I’m developing a Unity UI system where I have a list of UI elements (GameObjects) that need to be displayed within a layout group (e.g., VerticalLayoutGroup). These UI elements have variable sizes because their content can differ significantly—for instance, some may contain more text or larger images than others.
My goal is to implement a paging system similar to the ‘Page’ overflow option in TextMeshPro. When the UI elements exceed the available space in the current layout (such as the height of a parent RectTransform), I want to automatically create a new page and move the overflowing elements to that page.
The challenges I’m facing are:
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Avoiding Visual Glitches: I prefer not to add all the UI elements to the layout and then check for overflow, as this might cause visual glitches or performance issues. I’m looking for a method that doesn’t involve displaying all elements upfront and then adjusting.
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Variable Sizes of UI Elements: Since the sizes of the UI elements are dynamic and variable, I need a generalized way to calculate how many elements can fit into the current layout before overflowing.
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Complex Factors Affecting Layout: There are many factors to consider, such as screen size, Canvas Scaler settings, and other UI scaling options, which make the calculation more complex.
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Alternative Approaches: I’m open to other methods or best practices that can achieve the same goal, even if they involve a completely different approach.
Question: How can I efficiently calculate which UI elements will fit into the current layout without adding them all to the scene and risking visual issues? Is there a standard or recommended way in Unity UI to handle dynamic paging of UI elements with variable sizes? Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.