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The builtin module provides essential utilities that are built into the Talon runtime. These functions help with application lifecycle management, particularly during development with hot reload.

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Import

import "builtin" for Build

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Build Class

The Build class provides utilities for controlling the application lifecycle.

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shouldStop()

Checks if the application should stop execution. This is primarily used with hot reload to detect when files have changed and the application needs to restart.
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return
Boolean
Returns true if the application should stop, false otherwise
Usage: 
import "raylib" for Raylib, Color
import "builtin" for Build

Raylib.initWindow(800, 450, "Hot Reload Example")
Raylib.setTargetFPS(60)

while (!Raylib.windowShouldClose() && !Build.shouldStop()) {
  Raylib.beginDrawing()
  Raylib.clearBackground(Color.RayWhite)
  Raylib.drawText("Press ESC to exit", 10, 10, 20, Color.DarkGray)
  Raylib.endDrawing()
}

Raylib.closeWindow()

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Hot Reload Integration

The Build.shouldStop() function is automatically triggered by Talon’s hot reload system when running with the --hot flag. When a Wren file is modified, the function returns true, causing the game loop to exit gracefully so Talon can reload and restart the application. Without hot reload: 
// Standard game loop
while (!Raylib.windowShouldClose()) {
  // Game logic
}
With hot reload support: 
// Hot reload-aware game loop
while (!Raylib.windowShouldClose() && !Build.shouldStop()) {
  // Game logic
}
Always include Build.shouldStop() in your game loop if you plan to use hot reload during development. This ensures your application can restart cleanly when files change.

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Common Patterns

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Development vs Production

You can structure your code to only check for hot reload in development: 
import "builtin" for Build

var isDevelopment = true // Set based on your build config

while (!Raylib.windowShouldClose()) {
  if (isDevelopment && Build.shouldStop()) {
    break
  }
  
  // Game logic
}

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Cleanup Before Reload

Perform cleanup operations when hot reload is triggered: 
import "builtin" for Build

while (!Raylib.windowShouldClose()) {
  if (Build.shouldStop()) {
    // Clean up resources before reload
    unloadAssets()
    saveGameState()
    break
  }
  
  // Game logic
}

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See Also

Hot Reload

Learn about hot reload functionality

Game Loop

Understanding the game loop pattern

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