Game Data Editor: The Visual Data Editor [Released]

They appear in the Unity Properties window.

 

Awesome product does way more than I expected.
For convenience it would be nice if the spreadsheet had data validation drop downs for custom fields. That way I could use the dropdowns in the spreadsheet and not worry about typos. I can put them in myself but If I update the data in Unity and save again the data validation gets lost.
Probably need a toggle on this feature for backward compatibility.
Cheers
Grant

 

Glad you like it Grant!

That would be nice. I'll write that down so I won't forget to look into that. Thanks for the suggestion

 

Another Suggestion.
Custom types that are stored in the class as "string". So it would use the custom type to select the name from a drop down, but then treat it like a string. I use a lot enums in my data classes so I make custom classes and only put the name as string it it. I then can pull this name out and convert to a an enum, but it would be easier to just read then enum name from a string instead going down inside the class.

Edit: realised that item names must be unique across all schema so the above would not work if two enums used the same value ie area.all and targer.all would conflict. So I will continue to use a name field inside my enum schema.

Cheers,
Grant

 

Hello - Using the sample image shown below,

(for example) I want to manually delete an item Weapon: Mace entirely using code in unity during runtime.

1. How do I delete the stored entry I created (I likely used the code below to add the Weapon item (Mace) during my last runtime play-through)

GDEDataManager.UpdateItem(newMember);
GDEDataManager.SaveToDisk();

2. Scenario 2 -- How do I delete the stored Weapon: Mace item after I import the spreadsheet using code?

3. Also is it possible to only save the specific data you need? I have alot of temporary runtime data i generate after I call new GDE___Data and need to clean that up (or ignore it so it doesnt save) before I allow the user to save - but i am not sure how to do that.

Source: http://gamedataeditor.com/en/docs/spreadsheet-format.html

 

If your Weapon: Mace is an item that was created at runtime and does not exist in your original data set, use ResetAll() to remove that item. That will remove the item from modified data and it will not be loaded again.

If your Weapon: Mace exists in your original data set, either imported from a spreadsheet or created using Playmode saving (as you mention in #1) in the editor with GDEDataManager.UpdateItem(newMember);
GDEDataManager.SaveToDisk();, then you cannot delete that item. You can clear out all its fields, set them all to zero, empty strings, clear lists, etc. but that item key will always be present as it will be loaded from the data file. I'd suggest adding a "deleted" bool to the schema that can be read to see whether that item is valid or not.

On saving specific data, any changes that have been made will be saved when GDEDataManager.Save(); is called. If you generate temp data, be sure to call ResetAll() on those temp items once you are done with them and they will be removed from modified data and will not persist.

 

Hi @Celestipoo, recently I changed my saving system and found myself in trouble.

In the previous version of my game, updating my inventory was like that:

GDECollectiblesData collectibleData = GetGDECollectibleDataForName(collectible.name);
collectibleData.quantity++;
GDEDataManager.UpdateItem(collectibleData);
GDEDataManager.Save();

And it was working like a charm. But now my saving system has a commit like behavior, so I wanted to just update the items in GDE but save them when the user stopped by a save pedestal. Something like:

// when getting a new item
GDECollectiblesData collectibleData = GetGDECollectibleDataForName(collectible.name);
collectibleData.quantity++;
GDEDataManager.UpdateItem(collectibleData);

And:

GDEDataManager.Save();

When stopping in the save pedestal.

I thought it was working at first glance, but then I noticed that the intermediate data was getting lost sometimes, and at totally random situations, like changing scenes or interacting with other elements of the game. When looking at the runtime data in the Item Editor, it was possible to see the quantity attribute getting higher and then being reset when the scene changed, sometimes it did not happen.

Am I using it wrong? Is it possible to use GDE as a local commit and then "push" my changes to the disk latter on? Or will I have to have a duplicate my models for every diff?

Thanks in advance,

OBS: targeting Android and iOS, problem happens in both platforms and in the editor as well.

 

UpdateItem() is for helper scripts that generate GDE data. There are three ways to enter data into GDE: Using the GDE editors in Unity, importing a spreadsheet, and using UpdateItem() and SaveToDisk() in a helper script. So, remove the UpdateItem() call, and just use Save() when you want to save your data. Also make sure that your data file has what you expect in it, and clear out any saved data before testing so there's no confusion. Let me know if this helps.

