Component Attributes

S&box Component Attributes

Enhance S&box Component properties with attributes to control inspector appearance and behavior.

When to Use

• Creating new components with configurable properties
• Improving existing component inspector UX
• Organizing related properties into groups
• Adding value constraints (ranges, conditional display)
• Marking runtime state as read-only
• Creating debug/advanced feature tabs

Core Concept

Properties with [Property] appear in the inspector. Additional attributes modify display:

public sealed class MyComponent : Component
{
    [Property] 
    public string Basic { get; set; }
    
    [Property, Title("HP"), Range(0, 100), Icon("favorite")]
    public int Health { get; set; }
}

Essential Attributes Quick Reference

Organization Patterns

Header Sections

Group related properties under labels:

[Property, Header("Player Stats")]
public int MaxHealth { get; set; } = 100;
[Property]
public int CurrentHealth { get; set; } = 100;

[Property, Header("Economy")]
public long Currency { get; set; } = 1000;

Collapsible Groups

Create foldable sections:

[Property, Group("Rendering")]
public Color Color { get; set; }
[Property, Group("Rendering")]
public bool CastShadows { get; set; }

Toggle Groups

Enable/disable groups with a checkbox:

[Property]
public bool UseAdvancedSettings { get; set; } = false;

[Property, ToggleGroup("UseAdvancedSettings")]
public float AdvancedValue { get; set; }

Feature Tabs

Separate advanced/debug features:

[Property, Feature("Debug")]
public bool ShowDebugInfo { get; set; }

[Property] // Goes to "General" tab
public string Name { get; set; }

Value Constraints

Range Sliders

Constrain numeric values:

[Property, Range(0, 100)]
public float Health { get; set; } = 100f;

// Allow manual input outside range
[Property, Range(0, 100, clamped: false)]
public int Value { get; set; }

// Number input instead of slider
[Property, Range(0, 100, slider: false)]
public int Precise { get; set; }

Step Increment

Snap to specific increments:

[Property, Step(10)]
public int RoundedValue { get; set; } = 50; // Increments by 10

Conditional Display

Show/Hide Based on Other Properties

[Property]
public bool UseCustomSpeed { get; set; } = false;

[Property, ShowIf("UseCustomSpeed", true)]
public float CustomSpeed { get; set; } = 5f;

[Property, HideIf("AutoCalculate", true)]
public float ManualValue { get; set; }

Display Enhancement

Custom Labels and Icons

[Property, Title("HP")]
public int Health { get; set; }

[Property, Icon("favorite"), Title("Health Points")]
public int MaxHealth { get; set; }

Descriptions and Help Text

[Property, Description("The maximum health this player can have")]
public int MaxHealth { get; set; } = 100;

Read-Only Runtime State

[Property, ReadOnly]
public int ContractsCompleted { get; set; } = 0;

[Property, ReadOnly, Icon("trending_up")]
public long TotalEarnings { get; set; } = 0;

Practical Example: Health Component

public sealed class HealthComponent : Component
{
    [Property, Header("Health Settings"), Range(1, 1000), Icon("favorite")]
    public int MaxHealth { get; set; } = 100;

    [Property, ReadOnly, Icon("favorite_border")]
    public int CurrentHealth { get; set; } = 100;

    [Property, Space, Header("Regeneration")]
    public bool EnableRegeneration { get; set; } = true;

    [Property, ShowIf("EnableRegeneration", true), Range(0, 100)]
    public float RegenPerSecond { get; set; } = 5f;

    protected override void OnStart()
    {
        CurrentHealth = MaxHealth;
    }

    protected override void OnFixedUpdate()
    {
        if (EnableRegeneration && CurrentHealth < MaxHealth)
        {
            CurrentHealth = Math.Min(
                CurrentHealth + (int)(RegenPerSecond / 50f), 
                MaxHealth
            );
        }
    }

    public void TakeDamage(int damage)
    {
        CurrentHealth = Math.Max(CurrentHealth - damage, 0);
    }
}

Benefits:

• Range constrains health values
• ReadOnly shows runtime state without allowing edits
• ShowIf conditionally displays regen rate
• Icons add visual categorization
• Headers organize logically

Common Pitfalls

Forgetting [Property]

// ❌ Won't appear in inspector
[Range(0, 100)]
public int Value { get; set; }

// ✅ Correct
[Property, Range(0, 100)]
public int Value { get; set; }

Using [Property] with [RequireComponent]

// ❌ [RequireComponent] doesn't need [Property]
[Property, RequireComponent]
private ModelRenderer Body { get; set; }

// ✅ Correct
[RequireComponent]
private ModelRenderer Body { get; set; }

Invalid ShowIf/HideIf References

// ❌ Property doesn't exist
[Property, ShowIf("NonExistentProp", true)]
public int Value { get; set; }

// ✅ Valid property reference
[Property]
public bool Enable { get; set; }

[Property, ShowIf("Enable", true)]
public int Value { get; set; }

Overusing Groups

// ❌ Too many nested groups
[Property, Group("A"), ToggleGroup("B"), Feature("C")]
public int Value { get; set; }

// ✅ Pick one grouping strategy
[Property, Group("Settings")]
public int Value { get; set; }

All Available Attributes

Organization

• [Header("Text")] - Section label
• [Space] - Vertical spacing
• [Group("Name")] - Collapsible group box
• [ToggleGroup("BoolProperty")] - Checkbox-enabled group
• [Feature("TabName")] - Separate tab
• [FeatureEnabled("TabName")] - Toggle tab on/off (bool property)
• [Order(priority)] - Custom display order

Display

• [Title("Text")] - Custom label
• [Description("Text")] - Help text below property
• [Icon("name")] - Icon next to label
• [ReadOnly] - Visible but not editable
• [KeyProperty] - Primary identifier in lists
• [InlineEditor] - Edit nested objects inline
• [Hide] - Completely hidden (still serialized)

Constraints

• [Range(min, max)] - Slider control with optional clamping
• [Step(increment)] - Drag increment value
• [ShowIf("property", value)] - Show if condition met
• [HideIf("property", value)] - Hide if condition met

Input Controls

• [TextArea] - Multi-line text input
• [ImageAssetPath] - Image file picker
• [FontName] - Font dropdown
• [InputAction] - Input action dropdown (from Input.config)
• [Flags] - Multi-select enum (requires [Flags] on enum)

Component

• [RequireComponent] - Auto-link/create component on same GameObject

Workflow for Enhancing Components

1. Identify categories - Group related properties
2. Add headers/groups - Use [Header] or [Group]
3. Constrain values - Add [Range] where applicable
4. Mark runtime state - Use [ReadOnly] for calculated values
5. Add context - Use [Title], [Description], [Icon]
6. Implement conditionals - Use [ShowIf]/[HideIf] for contextual properties
7. Test in inspector - Verify layout and behavior

Resources

• S&box Docs: Property Attributes
• Video Tutorial: 20 S&box Attributes by Carson Kompon
• Custom Editors: Creating Custom Editors
• Example: See Code/Player.cs for real-world usage

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