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Data Structures Editor

Data Structures Editor

Visual inspectors for JSON, XML, YAML, CSV, Markdown, and text files with in-Inspector editing, validation, and conversion.

Get it on the Unity Asset Store: Data Structures Editor — XML, JSON, YAML, CSV, MD

Overview​

  • Open any supported text data asset and edit directly in the Inspector
  • Consistent UI for all formats with color-coded tokens
  • Export between JSON / XML / YAML with one click
  • Dark/Light theme aware; optimized for large files with caching

Key Features (Detailed)​

  • Multi-format inspectors: .json, .xml, .yaml, .csv, .md, .txt with schema-aware rendering.
  • Inline Editing & Validation: Immediate feedback on structure and syntax; a file that fails to parse falls back to the plain-text inspector with an error message.
  • One-click Export: Convert JSON ⇄ XML ⇄ YAML without leaving Unity.
  • Arrays & Objects: Add, remove, rename, and reorder entries, with undo and redo on Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y (Cmd on macOS). History is per file and holds the last 50 operations.
  • Tables for CSV: Paged grid editing with Add Row, Add Column, and auto-fit columns.
  • Markdown Preview: Rendered Markdown preview with cached parsing.

How to Use​

  1. Select a supported file in the Project window.
  2. Edit values directly in the Inspector; changes are tracked.
  3. Click Save to persist or Reload to discard.
  4. Use Export to change format (JSON/XML/YAML) and save to a new asset.
Data Structures Editor inspector with JSON

The same JSON asset before and after: raw text on the left, the visual editor on the right.

CSV file shown as a table in the Inspector

CSV assets open as a paged table with Add Row / Add Column and auto-fit columns.

Typical Workflows​

  • JSON/YAML editing: Fix configs, tweak gameplay data, adjust localization entries.
  • CSV tables: Edit comma-separated data tables page by page; the first row is treated as the header.
  • Markdown: Update docs or notes with preview for quick checks.

Architecture​

  • GeneralTextAssetEditor: The TextAsset editor that picks an inspector by file extension and falls back to SimpleTextInspector when parsing fails.
  • IDataInspector: Contract for per-format inspectors — JsonInspector, XmlInspector, YamlInspector, CSVInspector, MarkdownInspector, SimpleTextInspector.
  • UnifiedFormatInspector / UnifiedValueToken: Common tree representation shared by the JSON, XML, and YAML inspectors.
  • Exporters: JsonExporter, XmlExporter, and YamlExporter behind IDataExporter, driven by DataExportService.
  • CommandManager: Command-pattern edit history (add / remove / rename / move / change value) providing the per-file undo and redo stacks.
  • Caching: MarkdownCache and token caches to speed up large files.

Settings & Controls​

  • Save: Persist edits to disk.
  • Reload: Discard unsaved changes.
  • Export Format + Export As…: Choose a target format (JSON / XML / YAML) and write the result to a new asset.
  • CSV: Rows per page (15 by default) with page navigation, plus Add Row, Add Column, and Auto-fit Columns. The delimiter is a comma and the first row is the header — neither is configurable.
Exporting the same asset to JSON, YAML, and XML

The same asset exported through Export Format → Export As…: JSON, YAML, and XML.

Tips & Best Practices​

  • Keep backups for critical data files.
  • Validate after conversions; complex nested data may need manual review.
  • Use Reload if you experiment and want to revert quickly.
  • Prefer UTF-8 encoding for best compatibility.

Troubleshooting​

  • Plain text instead of the visual editor: Either the extension is not one of .json, .xml, .yaml, .csv, .md, .txt, or the file failed to parse — the inspector then falls back to plain text and shows the parse error. Note that .yml is not recognised; rename such files to .yaml.
  • File not opening: Check file type and encoding.
  • Export fails: Verify permissions and available disk space; check target path.
  • Broken structure after conversion: Review complex nested objects; re-validate keys and arrays.

Requirements​

  • Unity Editor 2020.3 or later
  • Editor-only (no runtime impact)

Support​

For issues or feature requests, contact: nadirmanakhov@gmail.com

Related Tools: Command Line | Subtitles Tool | Files Converter | VCS Client