 

Hi @Celestipoo,

I am interested in buying the GDE plugin but I would like to known if there are any known issues related to Unity 5 especially for the Android and WebGL platforms.

Thanks for you time.

Regards,
Clayton

 

Hi Clayton, not that I know of. The best way to confirm is too test out the free version before purchasing.

 

I'm a little confused about the runtime values vs. regular values.

When I modify an item in playmaker and then use Save All the changed values only show up under "Runtime Values."

-Are the values saved to disc once I called Save All in Playmaker even though they only show up when "Runtime Values" is checked?

-What happens when I modify non-runtime values? For example: Does Playmaker and regular scripts still call from the runtime values and not the modified non-runtime values?

 

Sorry for the delayed response, I've been moving. Anyhow, runtime values are the values you would get when the game is run. For example, say there is a username field in some item with a default value of "John Doe". The first time a user runs your game, they set the username to "Celeste". And your game saves that change. The runtime value for that field is now "Celeste". If that field is reset, it will return "John Doe" once again. Playmaker SaveAll action is what you need to make any changes to GDE data persist.

Don't confuse this with the GDE editor tools in Unity. In the GDE editor, you can see local runtime values if you have that box checked. This is for debugging. You can play your game in the editor and easily see how your data is changing. So runtime values are from changes made while the game was played. Default values are the values that will be deployed when you make a build of your game.

Does this clarify things for you?

 

So in reality non-runtime values are more like default values. They exist when exported or through the reset action. Otherwise, PlayMaker will always view the runtime variables when they exist?

 

Yes, exactly.

 

Thanks @Celestipoo

 

@Celestipoo ,

Been a while since i checked in on this forum.

GDE has come along a bit since i last looked.

Reviewing the Playmaker actions i cant see any GDE Set or GDE Save or Load actions or actions to add or change or save items in runtime?

Also, how would you use GDE playmaker actions to get (or set) a texture2d, a gameobject or audioclip?

 

I would love to know what format the path to an AudioClip in Google Spreadsheet needs to be. Let's say I have a clip in Assets\Audio\test.wav
How do I reference that in spreadsheet? The Documentation says: path/to/asset_without_an_extension
Do I go from the Assets folder or from the drive letter (C: ) and also do I need quotes when I only reference one clip?
It feels like I tried almost every possible combination but when I reimport it still says 'none (AudioClip)' in the Item Editor.
Could you please give me an example or tell me what I could be doing wrong?

 

Either I've discovered a bug, or I'm fundamentally misunderstanding how the GDEDataManager.Get<t> functions are supposed to work.

Let's say I've imported a google spreadsheet, and I have an Item, "SomeItem" with a string field, "SomeField" with a value of "Hello world".

Debug.Log (GDEDataManager.GetString("SomeItem","SomeField", "default string"));

I would expect this to log "Hello world" to the console, but instead it logs "default string".

If I manually set the value at runtime via the GDEDataManager.SetString method first, GetString will return the value that was set.

Shouldn't GetString, etc, be able to return the values that were imported from the spreadsheet, or am I doing something wrong?

 

Hello,

Is there any solution for the countries which cannot access to Google Services such as China?

Thanks,
Anh

 

Sorry for the super late reply. I didn't get any notifs from the forum. Grr, these forums.

Any references to Unity types must be in a Resources folder, or subfolder. So, if you moved Audio to Resources, it would be Audio/test.

 

What version of GDE do you have? The Set actions should all be there. Also, Unity types are read only.

 

No, those Get methods only return from the saved data. Those methods aren't really meant to be used directly. The generated data classes wrap all that stuff to make it easy to access the fields.

But here's what you'd need to do if you didn't want to use the data classes:

Code (csharp):

1. Dictionary<string, object> dict;
2. string someField = "default string";
3.  
4. // First get the spreadsheet value by loading it from the item's dictionary
5. if (GDEDataManager.Get("someItem", out dict))
6. {
7.     // Then read the spreadsheet value from it
8.     dict.TryGetString("someField", out someField);
9. }
10.  
11. // Now override it with the saved data, if that's what you want to do
12. someField = GDEDataManager.GetString("SomeItem","SomeField", someField);

 

Yes, you can use a local spreadsheet using Excel.

