How do I access a Scriptable Object as an Enum in code?

I have watched the videos,

and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raQ3iHhE_Kk

and done every tutorial I can find on the subject, but I still don't get how to use a scriptable object as an enum. I don't understand how to access the values from code and I cannot find an example. I feel like I must be missing something obvious, so any help is appreciated. Thanks.

The example is that there are different races, Human and Martian, and the code wants to do something different for each race. We want to add other races later, so I am trying to make it easy to add races without having to edit an enum, something the designer can do from the inspector. Then later I can add any specific code for each race. How do I say

if(race == martian)

with a scriptable object?

Code (CSharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2.  
3. [CreateAssetMenu]
4. public class RaceSO : ScriptableObject {
5.     public string Name;
6.     public string Description;
7. }
8.  

Code (CSharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2. public class RaceTest : MonoBehaviour {
3.    //I want to get rid of this enum and use a SO
4.     public enum RaceEnum { Human, Martian };
5.     //example of what I need to do
6.     public void checkRaceEnum(RaceEnum race) {
7.         if (race == RaceEnum.Human) {
8.             //do human stuff
9.         } else if (race == RaceEnum.Martian) {
10.             //kill humans
11.         }
12.     }
13.    
14.    //I don't understand how to do this with a scriptableobject
15.     public void checkRaceSO(RaceSO raceSO) {
16.         if(raceSO == /* what goes here?? */ ) {
17.             //do human stuff
18.         } else if (raceSO == /* martian */ ) {
19.             //kill humans
20.         }
21.     }
22.    
23. }
24.  

 

You could add the enum to the RaceSO class:

Code (CSharp):

1. public class RaceSO : ScriptableObject
2. {
3.     public RaceTest.RaceEnum race;
4.     public string Name;
5.     public string Description;
6. }

Now, check the enum in the checkRaceSO function:

Code (CSharp):

1. public void checkRaceSO(RaceSO raceSO)
2. {
3.     if(raceSO.race == RaceEnum.Human)
4.     {
5.         //Do human stuff
6.     }
7.  
8.      //etc...
9. }

 

I remember that video..
Instead of comparing an enum value, you could compare to the referenced Scriptable object.

So, comparing human and martian, you'd create 2 RaceSO instances. In code that needs to do a comparison, you'd like one or both of them as a reference to compare.

Your example...

Code (csharp):

1. public RaceSO human;
2. public RaceSO martian;
3.  
4. public void checkRaceSO(RaceSO raceSO) {
5.    if(raceSO == human) // code here
6.    else if(raceSO == martian) // etc..
7.  }

Is that what you were after?

 

Yes, that should do it! Thank you very much.

 

The better approach may be to have a single variable for `race` and then put the SO you want there.

Something like

Code (CSharp):

1. public class RaceTest {
2.  
3. public RaceSO Race;
4.  
5. }

There are ways to get the 'dropdown' of all the ScriptableObjects of `Race` type, similar to what an enum dropdown would look like if you create a custom editor.

The asset `Odin Inspector` supports this behavior out of the box if you're interested in making life easier for the designer.

 

Thanks for the input, however setting the variable in the inspector is not the problem. The problem that is never answered in the videos is how to check the variable in CODE, with an if or switch statement, how do I tell what the variable is set to? I don't understand how your approach solves that problem.

 

So I'm guessing you need to do some stuff if it's a human SO, some stuff if it's alienSO right?

The proper way to design this would be to compose your logic into different components, which is sort of what you are doing - but you could take it one step further and have the 'logic' you want to execute in SOs, which avoids the if/else stuff completely.

Code (CSharp):

1.    
2. public class RaceTest {
3.    
4.     public RaceSO Race;
5.  
6.     public void CheckRace() {
7.         race.DoSomething();
8.     }
9.    
10. }
11.  

You could then create an interface that both SOs implement, to get that `DoSomething()` behavior.

Code (CSharp):

1. public interface IRace {
2.     void DoSomething();
3. }

Then when your RaceTest needs that behavior, it doesn't have to care or check which type of SO you have, it just delegates the responsibility to the actual SO.

 

Just check the Repo:
https://github.com/roboryantron/Unite2017/blob/master/Assets/Code/Elements/Elemental.cs
and
https://github.com/roboryantron/Unite2017/blob/master/Assets/Code/Elements/AttackElement.cs

are what you are looking for:

He defines a list of the elements an object can defeat (Which are SO References) in the "Element SO":

Code (CSharp):

1. public List<AttackElement> DefeatedElements = new List<AttackElement>();

And then, in the elemental monobehaviour he does the check:

Code (CSharp):

1. //References what element this is, so, this is THE ENUM
2. [Tooltip("Element represented by this elemental.")]
3.         public AttackElement Element;
4.  
5. //.... Bla bla
6.  
7. private void OnTriggerEnter(Collider other)
8.         {
9.         //Gets the other object element type
10.             Elemental e = other.gameObject.GetComponent<Elemental>();
11.             if (e != null)
12.             {
13.             //And if it is on the DefeatedList, deletes
14.                 if (e.Element.DefeatedElements.Contains(Element))
15.                     Destroy(gameObject);
16.             }
17.         }

Of course, this is just for demo, but you get the gist. Hope it helps.

 

Best answer