Button Attribute

Overview

The ButtonAttribute class is a custom attribute that can be used in Unity to draw a clickable button in the Unity Inspector window. When this attribute is applied to a method within a MonoBehaviour script, it allows the method to be invoked directly from the Inspector by clicking the button, without the need to play the scene or write additional editor scripting.

Usage

To use ButtonAttribute, you simply place it above a MonoBehaviour method. This attribute takes an optional ButtonMode parameter that controls when the button is active.

Warning

The method must not have any parameters and can not be static.

Tip

Use ButtonAttribute.Mode.Play if you want the Button to only work in Play mode.

Tip

Use ButtonAttribute.Mode.Editor if you want the Button to only work in Edit mode.

Example:

using CoreFramework.Attributes;
using UnityEngine;

public class ButtonExample : MonoBehaviour
{
    [Button(ButtonAttribute.Mode.Play)]
    public void PlayModeButton()
    {
        Debug.Log($"{name}: {GetType().Name} : Play Mode Only");
    }

    [Button(ButtonAttribute.Mode.Editor)]
    public void EditModeButton()
    {
        Debug.Log($"{name}: {GetType().Name} : Edit Mode Only");
    }

    [Button]
    public void PlayAndEditModeButton()
    {
        Debug.Log($"{name}: {GetType().Name} : Play Mode and Edit Mode");
    }
}

public class MyComponent : MonoBehaviour
{
    [Button]
    private void ResetValues()
    {
        // Reset some values here
    }

    [Button(ButtonAttribute.ButtonMode.Editor)]
    private void InitializeSettings()
    {
        // Some initialization logic that should only run in the editor
    }
}

In this example, the ResetValues method will have a button in the Inspector that is clickable both in Play and Editor modes, while InitializeSettings will only be clickable in Editor mode.

Properties

Mode

public readonly ButtonMode Mode;

Read-only property that gets the mode in which the button should be active. The mode can be Editor, Play, or Both, determining whether the button can be clicked while Unity is in Editor mode, Play mode, or both.

Constructor

public ButtonAttribute(ButtonMode mode = ButtonMode.Both)

Initializes a new instance of the ButtonAttribute class with an optional ButtonMode parameter. If no parameter is given, the button defaults to being active in both Editor and Play modes.

Enums

ButtonMode

Defines the modes in which the button is operational.

Editor

Editor

The button will only work in the Unity Editor mode when Unity is not in Play Mode.

Play

Play

The button will only work when Unity is in Play mode.

Both

Both

The button will work in both Editor and Play Mode.

Notes

The attribute must target a method and cannot be used on properties or fields.
To make the button visible, the method must not have any parameters, can not be static and needs to be decorated with the ButtonAttribute.
The functionality of rendering the button in the Inspector and invoking the method is handled by custom editor scripting, AttributeMonoBehaviourInspector : Editor, AttributeScriptableObjectInspector : AttributeMonoBehaviourInspector and ButtonAttributeHelper.
- These scripts are automatically used for drawing all classes that derive from MonoBehaviours and ScriptableObjects unless you have created a Custome Editor Script. csharp [CustomEditor(typeof(MonoBehaviour), true, isFallback = true)] [CanEditMultipleObjects] public class AttributeMonoBehaviourInspector : Editor