CatalogKey

CatalogKey is a lightweight serializable reference:

• Catalog (catalog id string)
• Key (entry id string)

It intentionally stores strings only.

Inspector Experience

With CatalogKeyConstraint and registered catalogs, the inspector can show:

• catalog/key dropdown selection
• Asset-backed catalogs (IAssetCatalog): thumbnail preview and read-only ObjectField
• Value catalogs (IValueCatalog): resolved display text next to the key (for example key 0 → Common when a StringCatalog maps tiers)

CatalogKeyConstraint today targets asset type for filtering catalogs; value-only catalogs still participate in key lists and display when registered under the same catalog id.

Even with preview UX, the stored value remains string data (Catalog + Key).

JSON Serialization

When the Newtonsoft pipeline is used, com.cupkekgames.newtonsoft ships a CatalogKeyConverter (registered by default via DataSerializationTypeProviderSO) that writes a CatalogKey as a compact "Catalog/Key" string instead of a nested object. An empty key serializes as null. The catalog id must not contain /; the key part may.

Current Mismatch Behavior

Current workflow is warning-oriented in inspector (no automatic fallback value assignment).

Example Usage

InventoryItemDefinition.IconKey can be constrained to sprite catalogs:

Related Pages

• Data Catalogs
• Service Locator