Platform Toolkit 1.1.0 update is now available!
Hi folks! I’m pleased to share that Platform Toolkit 1.1.0 is now available - bringing fixes, updates and new platform support. Please read on for more information.
What is Platform Toolkit?
Platform Toolkit is a package that launched with 6.3 that provides a single asynchronous API for handling common platform systems. It is an official abstraction layer to support these features across multiple platforms without having to write code per-platform.
This first major update brings new workflows, features and platforms that broadens the support PT provides, and helps you bring your game to more platforms.
What’s new
This new version includes many small fixes and improvements alongside new features, workflows, validation tools and a new platform. TLDR:
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PlayStation®4 Platform Support
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Play Mode Controls - Attributes
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Play Mode Controls - Storage warnings
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Steam Extensions API
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Build Profile Support
For full details on all changes in this version please see our change log. For more details on these above features please read on.
PlayStation®4 Platform Support
You can now use PT to target all the current console platforms as this new version introduces platform support for PlayStation®4.
For information on how to access the platform support package for this new platform take a look in our NDA discussions forum for this platform.
Play Mode Controls - Attributes
It’s now possible to test code paths that rely on the attribute system in Editor Play Mode. With the Play Mode Controls - Attributes feature you can define custom attributes for your test accounts and then query for them in Editor Play Mode.
The attributes are configurable in the Play Mode Controls window under the ‘Test Account Data’ tab.
Play Mode Controls - Storage Warnings
New tools within the Play Mode Controls window now help you to validate that your loading and saving behaviour will not cause certification failures when you come to ship your game.
Many platforms have restrictions around how you’re allowed to access save files. Enable these validation tools to check that you’re correctly handling saves, disposing of them within a reasonable timeframe and not reading or writing to the same file too often.
Each option can be configured independently to help narrow down warnings withing your project during Editor Play mode.
Steam Extensions API
This update comes with fixes to ensure that the PT Steam implementation will play well with other APIs that want to talk to Steam. Along with these fixes we’ve introduced a new API that will allow you to call into the Steam API however you like (including using third party thin wrapper APIs) and still access call backs and data for the calls you make.
The primary reason to use this API is to support building additional functionality on top of PT. The documentation shows one use of the new API to get access to data provided in a call back made by Steam.
Documentation for the new Steam Extensions API is available here.
Build Profile Support
When using Editor versions starting 6.4, Platform Toolkit supports configuring the implementation you wish to use from Build Profiles. This allows you to configure multiple Build Profiles for e.g. Windows and then use the Build Profile Settings component to specify which of the supported Windows implementations to use, making it easier than ever to build for multiple target platforms from within a single project.
How do I get Platform Toolkit?
The PT Core package is available to everyone from the package manager, and includes the API and the Editor functionality, including the validation tools and the Play Mode Controls window. The platform support packages require a Pro licence or above and are either available through the Package Manager or, for NDA platforms, please see the NDA forums for communications regarding how these support packages are made available.
Note that you’ll need the Core package (com.unity.platformtoolkit) to get started with development with Platform Toolkit, and you’ll need a platform support package (eg com.unity.platformtoolkit.gdk) to build and deploy. For more info on configuring a platform see the documentation provided with each platform package.
Where can I learn more about Platform Toolkit?
Documentation on getting started will be available here
You can learn more about the Platform Toolkit in the deep dive breakout talk from Unite 25 ‘1112 - Abstracting platform features with Platform Toolkit’ covering every feature including code samples. There’s also info in the Unity Roadmap Talk from Unite 25.
Where to find support for PT
If you have any questions please feel free to ask them here. For NDA platform questions please reach out to your Unity contact / make a support request / or make a post in our NDA discussions forum.