Advanced Topics

Advanced Topics

This page covers developer extension points — ways to add custom node types and executable actions to SecondBrain.

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Extending TypedContainer

TypedContainer<T> is an abstract ScriptableObject base class that holds a strongly-typed list of children. Subclass it to create a container that only accepts one specific ScriptableObject type. SecondBrain manages the asset lifecycle; you only need to define the type constraint and any create-child presets.

Minimal example

using SecretZauce.SecondBrain;
using UnityEngine;

[CreateAssetMenu(menuName = "My Game/Character Container")]
[CreateChild("Characters/Character Container")]
public class CharacterContainer : TypedContainer<CharacterConfig>
{
}

• [CreateAssetMenu] lets Unity create the asset from the Project window context menu.
• [CreateChild("...")] registers it in SecondBrain's Create Child menu. The string is the menu path; use / as a separator for sub-menus.

Adding create-child presets

Implement IHasCreateChildOption to offer multiple named presets when users create a child from the context menu. Each CreateChildOption specifies the child type, a display name, and an optional initializer callback.

using System.Collections.Generic;
using SecretZauce.SecondBrain;
using UnityEngine;

[CreateAssetMenu(menuName = "My Game/Character Container")]
[CreateChild("Characters/Character Container")]
public class CharacterContainer : TypedContainer<CharacterConfig>, IHasCreateChildOption
{
    public IReadOnlyList<CreateChildOption> GetCreateChildOptions()
    {
        return new List<CreateChildOption>
        {
            new CreateChildOption(
                typeof(CharacterConfig),
                "Warrior",
                (obj, t) =>
                {
                    if (obj is CharacterConfig c)
                    {
                        c.hp  = 100f;
                        c.atk = 15f;
                    }
                }),

            new CreateChildOption(
                typeof(CharacterConfig),
                "Mage",
                (obj, t) =>
                {
                    if (obj is CharacterConfig c)
                    {
                        c.hp  = 60f;
                        c.atk = 30f;
                    }
                })
        };
    }
}

Each option appears as a separate entry in the Create Child submenu.

[CreateChild] attribute reference

[CreateChild(menuPath: "Configs/Enemies", displayName: "Enemy Config")]

Parameter	Purpose
menuPath	Slash-separated path in the Create Child menu. Omit to place the entry at the top level.
displayName	Override the label shown in the menu. Defaults to the class name.

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Extending Action Items

ActionItem is an abstract ScriptableObject base class (PRO). Subclass it to create any executable action that can live in the SecondBrain hierarchy and be triggered with Return or double-click.

Minimal example

using SecretZauce.SecondBrain;
using UnityEditor;

[CreateAssetMenu(menuName = "My Game/Actions/Log Message")]
public class LogMessageAction : ActionItem
{
    public string message = "Hello from SecondBrain!";

    public override string DefaultName => "Log Message";

    public override void Execute()
    {
        UnityEngine.Debug.Log(message);
    }
}

Registering in the Create Child menu

Add [CreateChild] to make the action appear in SecondBrain's Create Child → Action Items menu:

[CreateAssetMenu(menuName = "My Game/Actions/Log Message")]
[CreateChild("My Actions/Log Message")]
public class LogMessageAction : ActionItem
{
    // ...
}

API reference

Member	Purpose
DefaultName	Name used when the asset is first created. Override to set a meaningful default.
ActionPath	Slash-separated grouping path in the Action Item Selector popup (e.g. "Editor/Play Mode"). Leave empty for the top level.
CustomIcon	Resource name of the icon loaded from Resources/Editor/Icons/. Defaults to "action".
GetDetailDisplay()	Optional single-line detail string shown next to the item label in the tree.
Execute()	Called when the user runs the action. Implement your logic here.