 

For anyone importing GDE Free into Unity 5.5 and getting a Dictionary exception, import this patch.

 

Need a little help getting in forwarding motion using your tool in the playmaker. I need to do the following in this order.

Check spread sheet for enemies getting x,y cords(need help)

Playmaker check around the character to see if there are enemies. (I can do this just fine)

If No I spawn enemies around player.

When enemies are spawned I need to write there x,y cords and add to a spread sheet

Then when another player initializes I need it to check spread sheet so those enemies spawn to them also

If the enemy is destroyed need to write to spread sheet turn bool to 0 so others don't see the monster on update or delete the entry from the spread sheet.

 

I'm sorry, our documentation site is down at the moment (I'm investigating now). Please take a look at the offline documentation for GDE Playmaker support. You can find it in the GameDataEditor/Docs folder, I've also uploaded it here.

 

Hi Celest,

I'm using GDE (and LE) for my next game.
First, I didn't noticed any problem with the new Unity 2017, except for sync from Unity to Google Drive.

Spoiler: Sync Error Message

InvalidOperationException: Cannot override system-specified headers
UnityEngine.Networking.UnityWebRequest.SetRequestHeader (System.String name, System.String value) (at C:/buildslave/unity/build/artifacts/generated/common/modules/UnityWebRequest/WebRequestBindings.gen.cs:479)
UnityEngine.WWW..ctor (System.String url, System.Byte[] postData, System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2 headers) (at C:/buildslave/unity/build/Runtime/WebRequestWWW/UWRWWW.cs:62)
GameDataEditor.GDEDriveHelper.UploadToExistingSheet (System.String googleSheetImportName, System.String dummyFilePath) (at Assets/GameDataEditor/Editor/ExcelImport/GDEDriveHelper.cs:257)
UnityEngine.Debug:LogException(Exception)
GameDataEditor.GDEDriveHelper:UploadToExistingSheet(String, String) (at Assets/GameDataEditor/Editor/ExcelImport/GDEDriveHelper.cs:310)
GameDataEditor.GDEExcelManageroExport(Boolean) (at Assets/GameDataEditor/Editor/GDEExcelManager.cs:96)
GameDataEditor.GDEManagerWindowBaserawSpreadsheetSection() (at Assets/GameDataEditor/Editor/GDEManagerWindowBase.cs:438)
GameDataEditor.GDEManagerWindowBaserawHeader() (at Assets/GameDataEditor/Editor/GDEManagerWindowBase.cs:351)
GameDataEditor.GDEManagerWindowBase:OnGUI() (at Assets/GameDataEditor/Editor/GDEManagerWindowBase.cs:306)
GDESchemaManagerWindow:OnGUI() (at Assets/GameDataEditor/Editor/GDESchemaManagerWindow.cs:46)
UnityEngine.GUIUtilityrocessEvent(Int32, IntPtr)

So, I'm using Playmaker, and I would like to know if there is way to clone a GDECustomData item in a FSM? Or do I have to clone the item in a side script?

Thank you and keep up the good work!

 

Hi,
can you make these actions available again?
the link is broken
http://gamedataeditor.com/en/docs/reading-lists-playmaker.html

 

Those actions are deprecated. Please send me an email (celeste@stayathomedevs.com) with your invoice # and I will send you a link to the beta that contains the new playmaker list actions.

 

Hmm, I will take a look at that error. Cloning can only be done with the generated data classes in a script. Take a look at the end of section 6 in the quick start guide: http://gamedataeditor.com/en/docs/gde-quickstart.html

If you are good with scripting, you could create a custom playmaker action that does the clone using the generated data class. Your action could take a string key parameter, then the action would use that key to do the cloning.

 

Thank you very much Celest!

 

@Frogames

For Unity 2017 users getting an exception when exporting to Google Drive, please backup your project, then apply this patch.

 

my asset store GDEExtension.css error compile at CS1929 in unity 5.50f1

 

Free or Paid? What's the error?

