See Document for more detail.

Overview

ViewSystem is a element based UI management system based on Unity GUI. It is developed and used by Macaca Games. UI management in Unity3D is always a hard work, the goal of ViewSystem is to make UI management more easier and flexable.

Feature

• Element based UI manager system
• UI Element pooling system
• Property and Event override in runtime
• Node based editor

Concept

ViewElement

ViewElement is the base unit in ViewSystem, any item shows on an UI page can be a ViewElement, such as a button, a icon or anything else.

For example, the red square part in the screenshot is a ViewElement.

And the most important thing, ViewElement only focus how it will show or leave and doesn't care where it will be placed.

Currently there is 5 method to transition while we try to showing or leaving a ViewElement: Animator, CanvasGroup Fade, Active Switch, ViewElement Animation, Custom.

ViewElement Animation

ViewElementAnimation is a simple tool helps to making a Animation on a ViewElement, it can control the Transfomr(pos, rot, scale) and the CanvasGroup(alpha) with Tween animation.

ViewPage

ViewPage compose with one or more ViewElements and define where the ViewElements should be placed. Base on it's default behaviour there is two kind of ViewPage : FullPage, OverlayPage.

FullPage

The basic type of ViewPage, the system only allow one FullPage shows on the screen at the same time. When the ChangePage action is fire, system will leave all ViewElements defined in last FullPage and then show the ViewElements defined in next FullPage.

OverlayPage

Sometimes we may wants an UI page shows and covered current screen, the OverlayPage can helps to implement the feature.

This is very useful when making Dialog, LoadingView ect.

OverlayPage allow to shows more than one page in the same time, each OverlayPage maintain it's own lifecycle.

Currently, different OverlayPage can be show in the same time, but the same OverlayPage still has only one instance the duplicate call to shows an OverlayPage which is already on the screen is not allowed and the call will be ignore, but if you wish to replay the show animation in the ViewElement you can set the parameter ReShowWhileSamePage to True while calling the ShowOverlayPage API.

ViewState

ViewState is similar as ViewPage, ViewState can define the duplicate part in two or more ViewPage.

Each ViewPage can setup at most one ViewState.

And also the ViewElements define in ViewState will not be update until the ViewState is changed.

ViewController

ViewController is the core component of ViewSystem, all control of the UI is base on this component.

Installation

Option 1: Installation via OpenUPM (Recommend)

openupm add com.macacagames.viewsystem

Option 2: Unity Package file

Add it to your editor's manifest.json file like this:

{
    "dependencies": {
        "com.macacagames.utility": "https://github.com/MacacaGames/MacacaUtility.git",
        "com.macacagames.viewsystem": "https://github.com/MacacaGames/MacacaViewSystem.git"
    }
}

Option 3: Git SubModule

git submodule add https://github.com/MacacaGames/MacacaViewSystem.git Assets/MacacaViewSystem

Note: ViewSystem is dependency with MacacaUtility, so also add MacacaUtility in git submodule.

git submodule add hhttps://github.com/MacacaGames/MacacaUtility.git Assets/MacacaUtility

Setup

1. Editor

Menu Path : MacacaGames > ViewSystem > Visual Editor

ViewSystem will create required data and save under Assets/ViewSystemResources folder.

2. Create ViewController

In the Scene which you wish to add UI, create a new GameObject and attach ViewControll Component, then drag ViewSystemData to component.

3. Create UGUI Canvas

Click GlobalSetting button on toolbar.

• Click the Generate default UI Root Object button to automatically generate your first UI root.
• Set ViewController gameObject name to View Controller GameObject field. (As the screenshot is UI)
• Remember click Save button on toolbar after all step is done

4. Ready to go!

Now, all setup step is done, use Example Project to learn how to edit your UI.

Usage

Use the Visual Editor to edit your UI page.

Menu Path : MacacaGames > ViewSystem > Visual Editor

Make a ViewPage

You can define the ViewElement and and its RectTransform info by Visual Editor.

Position a ViewElement on ViewPage

There are 2 different ways to define the position of a ViewElement on a ViewPage: RectTransform or CustomParent.

