Struct BlobAssetReference<T>

A reference to a blob asset stored in unmanaged memory.

Namespace: Unity.Entities
Syntax
public struct BlobAssetReference<T> : IDisposable, IEquatable<BlobAssetReference<T>> where T : struct
Type Parameters
Name Description
T

The struct data type defining the data structure of the blob asset.
Remarks

Create a blob asset using a BlobBuilder or by deserializing a serialized blob asset.

Properties

IsCreated

Reports whether this instance references a valid blob asset.

Declaration
public bool IsCreated { get; }
Property Value
Type Description
Boolean

True, if this instance references a valid blob instance.

Null

A "null" blob asset reference that can be used to test if a BlobAssetReference instance

Declaration
public static BlobAssetReference<T> Null { get; }
Property Value
Type Description
BlobAssetReference<T>

Value

A reference to the blob asset data.

Declaration
public T Value { get; }
Property Value
Type Description
T

The root data structure of the blob asset data.
Remarks

The property is a reference return.

Methods

Create(T)

Creates a blob asset from an instance of a struct.

Declaration
public static BlobAssetReference<T> Create(T value)
Parameters
Type Name Description
T value

An instance of T.
Returns
Type Description
BlobAssetReference<T>

A reference to newly created blob asset.
Remarks

The struct must only contain blittable fields (primitive types, fixed-length arrays, or other structs meeting these same criteria). The blob asset is created in unmanaged memory. Call Dispose() to free the asset memory when it is no longer needed. This function can only be used in an unsafe context.

See Also

Create(Byte[])

Creates a blob asset from a byte array.

Declaration
public static BlobAssetReference<T> Create(byte[] data)
Parameters
Type Name Description
Byte[] data

The byte array containing the data to store in the blob asset.
Returns
Type Description
BlobAssetReference<T>

A reference to newly created blob asset.
Remarks

The blob asset is created in unmanaged memory. Call Dispose() to free the asset memory when it is no longer needed. This function can only be used in an unsafe context.

See Also

Create(Void*, Int32)

Creates a blob asset from a pointer to data and a specified size.

Declaration
public static BlobAssetReference<T> Create(void *ptr, int length)
Parameters
Type Name Description
Void* ptr

A pointer to the buffer containing the data to store in the blob asset.
Int32 length

The length of the buffer in bytes.
Returns
Type Description
BlobAssetReference<T>

A reference to newly created blob asset.
Remarks

The blob asset is created in unmanaged memory. Call Dispose() to free the asset memory when it is no longer needed. This function can only be used in an unsafe context.

See Also

Dispose()

Destroys the referenced blob asset and frees its memory.

Declaration
public void Dispose()
Exceptions
Type Condition
InvalidOperationException

Thrown if you attempt to dispose a blob asset that loaded as part of a scene or subscene.

Equals(Object)

Two BlobAssetReferences are equal when they reference the same data.

Declaration
public override bool Equals(object obj)
Parameters
Type Name Description
Object obj

The object to compare to this reference
Returns
Type Description
Boolean

True, if the object is a BlobAssetReference instance that references to the same data as this one, or if both objects are Null BlobAssetReference instances.
Overrides

Equals(BlobAssetReference<T>)

Two BlobAssetReferences are equal when they reference the same data.

Declaration
public bool Equals(BlobAssetReference<T> other)
Parameters
Type Name Description
BlobAssetReference<T> other

The reference to compare to this one.
Returns
Type Description
Boolean

True, if both references point to the same data or if both are Null.

GetHashCode()

Generates the hash code for this object.

Declaration
public override int GetHashCode()
Returns
Type Description
Int32

A standard C# value-type hash code.
Overrides

GetUnsafePtr()

Provides an unsafe pointer to the blob asset data.

Declaration
public void *GetUnsafePtr()
Returns
Type Description
Void*

An unsafe pointer. The pointer is null for invalid BlobAssetReference instances.
Remarks

You can only use unsafe pointers in unsafe contexts.

TryRead(String, Int32, out BlobAssetReference<T>)

Reads bytes from a fileName, validates the expected serialized version, and deserializes them into a new blob asset.

Declaration
public static bool TryRead(string path, int version, out BlobAssetReference<T> result)
Parameters
Type Name Description
String path

The path of the blob data to read.
Int32 version

Expected version number of the blob data.
BlobAssetReference<T> result

The resulting BlobAssetReference if the data was read successful.
Returns
Type Description
Boolean

A bool if the read was successful or not.

Write(BlobBuilder, String, Int32)

Writes the blob data to a path with serialized version.

Declaration
public static void Write(BlobBuilder builder, string path, int verison)
Parameters
Type Name Description
BlobBuilder builder

The BlobBuilder containing the blob to write.
String path

The path to write the blob data.
Int32 verison

Operators

Equality(BlobAssetReference<T>, BlobAssetReference<T>)

Two BlobAssetReferences are equal when they reference the same data.

Declaration
public static bool operator ==(BlobAssetReference<T> lhs, BlobAssetReference<T> rhs)
Parameters
Type Name Description
BlobAssetReference<T> lhs

The BlobAssetReference on the left side of the operator.
BlobAssetReference<T> rhs

The BlobAssetReference on the right side of the operator.
Returns
Type Description
Boolean

True, if both references point to the same data or if both are Null.

Inequality(BlobAssetReference<T>, BlobAssetReference<T>)

Two BlobAssetReferences are not equal unless they reference the same data.

Declaration
public static bool operator !=(BlobAssetReference<T> lhs, BlobAssetReference<T> rhs)
Parameters
Type Name Description
BlobAssetReference<T> lhs

The BlobAssetReference on the left side of the operator.
BlobAssetReference<T> rhs

The BlobAssetReference on the right side of the operator.
Returns
Type Description
Boolean

True, if the references point to different data in memory or if one is Null.