 

Everyone please note:

I am located in South Florida and am dealing with preparations for Hurricane Irma. I may not respond as promptly as I normally do. I may find myself without power and internet access, so if I don't respond please be patient. I will respond when I can. Thank you for understanding.

 

Take care, and best wishes!

 

@Celestipoo ,

Absolutely, hope you guys stay safe.

 

Just rolling out my first game to Steam and I realise that there could be an issue overwriting data. The runtime data isn't stored in the database is it? So it's safe for me to overwrite the game items without messing up the players customisations?

 

I am looking at purchasing this, but want to confirm it does support ArrayMaker.
The dropbox link to the ArrayMaker actions doesn't work: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yo2u8ehqqebxr0l/GDE_v2.5_ArrayMakerActions.unitypackage?dl=0

I also didn't see the actions in the asset store package. Can you confirm this works well with arraymaker?
Thanks!

 

Hi Celest,

I'm not sure why, but it looks like the number of keys imported from a Google or Excel spreadsheet is limited. Or maybe the number of keys GDE can manage is limited.
My project is data driven, and one of my shemas counts more than 100 keys. But less than half of the keys are imported in Unity.

I noticed data columns witha name starting by A are all imported. Not imported datas start with B colums.

Any idea?

 

Sorry for the long delay.
Anyway, no your saved data should remain intact as long as you don't manually reset the data through GDE. I'm assuming you didn't run into any issues since you haven't been back to respond. Congrats on shipping your game!

 

Arraymaker support is obsolete. There are new playmaker actions that work with lists in the beta. Send me your invoice number and I'll give you access to the beta: celeste@stayathomedevs.com

 

For anyone needing more columns: In GameDataEditor/Editor/ExcelImport/GDEExcelDataHelper.cs at the top of the class there is a range defined:

const string KEYS_RANGE = "a:a";

Change the range to include whatever columns you need.

 

GDE v2.6.1 is now live. It contains new Playmaker actions that support lists, performance improvements, and bug fixes.

 

Hi:

Our first project used resources folder to manage all GDE related resources and it was working very well, but for our 2nd project we would like to switch to asset bundle to better manage all resources. I wonder can GDE access unity types stored in asset bundle? If not is there any plan to support asset bundle in the future?

Cheers
Kenyon

 

Hi Kenyon, no it doesn't support asset bundles. Taking on the management of an asset bundle is outside of the scope of GDE. However, it shouldn't be too much to write a couple of helper classes that manage your bundles and use GDE to load specific assets from those bundles. GDE could store the bundle names and asset paths, and your code would read that path from an item and then load it from whatever bundle it was in. So I'm copying this from Unity docs:

Code (csharp):

1. IEnumerator InstantiateGameObjectAsync (string assetBundleName, string assetName) {    
2. // Load asset from assetBundle.    
3. AssetBundleLoadAssetOperation request =
4.         AssetBundleManager.LoadAssetAsync(assetBundleName, assetName, typeof(GameObject) );    
5.  
6.  if (request == null)        
7.    yield break;    
8.  
9.  yield return StartCoroutine(request);    
10.  
11. // Get the asset.    
12. GameObject prefab = request.GetAsset<GameObject> ();    
13.  
14. if (prefab != null)        
15.   GameObject.Instantiate(prefab);
16. }

So assetBundleName and assetName can be stored in a GDE item as strings. You would provide the coroutine to load that asset from that bundle however you like.

 

Cool! Thank you for your help!

 

where are the doc's on playmaker and GDEManagerInitTextAsset ?

and how do you create the "playmaker_readtest_data" you have in the demo scene ??

I having trouble getting String data from game data ??? can you give an outline on the playmaker workflow please

 

Read through the playmaker quick start guide. It will highlight all the pieces and show you how it works: http://gamedataeditor.com/en/docs/playmaker-quickstart.html

 

No Sorry I'm missing something I can add your distorted-reality.mp3 to a GDE but can not add any other sound file ??

have converted to MP3
don;t have any spaces in my File name

I can import and export and all my text strings stay and they all work when i play my Scene

but when i add any other audio file then distorted-reality.mp3 it get cleared when i run the scene ?

when i import or run my scene also clears the Audio data ? but all teh text is working perfectly ? please help what am I missing ?