SimpleAutoEnum User Manual

Complete English product manual for SimpleAutoEnum

Supported Unreal Engine versions: 5.2–5.8

SimpleAutoEnum is a lightweight plugin that automatically binds Unreal Engine enums to configurable string arrays. Define enum values in project settings; the plugin dynamically fills enum entries at runtime.

⚠️ Note: This plugin requires C++ code to define enums and configuration arrays; it is not a Blueprint-only solution.

📝 How to Use

SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG Macro Parameters:

SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EnumType, MinValue, MaxValue, SettingsClass, ArrayProperty)

EnumType: Your enum class, such as EMyWeapons
MinValue: Starting boundary value, such as None
MaxValue: Ending boundary value, such as Max
SettingsClass: Settings class derived from UDeveloperSettings
ArrayProperty: Name of the TArray<FString> property in the settings class

Complete Setup:

Step 1: Create a settings class

UCLASS(config = Game, defaultconfig)
class UMyGameSettings : public UDeveloperSettings
{
    GENERATED_BODY()
public:
    UPROPERTY(config, EditAnywhere, Category = "Weapons")
    TArray<FString> WeaponsList;
};

Step 2: Define an enum with boundaries

UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EMyWeapons : uint8
{
    None UMETA(DisplayName = "None"),
    Max  UMETA(DisplayName = "Max")
};

Step 3: Bind the enum to configuration

SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EMyWeapons, None, Max, UMyGameSettings, WeaponsList);

Step 4: Configure in project settings Go to Project Settings > Game > Your Settings and add string values to the array.

🎯 Usage Examples

Example 1: Standard Usage

The most common pattern — a simple enum-to-array binding

UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EDemo_StandardWeapons : uint8
{
    None UMETA(DisplayName = "None"),
    Max  UMETA(DisplayName = "Max")
};
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EDemo_StandardWeapons, None, Max, USimpleAutoEnumTestSettings, Demo_PrimaryWeaponsArray);

Example 2: Range Binding

Combine multiple arrays into different ranges of one enum

UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EDemo_CombinedWeapons : uint8
{
    None            UMETA(DisplayName = "None"),
    PrimaryEnd      UMETA(DisplayName = "--- Primary End ---"),
    AllWeaponsEnd   UMETA(DisplayName = "--- All End ---")
};
// 绑定主武器（None -> PrimaryEnd）
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EDemo_CombinedWeapons, None, PrimaryEnd, USimpleAutoEnumTestSettings, Demo_PrimaryWeaponsArray);
// 绑定副武器（PrimaryEnd -> AllWeaponsEnd）
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EDemo_CombinedWeapons, PrimaryEnd, AllWeaponsEnd, USimpleAutoEnumTestSettings, Demo_SecondaryWeaponsArray);

Example 3: Shared Array

Multiple enums use the same configuration array

UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EDemo_UIColors : uint8
{
    None UMETA(DisplayName = "None"),
    Max  UMETA(DisplayName = "Max")
};
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EDemo_UIColors, None, Max, USimpleAutoEnumTestSettings, Demo_SharedColorsArray);

UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EDemo_ItemColors : uint8
{
    None UMETA(DisplayName = "None"),
    Max  UMETA(DisplayName = "Max")
};
// 两个枚举使用相同的配置数组
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EDemo_ItemColors, None, Max, USimpleAutoEnumTestSettings, Demo_SharedColorsArray);

⚙️ Configuration and Runtime Results

Project settings configuration:

Final runtime result:

The plugin generates enum values dynamically from configuration, enabling:

Adding enum values without modifying code
Consistent naming across systems
Shared configuration across multiple enums

⚠️ Important Notes and Limitations

Blueprint Functions

Issue: Blueprint functions store enum values as FString, so enum name or position changes may not update automatically
Solution: Right-click the Blueprint function and choose Refresh to synchronize current enum values

DataAssets

Behavior: DataAssets use enum indices and synchronize automatically when names change
Warning: Reordering enum values shifts DataAsset values; for example, swapping positions 1 and 2 causes a DataAsset storing value 1 to refer to position 2
Recommendation: Avoid reordering existing enum entries in production; append new values only

Version History

Open Edit → Project Settings, go to SimpleAutoEnum settings, and set Language to English or Chinese. English is the default. User-facing interfaces, prompts, notifications, and functional logs update immediately without restarting the editor; public API names and module startup/shutdown logs always remain in English.

Support

For usage questions or collaboration inquiries, visit the contact page.

Contact: Contact and Collaboration

Supplementary Usage Instructions

SimpleAutoEnum User Guide

Define enum boundaries and a UDeveloperSettings class first, then associate configuration arrays using binding macros. The original examples cover one-to-one binding, multiple ranges, and shared arrays across enums.

