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Asked: 2025-02-04T22:13:51+05:30

How can I remove the extra line at the top of my CustomPropertyDrawer List in Unity?

anonymous user

I’m working with a custom property drawer in Unity, and I’ve hit a bit of a snag that I could really use some help with. So here’s the situation: I created a custom property drawer for what I’m calling a “Colorband List,” which basically allows users to input two colors and a gradient field in between. When everything’s up and running, it looks great, except for one irritating issue — there’s an extra line hovering at the top of the GUI.

My first custom property drawer is designed to fit all its controls nicely on a single line. However, for some reason, the Colorband List forces it down onto a new line, creating a bunch of unnecessary space at the top. It feels like a waste, and I can’t quite seem to figure out how to fix it. I went through the Unity documentation, specifically looking at the EditorGUILayout specs and the BeginHorizontal() page, but I’m still coming up empty-handed.

Here’s a snippet of the relevant code for reference:

“`csharp
public override void OnGUI(Rect position, SerializedProperty property, GUIContent label) {
copy = property;

UpdateColors();

EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal();
color1HTML = EditorGUILayout.TextField(“#” + ColorUtility.ToHtmlStringRGBA(startColor));

if (ColorUtility.TryParseHtmlString(color1HTML, out parsedColor))
SetColor(parsedColor);

SetColors(EditorGUILayout.GradientField(gradient));

color2HTML = EditorGUILayout.TextField(“#” + ColorUtility.ToHtmlStringRGBA(endColor));
EditorGUILayout.EndHorizontal();
}
“`

I’ve attempted tweaking some of the layouts and even tried nesting some elements differently, but the extra line still insists on making an appearance. Are there any additional properties or methods I’m overlooking that could help eliminate that top gap? Or perhaps there’s a way to adjust padding or margins that I’m just not aware of? If anyone has had a similar experience or can throw out some pointers, I’d really appreciate it!

Thanks for any insights you might have!

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    2 Answers

    1. anonymous user

      It sounds like you’re running into a common issue with Unity’s GUI layout system. The extra line might be caused by the automatic spacing that Unity applies to elements, particularly when using EditorGUILayout. Here are a few things you could try to remove that unwanted space:

      • Use EditorGUI.indentLevel: Sometimes adjusting the indent level can affect layout. Before your controls, set EditorGUI.indentLevel = 0;.
      • Try GUILayoutUtility.GetRect: Instead of relying solely on GUILayout methods, you can define a fixed height for your controls, which may reduce unwanted space. For example: 
        Rect lineRect = GUILayoutUtility.GetRect(0, 20);
            // Use lineRect for your controls instead of just position
      • Custom Height: Explicitly setting the height of the EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal() might help. You can set a smaller height based on your needs.
      • Debugging Margins: Use EditorStyles.label.margin or similar properties to see if there’s any margin causing the gap. Set margins to zero if necessary.

      Here’s a quick modified version of your snippet that incorporates these ideas:

          public override void OnGUI(Rect position, SerializedProperty property, GUIContent label) {
        copy = property;
        UpdateColors();
        
        // Adjusting Indent Level
        EditorGUI.indentLevel = 0;
        
        // Begin Horizontal with a specific height
        EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal(GUILayout.Height(20));

        color1HTML = EditorGUILayout.TextField("#" + ColorUtility.ToHtmlStringRGBA(startColor));
        if (ColorUtility.TryParseHtmlString(color1HTML, out parsedColor))
            SetColor(parsedColor);
        
        SetColors(EditorGUILayout.GradientField(gradient));
        color2HTML = EditorGUILayout.TextField("#" + ColorUtility.ToHtmlStringRGBA(endColor));
        
        EditorGUILayout.EndHorizontal();
    }

      Try these adjustments and see if that helps with the spacing! Good luck!

    2. anonymous user

      It sounds like you’re encountering an issue with unwanted spacing in your custom property drawer. In Unity’s IMGUI system, such issues can often stem from how layouts handle the positioning of elements. One common culprit for extra vertical space is the layout’s handling of margins and padding. Since you’re using EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal(), this could be causing the layout to apply extra vertical space at the beginning. A potential solution is to experiment with the EditorGUIUtility.labelWidth or adjusting the EditorGUILayout.BeginVertical() and EndVertical() calls to manipulate padding. You can also directly override the OnGUI(Rect position) method and adjust the position parameter to fine-tune where your controls are drawn, allowing you to eliminate unwanted space.

      Another option is to manage the control’s layout more explicitly. Instead of using EditorGUILayout for your text fields and gradient field, try using the GUI method calls instead, which gives you more precise control over the element placement. Specifically, you could use GUI.TextField() and GUI.GradientField() while managing their Rect positions manually. This gives you direct control over their positioning and can help in reducing or eliminating the extra line space above your controls. Lastly, ensure there are no additional elements being added that might cause a layout shift, and debug each component by isolating them to see where the spacing issue originates.