Class AttributeValidator

Provides runtime validation of fields decorated with Scylla's validation attributes, enforcing Scylla's fail-fast philosophy by surfacing configuration errors at startup before any gameplay logic executes.

Inheritance
object
AttributeValidator
Inherited Members
Namespace: Scylla.Core.Attributes
Assembly: ScyllaCore.dll
Syntax
public static class AttributeValidator
Remarks

The three supported validation attributes are:

  • NotNullAttribute - asserts that a field reference is not null, including Unity's pseudo-null (a destroyed UnityEngine.Object).
  • NotEmptyAttribute - asserts that a string is not null, empty, or whitespace-only, or that a collection contains at least one element.
  • ValidateInputAttribute - delegates the check to a named instance method on the owning object that returns bool.

Call ValidateObject(object) in Awake or Start to validate all decorated fields on a MonoBehaviour or any other object. Both public and non-public (private, protected) fields are discovered through reflection. A failed validation throws ValidationException, which stops initialization immediately.

When a non-throwing result is preferred - for example, inside an Editor tool or a conditional check - use TryValidateObject(object, out string) instead.

Multiple validation attributes may be stacked on a single field (e.g., both NotNullAttribute and ValidateInputAttribute). All attributes on a given field are checked in declaration order before moving to the next field, but fields are iterated in the order returned by GetFields(BindingFlags), which is not guaranteed to match source order. Validation stops at the first failure. 

public class GameManager : MonoBehaviour
{
    [NotNull]
    [SerializeField] private Camera _mainCamera;

[NotEmpty]
[SerializeField] private string _gameName;

private void Awake()
{
    /* Throws ValidationException if _mainCamera is null or _gameName is empty */
    AttributeValidator.ValidateObject(this);
}



}

Methods

TryValidateObject(object, out string)

Validates all fields on obj that are decorated with Scylla validation attributes, returning a bool result instead of throwing on failure.

Declaration
public static bool TryValidateObject(object obj, out string errorMessage)
Parameters
Type Name Description
object obj

The object whose fields should be validated. Must not be null; passing null causes ValidateObject(object) to throw ArgumentNullException, which is not caught here and will propagate to the caller.
string errorMessage

When this method returns false, contains the error message from the first field that failed validation. The message is either the custom string supplied in the attribute or a default generated from the field name. When this method returns true, errorMessage is set to null.
Returns
Type Description
bool

true if every decorated field passes its validation check; false if any field fails. Only the first failure is captured - subsequent fields are not checked once a failure is found.
Remarks

This method catches ValidationException internally and converts it into the boolean + out-parameter pattern. It does not catch ArgumentNullException (from a null obj) or any other non-validation exception that may originate from ValidateInputAttribute validator methods.

Use this overload in contexts where throwing is undesirable, such as Editor utilities, conditional startup checks, or situations where the caller intends to log the problem and continue rather than aborting.

ValidateObject(object)

Validates all fields on obj that are decorated with one or more Scylla validation attributes (NotNullAttribute, NotEmptyAttribute, ValidateInputAttribute).

Declaration
public static void ValidateObject(object obj)
Parameters
Type Name Description
object obj

The object whose fields should be validated. May be any reference type, including MonoBehaviour instances and plain C# objects. Must not be null.
Remarks

Fields are discovered via reflection using BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.NonPublic, so both public and private/protected fields are inspected. Static fields are excluded.

Decoration order matters within a single field: NotNullAttribute is checked first, then NotEmptyAttribute, then ValidateInputAttribute. Fields without any validation attribute are silently skipped.

The recommended call site is Awake() on a MonoBehaviour - before any other initialization - so that a missing reference aborts startup with a clear, actionable message rather than producing a NullReferenceException later.

Exceptions
Type Condition
ArgumentNullException

Thrown immediately if obj is null.
ValidationException

Thrown as soon as the first field fails validation. The exception's FieldName identifies the offending field, and Message contains either the custom error message supplied in the attribute or a default message generated from the field name. Subsequent fields are not checked after the first failure.

See Also