A new JsonConverterOptions attribute for new converter management

[Erifirin]

Hello again.

Sometimes when developing a shared library I need to create a public json converter that does a specific job. This converter is not intended for general use and must be used explicitly by manually marking fields/properties with the attribute [JsonConverter(<type>)] (or by using custom JsonSerializerSettings). The problem is that I can't set such a limitation on my side. And without it, I can only hope that in each project my converter will be manually disabled in converters settings. But this approach is dangerous and inconvenient because it requires constant monitoring and maintenance of this list.

As an alternative, I propose to introduce a new attribute JsonConverterOptions with one optional property for now - Hidden (more properties can be added in future). If it is true, the converter is ignored in UnityConverterInitializer, is not displayed in converters settings and is not used globally even if Auto Sync Converters option is enabled.

[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Class, AllowMultiple = false)]
public class JsonConverterOptionsAttribute : Attribute
{
    public bool Hidden { get; set; }
}

And use case:

[JsonConverterOptions(Hidden = true)]
public class SpecificConverter : JsonConverter
{
    ...
}

What do you think?

[applejag]

This is a fine idea, @Erifirin. I like it!

I have not looked at the implementation yet, but I would say it would be better with a more explicit [HideInJsonConverterSettings] to mimic Unity's [HideInInspector] attribute.

Adding this feature inside a generic options/settings container like this makes it a little ambiguous, and I wouldn't bet on us supporting arbitrary compile-time settings to converters using attributes. That would be a weird way to control things when attributes anyways already require you to have code access.

[Erifirin]

Splendid. Glad to hear you liked the idea.

That would be a weird way to control things when attributes anyways already require you to have code access.

That's the point. Sometimes control should be in the hands of the converter's author.

I would say it would be better with a more explicit [HideInJsonConverterSettings] to mimic Unity's [HideInInspector] attribute.

Hmm.. Ok. Sounds good and looks clearer. I would prefer HideInJsonConverterSettings if you don't mind. Already made changes. Please review them when you have time.

[applejag]

Nice work! Just some small comments. And now I have to figure out how to get my CI/CD to work again 🤔

[applejag]

Need a doc comment on this type to explain how it works and why you would use it

[Erifirin]

I'll try. But I'm not good at English))) Maybe you'll want to do it yourself later.

[applejag]

To make sure this works, could you also add a converter like VisibleConverter that doesn't have the attribute?

[Erifirin]

Easy. Just give me a couple of minutes)

[Erifirin]

@applejag I've done. So what about problems with CI/CD? Is it because of my HiddenConverterTests?

[applejag]

@applejag I've done. So what about problems with CI/CD? Is it because of my HiddenConverterTests?

I don't actively develop this repo so I always forget how to work with the CI/CD pipelines. And I don't use Unity anymore so every time I do stuff here I have to reinstall a bunch of stuff. But I'll look into it later as I'm working and I need to fully sit down with this and dedicate an hour before I feel comfortable merging and releasing anything