guides

Equipment & hotbar

A typed paper-doll for RPG loadouts and a hotbar that turns digit keys into gameplay events. Both accept drag-and-drop from any other inventory.

The equipment paper-doll

EquipmentController manages a list of EquipmentSlot children, each declaring which slot types it accepts. Drag a helm from the bag onto the helm slot and it equips; drag it onto the boots slot and it snaps back. The fastest way to get one is Window▸NullBolt▸Inventory System▸Create▸Equipment Panel in Scene — an 11-slot anatomical layout (helm, amulet, chest, gloves, main/off hand, belt, two rings, legs, boots) with ghost silhouettes per slot.

Equipment paper-doll panel with typed slots and some equipped items — The Create menu's 11-slot paper-doll. Empty slots show a ghost silhouette of what belongs there.

Validation rule	Description
Typed slots	A slot lists its accepted `EquipmentSlotType`s; an item declares one via `ItemData.EquipSlot`. Equipping requires a match, an empty slot, and `IsEquippable`.
15 slot types	`None`, `Helm`, `Chest`, `Legs`, `Boots`, `Gloves`, `Shoulders`, `Cloak`, `MainHand`, `OffHand`, `Ring1`, `Ring2`, `Amulet`, `Belt`, `Trinket` — stable ints, safe to persist.
"Any ring" slots	A slot may accept several types — list both `Ring1` and `Ring2` on one slot and either ring fits.

Equipment from code

using InventorySystem;

equipment.Equip(helmData);          // first matching empty slot
equipment.EquipAt(ringData, 7);     // a specific slot index
equipment.Unequip(7);

equipment.OnItemEquipped   += (item, slotType) => RecalculateStats();
equipment.OnItemUnequipped += (item, slotType) => RecalculateStats();

// note

The controller is gameplay-neutral by design — it validates types and raises events but computes no stats. Subscribe to OnItemEquipped/OnItemUnequipped and apply your own stat logic there.

Rendering is handled by EquipmentPanelUI in one of two modes: LabeledList auto-generates a label + slot row per entry (zero layout work), while Free binds pre-placed slot visuals for full paper-doll layouts — that's what the Create menu generates.

The hotbar

HotbarController extends the slot inventory with digit-key input: 1–9 map to the first nine slots and 0 to the tenth (offset by Base Slot if set). Slots within key range get a small gold key chip in the corner automatically. Activating a slot — by key or by left-click — raises one event:

The only event you need

using InventorySystem;

hotbar.OnSlotActivated += (slotIndex, item) =>
{
    if (item == null) { Sfx.Play("empty_click"); return; }   // empty slots still fire

    switch (item.ItemData.Category)
    {
        case ItemCategory.Consumable: Drink(item);  break;
        case ItemCategory.Weapon:     Wield(item);  break;
    }
};

A hotbar with gold digit chips and an activation label, as seen in the Survival demo's quickbar — A hotbar with keybind chips — the Survival demo's quickbar. The HotbarActivationLabel component above it fades in a “[2] Combat Knife”-style readout on each activation; its source is a ready-made example of consuming OnSlotActivated.

Member	Type	Description
ActivateSlot(int)	bool	Trigger a slot from your own input code (gamepad, rebindable actions). Returns false when out of range.
ListenForNumberKeys	bool	Disable the built-in digit polling entirely and drive activation yourself.
BaseSlot	int	Offsets which slot the “1” key targets — useful for multi-row bars.

// heads up

Digit-key polling uses the new Input System package. With only the legacy Input Manager, drags still work but hotbar keys stay silent — call ActivateSlot from your own input handling instead. Try it instantly with Window▸NullBolt▸Inventory System▸Scene Tools▸Add Hotbar Showcase To Open Scene.

Cross-inventory drag, for free

Grid, slots, hotbar, and equipment all implement IInventory, and every drag handler routes through the same transfer pipeline — so bag→hotbar, bag→equipment, stash→bag, and equipment→shop drags all work with no configuration. Failed transfers roll the item back to where it came from.