• RectTransform

On the Visual Editor, as the gif you can define the RectTransform information of a ViewElement just like modifing the RectTransform Component. When you're previewing a ViewPage, all modify on the RectTransform information will automatically update to the previewing Screen.

• Custom Parent

Another way to position your ViewElement is using Custom Parent mode, in Custom Parent mode the system will find the Transform object which you define and set to that Object's child.

The Custom Parent mode is despreded, we only recommend using this mode in special situation such as you would like to put a ViewElement as another ViewElement's child in the runtime.

Override property on a ViewElement

You can override any property on ViewElement, use preview to take effect the override. With the override system, you can simply create the ViewElement variant in different ViewPage.

Why using ViewSystem's override but not Unity Prefab variant?

ViewSystem override is a runtime function, it means all modify only exsit during the Game is runing, use the ViewSystem override helps you to avoid to make a lot of Prefab variant assets.

Limitation, the ViewSystem override has no ability to add/remove Component, GameObject etc. In this case use Unity Prefab variant.

Override UnityEvent on a ViewElement

The override system also support to bind UnityEvent on an UGUI selectable.

Make a method with Component parameter and attact ViewSystemEvent attribute on it, the method will show on up the override window.

Example: (In UIManager.cs)

[MacacaGames.ViewSystem.ViewSystemEvent]
public void MyEvent(Component selectable)
{
    //Do something
}

Override Property or Button.onClick on a ViewElement via script in a ViewElementBehaviour

You can override a property via Attribute in a script, take this example, this means override the sprite property on UnityEngine.UI.Image component on a child GameObject which name is Frame by the value of someSprite variable.

// Is require a child class of ViewElementBehaviour
public class MyUILogic : ViewElementBehaviour{
    [OverrideProperty("Frame", typeof(UnityEngine.UI.Image), nameof(UnityEngine.UI.Image.sprite)) ]
    [SerializeField]
    Sprite someSprite;

    [OverrideButtonEvent("TopRect/Button")]
    void Test(Component component)
    {
        Debug.Log("success");
    }
}

Override Property via script with Unity Inspector

The ViewElementOverride can let you setting the ViewElement override on any MonoBehaviour by using Unity's Inspector

See the example:

public class MyScript: MonoBehaviour{
    [SerializeField]
    ViewElementOverride viewElementOverride;

    void ApplyOverride()
    {
        GetComponent<ViewElement>().ApplyOverrides(viewElementOverride);
    }
}

By adding a ViewElementOverride Object field in your script, you will see the Override Editor in your Inspector, just use in like using the Overide Window in ViewSystem Editor.

Then use the ViewElement.ApplyOverrides() API to apply the override.

GetComponent<ViewElement>().ApplyOverrides(viewElementOverride);

Safe Area

ViewSystem support Safe Area adjustment on the screen. Each can setup its owned Safe Area setting, or using the Safe Area global setting, the Safe Area support is modified from 5argon/NotchSolution and with deep intergation with ViewSystem, thanks for his/her great works!

Page Ordering

Since the ViewSystem allow have more than one Overlay ViewPage in the same time, the Overlay ViewPage may covering eachother, therefore you need to maintain ording of the Overlay ViewPages your self, to do so using the Overlay order tools to helps your complete the works.

Components

ViewElementGroup

Something we me may wish to use already exsited ViewElement inside another ViewElement, in this way the ViewElementGroup can helps. ViewElementGroup works a little like CanvasGroup, if the ViewElement has ViewElementGroup attached,the OnShow/OnLeave intent will also send into the children ViewElement, therefore the whole ViewElement will show/leave correctlly.

As the attach screenshot, the ConfirmBox is a ViewElement and BtnNegitive, BtnPositive is children ViewElement.

There is a Only Manual Mode switch on ViewElementGroup, if the swich on, ViewElement will ignore the OnShow/OnLeave intent send by ViewController. It is helpful while we wish to control the ViewElement show/leave via script.

[SerializeField]
ViewElement someViewelement;

// Set the parameter to true to manual show the ViewElement which ViewElementGroup's **Only Manual Mode** is on.
someViewelement.OnShow(true);

// If the ViewElement is child of other ViewElement set the first bool to false to aviod the ViewElement to be pooled while OnLeave.
someViewelement.OnLeave(false, true);

ViewMarginFixer (Deprecated, only using in Custom Parent Mode)

This component is Deprecated, for most of the case you should use the RectTransform mode directly.

