What s your current code or function | Official Unity Discord | Page 1

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:30 PM

#

I understand that, but I highly doubt that my baseoffset will change, so I don't see the need to make it a variable

#

technically I could

#

#

I'm working on code that dynamically spawns UI elements based on the amount of items already existing

#

and places them accordingly

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:30 PM

#

But it's zero.. and you said it would become 75 (the next iteration?)

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:30 PM

#

0 elements

#

1 element

#

2 elements

#

and so on

#

I'm trying to make this behaviour in code

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:32 PM

#

So I'm guessing you were going to copy and paste it a bunch of times?

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:32 PM

#

copy and paste what?

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:32 PM

#

That line with offset.

#

Else zero would not become one and so fourths.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:32 PM

#

busGroups[iOffset].Panel.GetComponent<RectTransform>().position = new Vector2(0, 0 + iOffset * (-iPreviousItemHeight));```

#

this line?

#

I plan on repurposing the formula for items that go inside the group

#

and those items start at a base offset ot 75

#

then the offset (calculated on existinig elements) would be around -100

#

so the UI elements don't overlap, and get placed properly

#

so the whole thing should scale according to how many elements the user creates

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:34 PM

#

So.. how does 0 + iOffset ... play a part in this?

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:34 PM

#

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:34 PM

#

When does 0 change? (in code)

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:34 PM

#

this is my end goal

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:34 PM

#

dusty rain When does 0 change? (in code)

it doesn't

#

there is no use for the 0

#

I know

#

it's just a me-thing

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:35 PM

#

When do you plan to use something other than zero?

#

I understand it's a place holder

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:35 PM

#

for the calculation for the Bus itself (the item that goes inside the group) I'll use

0, 75 + iOffset * (-100)

#

or something like that

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:36 PM

#

dusty rain I understand it's a place holder

in this case it's not

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:36 PM

#

But this implies you're not reusing but likely copying/pasting many lines.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:36 PM

#

not really copy-pasting, I don't trust myself blindly doing that

#

I'll be copying manually, typing it out as I go

#

because I'll be using different variables

#

for the other calculations

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:36 PM

#

So what the next value after 75?

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:37 PM

#

the Time with the text field will also use the calculation, since the user can add more timeslots

#

that offset would be...

#

125

#

and each new item will have an additional offset of 65

#

those are the 3 layers of UI elements I'm working with

#

I'm still working on the first, the groups, however

#

I'm one to over-engineer stuff, but I always have trouble thinking of easier ways to do things

#

this is my first major project so...

#

¯_(ツ)_/¯

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:39 PM

#

So it would be ```cs
0, i * 65 + offset * (-100)

#

Or so.. excluding the initial 75 at second attempt

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:40 PM

#

dusty rain So it would be ```cs 0, i * 65 + offset * (-100) ```

I guess, except i would be static, and the (-100) would change based on which element this formula was applied

#

i would also change baseed on which element the forumla was calculating for

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:40 PM

#

i is not static but possibly a argument passed into the function 🤔

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:41 PM

#

here are the values I'm working with

#

they're 3 separate methods

#

so I'll have 3 copies of that math formula

#

oh. I just realized a massive flaw with my math formula

#

0 is the base offset, the starting position of the UI element. That's fine.
iOffset is the number of elements that already exist.
iPreviousItemHeight is the height of the previous UI element.

0 + iOffset * (-iPreviousItemHeight)

#

I just noticed that not all the UI elements have the same height, the first one could have a height of 500, the second 750 etc. this formula wouldn't calculate the position for the new element correctly

#

I need to gather the heights for all the elements

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:46 PM

#

So what's the name of the first function? I'm trying to figure out how exactly these three relate and if consolidation is possible.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:47 PM

#

lol atm I'm trying to figure out how to even calculate the location of the new element dynamically

#

from the pictures above, you can see, if the user presses the "new group" button, a new UI element will be spawned from a prefab, and it has to somehow calculate where to position itself

#

I want it to position itself right below the previous element

#

I'm stuck working out a math formula for this

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:50 PM

#

I'd just have some collection of data and then when evaluating new position, offset, or height calculate their necessary adjustments dynamically.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:50 PM

#

as of now my plan is - every time a new panel is spawned, the panel position and height is stored in the class

#

#

and I can use that

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:51 PM

#

Give me the name of the first function then I'll provide a pseudo code example

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:51 PM

#

first function?

#

the one that handles the group spawning is called SpawnNewBusGroup()

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:52 PM

#

gloomy tusk here are the values I'm working with

I don't see a name for the first. Spawn new bus is the second and add bus time slot is the third.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:52 PM

#

I think I'll need to create some sort of for loop - cycle through every index of the panelHeight variable, and add it to a temporary variable

#

then I can use that as a flat offset

#

added with the base offset

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:52 PM

#

Right

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:52 PM

#

that would make more sense, yes?

