Features Inspector Inspector Overview - Ambiguous-Interactive/unity-helpers GitHub Wiki

Inspector & Serialization Features Overview

Unity Helpers includes a suite of inspector attributes and serialization types that change how you author components and data. These features eliminate repetitive code and provide designer-friendly workflows.

Why Use These Features?

Time Savings:

  • Grouping & Organization: Can replace 50+ lines of custom editor code with a single [WGroup] attribute
  • Method Buttons: Expose test methods in the inspector without writing custom editors
  • Conditional Display: Show/hide fields based on values without PropertyDrawer boilerplate
  • Selection Controls: Turn enums into toggle buttons, primitives into dropdowns - all declaratively
  • Serialization: Store GUIDs, dictionaries, sets, and types with built-in Unity support

Features:

  • Designer-friendly interfaces reduce programmer bottlenecks
  • Project-wide settings ensure consistent styling and behavior
  • Pagination, animation, and polish - built-in

Feature Categories

Cached Enum Labels for Custom Editor Tools

EditorCacheHelper.GetEnumDisplayName and GetEnumDisplayNames share cached labels. An InspectorName attribute containing null, an empty string, or only whitespace uses the declared member name. Nonblank custom labels retain their exact text, including leading and trailing spaces. Members without an attribute use Unity's formatted name. This fallback applies to these helper APIs; Unity's built-in enum inspector controls have their own label handling.

1. Layout & Organization

Control how fields are grouped and organized in the inspector:

using UnityEngine;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Attributes;

public class TwoWGroupExample : MonoBehaviour
{
    [WGroup("Group 1", collapsible: true)]
    public float health;
    public int intValue;
    public string stringValue;

    [WGroup("Group 2", collapsible: true)]
    public float speed;
    public int otherIntValue;
    public string otherStringValue;
}

WGroup collapsed and expanded states

→ Full Guide: Inspector Grouping Attributes

2. Inline Editing

Edit nested objects without losing context:

  • WInLineEditor - Embed inspectors for ScriptableObjects, Materials, Textures directly below the field
using UnityEngine;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Attributes;

[CreateAssetMenu(fileName = "PowerUpDefinition", menuName = "Power-Up Definition")]
public class PowerUpDefinition : ScriptableObject
{
    public string powerUpName;
    public Sprite icon;
}

public class WInLineEditorSimpleExample : MonoBehaviour
{
    [WInLineEditor]
    public PowerUpDefinition powerUp;
}

WInLineEditor showing embedded ScriptableObject inspector WInLineEditor foldout expand/collapse animation

→ Full Guide: Inspector Inline Editor

3. Method Invocation

Expose methods as clickable buttons in the inspector:

  • WButton - One-click method execution with result history, async support, custom styling, grouping
using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Threading;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using UnityEngine;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Attributes;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Extension;

public class WButtonOverviewExample : MonoBehaviour
{
    [WButton]
    private void Test1()
    {
        this.Log($"We did it!");
    }

    [WButton]
    private IEnumerator KindaCoroutine()
    {
        this.Log($"Starting coroutine...");
        yield return new WaitForSeconds(1f);
        this.Log($"Coroutine finished!");
    }

    [WButton]
    private async Task AsyncWorksToo()
    {
        await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
        this.Log($"Did it work?");
    }

    [WButton]
    private async Task AsyncWorksTooWithCancellationTokens(CancellationToken ct)
    {
        await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1), ct);
        this.Log($"Did it work?");
    }

    [WButton]
    private async ValueTask ValueTasks(CancellationToken ct)
    {
        await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1), ct);
        this.Log($"Did it work?");
    }
}

WButton examples showing void, async, and history WButton executing async method and result display

→ Full Guide: Inspector Buttons

4. Conditional Display

Show or hide fields based on runtime values:

  • WShowIf - Visibility rules with comparison operators (Equal, GreaterThan, IsNull, etc.), inversion, stacking
using UnityEngine;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Attributes;

public enum ExampleEnum
{
    Option1,
    Option2,
    Option3,
}

public class WShowIfExamples : MonoBehaviour
{
    public bool toggle;

    [WShowIf(nameof(toggle))]
    public string hiddenByBool;

    public int intValue;

    [WShowIf(nameof(intValue), WShowIfComparison.GreaterThan, 5)]
    public string hiddenByInt;

    public ExampleEnum enumValue;

    [WShowIf(nameof(enumValue), ExampleEnum.Option2, ExampleEnum.Option3)]
    public string hiddenByEnum;
}

WShowIf examples showing visibility based on bool, int, and enum

→ Full Guide: Inspector Conditional Display

5. Selection & Dropdowns

Provide designer-friendly selection controls:

using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Attributes;

public class WEnumToggleButtonOverview : MonoBehaviour
{
    [WEnumToggleButtons]
    [IntDropDown(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)]
    public List<int> canToggle; // Works in lists!

