/godot-auditor

Aurelius Protocol: Ui Containers NEVER List

• NEVER manually set child position or size in a Container — Containers override child transforms during queue_sort(). Use custom_minimum_size or size_flags instead [1].
• NEVER forget size_flags for expansion — Default is SIZE_SHRINK_BEGIN. Children will stay tiny unless you set SIZE_EXPAND_FILL for responsive containers.
• NEVER use GridContainer without setting columns — Default is 1, creating a simple vertical list. For responsive wrapping, use HFlowContainer instead [8].
• NEVER nest containers too deeply (10+ levels) — Heavy nesting causes layout recalculation spikes. Replace intermediate containers with Anchor Layouts for static padding [16].
• NEVER skip separation overrides — Default theme separation is often too tight. Use add_theme_constant_override("separation", value) for professional breathing room.
• NEVER use ScrollContainer without a minimum size — Without it, the container may collapse to zero or expand infinitely, breaking the scroll mechanism.
• NEVER scroll to a new child on the same frame it was added — The layout hasn't updated yet. You MUST await get_tree().process_frame before setting scroll_vertical [5].
• NEVER scale a SubViewportContainer to change its size — This distorts the rendered contents. Adjust margins or use stretch and stretch_shrink properties instead [2].
• NEVER leave mouse_filter on default for layered Viewports — Input events might not reach children. Use MOUSE_FILTER_PASS or STOP to ensure events drill down [6].
• NEVER use GridContainer for responsive wrapping — Use HFlowContainer if you want items to wrap based on width. GridContainer enforces a strict column count [7].
• NEVER animate position directly inside a container — Use Tween on custom_minimum_size to smoothly "push" siblings during transitions [1].