Version: Unity 6 (6000.0)
Language : English
Create a custom binding to bind USS selectors
SerializedObject data binding

Bind ListView to a list with runtime binding

Version: 6000+

The ListView control is the most efficient way to create lists. This example demonstrates how to use runtime binding to bind a ListView to a list. Runtime binding supports both runtime and Editor UI(User Interface) Allows a user to interact with your application. Unity currently supports three UI systems. More info
See in Glossary
. For demonstration purposes, this example displays the ListView in an Editor window.

Example overview

The example creates a ListView and a list. To bind the ListView to the list, set the binding data source of the ListView to the property that contains the list.

You can find the completed files that this example creates in this GitHub repository.

Prerequisites

This guide is for developers familiar with the Unity Editor, UI Toolkit, and C# scripting. Before you start, get familiar with the following:

Create an object with a list

Create an example List object that has a list of Item objects. Each Item contains a name and an enabled property.

  1. Create a Unity project with any template.
  2. In your Project window, create a folder named runtime-binding-listview to store all your files.
  3. In the runtime-binding-listview folder, create a folder named Scripts to store all your C# scriptsA piece of code that allows you to create your own Components, trigger game events, modify Component properties over time and respond to user input in any way you like. More info
    See in Glossary
    .
  4. In the Scripts folder, create a C# script named ExampleItemObject.cs with the following contents:
   using System;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using UnityEngine;
   
   public class ExampleItemObject  
   {
       public List<Item> items = new();
   
       public void Reset()
       {
           items = new List<Item>{
               new() { name = "Use Local Serverdfsdfsd", enabled = false },
               new() { name = "Show Debug Menu", enabled = false },
               new() { name = "Show FPS Counter", enabled = true },
           };
       }
   
       // Use a struct instead of a class to ensure that the ListView can create items 
       // when the + button is clicked.
       public struct Item
       {
           public bool enabled;
           public string name;
       }
   }

Create the ListView item template in UI Builder

Create the template of the list item in UI Builder. Each item contains a Toggle and a TextField. Bind them to the enabled and name properties of the Item object.

  1. In the runtime-binding-listview folder, create a folder named UXML.

  2. In the UXML folder, create a UXML file named ListViewItem.uxml.

  3. Double-click the ListViewItem.uxml file to open it in UI Builder.

  4. In the Hierarchy panel, add a VisualElement.

  5. Add a Toggle as a child of VisualElement.

  6. Add a TextField as a child VisualElement.

  7. Remove the label text for the Toggle and TextField.

  8. Set the Flex direction of the VisualElement to Row.

  9. In the InspectorA Unity window that displays information about the currently selected GameObject, asset or project settings, allowing you to inspect and edit the values. More info
    See in Glossary
    panel of the Toggle, do the following:

  10. Right-click Value and select Add binding.

  11. In the Add Binding window, set Data Source Path to enabled.

  12. In the Inspector panel of the TextField, do the following:

    • Right-click Value and select Add binding.
    • In the Add Binding window, set Data Source Path to name.
  13. Save the UXML file. The finished UXML file looks like the following:

   <ui:UXML xmlns:ui="UnityEngine.UIElements" xmlns:uie="UnityEditor.UIElements" xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" engine="UnityEngine.UIElements" editor="UnityEditor.UIElements" noNamespaceSchemaLocation="../../UIElementsSchema/UIElements.xsd" editor-extension-mode="False">
       <ui:VisualElement name="VisualElement" style="flex-direction: row;">
           <ui:Toggle>
               <Bindings>
                   <ui:DataBinding property="value" data-source-path="enabled"  />
               </Bindings>
           </ui:Toggle>
           <ui:TextField placeholder-text="filler text">
               <Bindings>
                   <ui:DataBinding property="value" data-source-path="name"  />
               </Bindings>
           </ui:TextField>
       </ui:VisualElement>
   </ui:UXML>

Create the ListView UI in UI Builder

Create the ListView UI in UI Builder, and set the item template to ListViewItem.uxml.

  1. In the UXML folder, create a UXML file named UIListView.uxml.

  2. Double-click the UIListView.uxml file to open it in UI Builder.

  3. In the Hierarchy panel, add a ListView.

  4. In the Inspector panel of the ListView, do the following:

  5. Set Virtualization Method to Dynamic Height.

  6. Set Reorder Mode to Animated.

  7. Set Item Template to ListViewItem.uxml.

  8. Set Binding Source Selection Mode to Auto Assign.

  9. Select the Reorderable checkbox.

  10. Select the Show Add Remove Footer checkbox.

  11. Set Header Title to Items.

  12. Select the Show Foldout Header checkbox.

  13. Save the UXML file. The finished UXML file looks like the following:

   <ui:UXML xmlns:ui="UnityEngine.UIElements" xmlns:uie="UnityEditor.UIElements" xmlns="UnityEngine.UIElements" ue="UnityEditor.UIElements" editor-extension-mode="False">
       <ui:ListView virtualization-method="DynamicHeight" reorder-mode="Animated" binding-source-selection-mode="AutoAssign" show-add-remove-footer="true" header-title="Items" reorderable="true" show-border="false" show-foldout-header="true" item-template="ListViewItem.uxml" show-bound-collection-size="false" />
   </ui:UXML>

Create a custom Editor window and set the binding

Create a custom Editor window that contains the ListView and bind it to the items property of List. This example sets the binding source in the C# script. You can also manually set the binding source in the UXML file inside the ListView element like this:

<ui:ListView>
    <Bindings>
        <ui:DataBinding property="itemsSource" data-source-path="items" />
    </Bindings>
</ui:ListView>
  1. In the Scripts folder, create a folder named Editor.
  2. In the Editor folder, create a C# script named ListViewTestWindow.cs with the following contents:
   using UnityEngine;
   using UnityEngine.UIElements;
   using UnityEditor;
   using UnityEditor.UIElements;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using Unity.Properties;
   
   internal class ListViewTestWindow : EditorWindow
   {
       [SerializeField] private VisualTreeAsset itemLayout;
       [SerializeField] private VisualTreeAsset editorLayout;
   
       ExampleItemObject m_ExampleItemObject;
       
       [MenuItem("Window/ListViewTestWindow")]
       static void Init()
       {
           ListViewTestWindow window = EditorWindow.GetWindow<ListViewTestWindow>();
           window.Show();
       }
   
       void CreateGUI()
       {
           m_ExampleItemObject = new();
   
           editorLayout.CloneTree(rootVisualElement);
           var listView = rootVisualElement.Q<ListView>();
           
           // This example sets the itemTemplate and bindingSourceSelectionMode in the UXML file.
           // You can also set them in the C# script like the following:
           //listView.itemTemplate = itemLayout;
           //listView.bindingSourceSelectionMode = BindingSourceSelectionMode.AutoAssign;
   
           // Set the binding source to the ExampleItemObject instance.
           listView.dataSource = m_ExampleItemObject;
   
           // Set the itemsSource binding to the items property of the List object.
           listView.SetBinding("itemsSource", new DataBinding() {dataSourcePath = new PropertyPath("items")});
           
           m_ExampleItemObject.Reset();
       }
   }
   

Test the binding

  • From the menu, select Window > ListViewTestWindow.

The Editor window displays a ListView bound to the items defined in the ExampleItemObject.cs. If you update the values of the enabled or name properties for the Item in ExampleItemObject.cs, the changes are automatically reflected in the ListView.

Additional resources

Create a custom binding to bind USS selectors
SerializedObject data binding