Quick Tags
Quick Tags are lightweight tags that are defined in the project’s Project Settings under Plugins -> J2 Tag Manager. They are intended for fast workflows where speed matters more than deep structure.
They are especially useful for debugging, prototyping, and other situations where tags need to be created and used quickly without the overhead of a full TagSet.
Purpose of Quick Tags
Quick Tags are intentionally simpler than TagSet Tags.
They exist to support workflows where you want to define a set of immediately available tags without building a more structured tagging hierarchy first. This makes them ideal for temporary or fast-moving workflows where strict organization is not the priority.
Structure of Quick Tags
Unlike TagSet Tags, Quick Tags do not use prefixes and do not build hierarchical groups through . separated paths.
A Quick Tag is simply a tag.
Examples:
Even if a Quick Tag contains a . character, it is not intended to behave like the structured grouping model used by TagSets. The Quick Tag system is deliberately simpler.
This is one of the biggest conceptual differences between Quick Tags and TagSet Tags.
Quick Tag Data
Even though Quick Tags are simpler, they still support useful metadata.
Display Name
A Quick Tag can define a Display Name, allowing it to appear in a more readable form inside the editor.
Section
A Quick Tag can also define a Section. Sections are used to group Quick Tags in the UI and make them easier to find.
This is especially useful once a project starts collecting more Quick Tags for different purposes such as debugging, AI testing, or gameplay prototyping.
Usage
Like TagSet Tags, Quick Tags can define where they are valid:
Actor Tags
Component Tags
Both
This allows Quick Tags to stay lightweight while still respecting the same actor/component separation rules as the rest of the system.
Quick Tags vs TagSet Tags
Quick Tags and TagSet Tags are meant for different types of work.
Quick Tags | TagSet Tags |
|---|---|
Fast to define | More structured |
Good for prototyping | Good for long-term use |
No prefix system | Prefix-based hierarchy |
Simple organization through sections | Advanced organization through TagSets and groups |
Lightweight workflow | Scalable production workflow |
Quick Tags are easier to define, but they are also less powerful when it comes to long-term organization.
TagSet Tags take more structure upfront, but they scale much better for larger projects and teams.
When to Use Quick Tags
Quick Tags are a good fit for:
debugging workflows
temporary tags
fast iteration
prototyping
They are not meant to replace a fully structured tag system. Instead, they complement it by giving you a very fast way to work when speed is more important than hierarchy.
Long-Term Recommendation
As a general rule, Quick Tags should be treated as the lightweight option and TagSet Tags as the production-ready option.
If a tag becomes important, is used repeatedly, or needs better structure, it will usually make sense to move that workflow toward a TagSet-based solution.