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:52 PM

#

Yes

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:53 PM

#

now the question is how do I set up that for loop

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:53 PM

#

It's greatly preferred over hard coding (manually copying pasting)

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:53 PM

#

I think for (i = 0, busGroups.Count >= i)

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:53 PM

#

I'm trying to help you out here but I'm unsure of the data to be changed

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:53 PM

#

or something like that

#

it'll loop until the final index has been added in

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 2:54 PM

#

I'm guessing they're all just Buses?

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 2:54 PM

#

dusty rain I'm trying to help you out here but I'm unsure of the data to be changed

I know my stuff is really damn complex and all over the place

#

I appriciate you trying to help me

#

this was my crappy rough sketch of how the system is supposed to work

#

the user can create groups. they can add busses into that group. the user can also add timeslots to each bus.

#

and as of now, I want to figure out how to make code that is able to dynamically calculate where to position the UI elements based on how many already exist

#

timeslot is a child of bus, so position is relatiive and only affected by the number of timeslots the bus has

#

bus is a child of group, so position is also relative to the number of buses in teh grou

#

that's how I'm working with those offset numbers, since everything is relative, I only need the fixed offset numbers based on how big the element is

#

but the complicating factor is that the bus element can be made longer by adding moroe timeslots, thus affecting the offset of the next bus element

#

and same for the groups - the more busses added into the group, the bigger it gets, and the more the offset needs to be for the next group to spawn

#

and not all groups have the same siize as well...

#

ugh this is so confusing

#

honestly, is this even considered "beginner code" anymore? I think I'm biting off way more than I can chew, I just started back up with unity a few days ago...

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 3:02 PM

#

gloomy tusk this was my crappy rough sketch of how the system is supposed to work

So a List of Group which consist of up to three Buses(?) each with a List of Time(s)?

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:02 PM

#

dusty rain So a List of Group which consist of up to three Buses(?) each with a List of Tim...

not up to three busses, any number

#

it's up to the user to create as many as needed

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 3:03 PM

#

Alright, even easier

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:03 PM

#

but now that I think about it I should probably add a cap

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 3:04 PM

#

Group:
    List of Buses.

Bus:
    List of Times.

Project:
    List of Groups.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:05 PM

#

yep, that's the gist of it

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 3:05 PM

#

Each Bus would know how many Times they've got.

#

And can adjust the menu appropriate

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:06 PM

#

group and bus are already classes.
bus has a list of times.
group has a list of bus.
the main project (unity class) has the list of groups.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:07 PM

#

dusty rain And can adjust the menu appropriate

this is what I'm triyng to figure out right now. I need to get the length of all the previous elements in that "grouP" so I can calculate the offset for the new UI element

#

I'm absolutely destroying my brain right now

#

I'm starting to have a personal connection with one meme I saw from r/programmerhumor

#

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 3:09 PM

#

Well, the idea is.. You'd Create the UI object Group and it'd have UI Bus objects and Bus would have UI Time.
However much space it takes, you'd just move the parent of the next Group down.

#

Where the parent would maintain their actual positions and children just grow inside.

#

As you add more elements, the Groups thereafter adjusts their positions.

#

So if Group 5 added some new UI stuff like Buses and Time, we'd just adjust the Groups after 5 (not their children of Buses and Times)

#

That way, you could easily insert in between without having to manage ever single ui element.

#

You'd only really be managing Group positions and that groups children.

#

The Groups below would move as a whole.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:18 PM

#

dusty rain Well, the idea is.. You'd Create the UI object Group and it'd have UI Bus object...

Group?

#

I've got prefabs set up that have all the elements in them

#

and all I have to do is set the size of the element, specifically, the height

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 3:19 PM

#

I'll try building an example, give me a couple of minutes.

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:19 PM

#

since everything inside is anchored nicely

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:19 PM

#

dusty rain I'll try building an example, give me a couple of minutes.

no problem

#

is the example about how to make the UI elements? because I got that down

#

all 3 element groups can be resized and the elements inside will stay in place properly

gloomy tusk May 20, 2022, 3:48 PM

#

theoretically there is no problem with this code, right? sets the position of the newly spawned panel to the offset. (in this case, iTotalPanelHeights is 0, so the offset is 0)
but when I test out the code...

busGroups[iOffset].panel.GetComponent<RectTransform>().position = new Vector2(0, 0 + iTotalPanelHeights); //uses the total panel height to calculate the offset for the new element.

#

#

#

it gets put at (0, 0) in world, not relative to the parent

#

ah nevermind, found the solution

#

closer but not quite

#

#

the width...

dusty rain May 20, 2022, 5:32 PM

#

Likely has to do with your camera and free aspect. Busy day, probably won't get back to this for a while.

