vvvv-node-libraries

Creating vvvv gamma Node Libraries

A node library is a project that provides multiple nodes to vvvv gamma as a distributable package. This skill covers the project-level concerns: directory structure, naming conventions, category organization, service registration, and node factories.

For writing individual node classes (ProcessNode, Update, pins, change detection), see vvvv-custom-nodes. For consuming services inside node constructors (IFrameClock, Game, logging), see vvvv-custom-nodes/services.md.

Creating your own library vs. contributing to one you don't own are different tasks. This SKILL.md and its design/publishing references cover creating and distributing a package. To change or submit a PR to an existing/upstream library (fork → branch → PR workflow, editable source packages, the .vl diff problem), see contributing.md.

Library Recognition Pattern

vvvv recognizes a directory as a library when the folder name, .vl file, and .nuspec all share the same name:

VL.MyLibrary/                       # Folder name = package name
├── VL.MyLibrary.vl                 # .vl document — MUST match folder name
├── VL.MyLibrary.nuspec             # NuGet spec — MUST match folder name
├── lib/
│   └── net8.0/                     # Compiled DLLs go here
│       └── VL.MyLibrary.dll
├── src/
│   ├── Initialization.cs           # [assembly:] attributes + AssemblyInitializer
│   ├── Nodes/
│   │   ├── MyProcessNode.cs        # [ProcessNode] classes
│   │   └── MyOperations.cs         # Static methods (stateless nodes)
│   ├── Services/
│   │   └── MyService.cs            # Per-app singletons
│   └── VL.MyLibrary.csproj
├── shaders/                         # Optional: SDSL shaders (auto-discovered)
│   └── MyEffect_TextureFX.sdsl
└── help/                            # Optional: .vl help patches
    └── HowTo Use MyNode.vl

Critical conventions:

• Folder name, .vl file, and .nuspec must be identical (e.g., all VL.MyLibrary)
• The .csproj must output DLLs to lib/net8.0/ relative to the package root
• No .vl file within a package should reference a .csproj — this forces the package into editable mode
• The library directory must be in a configured package-repository directory for vvvv to find it

.csproj Output Path

The .csproj must compile into the library's lib/net8.0/ folder:

<PropertyGroup>
  <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
  <OutputPath>..\..\lib\net8.0\</OutputPath>
  <AppendTargetFrameworkToOutputPath>false</AppendTargetFrameworkToOutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>

What gets imported as a node — the foundational rule

A type becomes a node in vvvv's node browser when two conditions are both true:

1. The type is public (and lives in an imported assembly).
2. The type's C# namespace is covered by an [assembly: ImportAsIs] / [assembly: ImportNamespace] declaration, OR the type is listed by an [assembly: ImportType] declaration.

If either condition is false, the type is invisible to vvvv. Importing is opt-in by namespace, not by type accessibility alone. A public class in a namespace nobody imports is just as hidden from the node browser as an internal class.

When a type IS imported, vvvv generates nodes from its full public surface:

• Public classes and structs → constructor + public methods/properties become nodes
• Public static methods → operation nodes
• Public enums → split + values become nodes
• Public records and interfaces → handled like classes

[ProcessNode] does NOT gate node visibility. It is purely lifecycle sugar — it tells vvvv "this is a stateful class with an Update() method, manage one instance per node, call Update() each frame". A plain public class Foo { public Foo() {} public int Bar(int x) => x; } in an imported namespace becomes a node browser entry exactly the same as one decorated with [ProcessNode]. The attribute affects how the node is invoked, not whether it appears.

Implication for library design: the primary lever for "what shows up in the node browser" is which namespaces you import, not which types are public. Partition your code into a "public-API" namespace (imported) and a "helpers" namespace (NOT imported), and you can keep helpers public for cross-assembly use, testing, or refactoring without polluting the user's node browser.

Source: VL.StandardLibs ImportAsIsAttribute, Gray Book — Writing nodes using C#.

