Samples folder not only contains samples

[oktayturkdagli]

Describe issue
The Samples folder does not actually contain samples. There are additional features like textmeshpro support, shader graph support that we really have to download. But we have to keep them under the Assets folder. Is there any way to download them to the packages folder? So that the main project and plugin files are not mixed together. I think this feature is necessary for other packages like UIEffects, UIParticleEffects.

Describe alternatives you've considered
If this is not possible, we can at least have it downloaded to a more generic folder. Especially after downloading samples, additional problems can arise when they are moved to another folder, or at least it is necessary to delete the old folder and download a new one every version. In the worst case scenario, we can download them under Assets/Plugins folder like in DoTween.

[mob-sakai]

Thank you for the feature request!

[mob-sakai]

Sorry for my late reply.

I understand the idea of separating plugin assets from project assets.
As you said, I think it's good to install support packages as needed.

Concern 1: Support packages depend on the main package (for example, shader keywords and shader variables are controlled from C# code), so installing the correct version combination is required. It would be necessary to execute support package installation from Project Settings or display warnings in the console log.

com.coffee.softmask-for-ugui@3.2.0
com.coffee.softmask-for-ugui.textmeshpro@3.2.0
// com.coffee.softmask-for-ugui.textmeshpro.unity6@3.2.0
com.coffee.softmask-for-ugui.shadergraph@3.2.0

Concern 2: Since samples don't necessarily change in every version of SoftMaskForUGUI, sample packages will accumulate versions with no changes. This could be resolved by including sample packages in the same repository.

Concern 3: This would conflict with the current automatic sample import system. Projects that have already imported support samples will update support samples as needed when the main package is updated.

In summary: The idea is worth considering, but it requires major changes to the project and a review of the ecosystem for continuous releases.

[oktayturkdagli]

Yes, I agree with everything you said, you understood and expressed it better than me.

Honestly, no matter how big a change it is, it seems to be necessary. Also, I am currently using many of your assets in a project that can be considered really big. And I am working with several multidisciplines, which means that we have a great opportunity for experimentation that we may not get later. It's also a big step towards making this plugin a real product. I hope you will take this into consideration and I hope you will have enough time to develop it.