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 4:05 AM

#

I think I got everything worked out

#

the group UI element can spawn and adjusts itself accordingly to the number of elements

#

now I need to repeat the code for the bus element inside the group element, and make the group resize itself accordingly

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 7:21 AM

#

this is the final result for the spawning of the UI element, it works yay

    public void SpawnNewBusGroup()
    {
        int iOffset = busGroups.Count; //called first because it's a 0-based counting system, so first index is 0 offset, second item is 1 offset etc.
        float iTotalPanelHeights = 0;

        busGroups.Add(new BusGroup() {panel = Instantiate(busGroupPrefab, contentPanel), panelHeight = 250f});
        for(int i = 0; busGroups.Count > i; i++)
        {
            iTotalPanelHeights = busGroups[i].panelHeight + iTotalPanelHeights; //loops through every entry, adding the panel height to the total.
        }
        busGroups[iOffset].panel.GetComponent<RectTransform>().anchoredPosition = new Vector2(0, 0 - iTotalPanelHeights + busGroups[iOffset].panelHeight); //uses the total panel height (minus itself) to calculate the offset for the new element.
        contentPanel.sizeDelta = new Vector2(0, 150 + iTotalPanelHeights); //content panel set to the height of all group UI elements. 
        
        /*
        Notes: to add:
        - panelheight modified in SpawnNewBus
        - busGroups.name to be updated in a separate method, UpdateBusGroupData?
        */

        //content height: item height + 150
        //starting position: 0
        //offset: -previous item height
        //height starting: 500
        //height offset: 300
    }

#

now I can move on to the next roadblock - figuring out how to find the parent for UI elements

#

since the UI elements are part of a prefab, I don't know how to figure out which is the parent object.
goal:
take the input in the field, and use that to set a string in the related index in the list.

example: Group 1's field gets edited. The code should: busGroup[0].name = textfield.value or something like that. How do I know which index to use? that's what I'm trying to figure out now

torpid bluff May 21, 2022, 7:57 AM

#

Not gonna read the whole thing, so might be misunderstanding the issue, but you can get the parent transform with transform.parent, the get a GO/component from it, or use GetComponentInParent to get a component directly.

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 8:03 AM

#

GetComponentParent eh? interesting

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 8:03 AM

#

gloomy tusk this was my crappy rough sketch of how the system is supposed to work

this is the best summary of what I'm working on. the user can create groups. inside the groups, the user can add busses. each bus can also have timeslots added by the user.

torpid bluff May 21, 2022, 8:03 AM

#

GetComponentInParent. I suggest also looking at the GameObject and MonoBehaviour pages of the docs. There are many useful functions to discover.

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 8:04 AM

#

right now I'm trying to get the UI working

#

since this invoolves instantiating prefabs, I have no idea how to make dynamic code

#

since so far I've only been hard-coding stuff

#

for example, a runtime-spawned user input field wouldn't know under which group it was

#

meaning I don't know where to store the data

torpid bluff May 21, 2022, 8:05 AM

#

It's pretty straight forward. Instantiate, get the component, set it up.

#

You can pass the group in when setting it up.

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 8:06 AM

#

but the input field is part of the group

#

I instantiate the prefab, which includes the input field, and the prefab is added to the list directly. How does the input field know which list index it is in?

torpid bluff May 21, 2022, 8:07 AM

#

Then the input field needs to know what group it belongs to. Or do even smarter and don't make the input field responsible for something that's no it's function.

torpid bluff May 21, 2022, 8:07 AM

#

gloomy tusk I instantiate the prefab, which includes the input field, and the prefab is adde...

By setting it up.

#

Or whatever is responsible for it.

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 8:08 AM

#

hm. is it possible instead to get the inputfield's component from a "manager script", and have a function trigger when the value is updated?

#

up until now I've been operating under the assumption that only the inputfield can trigger something when the value is updated

torpid bluff May 21, 2022, 8:08 AM

#

controller = Instantiate (prefab)
controller.Setup(myGroup)

Or something

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 8:08 AM

#

not that somethingn viewing it could be triggered on it's own

torpid bluff May 21, 2022, 8:09 AM

#

There are many ways. You could monitor the input field from somewhere else, or subscribe to it's value changed events.

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 8:11 AM

#

now that seems more reasonable

#

how do I "subscribe" to the input field? since my manager script already accesses most of the things inside the UI element, I might as well just add that there

#

is there a function that gets called when the value is changed, or do I have to manually check in the Update() function?

gloomy tusk May 21, 2022, 10:50 AM

#

you know what

#

I think I might soon give up on trying to solve this problem

#What s your current code or function