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Labels

Labels are markers within your dialogue that you can start from and jump to. They define entry points and destinations for dialogue flow. Labels start with ~ followed by a name (without spaces): 
~ this_is_a_label

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The Start Label

By default, dialogue begins at the start label: 
~ start
Nathan: This is where the dialogue begins.
=> END
When starting dialogue from code, you can specify a different label: 
DialogueManager.show_example_dialogue_balloon(
	load("res://dialogue.dialogue"),
	"custom_entry_point"  # Start at this label instead
)

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Organizing with Labels

Use labels to organize your dialogue into logical sections: 
~ start
Nathan: Welcome! What would you like to do?
- Talk about the quest => quest_info
- Ask about the shop => shop_info
- Leave => END

~ quest_info
Nathan: The quest is to find the ancient artifact.
Nathan: Are you interested?
- Yes => accept_quest
- No => start

~ accept_quest
Nathan: Excellent! Good luck!
=> END

~ shop_info
Nathan: We sell potions and equipment.
=> start

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Jumps (Goto)

Jump lines redirect dialogue flow to a specific label. They’re prefixed with => : 
=> this_is_a_label

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Basic Jump Example

~ start
Nathan: I'll redirect you now.
=> another_location

~ another_location
Nathan: Welcome to the other location!
=> END

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Ending Dialogue

Jump to END to terminate the dialogue: 
~ start
Nathan: Goodbye!
=> END

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Inline Jumps in Responses

Responses can include inline jumps: 
~ start
Nathan: Well?
- First one
	Nathan: You picked the first.
	=> END
- Another one => another_label
- Start again => start

~ another_label
Nathan: Another one?
=> END
When a response has an inline jump (=> label), any indented content below that response is ignored. The jump takes precedence.

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Jump and Return

Use “jump and return” syntax to redirect flow temporarily and then return to the original location. These use =>< (with both > and <): 
~ start
Nathan: I'm about to call a subroutine.
=>< subroutine
Nathan: I'm back from the subroutine!
=> END

~ subroutine
Nathan: This is the subroutine.
Nathan: When it ends, we return to where we jumped from.
=> END
1

Jump to label

The =>< jumps to the specified label.
2

Execute dialogue

Dialogue at that label executes normally.
3

Hit END or file end

When END or the end of the file is reached…
4

Return to caller

Flow returns to the line after the =>< jump.

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Nested Jump and Return

Jump and return calls can be nested: 
~ start
Nathan: Starting.
=>< first_subroutine
Nathan: All done!
=> END

~ first_subroutine
Nathan: In first subroutine.
=>< second_subroutine
Nathan: Back in first subroutine.
=> END

~ second_subroutine
Nathan: In second subroutine.
=> END
Execution order:
  1. start → “Starting”
  2. Jump to first_subroutine → “In first subroutine”
  3. Jump to second_subroutine → “In second subroutine”
  4. Return to first_subroutine → “Back in first subroutine”
  5. Return to start → “All done!”

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Force End

To end the conversation regardless of any pending returns, use => END! with an exclamation mark: 
~ start
Nathan: Calling subroutine.
=>< subroutine
Nathan: This line will never be reached.
=> END

~ subroutine
Nathan: I'm ending it all!
=> END!
The END! terminates the entire dialogue immediately, ignoring the return.

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Expression Jumps

You can use expressions as jump targets by wrapping them in double curlies: 
=> {{SomeGlobal.some_property}}
=> {{get_next_scene_label()}}
The expression must resolve to a valid label name as a string.
Use expression jumps with caution! The dialogue compiler cannot verify that expression values match actual labels at compile time. If the expression returns an invalid label name, you’ll get runtime errors.

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Expression Jump Example

~ start
match player_level
	when 1
		set next_label = "level_1_dialogue"
	when 2
		set next_label = "level_2_dialogue"
	else
		set next_label = "default_dialogue"
=> {{next_label}}

~ level_1_dialogue
Nathan: Welcome, beginner!
=> END

~ level_2_dialogue
Nathan: You're progressing nicely!
=> END

~ default_dialogue
Nathan: Hello, adventurer!
=> END

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Importing Dialogue

You can import dialogue from other files and jump to their labels: 
import "res://snippets.dialogue" as snippets

~ start
Nathan: The next line will be from the snippets file:
=>< snippets/banter
Nathan: That was some banter!
=> END
In snippets.dialogue: 
~ banter
Nathan: Blah blah blah.
=> END
Use the format namespace/label where namespace is the import alias.
Import statement:
import "res://path/to/file.dialogue" as namespace_name
Jumping to imported labels:
=> namespace_name/label_name
=>< namespace_name/label_name
Multiple imports:
import "res://common.dialogue" as common
import "res://quests.dialogue" as quests

~ start
=>< common/greeting
=>< quests/main_quest
=> END

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Complete Example

Here’s a complete example demonstrating labels, jumps, and returns: 
import "res://common_dialogue.dialogue" as common

~ start
=>< common/greeting
Nathan: Welcome to my shop! What brings you here?
- Tell me about quests => quest_menu
- I want to trade => shop_menu
- Goodbye => goodbye

~ quest_menu
Nathan: I have several quests available.
- Main quest => main_quest_info
- Side quest => side_quest_info
- Back => start

~ main_quest_info
Nathan: The main quest involves finding the ancient relic.
- Accept it
	set has_main_quest = true
	Nathan: Excellent! Good luck!
	=> END
- Not interested => quest_menu

~ side_quest_info
Nathan: The side quest is to collect 10 herbs.
- Accept it
	set has_side_quest = true
	Nathan: Great! The herbs grow near the forest.
	=> quest_menu
- Not interested => quest_menu

~ shop_menu
Nathan: Here's what I have in stock.
=>< common/shop_display
Nathan: Anything else?
- Yes => start
- No => goodbye

~ goodbye
Nathan: Safe travels!
=> END
This example shows:
  • Multiple labels organizing different conversation sections
  • Jump and return for reusable dialogue snippets
  • Inline jumps in responses for quick navigation
  • Imported dialogue from another file
  • A hub-and-spoke conversation structure

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