Description
I propose to add 'load sprite from URL' to the 9-Patch object. The Sprite and Tiled Background objects have it. I would expect the 9-Patch object to also have this capability.
I propose to add the capability to change the 9-Patch object properties during runtime. Currently, you can't do anything with the margins during runtime. Allowing to do this could offer possibilities for cool effects and even user generated content.
Problem
Currently there is no way to adjust the 9-Patch object properties during runtime. For games and applications that wish to make 9-Patch objects a bit more dynamic, this is a real problem.
I'm currently building an application that lets users create art using 9-Patch objects. It's a bit unorthodox, but here lies the uniqueness and strength of the application.
I'd like to allow users to load their own images and set the parameters of the object during runtime. But this is currently impossible.
Another use case I can think of is this: The 9-Patch object is typically used for textured UI frames. These UI frames might have different states depending on certain conditions: Active, Inactive, Hover, Visited, etc. For a user interface built with textured elements, you'd want to be able to switch these textures depending on the state the UI element.
Just wanted to add that the Tilemap object also has the Load sprite from URL feature. Another consistency where image based objects create an expectation to change that texture during runtime.