Hierarchy Forge

Overview

Hierarchy Forge draws extra information and controls directly into Unity's Hierarchy window. Everything is editor-only: folders and separators are removed from builds, and no Hierarchy Forge code runs in your game.

Installation

1. Open your project in Unity 2022.3 or newer.
2. Open the Package Manager › My Assets, find Hierarchy Forge, then click Download and Import.
3. Import everything. The package installs into Assets/HierarchyForge.

The Hierarchy updates as soon as Unity finishes compiling. There's nothing else to set up.

Quick start

1. Right-click in the Hierarchy and choose Hierarchy Forge › Folder. Drag objects into it.
2. Or select several objects and press Ctrl + Alt + G (Cmd + Alt + G on macOS) to group them into a new folder.
3. Add section bars with Hierarchy Forge › Separator and rename them to whatever the section should say.
4. Select a folder or separator and change its colors in the Inspector.
5. Press Play and watch the Hierarchy. Spawned objects glow and get a NEW badge.
6. Fine-tune everything in Edit › Project Settings › Hierarchy Forge.

Folders

A folder is a normal GameObject with a HierarchyFolder component. It draws a colored folder icon, an optional bold or colored name, and a tinted row background. Empty folders show an outlined icon.

Creating folders

• GameObject › Hierarchy Forge › Folder creates a folder. When you use it from the right-click menu on an object, the folder becomes that object's child.
• Group Selection Into Folder (Ctrl + Alt + G) moves the selected objects into a new folder at the position of the first one.
• Or add the component yourself: Add Component › Hierarchy Forge › Hierarchy Folder.

Folder options

Separators

A separator is a GameObject with a HierarchySeparator component, drawn as a full-width bar. The text on the bar is the GameObject's name, so rename the object to change it. Separators are tagged EditorOnly and stripped from builds.

Separators are meant to stay empty. If one has children, they are moved up one level when the separator is stripped from a build.

Row tools

Every row gets extra information on the right side. Items only appear when there's room, so they never cover the object's name.

The read-only state of a locked object is saved with the scene. Scene-view picking is stored per user by Unity's scene visibility system.

Play Mode activity

In Play Mode, rows light up when something happens to them, so you can watch spawners, pools and state machines work in real time.

Event	Default color
Object spawned	Green, plus a NEW badge
Object activated	Blue
Object deactivated	Orange
Component added, removed or toggled	Purple
Child destroyed	Red marker on the parent

Parents get a colored bar on their left edge when something changes inside them, so collapsed folders still show activity.

Console badges

When a script logs with a context object, Hierarchy Forge counts the message on that object's row: red for errors, exceptions and asserts, yellow for warnings.

Debug.LogWarning("Health is low", this);
Debug.LogError("Could not find a path", gameObject);

• Click a badge to see that object's messages, newest first. Double-click a message to copy it.
• Right-click a badge to clear it.
• Badges reset when entering and exiting Play Mode, or via Tools › Hierarchy Forge › Clear Console Badges.

Missing references

Hierarchy Forge scans each visible object's components and shows a badge when something is wrong:

Hover a badge to see exactly which fields are affected. Click it to select the object.

Optional fields

Some fields are meant to stay empty. Add [HierarchyOptional] to exclude them:

using HierarchyForge;
using UnityEngine;

public class Enemy : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private Transform target;

    [HierarchyOptional]
    [SerializeField] private AudioClip tauntSound;
}

Array and list elements are never reported as unset. Scanning is cached and spread over several frames, so it stays fast in large scenes.

Peek inspector

Hover over a component icon for half a second, or right-click it, and a small inspector for that component pops up. It is fully editable, supports Undo, and does not change your selection.

• The header has an enable toggle and a Select button that selects the object.
• A popup opened by hovering closes when the mouse leaves it. Once you click inside, it stays open until you click elsewhere.
• The hover delay can be changed, or hover can be turned off so only right-click opens it.

Settings

Open Edit › Project Settings › Hierarchy Forge or Tools › Hierarchy Forge › Settings. Settings are saved to ProjectSettings/HierarchyForgeSettings.asset, so your whole team gets them through version control.

