ZUI Example Mod for VRising

A comprehensive example mod demonstrating how to use the ZUI API for VRising mods, including both legacy button integration and custom UI window creation.

Purpose: This mod showcases two different approaches to using ZUI - adding buttons to the main menu and creating fully custom UI windows.

Features

This example mod demonstrates:

• Legacy Button Registration - Adding buttons to ZUI's main menu
• Custom UI Windows - Creating your own standalone UI windows with custom layouts
• UI Customization - Positioning elements, adding images, colored text, and more
• Reflection-based API calls - Safe integration with ZUI as a soft dependency

Requirements

• VRising game installed
• BepInEx 6.0.0-be.733 (IL2CPP version)
• ZUI Core Mod (REQUIRED for this showcase)
• .NET 6.0 SDK for building

Setup Instructions

1. Build the Project

dotnet build

2. Deploy

Copy the compiled ZUIExampleMod.dll to your VRising BepInEx plugins folder:

<VRising Install>/BepInEx/plugins/

3. Add Your Custom Image (Optional)

If you want to test the image functionality:

1. Create a PNG image file
2. Rename it to match what's in the code (or update the code to match your filename)
3. Place it in the appropriate ZUI images directory

💡 What This Does

When you load the game with ZUI installed, this mod creates two different UI demonstrations:

Part 1: 🔘 Legacy Buttons (Main Menu Integration)

Adds a "Simple Stuff" category to ZUI's main menu with two buttons:

• Hello World - Executes .say Hello command
• Kill Self - Executes .kill command

Part 2: 🎨 Custom UI Window

Creates a completely custom 500x350 pixel window named "YourWindowName" featuring:

• Custom title with colored text
• Multiple text elements positioned manually
• Categories for organization (README and COMMANDS sections)
• Buttons at specific positions
• Image display capability

🔧 The Core Code

The plugin uses reflection to safely call ZUI methods, making it work as a soft dependency:

private void Call(string name, params object[] args)
{
    if (_zui == null) return;
    var method = _zui.GetMethods(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Static)
                     .FirstOrDefault(m => m.Name == name && m.GetParameters().Length == args.Length);
    if (method != null) method.Invoke(null, args);
    else LogInstance.LogError($"Could not find ZUI method '{name}' with {args.Length} parameters.");
}

Creating Custom Windows

private void CreateCustomUI()
{
    Call("SetPlugin", "YourPluginName");
    Call("SetTargetWindow", "YourWindowName");
    Call("SetUI", 500, 350);  // Width x Height

    Call("SetTitle", "<color=#B30000>ZUIExampleMod</color>");
    Call("AddText", "<color=#61c200>Custom text here</color>", 15f, 210f);
    Call("AddButton", "Test", ".ignorethis", 320f, 220f);
    Call("AddCategory", "<color=#ffd700>README:</color>", 15f, 190f);
    Call("AddImage", "CHANGENAME.png", 20f, 40f, 460f, 150f);
}

📁 Project Structure

ZUIExampleMod/
├── Plugin.cs              # Main plugin - creates UI elements
├── MyPluginInfo.cs        # Plugin metadata
└── ZUIExampleMod.csproj   # Project configuration

🎯 How to Adapt This for Your Mod

Approach 1: Simple Menu Buttons

Perfect for basic functionality that just needs a few buttons:

Call("SetPlugin", "MyMod");
Call("SetTargetWindow", "Main");
Call("AddCategory", "My Features");
Call("AddButton", "Do Something", ".mycommand");

Approach 2: Custom UI Windows

For complex UIs with custom layouts:

Call("SetPlugin", "MyMod");
Call("SetTargetWindow", "MyCustomWindow");
Call("SetUI", 600, 400);  // Set window size

// Position elements exactly where you want
Call("AddText", "Welcome!", 10f, 10f);
Call("AddButton", "Click Me", ".command", 10f, 50f, 200f, 30f);
Call("AddImage", "logo.png", 10f, 100f, 580f, 200f);

📚 ZUI API Methods Demonstrated

🎨 Custom UI Design Tool

Want to design your custom UI visually?

Use the official ZUI Canvas Designer at https://zanakinz.github.io/ZUI

This interactive tool allows you to:

• Visually position UI elements (buttons, text, images, categories)
• Preview your layout in real-time
• Export code directly for your mod
• Experiment with different window sizes and arrangements

Instead of manually calculating X/Y coordinates, use the designer to drag and drop elements, then copy the generated code into your mod!

📐 Positioning System

Coordinates are in pixels from top-left (0, 0):

• X increases going right
• Y increases going down
• Origin is top-left corner of the window

🎨 Color Support

ZUI supports Unity Rich Text color tags:

"<color=#FF0000>Red Text</color>"
"<color=#00FF00>Green Text</color>"
"<color=#B30000>Dark Red</color>"
"<color=#ffd700>Gold</color>"

🔍 Troubleshooting

Mod loads but no UI appears:

• Make sure ZUI is installed and loaded first
• Check BepInEx console for errors
• Verify ZUI version compatibility

"ZUI not found" or mod works without errors but no UI:

• ZUI is marked as a soft dependency
• The mod will load without ZUI but won't create any UI
• Install ZUI core mod

Custom window doesn't appear:

• Check that SetUI(width, height) is called before adding elements
• Verify window dimensions are reasonable (100-2000 pixels)
• Make sure SetTargetWindow() uses a unique name

Images not showing:

• Verify image file exists in ZUI's image directory
• Check filename matches exactly (case-sensitive)
• Supported format: PNG

Build errors:

• Ensure .NET 6.0 SDK is installed
• ZUI reference is handled via reflection (no compile-time dependency needed)

🎯 Design Philosophy

This example demonstrates:

• Soft dependency pattern - Works even if ZUI isn't installed
• Reflection-based API access - No compile-time dependency on ZUI.dll
• Two UI paradigms - Both simple menu integration and complex custom windows
• Practical examples - Real positioning values you can copy and modify

🚶 Next Steps

1. Clone this example
2. Update plugin metadata in MyPluginInfo.cs
3. Choose your approach:
   • Simple menu buttons → Modify CreateSimpleUI()
   • Custom window → Modify CreateCustomUI()
4. Adjust positions and sizes to fit your needs
5. Add your own images (optional)
6. Implement command handlers in your mod
7. Build and deploy!

🙏 Credits

• ZUI API by Zanakinz
• Example implementation for the VRising modding community

🤖 AI Disclosure

• AI was used in creation of readme's
• AI was used for debugging

📜 License

This is example code for educational purposes. Modify and use as needed!

• ZUI API by Zanakinz
• Example implementation for the VRising modding community

Happy modding!