Initialization.cs — The Entry Point

Every node library needs assembly-level attributes. Combine in one file:

using VL.Core;
using VL.Core.CompilerServices;
using VL.Core.Import;

// Required: tells vvvv to scan this assembly for nodes
[assembly: ImportAsIs(Namespace = "MyCompany.MyLibrary", Category = "MyLibrary")]

// Optional: register services before any node runs
[assembly: AssemblyInitializer(typeof(MyCompany.MyLibrary.Initialization))]

namespace MyCompany.MyLibrary;

public sealed class Initialization : AssemblyInitializer<Initialization>
{
    public override void Configure(AppHost appHost)
    {
        var services = appHost.Services;

        // Register per-app singletons (created lazily on first access)
        services.RegisterService<MyService>(serviceProvider =>
        {
            return new MyService(serviceProvider);
        });
    }
}

Choosing the right import attribute

vvvv provides three assembly-level attributes for declaring what becomes a node. Pick based on how much control you need.

[assembly: ImportAsIs] — single, namespace-rooted

[assembly: ImportAsIs(Namespace = "VL.MyLib", Category = "MyLib")]

Property	Behaviour
AllowMultiple	false — at most ONE per assembly
Scope	All public types in Namespace (and its children)
Category	Category parameter is the root; sub-namespaces below Namespace extend it

Use when the whole library lives under one root namespace and you want one root category. You cannot stack two ImportAsIs to split sub-namespaces into different categories.

[assembly: ImportNamespace] — per-namespace, multi-use

[assembly: ImportNamespace("VL.MyLib.Renderers",  Category = "MyLib.Rendering")]
[assembly: ImportNamespace("VL.MyLib.Resources",  Category = "MyLib.Resources")]
[assembly: ImportNamespace("VL.MyLib.Experimental", Category = "MyLib.Experimental")]

Property	Behaviour
AllowMultiple	true — declare as many as you need
Scope	Public types whose namespace starts with the given prefix
Resolution	Most specific (longest) prefix wins for nested namespaces

Use when one library has multiple sub-namespaces and you want each to land in a distinct category — without polluting the browser with C# folder names. This is the right tool for multi-category libraries.

[assembly: ImportType] — per-type, hand-picked

[assembly: ImportType(typeof(MyRenderer),  Category = "MyLib.Rendering")]
[assembly: ImportType(typeof(MyResource),  Category = "MyLib.Resources", Name = "Resource")]

Property	Behaviour
AllowMultiple	true — declare as many as you need
Scope	Only the listed types — nothing else from the assembly is auto-imported
Use with	Either alone (no ImportAsIs/ImportNamespace) for closed-list libraries, or alongside the namespace attributes to override category/name for specific types

Use for surgical control — e.g. when you want to expose only a curated subset of a large internal codebase, or to force one outlier into a different category than its namespace siblings.

Decision matrix

Library shape	Recommended attribute(s)
One namespace, one category, all public types are intentional	[assembly: ImportAsIs(Namespace, Category)]
One library, several distinct sub-categories	One [assembly: ImportNamespace] per sub-namespace
Curated set of nodes, lots of public helpers you don't want exposed	[assembly: ImportType] per node, no ImportAsIs
Mostly auto-imported, a few outliers	[assembly: ImportAsIs] + [assembly: ImportType] overrides

Excluding helpers from the node browser

There is no ExcludeFromImport / IgnoreType / [Hidden] attribute in VL — the importer has no per-type opt-out. But you have two strong levers, in order of preference:

1. Partition by namespace and import selectively (preferred). Put helpers in a sibling namespace and just don't import it. Both halves can be public; only the imported namespace becomes nodes.

   namespace VL.MyLib;          // user-facing nodes
   public sealed class Renderer { /* ... */ }
   
   namespace VL.MyLib.Internal; // helpers, public for cross-assembly use
   public sealed class BufferPool { /* ... */ }
   
   // Initialization.cs
   [assembly: ImportNamespace("VL.MyLib", Category = "MyLib")]
   // VL.MyLib.Internal is NOT imported → BufferPool is invisible to the node browser
   

   This is the workhorse pattern: it's how you keep classes public for testability, cross-assembly use, or future refactors without leaking them as nodes. ImportNamespace matches by exact namespace prefix — VL.MyLib.Internal is NOT a child of VL.MyLib for matching purposes when there's no second ImportNamespace covering it.

2. ImportType-only for small / curated libraries. Skip ImportAsIs/ImportNamespace entirely and list each user-facing type explicitly. Everything not listed stays invisible regardless of namespace or accessibility.

   [assembly: ImportType(typeof(Renderer),  Category = "MyLib")]
   [assembly: ImportType(typeof(Settings),  Category = "MyLib")]
   // Nothing else is imported.
   

3. Use internal (last resort). Only use internal when you ALSO w

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