API updater

To improve usability and performance, Unity might change the way classes, functions and properties (the API) work. Occasionally, these improvements might introduce breaking changes when moving from one major Unity version to another.

To minimize the impact of breaking changes, the API updater identifies and updates obsolete code in your scriptsA piece of code that allows you to create your own Components, trigger game events, modify Component properties over time and respond to user input in any way you like. More info
See in Glossary and assemblies.

The API updater consists of the ScriptUpdater and the AssemblyUpdater, which are responsible for updating source code (scripts) and assemblies (dll files) respectively.

Note: The API Updater can only fix certain errors and warnings in the API. These are indicated as UnityUpgradable in the console message. You must manually resolve other errors or warnings that the API Updater cannot handle.

Using the API updater

When a script compilation is triggered, the API updater runs automatically. For example, this occurs when you:

• Open a project.
• Import a package.
• Save changes to a script.

The API updater offers to update any obsolete code that it detects. If you accept, it rewrites any obsolete code with the recommended updated version of the API.

For example, the API updater would convert the following obsolete statement from:

light.color = Color.red;

to:

GetComponent<Light>().color = Color.red;

The steps below describe the workflow of the API updater when Unity triggers a script compilation:

1. Unity triggers a script compilation.
2. The API updater checks for updatable compiler errors or warnings that it can handle.
   • If it doesn’t find any errors or warnings, the process ends.
   • If it finds any errors or warnings, it displays a dialog offering an automatic update.
     Close the Editor and back up your project before you let the API updater update your scripts or assemblies. When you reopen your project, Unity compiles your scripts and triggers the API updater.
3. If you accept the update, the API updater updates all scripts in the same compilation unit.
4. The API Updater repeats this process until it detects no more errors or warnings that it can handle.

The updater can run multiple times if scripts with obsolete code fall into different compilation passes, for example, editor scripts. When the API Updater successfully finishes, the console displays the message: Finished updating scripts / assemblies.

If you don’t allow the API updater to update your scripts, the console displays any script errors or warnings. Errors or warnings which the API updater could resolve display (UnityUpgradable) in the message.

If your script has other errors which prevent the API updater from running successfully, the Console displays a message to inform you of this. You must resolve those errors before the API Updater can complete the updates.

Command line arguments related to API Updater

When running Unity in batch mode from the command line, use the -accept-apiupdate option to run the API updater. For more information, see Command Line Arguments.

Logging

The API updater logs changes it makes to any assemblies to the Editor log. To control how much information is logged, set the UNITY_APIUPDATER_LOG_THRESHOLD environment variable to the desired log threshold and start Unity. For example:

On Windows:

c:> set UNITY_APIUPDATER_LOG_THRESHOLD=Debug
c:> \path\to\unity\Unity.exe

On Linux:

$ export UNITY_APIUPDATER_LOG_THRESHOLD=Debug
$ /path/to/unity/Unity

On Mac:

$ export UNITY_APIUPDATER_LOG_THRESHOLD=Debug
$ /path/to/unity/Unity

Note: You can also use version controlA system for managing file changes. You can use Unity in conjunction with most common version control tools, including Perforce, Git, Mercurial and PlasticSCM. More info
See in Glossary
to see changes the API updater makes to a project’s scripts.

When AssemblyUpdater has finished, the Editor.log displays the changes. For example:

[AssemblyUpdater] Property access to 'UnityEngine.Rigidbody
UnityEngine.GameObject::get_rigidbody()' in 'System.Void
Test.ClassReferencingObsoleteUnityAPIThroughEditorAssembly::Run()' replaced with 'T
UnityEngine.GameObject::GetComponent<UnityEngine.Rigidbody>()'.

The table below describes the values for the UNITY_APIUPDATER_LOG_THRESHOLD environment variable:

Troubleshooting

API Updating failed. Check previous console messages.

The API updater couldn’t update all obsolete code. This can occur if the updater can’t save its changes, for example if the user has read-only permissions on the script.

Check the previous lines in the console to see any problems that occurred during the update process.

• 2018–07–31 Page amended

• “accept-apiupdate” command line option added in Unity 2017.2

• AssemblyUpdater logging improved in Unity 2018.3 NewIn20183