T4 Text Templates for Unity
T4 Text Templates for Unity enables code generation through T4 text templates, combining text blocks with C# control logic to automatically produce files. Ideal for source code generation, resource catalogization, asset management, and DSL-based code generation. Features include real-time template processing through the Inspector, automatic generation triggers on code compilation or asset changes, and seamless Unity assembly integration.
com.gamedevware.text-transform 
Install via UPM
Add to Unity Package Manager using this URL
https://www.pkglnk.dev/text-transform.git?path=src/GameDevWare.TextTransform.Unity/Packages/com.gamedevware.text-transform README Markdown
Copy this to your project's README.md
## Installation
Add **T4 Text Templates for Unity** to your Unity project via Package Manager:
1. Open **Window > Package Manager**
2. Click **+** > **Add package from git URL**
3. Enter:
```
https://www.pkglnk.dev/text-transform.git?path=src%2FGameDevWare.TextTransform.Unity%2FPackages%2Fcom.gamedevware.text-transform
```
[](https://www.pkglnk.dev/pkg/text-transform)README
Introduction
This Unity editor extension provides T4 text templates processor. T4 template is a mixture of text blocks and control logic that can generate a text file. The control logic is written as fragments of program code in C#. The generated file can be text of any kind, such as resource file, source code or web page.
T4 template example:
<html><body>
The date and time now is: <#= DateTime.Now #>
</body></html>
Use cases
- Source code generation
- Project resources catalogization
- Resource loading/reading code generation
- Code generation by DSL
- Code generation for ORM (BLToolkit for example)
- Embedding environment information into project's build
How to use
Create or copy file with .tt extension. Select this file in Project window (Window -> Project), then in Inspector window (Window -> Inspector) setup T4 template's parameters. Click "Generate" button. Inspector window for T4 template contains following parameters:
- Output Type - type of generated file
- Text - normal template's output. It corresponds to "Design-time T4 text templates" in Microsoft's terminology.
- Text Generator - generator-class which can generate content when TransformText() is called. It corresponds to "Run time T4 text templates" in Microsoft's terminology.
- Output Path - path to generated file. If not specified, generated file will have file name of template and file extension from output directive.
- Auto-Gen Triggers - list of events which trigger auto-generation.
- Code Compilation - after each code compilation
- Asset Changes - after watched assets are changed, look for Assets to Watch
- Auto-Gen Delay (Ms) - delay before triggered auto-generation starts
- Assets to Watch - list of assets and folders which trigger auto-generation
Details
T4 template can use hostspecific=true property to access Host.ResolvePath method, which maps path relatively to template's location.
By default UnityEngine.dll and UnityEditor.dll assemblies are referenced in all templates. You can reference project's assemblies Assembly-CSharp and Assembly-CSharp-firstpass by adding assembly directive:
<#@ assembly name="Assembly-CSharp" #>
<#@ assembly name="Assembly-CSharp-firstpass" #>
Target Runtime
The template always uses the current runtime and core libraries of Unity Editor.
Language Version
You could specify C# language version with language= directive.
List of available language versions:
- language="C#v3.5" - C# version 3.5.
- language="C#" - C# up to version 7, depending on Unity Editor's version.
- unspecified - It is currently the equivalent of "C#".
MSBuild Macros are not available.
You can run template generation from your code with UnityTemplateGenerator.RunForTemplate(templatePath) call.
Contacts
Please send any questions at support@gamedevware.com
License
MIT
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