vvvv-node-libraries

name: vvvv-node-libraries description: "Helps set up C# library projects that provide nodes to vvvv gamma — project directory structure, Initialization.cs with AssemblyInitializer, service registration via RegisterService, IResourceProvider factories, ImportAsIs / ImportNamespace / ImportType selection, category organization, .csproj setup, and dynamic node factories via RegisterNodeFactory. Also covers contributing changes to an existing/upstream vvvv library — fork → branch → PR workflow, editable source packages (--package-repositories / --editable-packages), and the .vl-document diff problem. Use when creating a new vvvv library, VL package, NuGet package for vvvv, deciding which import attribute to use, organizing categories, controlling which public types become nodes, registering services or node factories, setting up the project structure, or contributing a fix/feature/PR to a library you don't own (e.g. VL.StandardLibs). Trigger when the user says 'create a package', 'make a library', 'distribute nodes', 'organize categories', 'hide internal helpers from the node browser', 'publish a VL package', 'contribute to vvvv', 'file a PR on a vvvv library', or 'edit an existing library'." license: CC-BY-SA-4.0 compatibility: Designed for coding AI agents assisting with vvvv gamma development metadata: author: Tebjan Halm version: "1.4"

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")]

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")]

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")]

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

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 want to hide the type from C# consumers — e.g. truly private implementation details that no other assembly should reference. internal is a heavier hammer than namespace partitioning because it also breaks tests in separate assemblies (forcing [InternalsVisibleTo] plumbing).

Decision shortcut: If you ever say "this class is public only because tests in another assembly need it, but I don't want users to see it as a node" — the answer is namespace partitioning + selective import, not internal + [InternalsVisibleTo].

⚠️ Watch out: StartsWith prefix matching, no boundary check. Both ImportAsIs.IsMatch and ImportNamespace.IsMatch check ns.StartsWith(Namespace) — so Namespace = "VL.Foo" will match a class in VL.FooBar (not just VL.Foo.X). Pick prefix names that won't false-match nearby namespaces.

Category resolution rules — verified from vvvv source

Priority order (highest first):

1. [ProcessNode(Category = "X")] on the class itself — wins.
2. [assembly: ImportType(typeof(T), Category = "X", NamespacePrefixToStrip = "...")] — per-type override.
3. [assembly: ImportNamespace("X.Sub", Category = "Y")] matching the class's namespace — wins by longest prefix.
4. [assembly: ImportAsIs(Namespace = "X", Category = "Y")] — applies to types under X not covered above.

For levels 3 and 4 (ImportAsIs / ImportNamespace), the resulting category is computed by GetCategory(typeNamespace) in VL.Core/src/Import/ImportAsIsAttribute.cs:

// Pseudocode of the actual VL.Core implementation:
root = Category ?? "";
if (typeNamespace == "")           return root;
if (Namespace == "")               cat = typeNamespace;
else if (typeNamespace.Length > Namespace.Length)
                                   cat = typeNamespace.Substring(Namespace.Length + 1);
else /* typeNamespace == Namespace */ cat = "";
if (cat == "")                     return root;
if (root == "")                    return cat;
return $"{root}.{cat}";

What this means in practice — the non-obvious consequence:

Without Category=, the prefix is just stripped — there is no fallback that prepends the last segment of Namespace. So [ImportAsIs(Namespace = "VL.MyLib")] with classes in VL.MyLib.Config puts them at top-level Config, NOT MyLib.Config. This is the most common surprise — always set Category explicitly unless you really want top-level pollution from sub-namespaces.

When debugging "why did my node end up at top-level Helpers instead of MyLib.Helpers?", check: did you forget the Category = parameter on ImportAsIs?

Service Registration Patterns

Services are registered in Configure(AppHost) and consumed by nodes via NodeContext. This section covers registration only — for consumption patterns, see vvvv-custom-nodes/services.md.

Direct Singleton (Recommended)

services.RegisterService<MyService>(serviceProvider =>
{
    // Created lazily on first GetService<MyService>() call
    return new MyService(serviceProvider);
});

IResourceProvider Pattern (For Managed Lifecycle)

When the service wraps a resource that needs explicit disposal:

services.RegisterService<IResourceProvider<MyGPUService>>(serviceProvider =>
{
    var gameProvider = serviceProvider.GetService<IResourceProvider<Game>>();
    return gameProvider.Bind(game =>
    {
        var service = MyGPUService.Create(game);
        return ResourceProvider.Return(service, disposeAction: s => s?.Dispose());
    });
});

Dynamic Node Factories

Register programmatic node generation for dynamic node sets:

public override void Configure(AppHost appHost)
{
    // Dynamic node factory from shader files or other sources
    appHost.RegisterNodeFactory("VL.MyLibrary.ShaderNodes",
        init: MyShaderNodeFactory.Init);
}

Use node factories when nodes are generated from external files (shaders, configs) rather than written as C# classes. For details, see the vvvv Node Factories docs.

Extension Methods for Service Access

Provide typed accessors for your services:

public static class MyLibraryExtensions
{
    public static MyService? GetMyService(this ServiceRegistry services)
        => services.GetService(typeof(MyService)) as MyService;

    public static MyService? GetMyService(this IServiceProvider services)
        => services.GetService(typeof(MyService)) as MyService;
}

.csproj Essentials

Full library .csproj with output to lib/net8.0/:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
    <OutputPath>..\..\lib\net8.0\</OutputPath>
    <AppendTargetFrameworkToOutputPath>false</AppendTargetFrameworkToOutputPath>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="VL.Core" Version="2025.7.*" />
    <PackageReference Include="VL.Core.Import" Version="2025.7.*" />
    <!-- For Stride integration: -->
    <PackageReference Include="VL.Stride.Runtime" Version="2025.7.*" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

Match VL package versions to your vvvv installation version. The OutputPath places compiled DLLs in the library's lib/net8.0/ folder where vvvv expects to find them.

Real-World Example: Custom Rendering Library

Library initialization with service registration and node factory:

[assembly: AssemblyInitializer(typeof(Initialization))]
[assembly: ImportAsIs(Namespace = "VL.MyRendering", Category = "MyRendering")]

public sealed class Initialization : AssemblyInitializer<Initialization>
{
    public override void Configure(AppHost appHost)
    {
        appHost.Services.RegisterService<CustomGameSystem>(sp =>
        {
            var vlGame = sp.GetService<VLGame>();
            if (vlGame == null) return null!;
            var customGame = CustomGameSystem.Create(vlGame, sp);
            vlGame.GameSystems.Add(customGame);
            return customGame;
        });

        // Dynamic node factory from shader files
        appHost.RegisterNodeFactory("VL.MyRendering.ShaderNodes",
            init: ShaderNodeFactory.Init);
    }
}

For naming conventions, pin rules, aspects, and standard types, see design-guidelines.md. For publishing NuGets, help patches, and library structure, see publishing.md. For contributing changes/PRs to an existing upstream library, see contributing.md. For complete real-world examples (VL.IO.MQTT, VL.Audio), see examples.md.