BaseContainer Usage – Arma Reforger
From Bohemia Interactive Community
A BaseContainer is a data holder for many kinds of data: Prefab, Config, IEntitySource, IEntityComponentSource, WidgetSource, UserSettings, MetaFile are all BaseContainers.
Structure
Let's take a look at the Tree_Base.et Prefab to understand a BaseContainer's structure:
Tree {
// ...
Flags 524291
MaxHealth 10000
// ...
}
- Tree is the BaseContainer's class
- there is no inheritance, this is the topmost Prefab; inheritance (e.g in Tree_Coniferous_Base.et) looks like this:
Tree : "{388AE316D09D0680}Prefabs/Vegetation/Core/Tree_Base.et" { // ... }
- Tree being the class (a Prefab can have a class that is different from its ancestor)
- "{388AE316D09D0680}Prefabs
/Vegetation being the ancestor, the inherited Prefab/Core /Tree_Base.et"
- its Flags value is 524291, which is the General > Flags value of Traceable, Visible and Relative Y flags together
- its MaxHealth value is 10000, which is a GameCode-side property (not defined in script)
Inheritance
In case of inheritance:
- every level can set a property's value
- if the value is not defined in a level, the value is read from its ancestor where it is defined (making it a "default value" for its children)
- if a property is not set anywhere, the default value is the type's default value (see Scripting: Values - Types)
Object Array
A property can be an array of objects, represented as a BaseContainerList.
Usage
a BaseContainer cannot be strongly referenced in script (cref BaseContainer m_BaseContainer; // not possible).
See BaseContainerTools and SCR_BaseContainerTools classes for useful methods.
Create
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Resource resource = BaseContainerTools.CreateContainer("GenericEntity");
BaseContainer baseContainer = resource.GetResource().ToBaseContainer();
Obtain
Read
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int value;
if (baseContainer.Get("m_iValue", value)) // the Get method must be provided a variable of the good type as second argument
Print("m_iValue has been properly read"); // e.g be sure to provide a ResourceName when required and not a string
else
Print("m_iValue cannot be read");
Iterating a BaseContainerList:
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BaseContainer baseContainer;
for (int i, count = baseContainerList.Count(); i < count; ++i)
{
baseContainer = baseContainerList.Get(i); // BaseContainerList does not support foreach
}
Config =
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// provided SCR_ConfigClass is decorated with [BaseContainerProps(configRoot: true)]
SCR_ConfigClass configInstance = SCR_ConfigHelperT<SCR_ConfigClass>.GetConfigObject(configResourceName);
IEntitySource
An IEntitySource can be obtained from WorldEditorAPI usage:
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IEntitySource entitySource;
entitySource = worldEditorAPI.CreateEntity(prefab, string.Empty, worldEditorAPI.GetCurrentEntityLayerId(), null, vector.Zero, vector.Zero);
entitySource = worldEditorAPI.EntityToSource(entity);
entitySource = worldEditorAPI.FindEntityByName("entityName");
entitySource = worldEditorAPI.GetEntityUnderCursor();
// etc
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array<IEntitySource> entitySources = {};
for (int i, count = worldEditorAPI.GetEditorEntityCount(); i < count; ++i)
{
entitySources.Insert(worldEditorAPI.GetEditorEntity(i));
}
Localization
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LocalizationEditor locEditor = Workbench.GetModule(LocalizationEditor);
BaseContainer table = locEditor.GetTable();
if (!table)
return;
BaseContainerList items = table.GetObjectArray("Items");
Meta File
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ResourceManager resourceManager = Workbench.GetModule(ResourceManager);
MetaFile metaFile = resourceManager.GetMetaFile(absoluteFilePath); // MetaFile inherits from BaseContainer
Update
Editing:
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if (baseContainer.Set("m_iValue", 42)) // m_iValue HAS to be defined in the class - random properties cannot be added
Print("m_iValue has been properly set");
else
Print("m_iValue cannot be set");
Saving:
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BaseContainerTools.SaveContainer(baseContainer, resourceName); // saving using a ResourceName
BaseContainerTools.SaveContainer(baseContainer, ResourceName.Empty, absoluteFilePath); // alternatively, for e.g a MetaFile
WorldEditorAPI
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worldEditorAPI.SetVariableValue(entitySource, null, "m_iValue", "42"); // value is set by string in WorldEditorAPI
For a value that is not at root level, the path must be defined:
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array<ref ContainerIdPathEntry> path = { new ContainerIdPathEntry("m_SubObject") };
worldEditorAPI.SetVariableValue(entitySource, path, "m_iValue", "42");
An IEntitySource component's value can be set the same way:
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array<ref ContainerIdPathEntry> path = { new ContainerIdPathEntry("Components", 0) }; // assuming this is the first component
worldEditorAPI.SetVariableValue(entitySource, path, "m_iValue", "42"); // the targeted source is always the parent entitySource
