Settings panel

Settings Panel Documentation

Overview (kindly provided by AI 😜)

The Settings Panel in the Decentraland Unity Explorer is a modular, configurable system that allows users to adjust various aspects of their experience. The system is designed with flexibility in mind, supporting different types of controls and feature flag-based visibility.

Architecture

The settings system follows the following structure:

Core Components

• SettingsController: Main orchestrator that manages the settings panel lifecycle and navigation
• SettingsMenuConfiguration: ScriptableObject that defines the structure and content of the settings panel
• SettingsFeatureController: Base class for individual setting controllers that handle specific functionality
• SettingsModuleView: UI components that render the actual controls

Module Types

The system supports three main types of controls:

1. Toggle Controls (ToggleModuleBinding)

   • Simple on/off switches
   • Examples: V-Sync, Chat Sounds, Hide Blocked Users

2. Slider Controls (SliderModuleBinding)

   • Range-based controls with different display types
   • Types: Numeric, Percentage, Time, Custom
   • Examples: Volume controls, Sensitivity settings, Distance settings

3. Dropdown Controls (DropdownModuleBinding)

   • Selection from predefined options
   • Support for single and multi-select
   • Examples: Graphics Quality, Resolution, Window Mode

Additional types of controls will need to be created by following the same structure of the existing ones.

Settings Sections

The settings panel is organised into 4 main sections:

1. Graphics Section

• Visual quality settings
• Resolution and display options
• Performance graphics options
• V-Sync and frame rate controls

2. Sound Section

• Master volume control
• Individual volume sliders for:
  • World sounds
  • Music
  • UI sounds
  • Avatar sounds
  • Voice chat
• Audio device selection

3. Controls Section

• Mouse sensitivity settings
• Camera controls
• Input device configuration
• Control scheme options

4. Chat Section

• Chat bubble visibility
• Chat privacy settings
• Audio modes for different chat types
• Blocked users management

Adding New Settings

Step 1: Create the Module View

Create a new view class inheriting from the appropriate base (slider in this example):

public class MyCustomSliderView : SettingsSliderModuleView
{
...
}

Step 2: Create the Controller

Create a controller that inherits from SettingsFeatureController:

public class MyCustomSettingController : SettingsFeatureController
{
    private readonly MyCustomSliderView view;

    public MyCustomSettingController(MyCustomSliderView view)
    {
        this.view = view;
        
        view.SliderView.Slider.onValueChanged.AddListener(OnValueChanged);
    }

    private void OnValueChanged(float newValue)
    {

    }

    public override void Dispose()
    {
        view.SliderView.Slider.onValueChanged.RemoveAllListeners();
    }
}

Step 3: Add to Module Binding

Add your new feature to the appropriate module binding enum and switch statement:

public enum SliderFeatures
{
    // ... existing features
    MY_CUSTOM_SLIDER_FEATURE,
}

SettingsFeatureController controller = Feature switch
{
    // ... existing cases
    SliderFeatures.MY_CUSTOM_SLIDER_FEATURE => new MyCustomSettingController(viewInstance, dataStore),
    _ => throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(),
};

⚠️ be aware to add your feature at the end of SliderFeatures, otherwise changing order will break it in the Scriptable Object that use it.

Step 4: Configure in Settings Menu

1. Open the SettingsMenuConfiguration asset in Unity
2. Navigate to the appropriate section (Graphics, Sound, Controls, or Chat)
3. Add a new SettingsGroup or use an existing one
4. Add your module binding to the group's modules list
5. Configure the module with appropriate title, description, and default values

Feature Flags

The settings system supports feature flag-based visibility to enable/disable entire sections or individual settings groups.

Using Feature Flags

1. Define the Feature Flag: Add your feature flag to the FeatureFlag enum in FeatureFlagsStrings.cs

public enum FeatureFlag
{
    // ... existing flags
    MyNewFeature,
}

2. Apply to Settings Group: In the SettingsMenuConfiguration, set the FeatureFlagName property on your SettingsGroup

3. Runtime Behavior: The system automatically checks if the feature flag is enabled using:

   FeatureFlagsConfiguration.Instance.IsEnabled(group.FeatureFlagName.GetStringValue())