BeginEditor

Declaration

Declared in the imkit::node_editor namespace in <imkit/node_editor.h>.

namespace imkit::node_editor {
EditorFrame BeginEditor(const char *id, GraphView graph, EditorState &state,
                        RequestBuffer &requests, const NodeStyle &style,
                        EditorOptions options = {});
}

This declaration matches the public header and the imkit::node_editor::BeginEditor entry in docs/node-editor-api.json.

Arguments

Argument	Type	Meaning and handling
`id`	`const char*`	Identifies this editor surface within the current ImGui ID scope. Read during the call.
`graph`	`GraphView`	Value view of graph ID/revision, node/pin/link views, and callbacks. Spans and callback data are borrowed.
`state`	`EditorState&`	Host-owned selection, camera, and interaction state. Reuse it for this editor and context across frames.
`requests`	`RequestBuffer&`	Host-owned bounded buffer for UI edits. The host reads and validates it before clearing it.
`style`	`const NodeStyle&`	Style for this frame. It is copied into the returned `EditorFrame`.
`options`	`EditorOptions`	Frame settings such as size, grid, snapping, minimap, and read-only mode. Omitted options use default member values.

Return value

Returns an EditorFrame by value. Check visible before drawing and pass the handle to DrawLinks, DrawNodes, NodePalette, and related calls. graph, style, and options are stored in the frame; state and requests are non-owning pointers back to the caller. Finish using the frame in the same context and frame. Do not retain it or move it between contexts.

Minimal call

#include <imkit/node_editor.h>

namespace ne = imkit::node_editor;

void DrawGraph(ne::GraphView graph, ne::EditorState& state,
               ne::RequestBuffer& requests, const ne::NodeStyle& style) {
    auto frame = ne::BeginEditor("material-graph", graph, state, requests, style);
    ne::DrawLinks(frame); // reserve link drawing once; EndEditor draws after rows
    if (frame.visible) {
        ne::DrawNodes(frame);
    }
    ne::EndEditor(frame);
}

Example type: this function excerpt is called from an existing host. The caller provides graph, state, requests, and style, and calls it inside the host’s active Dear ImGui frame.

Ownership and lifetime

BeginEditor does not initialize a Dear ImGui context or own the graph model. Spans, strings, callbacks, user data, and style storage referenced by GraphView are borrowed. Keep them valid through EndEditor; if related calls such as NodeInspector or DrawDetachedPreviews use the same view, keep them valid until those calls finish as well. Do not reallocate referenced storage from a callback.

The host owns EditorState and passes it back to this editor on the same live context across frames. RequestBuffer writes only within its supplied span capacity. Never apply a partial operation: the host checks graph ID/revision and accepts or rejects each operation as a whole.

API status

The current v3.2.0 contract labels the Node Editor API as under development. Compiling BeginEditor does not establish host-model validation, undo, native OS/IME, DPI, or installed-SDK acceptance; those belong to the host or separate verification scope.