plugins.
Implement Lifecycle Methods
Use OnOpen, OnClose, and Update to properly manage window state.
Honor settings like RespectCloseHotkey, AllowPinning, and AllowClickthrough.
See Also
- UiBuilder - Core UI interface and event system
- ImGui Basics - Introduction to ImGui controls
- Fonts - Using custom fonts in windows
- Textures - Displaying images in windows