bl-core-inspectors

name	bl-core-inspectors
description	Use for BovineLabs Core custom inspectors or property drawers, prefab override handling, serialized-property editing, or inspector debugging.

Core Inspectors

Resolve Core editor source from Packages/com.bovinelabs.core or its exact Library/PackageCache entry. Preserve per-element state and prefab-aware behavior.

Read Order

1. Documentation~/Inspectors.md
2. BovineLabs.Core.Editor/Inspectors/ElementEditor.cs
3. BovineLabs.Core.Editor/Inspectors/ElementProperty.cs
4. BovineLabs.Core.Editor/Inspectors/GraphToolkitElementProperty.cs
5. BovineLabs.Core.Editor/Inspectors/PrefabElementEditor.cs
6. BovineLabs.Core.Editor/Inspectors/PrefabElementProperty.cs
7. BovineLabs.Core.Editor/Inspectors/ElementUtility.cs

Build Pattern

1. Override CreateElement(SerializedProperty property) and intercept only required properties.
2. Return base.CreateElement(property) for default field rendering.
3. Use PreElementCreation(...) to prepare state.
4. Use PostElementCreation(...) to register callbacks and apply initial state.
5. Use ElementUtility.SetVisible(...) for conditional UI sections.
6. Return null from CreateElement(...) when intentionally skipping a property.

ElementProperty State Rule

Use Cache<T>() for callback state that must remain isolated per drawn element.

Reason:

• The same drawer type can render multiple elements at once (especially list/array entries).
• Shared instance-field state can cause callbacks to read or write the wrong SerializedProperty.

Graph Toolkit Property Drawers

Use GraphToolkitElementProperty for Unity 6.5+ custom property drawers rendered inside Graph Toolkit inspectors or inline value editors.

Rules:

• An empty subclass is enough when default child-field rendering is desired.
• It uses foldout rendering by default; override UseFoldout => false only for drawers that must stay inline, such as compact value-reference rows.
• Override SkipSingleRoot => true for wrapper drawers that should unwrap a single composite Value child.
• SkipSingleRoot only unwraps when there is exactly one direct child and that child is a generic property with visible children.
• Use its protected CreatePropertyField(...) helpers when overriding CreateElement(...); they return Graph Toolkit-aligned fields.
• Prefer a dedicated serializable value type and [CustomPropertyDrawer(typeof(MyValueType))] over targeting primitive or broad Unity types.

Parent and Display Rules

1. Use ParentType to control container style (Foldout, Label, None).
2. Override GetDisplayName(...) for list entries when Element N is not useful.
3. Use [PrefabElement] or prefab-aware base classes when instance edits should target prefab assets.