new-generation-editor

name	new-generation-editor
description	Use when adding a new generation-specific save-data editor (a "Misc Editor"-style dialog scoped to one SAV<N> type, e.g. coins/BP/flags/records) to PKHeX-Avalonia — scaffolds the View, ViewModel, ViewLocator entry, open-command, and menu wiring across the Clean Architecture layers.

New Generation Editor

Overview

PKHeX-Avalonia's generation-specific editors (Misc3Editor, Misc4Editor, Misc7Editor, PokeathlonEditor, etc.) all follow one wiring pattern across the Clean Architecture split. Missing any one of the 5 steps below leaves a dead command or an unreachable dialog — this happened for several existing OpenMisc*Commands, which have a ViewModel/View/ViewLocator entry but no menu item, so they're unreachable from the UI. Don't repeat that gap.

When to Use

• Adding a dialog that edits fields specific to one generation/game family (e.g. "Gen 10 Ribbons", "Misc (Gen 10)").
• NOT for fields that already have a cross-gen editor (Pokédex, Trainer Card, Box tools) — extend those instead.

The 5 Steps

1. ViewModel — PKHeX.Presentation/ViewModels/Misc<N>EditorViewModel.cs

   • partial class, inherits ViewModelBase, constructor takes the concrete save type (SAV<N>, not the base SaveFile).
   • Read/write fields directly through PKHeX.Core APIs on that save object — no repository/service indirection needed for simple field editors.
   • Use [ObservableProperty] for bound fields and [RelayCommand] for actions (CommunityToolkit.Mvvm source generators).
   • Reference: Misc4EditorViewModel.cs

2. View — PKHeX.Avalonia/Views/Misc<N>Editor.axaml + .axaml.cs

   • Code-behind is just InitializeComponent() in the constructor — no logic in code-behind.
   • Reference: Misc4Editor.axaml.cs

3. ViewLocator entry — PKHeX.Avalonia/ViewLocator.cs

   • Add [typeof(Misc<N>EditorViewModel)] = () => new Misc<N>Editor(), to the Map dictionary (alphabetical by key).
   • This is the only place Views and ViewModels are coupled — Presentation never references Avalonia.

4. Open command — PKHeX.Presentation/ViewModels/MainWindowViewModel.EditorDialogs.cs

   [RelayCommand(CanExecute = nameof(HasSave))]
   private async Task OpenMisc<N>Async()
   {
       if (CurrentSave is not SAV<N> sav) return;
       await _windowService.ShowDialogAsync(
           new Misc<N>EditorViewModel(sav),
           "Misc Editor (Gen <N>)");
   }
   

   The generation type-check (CurrentSave is not SAV<N> sav) is the guard — it's what makes the command safely bindable everywhere while only doing something for the right save type.

5. Menu entry — PKHeX.Avalonia/Views/MainWindow.axaml, inside the relevant <MenuItem Header="Gen <N>"> block:

   <MenuItem Header="Misc (Gen <N>)" Command="{Binding OpenMisc<N>Command}" />
   

   If a Gen <N> top-level menu doesn't exist yet (brand-new generation), add it as a sibling of the existing <MenuItem Header="Gen <N-1>"> block, in generation order — match the indentation of its immediate neighbors, not the block above it (existing gen blocks are inconsistently indented; don't propagate that or "fix" it as a drive-by).

   Do not skip this step even though some existing OpenMisc*Commands lack it — those are a known gap, not the pattern to follow.

Verifying

• Build: dotnet build PKHeX.sln -c Release
• Launch the app, load a save of the target generation, open the new menu item, confirm the dialog appears and fields round-trip (edit → save → reload).
• Add a test alongside the existing Misc<N>EditorTests.cs files in Tests/PKHeX.Avalonia.Tests/ if the editor has non-trivial field logic (bit-packed flags, checksums, etc.).

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
ViewModel constructor takes SaveFile instead of SAV<N>	Use the concrete type — the whole point is generation-specific fields only that type exposes
Forgot the ViewLocator entry	Dialog throws/no-ops at runtime with no compile error — Presentation and Avalonia aren't statically linked here
Forgot the menu entry (step 5)	Command exists and compiles but is unreachable from the UI — grep Command="{Binding Open<Name>Command}" across .axaml to confirm it's wired
Logic in the View's code-behind	Keep code-behind to InitializeComponent(); put logic in the ViewModel
Editing PKHeX.Core to add a helper for the new editor	Don't — PKHeX.Core must stay 1:1 with upstream. Put helpers in PKHeX.Application/PKHeX.Presentation instead