flatbuffers-coder

Define FlatBuffers schemas, generate C# code, and implement binary serialization roundtrips.

When to Use

• Adding FlatBuffers-based serialization to a Unity project
• Defining or modifying .fbs schema files for game data
• Generating C# classes from .fbs using flatc
• Implementing read/write helpers for FlatBuffers binary data
• Debugging serialization mismatches between schema and runtime code

Workflow

1. Define — Write .fbs schema: tables, structs, enums, unions, root_type
2. Generate — Run flatc --csharp to produce C# builder/accessor files
3. Implement — Write serialization helpers using the generated FlatBufferBuilder
4. Deserialize — Implement GetRootAs* accessors for reading binary buffers
5. Test — Roundtrip: serialize → write bytes → read bytes → assert field values match

Rules

• Keep schemas backward-compatible — only add fields, never reorder or remove
• Always set root_type in every .fbs file used as a top-level buffer
• Namespace C# output with --gen-namespace to avoid collisions
• Regenerate C# after every .fbs change — never hand-edit generated files
• Use flatc --json to inspect binary files during debugging

Output Format

.fbs schema file(s) + generated C# accessor/builder file(s) + serialization helper class.
Binary test file included when a roundtrip test is requested.

Reference Files

• references/fbs-schema-patterns.md — unions, attributes, field patterns (loads unity-standards/references/other/flatbuffers-guide.md for basics)
• references/flatc-workflow.md — install, generation flags, serialize examples (loads unity-standards/references/other/flatbuffers-guide.md for basics)

Load references on demand via read_skill_file("flatbuffers-coder", "references/{file}") and read_skill_file("unity-standards", "references/other/flatbuffers-guide.md").