Some RichTextLabel getter methods only return a correct value on the next frame

[golddotasksquestions]

Godot version: 3.2.stable

OS/device including version: Win 64

Issue description:
get_total_character_count() returns 0 in a RichTextLabel with text.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Add RichTextLabel node
2. add text in textbox
3. add script:

extends RichTextLabel

func _ready():
	print( get_total_character_count() )

This should work according to the docs:
https://docs.godotengine.org/en/3.2/classes/class_richtextlabel.html#class-richtextlabel-method-get-total-character-count
possibly related: #874

[Calinou]

Duplicate of #12884. That said, we should update the documentation to mention the character count functions won't work in a ready callback unless they're called using call_deferred().

[MJacred]

then we'll have the same issue with RichTextLabel::set_percent_visible, as that one calls get_total_character_count().

I can make a PR, should I add a note to both?

[dalexeev]

I wanted to report the same problem, but found this issue.

extends Node

func _ready():
    var rtl = $RichTextLabel
    rtl.bbcode_text = "[color=red]hello[/color]\n"
    
    print("content_height: ", rtl.get_content_height())
    print("line_count: ", rtl.get_line_count())
    print("total_character_count: ", rtl.get_total_character_count())
    
    yield(get_tree(), "idle_frame")
    print("---")
    
    print("content_height: ", rtl.get_content_height())
    print("line_count: ", rtl.get_line_count())
    print("total_character_count: ", rtl.get_total_character_count())
    
    # content_height: 796355904  <-- An uninitialized variable?
    # line_count: 2
    # total_character_count: 0
    # ---
    # content_height: 30
    # line_count: 2
    # total_character_count: 5

I think this should be considered a bug. Information should be updated immediately, in the text/bbcode_text setter. Otherwise, you have to make the processing function asynchronous (which can cause unnecessary inconvenience.).

[Calinou]

@dalexeev I'm not sure if it's even possible to make those methods synchronous in the first place. Otherwise, they probably would be synchronous already 🙂

[dalexeev]

@Calinou I meant a user-defined function (_ready or the like).

func write(text):
    rtl.bbcode_text += text
    yield(get_tree(), "idle_frame") # hack!
    tmr.start()
    while rtl.visible_characters < rtl.get_total_character_count():
        yield(tmr, "timeout")
        rtl.visible_characters += 1
    tmr.stop()

(My function is already asynchronous because the loop contains yield, but there may be different situations when the synchronous function is much more convenient.)

[Darenn]

Hi,
The issue #37912 that I opened was a duplicate of this one.
I've listed some workaround if you want to check.
Here's a minimal project to reproduce if it can be helpful.
LabelBug.zip

[git2013vb]

Hi I have similar problem with GetContentHeight()

RichTextLabel.zip

[Yesyoor]

I encountered a problem when setting the text via gdscript. For any message set the line_count will always return 1, no matter how many lines are shown/drawn. visible_line_count returns the correct values, increasing while revealing them via a timeout signal.
Godot v 3.2.1 on macOS Catalina.

I wanted to set scroll_to_line to scroll down while revealing the lines, but always hit an index out of bounds error due to the incorrect lines.size() value. Found a workaround using a deferred call to the scroll bar. Still probably should be fixed though as invisible_line count works