    [WEnumToggleButtons]
    [IntDropDown(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)]
    public int canToggle2;

    [StringInList(typeof(WEnumToggleButtonOverview), nameof(GetStringValues))]
    public string canSelectString;

    [WValueDropDown(typeof(WEnumToggleButtonOverview), nameof(GetFloatValues))]
    public float canSelectFloat;

    private IEnumerable<string> GetStringValues()
    {
        yield return "String1";
        yield return "String2";
        yield return "String3";
    }

    private IEnumerable<float> GetFloatValues()
    {
        yield return 1.0f;
        yield return 2.0f;
        yield return 3.0f;
    }
}

WEnumToggleButtons, StringInList, and WValueDropDown examples

→ Full Guide: Inspector Selection Attributes

6. Validation & Protection

Protect data integrity with validation attributes:

  • WReadOnly - Display fields as read-only in the inspector
  • WNotNull - Validate required references at runtime with CheckForNulls()

→ Full Guide: Inspector Validation Attributes

7. Serialization Types

Unity-friendly wrappers for complex data:

WGuid, dictionary, sets, types, nullables in action

→ Full Guide: Serialization Types

8. Project Settings

Centralized configuration for all inspector features:

Location: ProjectSettings/UnityHelpersSettings.asset

Settings:

  • Pagination sizes (buttons, sets, dropdowns)
  • Button placement and history capacity
  • Color palettes for themes (light/dark/custom)
  • Animation speeds for foldouts and groups
  • Auto-include defaults

UnityHelpersSettings inspector showing all configuration options

using UnityEngine;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Attributes;

public class WButtonSettingsExample : MonoBehaviour
{
    [WButton(colorKey: "Documentation Example")]
    private void Button() { }
}

Changing color palette and seeing instant update in inspector

→ Full Guide: Inspector Settings

Quick Start Example

Here's a complete example showcasing multiple inspector features together:

using UnityEngine;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.Attributes;
using WallstopStudios.UnityHelpers.Core.DataStructure.Adapters;

public class CharacterStats : MonoBehaviour
{
    // Grouped fields with collapsible sections
    [WGroup("Combat", "Combat Stats", collapsible: true)]
    public float maxHealth = 100f;           // In group
    public float defense = 10f;              // In group (auto-included)
    [WGroupEnd("Combat")]                    // attackPower IS included, then closes
    public float attackPower = 25f;          // In group (last field)

    // Conditional visibility based on enum
    public enum WeaponType { Melee, Ranged, Magic }
    public WeaponType weaponType;

    [WShowIf(nameof(weaponType), WShowIfComparison.Equal, WeaponType.Ranged)]
    public int ammoCapacity = 30;

    // Flag enum as toggle buttons
    [System.Flags]
    public enum Abilities { None = 0, Jump = 1, Dash = 2, Block = 4 }

    [WEnumToggleButtons(showSelectAll: true)]
    public Abilities unlockedAbilities;

    // Serializable collections
    public SerializableDictionary<string, int> stats;
    public WGuid entityId = WGuid.NewGuid();

    // Inspector button
    [WButton("Reset Stats")]
    private void ResetStats() => maxHealth = defense = attackPower = 100f;
}

For individual feature examples, see the detailed guides linked above.

Feature Comparison

Feature Unity Default Odin Inspector Unity Helpers
Grouping/Boxes Custom Editor [BoxGroup] [WGroup]
Foldouts Custom Editor [FoldoutGroup] [WGroup(collapsible: true)]
Method Buttons Custom Editor [Button] [WButton]
Conditional Display Custom Drawer [ShowIf] [WShowIf]
Enum Toggles Custom Drawer [EnumToggleButtons] [WEnumToggleButtons]
Dictionaries Not Supported [ShowInInspector] SerializableDictionary<K,V>
Sets Not Supported Custom SerializableHashSet<T>
Type References Not Supported Custom SerializableType
Nullable Values Not Supported Custom SerializableNullable<T>
Color Themes Not Supported Built-in Project Settings
Cost Free $55-$95 Free (MIT)

Design Philosophy

Declarative Over Imperative:

  • Attributes describe what, not how
  • No custom PropertyDrawers for common patterns
  • Configuration over code

Designer-Friendly:

  • Visual controls for visual people
  • Reduce programmer bottlenecks
  • Iteration without recompiling

Performance-Conscious:

  • Uses cached reflection delegates to reduce overhead
  • Uses pooled buffers for UI rendering to reduce allocations
  • Aims to minimize GC allocations

Project-Consistent:

  • Centralized settings asset
  • Predictable behavior across all inspectors

Getting Started

  1. Install Unity Helpers - See Installation Guide

  2. Explore Examples - Check the guides linked above

  3. Configure Settings - Open ProjectSettings/UnityHelpersSettings.asset to customize pagination, colors, and animations

  4. Add Attributes - Start with [WGroup] and [WButton] for immediate impact

  5. Use Serialization Types - Replace custom wrappers with SerializableDictionary, SerializableSet, etc.

Detailed Documentation

Inspector Attributes

Serialization

  • Serialization Types - WGuid, SerializableDictionary, SerializableSet, SerializableType, SerializableNullable

Configuration

See Also

Next Steps:

Choose a guide based on what you want to learn first:

📦 Unity Helpers | 📖 Documentation | 🐛 Issues | 📜 MIT License

⚠️ **GitHub.com Fallback** ⚠️