BlueConsole Unity C#

A versatile in-game debug console with built-in commands, logging messages, and a regex-based hint system. It was developed for use in the Unity game engine, but it's suitable for any kind of application and engine that runs on C#. This is because of the separation of console logic, visuals, commands, and type parameters into individual classes.

I initiated this project because some time ago, I needed a console to debug my game and couldn't find anything online that met all my requirements. I then decided to create one myself.

Please let me know what you think about the console and its presentation. I hope that my explanations are somewhat C# newcomer-friendly. It's my first game tool, and every piece of feedback is valuable to me. Thanks!

Main features of the console:

    Very modular and an easy way to add custom console commands.

    [ConsoleCommand("clear", "clears the console content")]

    public static void Clear()

    {

        _attachedConsole.ClearContent();

    }

    

    [ConsoleCommand("quit", "closes the application")]

    public static void Quit()

    {

        Application.Quit();

    }

    

    [ConsoleCommand("reset", "resets current scene")]

    public static void Reset()

    {

        SceneManager.LoadScene(SceneManager.GetActiveScene().name, LoadSceneMode.Single);

    }

Every command is essentially a method with a custom "CommandAttribute." Adding your own commands is a straightforward process – just add the attribute, customize the command's ID and description, and write the code for your function. The console reads all static and instance methods from specified assemblies and adds them as executables.

    Commands use custom parameter types.

    [TypeParameter("\".*?\"", true)]     

    public static string StringParameter(string inputParam)     

    {         

        return inputParam.Replace("\"", string.Empty);    

    }

Every type is parsed and checked differently. BlueConsole, by default, supports almost every C# type and some Unity types. If you want, you can easily allow your own types to be parsed in arguments – it could be a struct, scriptable object, or anything you prefer!

    Regex-based hint system.

The console tells you the closest command to what you are typing in the input field using a simple regex matching function. This feature makes it intuitive to find what you want and ensures that you didn't misspell anything.

    Logic and visuals are separated.

Everything that happens in the console should appear on the screen and be customizable. BlueConsole not only allows you to change every aspect of its looks but can also be completely overhauled with some tweaks in a single class. This is because the logic triggers specific events, and visuals receive them to display content accordingly.

    Logging Unity messages

By default BlueConsole subscribes to all Unity logs and shows them in-game. This is particularly useful for debugging built projects that don't have the default console provided by Unity editor. Colored messaged also make it effortless to spot what needs extra attention in code.

    QnA

How to install it?

In Unity package manager click "add from disk" and select package.json from the downloaded file. You will find a prefab there that that contains the console. Just drag it to all your scenes and it will work! Just note that you also need an EventSystem object in your scenes with the console.

What's coming in the next updates?

I will probably need to add comments in code to explain everything along the way, but I hope that my code even without them is clear and readable. I will also tinker around with making the console a static object with a single instance, but I'm still not sure about it yet.

I also want to provide a tutorial for setting up the console in Unity, preferably in a video form. 

Can I suggest something?

Definitely! If you have an idea for a new feature or feel like something needs to be changed, please let me know in the comments section. I want this project to be polished and complete so every feedback is very welcomed.

What am I downloading?

In the zip file you will find 4 scripts, and a Unity package. 

    Resources

Here are some sites I used for learning during the development of BlueConsole. If your interested in these topics I highly recommend them!

For regex:

https://regex101.com

https://gist.github.com/vitorbritto/9ff58ef998100b8f19a0

    BlueConsole GitHub Page

https://github.com/BlueEagle421/BlueConsole/tree/main

It contains a working Unity project with the console setted up properly.