Naming conventions for #Unity projects

unity-maming-conventions.md

Unity Naming Conventions

Using consistent naming conventions in Unity projects helps keep everything organized and easy to work with. Below is a list of recommended conventions for naming components, scripts, variables, methods, folders, and game objects in a Unity project.

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General Rules

1. PascalCase for Classes:

   • Use PascalCase for class names (e.g., PlayerController, GameManager).
   • Example:

     public class PlayerController : MonoBehaviour { }

2. camelCase for Variables:

   • Use camelCase for variables and private fields.
   • Prefix private fields with _ (e.g., _playerHealth, _isJumping).
   • Example:

     private int _playerHealth;
     public float movementSpeed;

3. CONSTANT_CASE for Constants:

   • Use all-uppercase with underscores for constants.
   • Example:

     private const int MAX_HEALTH = 100;

4. k_Prefix for Static Variables:

   • Prefix static fields with k_.
   • Example:

     private static int k_MaxEnemies = 10;

5. Descriptive Names:

   • Use clear and meaningful names to describe the purpose of a component or variable.
   • Avoid generic names like temp, value, or object.

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Scripts and Components

Category	Convention	Example
Manager Classes	Suffix with Manager	GameManager, UIManager
Player-Specific Classes	Prefix with Player	PlayerController, PlayerStats
Singleton Classes	Suffix with Instance	AudioManagerInstance
Physics-Related Classes	Suffix with Physics	RigidbodyPhysics, ProjectilePhysics
UI Components	Prefix with UI	UIButton, UIHealthBar
System Helpers	Suffix with Helper or Utility	MathHelper, InputUtility

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Variables

Type	Convention	Example
Private Fields	camelCase with _ prefix	_playerScore, _isPaused
Public Fields	camelCase	movementSpeed, health
Properties	PascalCase	PlayerName, IsAlive
Constants	CONSTANT_CASE	MAX_HEALTH, GRAVITY_FORCE

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Folders

Organise folders with a naming structure that reflects their purpose:

Folder	Convention	Example
Scripts	Scripts or [Feature]/Scripts	Player/Scripts, UI/Scripts
Prefabs	Prefabs	Player/Prefabs, Environment/Prefabs
Materials	Materials	Player/Materials, UI/Materials
Animations	Animations	Player/Animations
Audio	Audio	Audio/Music, Audio/SFX

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GameObjects

Category	Convention	Example
Root Objects	Descriptive PascalCase	PlayerCharacter, MainCamera
UI Elements	Prefix with UI	UICanvas, UIHealthBar
Lights	Suffix with Light	DirectionalLight, Spotlight
Environment Objects	Descriptive PascalCase	Tree, RockLarge, HouseSmall
Enemy Objects	Prefix with Enemy	EnemyGoblin, EnemyBoss
Spawners	Suffix with Spawner	EnemySpawner, ItemSpawner

Additional Rules for GameObjects:

1. Consistent Naming:

   • Name objects based on their role and type.
   • Avoid names like GameObject1 or Untitled.

2. Hierarchy Organisation:

   • Group related GameObjects under empty parent GameObjects with descriptive names (e.g., Environment, Enemies, UI).

3. Instance-Specific Names:

   • Append instance identifiers when duplicating objects (e.g., Tree_01, Tree_02).

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Public Methods

Action	Convention	Example
Actions	Use verbs in PascalCase	MovePlayer, AttackEnemy
Getters/Setters	Prefix with Get or Set	GetHealth, SetName
Events	Use On Prefix	OnPlayerDeath, OnButtonClicked

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Example Component

using UnityEngine;

public class PlayerController : MonoBehaviour
{
    // Private fields
    private float _speed = 5f;
    private int _health = 100;

    // Public properties
    public int Health
    {
        get { return _health; }
        set { _health = Mathf.Clamp(value, 0, 100); }
    }

    // Constants
    private const int MAX_ENEMIES = 10;

    // Methods
    private void MovePlayer()
    {
        float horizontal = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        float vertical = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");
        Vector3 direction = new Vector3(horizontal, 0, vertical);
        transform.Translate(direction * _speed * Time.deltaTime);
    }

    private void OnPlayerDeath()
    {
        Debug.Log("Player has died!");
    }
}

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Additional Tips

• Abbreviations: Avoid unclear abbreviations. Use full words (e.g., HealthBar instead of HB).
• Hierarchy Naming: Name GameObjects with descriptive names to match their role (e.g., PlayerCharacter, EnemySpawner).
• Grouping: Use folders in the project and GameObject hierarchy to keep related components together.

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Additional Resources

• A script to initialize a well-organized Unity project; works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Changelog

• 2024-12-13: The first version of this document was created.