godot-clear-children

What problem does it solve?

Safely clear Godot node hierarchies by removing all child nodes without causing runtime errors, memory leaks, or dangling references.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Demonstrates multiple correct patterns to clear all children in Godot: while get_child_count() > 0: get_child(0).queue_free() (loop-based cleanup); iterating over a duplicate of get_children() to avoid index shifts; and using the built-in clear_children() method when available (Godot 4.1+). Emphasizes best practices like using queue_free() (not free()), avoiding cleanup inside _process, and signaling before or after cleanup to maintain integrity.
• Real-world scenarios: cleaning up dynamically spawned nodes at scene transitions, after game over, or when resetting a level, ensuring memory is reclaimed and references are safely dropped.
• Edge-case handling: works with empty parents, nested scenes, and validates node integrity before performing cleanup.

Quick Start

Follow the examples to implement proper child removal in Godot projects using the recommended patterns.