Inserting a custom button that can reload an imported skeletal mesh in the scene

Development Programming & Scripting
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1

Hello. I’m looking to insert a custom button in the GENERAL category, between the Transform and Mesh subcategory. The objective of the button will be to select a skeletal mesh in the scene, hit the button and it will “reload” the skeletal mesh.
(this is useful when the rigger finishes his task, sends new version, needs to be reloaded in the current scene).
/// Before you say: you only right click over the skeletalmesh…etc.., please mind: it’s just an example, I’ll code my own stuff on the button later.

I’ve tried to start the building blocks in Claude and GPT, but none of them can actually put a section, and a button in this location.

It seems all the documents and posts that both engines find online are from the Unreal Engine 4.3 era. The UE 5.7 API has surely changed, but I don’t know how to make it work.

I’ve checked the “make a plugin button” from the plugins menu, and I’ve also coded a custom C# class for all these attempts guided by the compilation process, and generated visual studio project files, etc..

Is there a recommended post for doing this in Unreal Engine 5.7?
Both AI debated among the “this will activate the plugin, and you’ll see the button in that section” whenever the project was recompiled and the button didn’t show because:
Priority hard coded categories
Show me the sub-section not at the bottom, but at the TOP of the GENERAL menu (in it’s own addon name section)
and other similar coding tasks, basically choking with the API placement of the button.

Please help. Any direction to explore this topic in THE CURRENT 5.7 API would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

custom button
custom button818×576 210 KB

2

llms suck, and hurt people’s ability to learn.

ue 5 and 4 look visually different, but most code is still the same.

you can use my plugin to add a filter (besides general), it’s foss. you need to call that function at some point in initialization.

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/JUtils/src/commit/c250db8dff14■■■1ba5959b77066a0b12f8aa113/Source/JUtils/Editor/JUtilsEditor.h#L19

you can see it in use here

as for the button you just need to make your function “callInEditor”

UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable, CallInEditor)

void MyFunction();

3

Thanks for the reply.
I’ll keep circling around the idea for the button. There’s a plugin inside Unreal that “adds a UI button” but I haven’t tested it.

4

since the above code reply got a 404. I’ll keep bumping this thread until a code can actually help me on this task. The button is gotta be loaded in the GENERAL section of the inspector, after clicking a selected skeletal mesh in the viewport.

I’ve made progress with understanding the public and private folders, the addon implementation in the addon’s list for the editor, however the button never appears on the specific section.
I don’t know how to put the button in between the TRANSFORM and the MATERIAL sections.

Nor Claude or GPT can make progress with this (as you already know: they only scrambled what other users have posted, not really “thinking” how to solve a problem)

Please help.
Thanks!