Editor Field Editors (IFieldEditor)

Editor Field Editors (IFieldEditor)

Overview

Field Editors (IFieldEditor) provide runtime polymorphic rendering for script properties discovered via reflection. They use a non-generic, boxing-based interface to handle arbitrary types at runtime.

When to Use This Skill

• Creating custom field editors for new types (Quaternion, Color, custom structs)
• Understanding how script properties are rendered in Script Inspector
• Extending FieldEditorRegistry with new type support
• Working with UIPropertyRenderer.DrawPropertyField() infrastructure
• NOT for component editors

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Purpose & Context

Two Different Systems

The engine has two separate property editing systems:

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Core Interface

// Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​IFieldEditor.cs
public interface IFieldEditor
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Draws the editor UI for the field and returns true if the value was changed.
    /// </​summary>
    /// <param name="label">The ImGui label for the field (should include unique ID)</​param>
    /// <param name="value">The current field value (boxed)</​param>
    /// <param name="newValue">The new value if changed</​param>
    /// <returns>True if the value was modified by user interaction</​returns>
    bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue);
}

Key Characteristics:

• ❌ Not generic - no IFieldEditor<T>
• ✅ Boxing-based - uses object for value and newValue
• ✅ Returns bool - true if user changed the value
• ✅ Out parameter - newValue is the modified value

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Built-in Field Editors

Primitive Type Editors

Vector Type Editors

All registered in FieldEditorRegistry static dictionary.

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FieldEditorRegistry

Central registry mapping types to editors:

// Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​FieldEditorRegistry.cs
public static class FieldEditorRegistry
{
    private static readonly Dictionary<Type, IFieldEditor> _editors = new()
    {
        { typeof(int), new IntFieldEditor() },
        { typeof(float), new FloatFieldEditor() },
        { typeof(double), new DoubleFieldEditor() },
        { typeof(bool), new BoolFieldEditor() },
        { typeof(string), new StringFieldEditor() },
        { typeof(Vector2), new Vector2FieldEditor() },
        { typeof(Vector3), new Vector3FieldEditor() },
        { typeof(Vector4), new Vector4FieldEditor() }
    };

    public static IFieldEditor? GetEditor(Type type)
    {
        return _editors.TryGetValue(type, out var editor) ? editor : null;
    }

    public static bool HasEditor(Type type)
    {
        return _editors.ContainsKey(type);
    }
}

Usage Pattern (ScriptComponentEditor.cs:111-113):

var editor = FieldEditorRegistry.GetEditor(fieldType);
if (editor != null)
    return editor.Draw(label, value, out newValue);

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Implementing a Custom Field Editor

Example 1: Simple Primitive Editor (IntFieldEditor)

// Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​IntFieldEditor.cs
using ImGuiNET;

namespace Editor.UI.FieldEditors;

public class IntFieldEditor : IFieldEditor
{
    public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
    {
        var intValue = (int)value;  // Unbox
        var changed = ImGui.DragInt(label, ref intValue);
        newValue = intValue;  // Box
        return changed;
    }
}

Pattern:

1. Unbox object value to concrete type
2. Call ImGui widget with ref parameter
3. Box result into out object newValue
4. Return changed flag

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Example 2: Vector Editor (Vector3FieldEditor)

// Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​Vector3FieldEditor.cs
using System.Numerics;
using ImGuiNET;

namespace Editor.UI.FieldEditors;

public class Vector3FieldEditor : IFieldEditor
{
    public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
    {
        var v = (Vector3)value;  // Unbox
        var changed = ImGui.DragFloat3(label, ref v);
        newValue = v;  // Box
        return changed;
    }
}

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Example 3: Custom Type Editor (Quaternion)

using System.Numerics;
using ImGuiNET;

namespace Editor.UI.FieldEditors;

public class QuaternionFieldEditor : IFieldEditor
{
    public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
    {
        var quat = (Quaternion)value;

        // Convert to Euler angles for editing
        var euler = QuaternionToEuler(quat);
        var changed = ImGui.DragFloat3(label, ref euler);

        if (changed)
        {
            // Convert back to quaternion
            newValue = EulerToQuaternion(euler);
        }
        else
        {
            newValue = quat;
        }

        return changed;
    }

    private static Vector3 QuaternionToEuler(Quaternion q)
    {
        // Implementation...
    }

    private static Quaternion EulerToQuaternion(Vector3 euler)
    {
        // Implementation...
    }
}

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Registering Custom Field Editors

Step 1: Implement IFieldEditor

public class MyCustomTypeEditor : IFieldEditor
{
    public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
    {
        var typed = (MyCustomType)value;

