Named

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-03

Overview

The named component allows an entity to have a custom display name, optionally formatted using a format string, and optionally attributed to a specific user (via their net ID). It synchronizes the name and author information across the network using self.inst.replica.named. When no name is set, the component defaults to using the prefab's localized name from STRINGS.NAMES. It is typically added to prefabs that benefit from player-facing identification, such as items, pets, or structures.

Usage example

local inst = CreateEntity()
inst:AddComponent("named")

-- Set a custom name with author
inst.components.named:SetName("My Special Hat", "PlayerName")

-- Assign a random name from a list
inst.components.named.possiblenames = { "Fred", "Glorp", "Zzz" }
inst.components.named:PickNewName()

-- Access the resolved name
local displayName = inst.name

Dependencies & tags

Components used: replica.named (via self.inst.replica.named:SetName(...)), TheNet (via TheNet:GetNetIdForUser(...)) Tags: None identified

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
possiblenames	table or nil	nil	List of candidate strings to randomly choose from when PickNewName() is called.
nameformat	string or nil	nil	Optional format string (e.g., "Name: %s") used to derive the final display name. If nil, self.name is used directly.
name	string or nil	nil	The base name string, or nil to trigger fallback to the prefab's default name.
name_author_netid	number or nil	nil	The network user ID (platform ID) of the user who named the entity.

Main functions

PickNewName()

• Description: Selects a random name from self.possiblenames (if non-empty) and applies it via DoSetName.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: No effect if self.possiblenames is nil or empty.

SetName(name, author)

• Description: Sets the entity's display name and author (if provided). If name is nil, falls back to the default prefab name from STRINGS.NAMES. Updates inst.name and synchronizes via replica.named.
• Parameters:
  name (string or nil) – Custom name or nil to use default.
  author (string or nil) – Username whose net ID should be recorded. If provided, converted to net ID via TheNet:GetNetIdForUser(author).
• Returns: Nothing.

OnSave()

• Description: Returns a serializable table containing name, nameformat, and name_author_netid if a custom name is set; otherwise returns nil.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: table or nil – A table with keys name, nameformat, and name_author_netid if self.name is not nil; otherwise nil.

OnLoad(data)

• Description: Restores name state from data (typically provided by OnSave) and re-applies it. Does nothing if data or data.name is nil.
• Parameters:
  data (table or nil) – Save data table containing name, nameformat, and optionally name_author_netid.
• Returns: Nothing.

Events & listeners

None identified