Targetname

Caveats

• A targetname is not required for an entity to exist, but in some cases must be present for an entity to play a part in the I/O System.
• A targetname is required for an entity to be a Parent in the Movement Hierarchy System.
• A targetname must be stored in the map's entity data block, so avoid naming entities that don't need a name (i.e. aren't ever referenced by another entity). The comment field in Hammer is useful for describing entities that don't need targetnames, and doesn't get saved into the .bsp entity data block.
• Targetnames do not need to be unique. As many entities as the mapper wants can share the same name, and they will all respond to the same inputs. Duplicated targetnames are displayed in bold font.
• Targetnames are also useful for categorizing entities (area1_name, area2_name, etc.).
• Targetnames cannot contain ! or * characters (see below).

Notes

There are several extended features to name searches that are useful in a variety of situations. The most common use is to target an entity with an unknown name that is somehow involved in the current I/O chain. The extended features are:

• Wildcards

Name searching supports trailing * wildcards only. So searching for area1* will match any targetnames that start with area1 (i.e. area1_portal and area1_door, but not area2_door).

• The I/O System is classname friendly, but Hammer isn't. This is the case that doesn't require a targetname for the I/O System.

An example of this is use of ent_fire with a classname as opposed to a targetname.

Keywords

The following special targetnames can be used to dynamically select an entity:

!activator

The entity that began the current I/O chain. If a player walks into a trigger that fires a logic_relay, the player is the !activator of the relay's output(s).

!caller

The previous entity in the current I/O chain. If a player walks into a trigger that that fires a logic_relay, the trigger is the !caller of the relay's output(s).

!self

The entity from which the current output originates. If a player walks into a trigger that that fires a logic_relay, the relay is the !self of its output(s).

!player

The player. Only useful in singleplayer.

Tip:To target all players in a server, use player.

!pvsplayer

The first player found in the entity's Potential Visibility Set. The PVS used is taken from the entity doing the searching, or the activator if no searching entity exists. If no activator exists either, the first player in the game is returned (i.e. !player).

!speechtarget

The entity at which the !caller is looking due to a Look At Actor or Face Actor choreography event.

Todo: The !caller? Really?

!picker

The first entity under the player's crosshair. Only useful in single-player, and mostly only for debugging.

Note:This only finds entities that are solid (i.e. can be hit by the invisible "bullet" that is fired).

See also

• List of Entity Classes that cannot have a Targetname
• Client Command by Trigger proximity, a mini-tutorial explaining the process of letting the player(s) in your game execute a Client Command by a trigger.
• User Inputs and Outputs
• GetDebugName(), for accessing an entity's targetname in C++.