        // Draw UI and modify 'typed'
        bool changed = /​* ... */;

        newValue = typed;
        return changed;
    }
}

Step 2: Register in FieldEditorRegistry

Option A: Add to static dictionary (modify FieldEditorRegistry.cs)

private static readonly Dictionary<Type, IFieldEditor> _editors = new()
{
    // ... existing editors
    { typeof(MyCustomType), new MyCustomTypeEditor() }
};

Option B: Add runtime registration method (extensible)

// Add to FieldEditorRegistry.cs
public static void RegisterEditor(Type type, IFieldEditor editor)
{
    _editors[type] = editor;
}

// Usage in initialization code
FieldEditorRegistry.RegisterEditor(typeof(Quaternion), new QuaternionFieldEditor());

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Usage in Script Inspector

How ScriptComponentEditor Uses IFieldEditor

// ScriptComponentEditor.cs (simplified)
private bool TryDrawFieldEditor(string label, Type type, object value, out object newValue)
{
    newValue = value;

    var editor = FieldEditorRegistry.GetEditor(type);
    if (editor != null)
        return editor.Draw(label, value, out newValue);

    // Fallback: unsupported type
    ImGui.TextDisabled($"Unsupported type: {type.Name}");
    return false;
}

// Called per script field
if (TryDrawFieldEditor(fieldLabel, fieldType, fieldValue, out var newValue))
{
    script.SetFieldValue(fieldName, newValue);  // Reflection-based assignment
}

Flow:

1. Script reflection discovers field type at runtime
2. FieldEditorRegistry.GetEditor(type) looks up editor
3. If found, call editor.Draw() with boxed value
4. If changed, use reflection to assign new value back to script field

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Usage with UIPropertyRenderer

UIPropertyRenderer.DrawPropertyField()

Convenience wrapper for simple use cases:

// UIPropertyRenderer.cs:26-56
public static bool DrawPropertyField(string label, object? value, Action<object> onValueChanged)
{
    if (value == null)
        return false;

    var valueType = value.GetType();
    var editor = FieldEditorRegistry.GetEditor(valueType);

    if (editor == null)
    {
        DrawPropertyRow(label, () =>
        {
            ImGui.TextDisabled($"Unsupported type: {valueType.Name}");
        });
        return false;
    }

    bool changed = false;
    DrawPropertyRow(label, () =>
    {
        var inputLabel = $"##{label}";
        if (editor.Draw(inputLabel, value, out var newValue))
        {
            onValueChanged(newValue);
            changed = true;
        }
    });

    return changed;
}

Usage (CameraComponentEditor.cs:22-23):

UIPropertyRenderer.DrawPropertyField("Primary", cameraComponent.Primary,
    newValue => cameraComponent.Primary = (bool)newValue);

What it adds:

• Label/​input column layout (33%/​67% ratio)
• Null checking
• Fallback message for unsupported types
• Callback pattern instead of out parameter

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Complete Example: Color Field Editor

using System.Numerics;
using ImGuiNET;

namespace Editor.UI.FieldEditors;

/// <summary>
/// Field editor for System.Drawing.Color or custom Color struct.
/// Renders as RGB sliders with preview.
/// </​summary>
public class ColorFieldEditor : IFieldEditor
{
    public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
    {
        // Assume Color struct with R, G, B, A float properties (0-1 range)
        var color = (Color)value;

        // Convert to Vector4 for ImGui
        var vec4 = new Vector4(color.R, color.G, color.B, color.A);

        bool changed = ImGui.ColorEdit4(label, ref vec4,
            ImGuiColorEditFlags.Float |
            ImGuiColorEditFlags.AlphaPreview);

        if (changed)
        {
            newValue = new Color(vec4.X, vec4.Y, vec4.Z, vec4.W);
        }
        else
        {
            newValue = color;
        }

        return changed;
    }
}

// Register in FieldEditorRegistry
{ typeof(Color), new ColorFieldEditor() }

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Performance Considerations

Boxing Overhead

IFieldEditor uses boxing for flexibility:

var intValue = (int)value;  // Unboxing allocation
newValue = intValue;  // Boxing allocation

Impact:

• 2 allocations per field per frame rendered
• Acceptable for script inspector (low frequency, few fields)
• NOT suitable for hot loops (use VectorPanel static methods instead)

