UGTK / Toolkit / Ui Module / Element Cycler System Completed

Element Cycler System

Summary

The Element Cycler System cycles through a keyed collection of elements (2D sprites or 3D prefabs) with next/previous navigation, selection by index or identifier, and a string event fired on every change.

Content

Modules Dependencies
Setup
How To Use
Technical Info

Modules Dependencies

This module depends on the UGTK DictionarySystem (UGTK.Data.DictionarySystem), used by the SO_ElementsCyclers2D/3D ScriptableObjects to store the keyed element dictionaries.

Setup

Drop the ElementCycler prefab under a Canvas (or CyclerPanel for the version with the next/previous buttons already wired):

How To Use

Create an SO_ElementsCyclers2D (string → Sprite) or SO_ElementsCyclers3D (string → prefab) asset and fill its dictionary.
Add Mn_ElementCycler2D (assign the elements asset and a target Image) or Mn_ElementCycler3D for prefabs.
Drive it from UI buttons/code with NextElement(), PreviousElement(), SetElementByIndex(int) or SetElementByIdentifier(string).
Read the current key with GetCurrentElementIdentifier() and subscribe to onChangeElement (UnityEvent<string>) to react to the active element's key.

Good to know:

The key, not the index, is what travels. onChangeElement carries the identifier string, so a save file or a network message stays valid even if you reorder the dictionary. Do not persist the index.
SetElementByIdentifier needs an exact match: the keys come from the ScriptableObject dictionary, so a typo silently selects nothing.
Navigation wraps around: NextElement() on the last entry goes back to the first, PreviousElement() on the first goes to the last. It is a carousel, so a "you reached the end" state does not exist — if you need one, compare GetCurrentElementIdentifier() with the last key before calling. SetElementByIndex, on the other hand, does not wrap: an out-of-range index logs a warning and is ignored.
The 3D cycler instantiates prefabs: every change destroys the previous instance and creates a new one — do not hold references to it across a change.

Testing Scene

Open Debug/ElementCyclerScene.unity and press Play: the next/previous buttons run through the dictionary and the key of the active element is reported.

Technical Info

Mn_ElementCyclerBase: abstract base handling index state, clamping, navigation and the onChangeElement notification; subclasses supply count/key/apply logic.
Mn_ElementCycler2D: applies the sprite for the current key to a UI Image from an SO_ElementsCyclers2D.
Mn_ElementCycler3D: 3D counterpart driven by an SO_ElementsCyclers3D.
SO_ElementsCyclers2D / SO_ElementsCyclers3D: ScriptableObjects wrapping the keyed dictionaries of elements.