Spectacles UI Kit — Programmatic UI Guide

While Lens Studio provides UI prefabs, you can construct complex interfaces entirely in TypeScript using the Spectacles UI Kit. This approach (sometimes called FastUI) is ideal for dynamic grids, scalable menus, and data-driven galleries.

Import Note: Components belong to SpectaclesUIKit.lspkg.

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Component Lifecycle (CRITICAL)

When creating UI Kit components via script, you must follow this exact lifecycle sequence or the layout will fail to render:

1. global.scene.createSceneObject()
2. createComponent('TypeName')
3. Set physical size/dimensions
4. Call .initialize()
5. Set visual properties (appearance, margins)
6. Bind interaction events

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1. Creating a Frame (The Root Container)

The Frame component holds panels, adds a background plate, and handles focus behaviors.

import { Frame } from "SpectaclesUIKit.lspkg/Scripts/Components/Frame/Frame"

const frameObj = global.scene.createSceneObject("MainFrame")
const frameComp = frameObj.createComponent(Frame.getTypeName()) as any

// 1. Initialize Frame first (required by UIKit)
frameComp.initialize()

// 2. Set properties AFTER initialization
frameComp.innerSize = new vec2(24, 26) // Width, Height (cm)

// Appearance: "Large" (Far-field) or "Small" (Near-field)
frameComp.appearance = "Large"

// Auto-show/hide based on user gaze interaction
frameComp.autoShowHide = true

// Use the setFollowing method (do not set a property directly)
if (frameComp.setFollowing) {
  frameComp.setFollowing(false)
}

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2. Creating a Grid Layout

GridLayout automatically arranges child objects in rows and columns.

import { GridLayout } from "SpectaclesUIKit.lspkg/Scripts/Components/GridLayout/GridLayout"

const gridObj = global.scene.createSceneObject("GridLayout")
gridObj.setParent(frameObj)

const grid = gridObj.createComponent(GridLayout.getTypeName())

// Configure Grid geometry
grid.rows = 3
grid.columns = 3

// cellSize is a vec2 (width, height)
grid.cellSize = new vec2(4, 4)

// cellPadding is a vec4 (Left, Top, Right, Bottom)
grid.cellPadding = new vec4(0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5)

// layoutBy: 0 = Row-first, 1 = Column-first
grid.layoutBy = 0 

// Initialize (locks in the geometry)
grid.initialize()

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3. Creating Buttons

You can create RectangleButton, CapsuleButton, or RoundButton.

import { RectangleButton } from "SpectaclesUIKit.lspkg/Scripts/Components/Button/RectangleButton"

const btnObj = global.scene.createSceneObject("Button_1")
btnObj.setParent(gridObj) // Add to grid

const button = btnObj.createComponent(RectangleButton.getTypeName()) as any

// 1. Set size BEFORE initialize!
// Note: For RoundButton use button.width = 4;
button.size = new vec3(4, 4, 1)

// 2. Initialize
button.initialize()

// 3. Configure styling post-initialization
button.renderOrder = 0 // matches parent frame
button.hasShadow = true

// Note: Button style (Primary, Secondary, Ghost) is handled in
// constructor/inspector. Changing it at runtime is unsupported.

// 4. Bind interactions
button.onTriggerUp.add(() => {
  print("Button clicked!")
})

// Optional: Add a text label manually
const textObj = global.scene.createSceneObject("Label")
textObj.setParent(btnObj)
const textComp = textObj.createComponent("Component.Text")
textComp.text = "Click Me"
textComp.size = 12
textComp.horizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Center
textComp.verticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Center

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4. Manual Layouts (Optional)

If GridLayout is too rigid, you can calculate positions manually for simple vertical or horizontal stacks:

// Example: Vertical Layout loop
const spacing = 1.5
const btnHeight = 2.5

for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
  const btnObj = createMyButton() // generic wrapper returning your button 
  const yPos = -i * (btnHeight + spacing)
  btnObj.getTransform().setLocalPosition(new vec3(0, yPos, 0))
  btnObj.setParent(menuContainer)
}

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Common Gotchas

• Initialization Order: Passing properties to a UI element before .initialize() rarely works. Set base dimensions usually before, then init, then appearance.
• RoundButton Size: Uses .width, not .size.
• Corner Radius: Automatically calculated by the component based on size constraints. Don't overwrite it directly.
• LayoutDirection enum: If you lack the TS import for LayoutDirection.Row, just pass the integer 0.
• Text Sizing: Text components map size arbitrarily based on their transform hierarchy. 12-16 is a good starting point for button labels in a Large frame.

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Reference Examples

• UIKitPatternGenerator.ts - An official comprehensive programmatic UI builder demonstrating all component types and lifecycle requirements.