When to Use Each System

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Anti-Patterns

❌ Anti-Pattern 1: Using IFieldEditor for Component Editors

// ❌ WRONG - Unnecessary boxing for known types
public class TransformComponentEditor : IComponentEditor
{
    private readonly IFieldEditor _vector3Editor;

    public void DrawComponent(Entity e)
    {
        var tc = e.GetComponent<TransformComponent>();
        object pos = tc.Position;  // Box
        if (_vector3Editor.Draw("Position", pos, out var newPos))
        {
            tc.Position = (Vector3)newPos;  // Unbox
        }
    }
}

// ✅ CORRECT - Use static VectorPanel methods
public class TransformComponentEditor : IComponentEditor
{
    public void DrawComponent(Entity e)
    {
        var tc = e.GetComponent<TransformComponent>();
        var newPos = tc.Position;
        VectorPanel.DrawVec3Control("Position", ref newPos);
        if (newPos != tc.Position)
            tc.Position = newPos;
    }
}

Why: Component types are known at compile time. Use static methods to avoid boxing.

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❌ Anti-Pattern 2: Forgetting to Register Editor

// ❌ WRONG - Editor implemented but not registered
public class QuaternionFieldEditor : IFieldEditor { ... }

// Script inspector will show "Unsupported type: Quaternion"

// ✅ CORRECT - Register in FieldEditorRegistry
{ typeof(Quaternion), new QuaternionFieldEditor() }

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❌ Anti-Pattern 3: Mutating Boxed Value Reference

// ❌ WRONG - Mutating unboxed value reference
public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
{
    var vec = (Vector3)value;
    ImGui.DragFloat("X", ref vec.X);  // Modifies local copy
    newValue = value;  // Returns original!
    return true;
}

// ✅ CORRECT - Box the modified value
public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
{
    var vec = (Vector3)value;
    bool changed = ImGui.DragFloat3(label, ref vec);
    newValue = vec;  // Box the modified value
    return changed;
}

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❌ Anti-Pattern 4: Not Handling Null Values

// ❌ WRONG - Crashes on null reference types
public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
{
    var str = (string)value;  // NullReferenceException if value is null
    // ...
}

// ✅ CORRECT - Handle null for reference types
public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
{
    var str = (value as string) ?? string.Empty;
    // ...
    newValue = str;
    return changed;
}

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Workflow: Adding a Custom Field Editor

Step 1: Create Field Editor Class

// Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​MyTypeFieldEditor.cs
using ImGuiNET;

namespace Editor.UI.FieldEditors;

public class MyTypeFieldEditor : IFieldEditor
{
    public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
    {
        var typed = (MyType)value;

        // TODO: Implement ImGui rendering
        bool changed = false;

        newValue = typed;
        return changed;
    }
}

Step 2: Implement Rendering Logic

public bool Draw(string label, object value, out object newValue)
{
    var myValue = (MyType)value;

    // Example: Edit two float fields
    bool changed = false;

    float field1 = myValue.Field1;
    changed |= ImGui.DragFloat($"{label} Field1", ref field1);

    float field2 = myValue.Field2;
    changed |= ImGui.DragFloat($"{label} Field2", ref field2);

    if (changed)
    {
        newValue = new MyType { Field1 = field1, Field2 = field2 };
    }
    else
    {
        newValue = myValue;
    }

    return changed;
}

Step 3: Register in FieldEditorRegistry

// FieldEditorRegistry.cs
private static readonly Dictionary<Type, IFieldEditor> _editors = new()
{
    // ... existing editors
    { typeof(MyType), new MyTypeFieldEditor() }
};

Step 4: Test in Script Inspector

Create a test script with a public field:

public class TestScript : NativeScript
{
    public MyType TestField = new();

    // Field editor will automatically render this field in Script Inspector
}

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Summary

IFieldEditor System

• ✅ Non-generic interface with boxing (object value, out object newValue)
• ✅ Runtime polymorphism for reflection-based script field editing
• ✅ FieldEditorRegistry maps Type → IFieldEditor
• ✅ Used by ScriptComponentEditor and UIPropertyRenderer
• ❌ Not for component editors (use VectorPanel/​static methods instead)

When to Create Custom Field Editors

• Adding support for new types in script inspector
• Custom struct/​class types used in scripts
• Specialized rendering for complex types (Quaternion, Color, etc.)

Key Differences: IFieldEditor vs. Component Editing

Key Files

• Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​IFieldEditor.cs - Interface definition
• Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​FieldEditorRegistry.cs - Registry and lookup
• Editor/​UI/​FieldEditors/​Vector3FieldEditor.cs - Example implementation
• Editor/​ComponentEditors/​ScriptComponentEditor.cs:111 - Usage in script inspector
• Editor/​UI/​Elements/​UIPropertyRenderer.cs:32 - Convenience wrapper