IRef

IRef is a Unity-specific library designed to simplify the handling of references to objects that implement certain interface, particularly within the Unity Editor's Inspector window.

Features

• Type-Safe References : IRef and IRefList act as wrapper classes for UnityEngine.Object and List<UnityEngine.Object>, respectively, allowing for type-safe references in Unity projects.

• Inspector Integration : Easily assign objects implementing specific interfaces through the Unity Inspector, with automatic validation to ensure the assigned objects meet the required interface implementation.

• Dynamic List Management : IRefList supports dynamic addition and removal of objects on runtime, with methods that ensure type safety and provide clear feedback on operation success or failure.

• Error Handling : Automatic nullification and warning messages in the Unity console if an object fails the interface implementation validation, including edge cases.

Usage

Declaring IRef and IRefList

IRef and IRefList are designed to wrap UnityEngine.Object and List<UnityEngine.Object> references, respectively. They allow you to drag and drop GameObject, Monobehaviour Component or ScriptableObject instances that implement a specific interface into the Inspector window. The list inspector also supports the functionality of dragging and dropping multiple objects all at once.

[SerializeField] private IRef<MyInterface> myRef;
[SerializeField] private IRefList<MyInterface> myRefList;

Accessing Internal Objects

To access the internal object or interface, you can use the provided properties that IRef and IRefList expose. Here's how you can declare and use them:

var myObject = myRef.Object; // Access the UnityEngine.Object
var myInterface = myRef.Interface; // Access the interface

List<UnityEngine.Object> myObjects = myRefList.Objects; // Access the List of UnityEngine.Object
List<MyInterface> myInterfaces = myRefList.Interfaces; // Access the List of interface
MyInterface myInterface = myRefList[1];

Inspector Validation

When assigning an object through the Inspector, IRef automatically validates if the object implements the required interface. If validation fails, it resets the reference to null and displays a warning message in the Unity console. This ensures that only compatible objects are assigned, preventing runtime errors.

several edge cases can lead to validation failures, including:

• The object does not implement the required interface.
• The game object does not have any component that implement the required interface.
• The game object has more than one component that implement the required interface.

Contributing

Contributions to the IRef project are welcome! If you have suggestions for improvements, bug fixes, or new features, please feel free to submit an issue or pull request.