Menus & shortcuts

To change the shortcut, open Edit › Shortcuts and search for Hierarchy Forge.

Builds & Play Mode

When a scene is built, Hierarchy Forge processes it before it is saved into the player:

• Separators are removed.
• Folders are removed and their children move up one level at the folder's position in the Hierarchy. World positions don't change. Children of an inactive folder are set inactive.

In Play Mode folders stay in place by default, so the Hierarchy you debug looks like the one you edit. Turn on Flatten Folders In Play Mode if your code depends on the exact build hierarchy, for example transform.parent or sibling indices.

Extending (API)

Every Hierarchy feature is a class that derives from HierarchyRowFeature. Hierarchy Forge finds all such classes automatically, including yours. Put the script in an Editor folder. If it lives in your own assembly definition, add a reference to HierarchyForge.Editor.

Example: a STATIC badge

using HierarchyForge;
using UnityEngine;

public sealed class StaticBadgeFeature : HierarchyRowFeature
{
    private const string Label = "STATIC";
    private static readonly Color BadgeColor = new Color(0.3f, 0.6f, 1f);

    public override int Order => 940;

    public override void OnRowGUI(HierarchyRow row)
    {
        if (!row.GameObject.isStatic)
        {
            return;
        }

        if (row.TryReserveRight(HierarchyStyles.PillWidth(Label), out Rect rect))
        {
            HierarchyStyles.DrawPill(rect, Label, BadgeColor, Color.white);
        }
    }
}

HierarchyRowFeature

HierarchyRow

Built-in order values

Row shading −100 · Tree lines −50 · Folders 0 · Activity glow 5 · Separators 10 · Active toggle 900 · Lock 910 · NEW badge 915 · Console badges 920 · Missing references 925 · Tag & layer 930 · Component icons 950

Helpers

HierarchyStyles has drawing helpers so custom features match the built-in look: DrawPill, PillWidth, DrawBadge, BadgeWidth, GetComponentIcon, RowBackground, WithAlpha and TempContent. ConsoleLogTracker, MissingReferenceScanner and ActivityTracker expose their data if you want to build on it.

Demo scene

Open Assets/HierarchyForge/Demo/Hierarchy Forge Demo.unity. It shows folders, separators, locked and inactive objects, tags and layers. Press Play: the Demo Driver object (under Managers) spawns coins, toggles lights and objects, and logs warnings and errors, so every feature is visible. Its Required Target field is empty on purpose to show the unset badge.

The Demo folder can be deleted at any time. Nothing else depends on it.

FAQ

Does it affect my game's performance?

No. All features are editor-only. Folders and separators are removed from builds, and no Hierarchy Forge code runs in your player.

Does it slow down the editor?

Only visible rows are drawn. Missing-reference scans are cached and spread over frames, and Play Mode tracking is throttled. Any feature can be turned off in Settings.

Why doesn't my error show a badge?

The message has to be logged with a context object, for example Debug.LogError("...", this). Messages without a context can't be tied to an object.

Too many "unset" badges?

Mark optional fields with [HierarchyOptional], or turn off Flag Unassigned References to only see broken references.

Does it work with prefabs and Prefab Mode?

Yes. Everything works in Prefab Mode, and right-side items leave room for Unity's prefab arrow.

How do I remove Hierarchy Forge?

Delete Assets/HierarchyForge. Folder and separator objects stay in your scenes as empty GameObjects with a missing script. Remove those components first if you want a clean result.

Changelog

1.0.0 Initial release

• Folders and separators with full styling, auto-removed from builds
• Play Mode activity pulse, NEW badges and parent markers
• Console badges with a per-object log viewer
• Missing reference badges and the [HierarchyOptional] attribute
• Peek inspector on hover and right-click
• Component icons with click-to-toggle, missing script warnings
• Active and lock toggles, tree lines, row shading, tag and layer labels
• Group Selection Into Folder shortcut
• Project Settings page and extensible API
• Demo scene

Support

Found a bug or have an idea? Get in touch through mario-gamedev.com. Please include your Unity version and, if possible, a screenshot of the Hierarchy and any Console errors.

If Hierarchy Forge saves you time, a review on the Asset Store page helps a lot.