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Implement a graph tool

Create and implement a graph tool to visualize and manage complex data structures in Unity.
Read time 2 minutesLast updated 15 days ago
Create and implement a graph tool to visualize and manage complex data structures in Unity.

Prerequisites

None.

Define a custom Graph class

The foundation of any Graph Toolkit tool is a custom 
Graph
class. To create one, do the following:
  1. Create a new C# script file in the 
    Assets\Editor
    folder of your Unity project.
  2. Import the necessary namespaces:
    using System;using UnityEditor;using UnityEngine;using Unity.GraphToolkit.Editor;#endregion Importsnamespace Unity.GraphToolkit.Scripts.Editor{    #region SimpleGraph    [Graph(AssetExtension)]    [Serializable]    class MySimpleGraph : Graph    {        public const string AssetExtension = "simpleg";        [MenuItem("Assets/Create/Graph Toolkit Samples/Simple Graph", false)]        static void CreateAssetFile()        {            GraphDatabase.PromptInProjectBrowserToCreateNewAsset<MySimpleGraph>();        }    }    #endregion SimpleGraph    class MyCustomType : ScriptableObject    {    }    #region SimpleNode    [Serializable]    class MySimpleNode : Node {}    #endregion SimpleNode    #region SimpleNodeWithPorts    [Serializable]    class MySimpleNodeWithPorts : Node    {        protected override void OnDefinePorts(IPortDefinitionContext context)        {            context.AddInputPort<float>("Input").Build();            context.AddOutputPort<MyCustomType>("Output").Build();        }    }    #endregion SimpleNodeWithPorts}
  3. Define a class that inherits from 
    Graph
    .
  4. Define an 
    AssetExtension
    string constant to specify your graph's file extension.
  5. Apply the 
    [Graph]
    attribute, and pass your extension as a parameter.
  6. Mark your class with 
    [Serializable]
    to ensure proper data persistence as you extend your graph tool.
  7. Add a new 
    CreateAssetFile
    function that calls the 
    PromptInProjectBrowserToCreateNewAsset
    method, and decorate this function with a 
    MenuItem
    attribute.
    [Graph(AssetExtension)]    [Serializable]    class MySimpleGraph : Graph    {        public const string AssetExtension = "simpleg";        [MenuItem("Assets/Create/Graph Toolkit Samples/Simple Graph", false)]        static void CreateAssetFile()        {            GraphDatabase.PromptInProjectBrowserToCreateNewAsset<MySimpleGraph>();        }    }    #endregion SimpleGraph    class MyCustomType : ScriptableObject    {    }    #region SimpleNode    [Serializable]    class MySimpleNode : Node {}    #endregion SimpleNode    #region SimpleNodeWithPorts    [Serializable]    class MySimpleNodeWithPorts : Node    {        protected override void OnDefinePorts(IPortDefinitionContext context)        {            context.AddInputPort<float>("Input").Build();            context.AddOutputPort<MyCustomType>("Output").Build();        }    }    #endregion SimpleNodeWithPorts}
    This basic implementation creates the core structure for your graph tool. The 
    AssetExtension
    constant defines the file extension Unity uses to save your graph assets.

Additional resources