Quick answer: Bugnet's Widget Builder (dashboard > Widget Builder) restyles the in-game report form with a live preview: colours, header and button text, placeholders, fonts, corner radius, size, position, fade timing, which fields show, and a background image. The SDK downloads the settings when the game starts, so changes reach players without a new build. Custom theming needs the Studio plan or higher; the free plan uses the default theme.
Players judge a report form in a second. If it looks like a stock debug panel, many will not bother, and the ones who do write less. A form that matches your art style, speaks in your game's voice and asks only what you need gets more reports, and better ones.
What you can change
| Area | Settings |
|---|---|
| Colours | Panel, accent, text, header, input background and border, overlay colour and opacity, and Submit and Cancel buttons (with optional hover colours) |
| Copy | Header text, title, description and steps placeholders, Submit and Cancel labels |
| Layout | Header and body font size, corner radius, panel width and height limits, spacing, margin and screen position (centre, an edge or a corner) |
| Motion | Fade-in and fade-out duration, up to 5 seconds each |
| Fields | Show or hide steps to reproduce, category, priority and an email box; choose which categories and priorities appear |
| Background | An image behind the panel (cover, contain, stretch or tile), where the engine's widget supports it |
| Branding | Hide the “Powered by Bugnet” badge |
How it works
- Open Widget Builder in the dashboard, pick the project and adjust settings while the live preview updates.
- Save. The settings are stored with the project.
- The SDK fetches them when the game starts and themes its built-in widget, so the next launch shows the new look, with no rebuild or store resubmission.
This applies to the built-in widgets in the Unity, Godot, web, Pygame, GameMaker and Construct 3 SDKs. In Godot you can also assign your own Theme resource to the SDK's widget_theme property to use your game's fonts and styles. Unreal games call ReportBug() from their own UMG menu, so the form is already yours.
Design tips that get more and better reports
- Use your game's voice. “Something broke? Tell the blacksmith.” beats “Submit Bug Report” in a fantasy game. Keep the button label plain, though: “Send report”.
- Ask leading questions in placeholders. “What were you doing, and what did you expect to happen?” gets better descriptions than “Description”.
- Hide fields players answer badly. Most players mark everything critical; hide the priority selector and let your triage set it. Keep category if it helps you route reports.
- Trim categories. Remove the ones that do not apply (a single-player game rarely needs
network) and order the rest by how often players need them. Categories must come from Bugnet's eight built-in values: crash, visual, gameplay, performance, audio, ui, network and other. - Turn on the email box if you want to follow up. Players who leave an email are told when their bug's status changes.
- Check contrast and size on the smallest screen you ship to, including Steam Deck and phones.
- Keep it fast. A short fade is fine; a long one makes the form feel sluggish.
Where to put the button
Customising the form only matters if players find it. Put a “Report a bug” entry in the pause menu and main menu, and consider a hotkey (F8 is common) for PC. Every report carries a screenshot (if screenshot capture is on), the game version, the player's platform and their hardware, so the form itself can stay short.
Create a free Bugnet project to add the widget; upgrade to Studio when you want to theme it. To compare widgets across tools, see the best in-game bug reporting tools.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change how Bugnet's in-game bug report widget looks?
Yes. The Widget Builder in the dashboard changes colours, text, fonts, layout, position, fade timing, fields and background, with a live preview. Custom theming needs the Studio plan or higher.
Do I need to ship a new build to change the widget?
No. The SDK downloads the widget settings when the game starts, so changes appear the next time players launch the game.
Can I use custom categories in the widget?
You can choose which of Bugnet's eight built-in categories appear and in what order: crash, visual, gameplay, performance, audio, ui, network and other.
Can I remove the Powered by Bugnet badge?
Yes, on paid plans the Widget Builder has a setting to hide it.
Which engines support the Widget Builder?
The built-in widgets in the Unity, Godot, web, Pygame, GameMaker and Construct 3 SDKs. Unreal games build their own form in UMG and call ReportBug().
Your bug report form is part of your game. Players notice when it does not look like it.