Binding and Data Processing

1. Bind with One Macro Line

// 传统方式:3个地方写代码
// 配置类 -> 手动调用初始化 -> 手动监听变化

// SimpleAutoEnum:一行搞定
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EAIType, None, MAX, UMySettings, AITypeList)

How it works:

Macro expansion creates a static initializer that registers automatically at engine startup
No manual subsystem code is needed
Anonymous namespaces prevent symbol conflicts

2. Comprehensive Data Validation

// 自动去重
["Soldier", "Archer", "Soldier"] → ["Soldier", "Archer"]

// 过滤空值和空格
["", " ", "Mage "] → ["Mage"]

// 保护None/MAX
["None", "Soldier", "MAX"] → ["Soldier"]  // None和MAX不会被覆盖

3. Flexible Boundary Definitions

// 标准模式
UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EWeaponType : uint8
{
    None,
    MAX
};
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EWeaponType, None, MAX, UMySettings, WeaponList)

// 自定义边界
UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EQuestState : uint8
{
    Begin,
    End
};
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EQuestState, Begin, End, UMySettings, QuestList)

4. Complete Logging System

LogSimpleAutoEnum: Log: Registered pending enum binding: EAIType -> UMySettings::AITypeList
LogSimpleAutoEnum: Log: Processing 3 pending enum bindings from static initialization
LogSimpleAutoEnum: Log: Processed enum binding: EAIType -> UMySettings::AITypeList
LogSimpleAutoEnum: Warning: Duplicate value found: "Soldier"

These logs help diagnose problems.

Usage Examples

The plugin supports three common usage patterns for different scenarios.

Example 1: Standard Usage — One-to-One Binding

The most common pattern binds one enum to one configuration array.

// 1. 定义枚举框架
UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EWeaponType : uint8
{
    None,
    MAX
};

// 2. 创建配置类
UCLASS(Config=Game, DefaultConfig, meta=(DisplayName="Game Settings"))
class UMyGameSettings : public UDeveloperSettings
{
    GENERATED_BODY()
public:
    UPROPERTY(Config, EditAnywhere, Category="Weapons")
    TArray<FString> WeaponsList;
};

// 3. 绑定枚举
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EWeaponType, None, MAX, UMyGameSettings, WeaponsList)

Configuration:

WeaponsList: ["剑", "斧", "弓", "法杖"]

Result:

EWeaponType::None, 剑, 斧, 弓, 法杖, EWeaponType::MAX

Example 2: Range Binding — Combining Multiple Arrays

Bind multiple configuration arrays to different ranges of one enum for category management.

// 定义带有多个边界的枚举
UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class ECombinedWeapons : uint8
{
    None            UMETA(DisplayName = "None"),
    PrimaryEnd      UMETA(DisplayName = "--- Primary End ---"),
    AllWeaponsEnd   UMETA(DisplayName = "--- All End ---")
};

// 绑定主武器到第一个范围
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(ECombinedWeapons, None, PrimaryEnd, UMyGameSettings, PrimaryWeaponsList)
// 绑定副武器到第二个范围
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(ECombinedWeapons, PrimaryEnd, AllWeaponsEnd, UMyGameSettings, SecondaryWeaponsList)

Configuration:

PrimaryWeaponsList: ["长剑", "战斧"]
SecondaryWeaponsList: ["匕首", "手枪"]

Result:

None, 长剑, 战斧, PrimaryEnd, 匕首, 手枪, AllWeaponsEnd

Use cases:

Weapon systems (primary/secondary/special weapons)
Skill categories (active/passive/ultimate skills)
Item categories (consumables/equipment/materials)

Example 3: Shared Array — Multiple Enums

Multiple enums use the same configuration array to maintain consistent categories.

// 品质等级枚举(用于UI显示)
UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EUIQuality : uint8
{
    None,
    Max
};
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EUIQuality, None, Max, UMyGameSettings, QualityLevelsArray)

// 物品品质枚举(用于道具系统)
UENUM(BlueprintType)
enum class EItemQuality : uint8
{
    Begin,
    End
};
// 使用同一个配置数组,保证UI和物品系统的品质分类一致
SIMPLE_BIND_ENUM_TO_CONFIG(EItemQuality, Begin, End, UMyGameSettings, QualityLevelsArray)

Configuration:

QualityLevelsArray: ["普通", "优秀", "稀有", "史诗", "传说"]

Result:

// EUIQuality枚举:
None, 普通, 优秀, 稀有, 史诗, 传说, Max

// EItemQuality枚举:
Begin, 普通, 优秀, 稀有, 史诗, 传说, End

// 两个枚举的索引值完全对应
// EUIQuality::普通 (索引1) 和 EItemQuality::普通 (索引1)
// EUIQuality::传说 (索引5) 和 EItemQuality::传说 (索引5)

Use cases:

Color tiers (consistent UI/item/effect colors)
Rarity tiers (consistent equipment/item/monster grading)
Difficulty tiers (consistent level/quest/Boss difficulty)

Usage Notes

Check enum boundaries, configuration-array ordering, empty strings, and duplicates. When multiple enums share an array, preserve the relationship between each enum’s boundaries and the array indices.