ViewElement manage by the ViewSystem will be pooled if is not in use, that means the RectTransfrom's anchor stretch value may be wrong while it is taken out from pool. (cause by the Transfrom.SetParent(true);)

ViewMarginFixer is a helper to solve this issue, which override the anchor stretch value base on the ViewElement life cycle.

LifeCycle Hook and Injection

IViewElementSingleton

The component which inherit IViewElementSingleton interface will be created as singleton instance, we call it a ViewElementSingleton.

ViewElementSingleton instance is managed by the ViewController and will have only one instance during the runtime, use the ViewController.Instance.GetInjectionInstance() API to the runtime instance directlly.

public class MyViewElementSingletonSample : MonoBehaviour, IViewElementSingleton
{}

// Use GetInjectionInstance method on ViewController to get the singleton instance of ViewElement.
MyViewElementSingletonSample someInjectableClass = ViewController.Instance.GetInjectionInstance<MyViewElementSingletonSample>();

Note : The ViewElement also needs to swtich the IsUnique boolean on to makes IViewElementSingleton works.

IViewElementLifeCycle

We can hooks the lifecycle on ViewElement by IViewElementLifeCycle interface, implemented the interface to get lifecycle callback on ViewElement.

void OnBeforeShow();
void OnBeforeLeave();
void OnStartShow();
void OnStartLeave();
void OnChangePage(bool show);
void OnChangedPage();
void RefreshView();

ViewElementBehaviour

The ViewElementBehaviour implemented IViewElementLifeCycle and provide more useful feature. It is useful if we wish to setup callback via inspector with UnityEvents, or inherit the component to overrid the method.

public class SomeClass : ViewElementBehaviour
{
    public override void OnBeforeShow()
    {
       // Do something
    }
}

Note : Component implemented ViewElementBehaviour needs to attach on ViewElement or its children.

Use the ViewController.Instance.RefreshAll(); to refresh all ViewElement on the screen.

ViewElementInject (Model Inject)

With ViewElementBehaviour Componment, we can use a powerful feature that help us to sending the data to a Runtime ViewElement we call it Model Inject.

See follow example:

// The MyUILogic.cs is attach on a ViewElement and this ViewElement is setting on the ViewPage "MyPage"
public class MyUILogic : ViewElementBehaviour
{
    [ViewElementInject]
    int testIntInject;

    [ViewElementInject]
    string testStringInject{get;set;} // also support using property
}

// Call the change page API and use SetPageModel() to set the Model data instance
ViewController.FullPageChanger()
    .SetPage("MyPage")
    .SetPageModel(23456, "my string value")
    .Show();

As the result, the value 23456 and "my string value" will automatically set into the MyUILogic.cs field(testIntInject in this case) or property(testStringInject in this case) after the ViewElement is showed!

In theory it supports all Types including custom Type

public class MyClass{
    public int intValue;
    public bool boolValue;
}
// The MyUILogic.cs is attach on a ViewElement and this ViewElement is setting on the ViewPage "MyPage"
public class MyUILogic : ViewElementBehaviour
{
    [ViewElementInject]
    MyClass testMyClass;

    [ViewElementInject]
    List<string> testStringList{get;set;} // also support using property
}

// Call the change page API and use SetPageModel() to set the Model data instance
ViewController.FullPageChanger()
    .SetPage("MyPage")
    .SetPageModel(
        new MyClass{ intValue = 123, boolValue = false},
        new List<string>{
            "item 1",
            "item 2"
        }
    )
    .Show();

Use with OverrideProperty Attribute

The model inject will complete before the ViewSystem runtime override, so you can combine the usage with the RuntimeOverride!

public class MyUILogic : ViewElementBehaviour{
    [ViewElementInject]
    [OverrideProperty("Text", typeof(TextMeshProUGUI), nameof(TextMeshProUGUI.text))]
    string someString; // the value will set into the TextMeshProUGUI.text on the GameObject "Text"
}

Inject Mutilple Model Value in with same Type

By default, the Model Inject only support each a only one value/instance in runtime.

