Tech Journal - Develop Unity package INSIDE a Unity Project

Motivation

I encountered a funny problem when coding a Unity Game. To increase the reusability while making game, I also develop a Framework. This framework would be an Unity Package. The thing is that the GAME itself also relies on the framework, which basically mean that I cannot modify and update the framework directly. So, what is the work arround?

Problem Statement

Foundation

1. The game is refered as FAW (Codename)
2. The framework is SysiphusFramework.
3. I am NOT the only one working at the game. Because of the, SysiphusFramework exists as a UnityPackage that is added to Unity Project through git url
4. By doing so, the framework itself is part of the game (inside FAW Folder). However, it now stays in Library (not Assets folder), thus we cannot modify it
5. So, as a developer who are making the framework, how to edit it?

Solution

Ideas

The logic is to create a DEFINITION (in Unity Editor). In the Editor, we now refer the DEFINITION as USE_GIT_FRAMEWORK. If USE_GIT_FRAMEWORK existed, then the project would remove the package from the library. Developers of the package now would have to clone the actual git repository of the framework into the project (into Assets folder) to make update.

The skillful programmer then can use any git client to set skip checking on that assets folder (to not be included in git), then manually modify on that repo onced required. This framework repo although located inside Assets/ but it can still be opened by git. Thus, for each modification, you can safely commit/push it to the framework remote origin.

But How to Remove the package from Library/

Using my script below, replace the RemovePackageSymbol and your package url

#if UNITY_EDITOR
using System.IO;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEditor;
using UnityEditor.PackageManager;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;

[InitializeOnLoad]
public static class ConditionalPackageManager
{
    private const string PackageUrl = "https://github.com/sonnguyen9800/Sisyphus-UniFramework.git";
    private const string DefineSymbol = "USE_SISYPHUS_PACKAGE";
    private const string RemovePackageSymbol = "USE_GIT_SISYPHUSFW";
    static ConditionalPackageManager()
    {

        if (HasDefine(RemovePackageSymbol))
        {
            RemovePackage(PackageUrl);

        }
        else
        {
            AddPackage(PackageUrl);
        }
    }

    private static bool HasDefine(string define)
    {
        string defines = PlayerSettings.GetScriptingDefineSymbolsForGroup(EditorUserBuildSettings.selectedBuildTargetGroup);
        return defines.Contains(define);
    }

    private static void AddPackage(string packageUrl)
    {
        var manifestPath = Path.Combine(Application.dataPath, "../Packages/manifest.json");
        var json = JObject.Parse(File.ReadAllText(manifestPath));

        if (!json["dependencies"].ToObject<JObject>().ContainsKey(packageUrl))
        {
            Debug.Log($"Adding package: {packageUrl}");
            Client.Add(packageUrl);
        }
    }

    private static void RemovePackage(string packageUrl)
    {
        var manifestPath = Path.Combine(Application.dataPath, "../Packages/manifest.json");
        var json = JObject.Parse(File.ReadAllText(manifestPath));

        if (json["dependencies"].ToObject<JObject>().ContainsKey(packageUrl))
        {
            Debug.Log($"Removing package: {packageUrl}");
            var request = Client.Remove(packageUrl);
            EditorApplication.update += () =>
            {
                if (request.IsCompleted)
                {
                    Debug.Log($"Package {packageUrl} removed.");
                    EditorApplication.update -= () => {};
                }
            };
        }
    }
}
#endif

The actual flow

So from the designers or thoses who do not work on the Framework. What they do is clone the project. The definition is not there. Thus what they got is

If you want to start modifying the Framework, here are what you gonna do

Ending thoughts

I may consider build a custom tool with rich GUI to handle this more efficiency!