See this example,

// We're going to try to set 2 string values into Model
ViewController.FullPageChanger()
    .SetPage("MyPage")
    .SetPageModel(
        "item 1",
        "item 2"
    )
    .Show();

// Will get Exception message
// "When using ViewSystem model biding, each Type only available for one instance, if you would like to bind multiple instance of a Type use Collections(List, Array) or ViewInjectDictionary<T> instead."

To solve this situtation, here're some advice

• Use a collection type such as List<T>
• Create a custom object type as a wrapper
• Use ViewInjectDictionary<T>

ViewInjectDictionary<T>

ViewInjectDictionary<T> is the predefine dictionary to solve the problems, the T is the the target Property/Field Type.

// For instance, the ViewElementBehaviour is defined like this
public class MyViewBehaviour: ViewElementBehaviour{
    
    [ViewElementInject]
    string testStringInject1;
    [ViewElementInject]
    string testStringInject2;

}

var datas = new ViewInjectDictionary<string>();
datas.TryAdd("testStringInject1", "value1"); // The Key is the field/property name, the value is the value to set
datas.TryAdd("testStringInject2", "value2"); // The Key is the field/property name, the value is the value to set
ViewController.FullPageChanger()
    .SetPage("MyPage")
    .SetPageModel(datas)
    .Show();

Page Model and Shared Model

Until now, all sample use the SetPageModel() API to set the model data, by this way we call it Page Model, means those model data only works during the ViewPage lifecycle.

There is another model scope which is call Shared Model, the Shared Model is manage by the ViewSystem, by default all IViewElementSingleton will become Shared Moedl automatically, which means you can use [ViewElementInject] to inject them in a ViewElementBehaviour.

See the example:

// Define a IViewElementSingleton sample
public class MyViewElementSingletonSample : MonoBehaviour, IViewElementSingleton{}

// The MyUILogic.cs is attach on a ViewElement and this ViewElement is setting on the ViewPage "MyPage"
public class MyUILogic : ViewElementBehaviour
{
    [ViewElementInject]
    MyViewElementSingletonSample myViewElementSingletonSample; // Since MyViewElementSingletonSample is a IViewElementSingleton, we don't need to use SetPageModel(), the system still can complete the value inject;
}

Or you can Set the Shared Model to the System use the API, ViewController.Instance.SetSharedMoedl(); See the example:

public class MyClass{
    public int intValue;
    public bool boolValue;
}

// The MyUILogic.cs is attach on a ViewElement and this ViewElement is setting on the ViewPage "MyPage"
public class MyUILogic : ViewElementBehaviour
{
    [ViewElementInject]
    MyClass myClass;
}

// Call the ViewController.Instance.SetSharedMoedl(); somewhere before the ChangePage API is called.
/// Set the model data to the System, it will become a Shared Model
/// Each type can only have one value/instance, the system will automatically override the new value if duplicate type is trying to Set
ViewController.Instance.SetSharedMoedl(new MyClass{intValue = 123, boolValue = false});

// Call the change page API this time don't use SetPageModel()
ViewController.FullPageChanger()
    .SetPage("MyPage")
    .Show();

As the result, though we don't use SetPageModel() API, the value still injected! Due to the system will automatically fallback to search the Shared Model

Model Search Scope

There are 4 ways to control the model searching scope, we can use the enum InjectScope to control.

The default scope is PageFirst

InjectScope.PageFirst : Search the value from the PageModel first and then SharedModel
InjectScope.PageOnly : Search the value from the PageModel only.
InjectScope.SharedFirst : Search the value from the SharedModel first, and then PageModel, 
InjectScope.SharedOnly : Search the value from the SharedModel only.

// The MyUILogic.cs is attach on a ViewElement and this ViewElement is setting on the ViewPage "MyPage"
public class MyUILogic : ViewElementBehaviour
{
    [ViewElementInject(InjectScope.PageOnly)] // change the search scope
    MyClass myClass;
}

Use Model Inject with OverrideWindow

The ViewSystem Editor provide a very convient way to let developer setting the override value.

See Override property on a ViewElement to learn how to use it.

By default, the Override Window let you set the Edit Time value, but we can use some special syntax to use the Model Inject value.

Syntax

{InjectScope.TypeName[key]}  

Syntax	Describ	Example
ModelInjectScope	The model inject scope, use the InjectScope enum value in 'String' or just use 'Model'	Model PageFirst Page Only
TypeName	The full type name of the object you would like to use, the system will not check the type mismatch.	int, string, UnityEngine.Color
key	If using the ViewInjectDictionary, set the key here.

See the Example:

var datas = new ViewInjectDictionary<string>();
datas.TryAdd("testStringInject1", "value1"); // The Key is the field/property name, the value is the value to set
datas.TryAdd("testStringInject2", "value2"); // The Key is the field/property name, the value is the value to set
ViewController.FullPageChanger()
    .SetPage("MyPage")
    .SetPageModel(
        datas,
        34234,
        Color.red
    )
    .Show();

// Set the syntax likes below to use the Model value in runtime
// {Model.string["testStringInject1"]}  --> this apply the value "value1" in runtime  
// {Model.int}  --> this apply the value 34234 in runtime  
// {Model.UnityEngine.Color}  --> this apply the value Color.red in runtime

// Also work, more solid
// {PageFirst.string["testStringInject1"]} --> Same as {Model.string["testStringInject1"]} 
// {PageOnly.string["testStringInject1"]} --> will only search value from PageModel

To Set the model inject syntax string on a non string field e.g. Color, you can click the Eye Icon on the left of the item to switch the editor display method

System LifeCycle

ViewController Initialization

Here shows the Initialize proccess in ViewController. (Since V1 is dropped.)

1. Finding the UIRoot parent GameObject setup in GlobalSetting.
2. Instantiate UIRoot GameObject setup in GlobalSetting.
3. Generate ViewElementPool instance in scene.
4. Generate ViewElementRuntimePool instance in scene and initialize it.
5. Load ViewPage and ViewState data store in ViewSystemSaveData Object.
6. Pre-generate the ViewElement which has component inherited IViewElementInjectable

FullPage ChangePage

Once the ChangePage API is call in ViewController, the event, callback, lifecycle hack excude order. (Same behaviour while using FullPageChanger)

How to...

Get an runtime ViewElement reference in ViewPage/ViewState

If the target is an Unique ViewElement, you get it's instance via implement IViewElementInjectable on one of its component, then using ViewController.Instance.GetInjectionInstance() API to get the instance.

// SomeInjectableClass is attach on target ViewElement
public class SomeInjectableClass : MonoBehaviour, IViewElementInjectable
{}

SomeInjectableClass someInjectableClass = ViewController.Instance.GetInjectionInstance<SomeInjectableClass>();

Otherwise GetViewPageElementByName or GetViewStateElementByName API to get the runtime instance in target ViewPage/ViewState.

Note:Since ViewElement is pooled and managed by ViewSystem, so those API only works while the target ViewPage/ViewState is live. ViewElement reference may changed after each ChangePage() call is complete.

public ViewElement GetViewPageElementByName(ViewPage viewPage, string viewPageItemName);

public ViewElement GetViewPageElementByName(string viewPageName, string viewPageItemName);

public T GetViewPageElementComponentByName<T>(string viewPageName, string viewPageItemName) where T : Component;

public ViewElement GetCurrentViewPageElementByName(string viewPageItemName);

public T GetCurrentViewPageElementComponentByName<T>(string viewPageItemName) where T : Component;

//Get viewElement in statePage
public ViewElement GetViewStateElementByName(ViewState viewState, string viewStateItemName);
        
public T GetViewStateElementComponentByName<T>(ViewState viewState, string viewStateItemName) where T : Component;

public ViewElement GetViewStateElementByName(string viewStateName, string viewStateItemName);

public T GetViewStateElementComponentByName<T>(string viewStateName, string viewStateItemName) where T : Component;

public ViewElement GetCurrentViewStateElementByName(string viewStateItemName);

public T GetCurrentViewStateElementComponentByName<T>(string viewStateItemName) where T : Component;

Made with ViewSystem

Those product use the ViewSystem as the UI manage tool.

Rhythm GO	Sky Bandit	Sky Surfing
Merge & Shoot!	Fall A Sleep	Cream Runner
Ice Village	Food Snatcher	Ring Runner