Saving ScriptableObjects with non-serialized fields through code

I have a class that inherits from ScriptableObject with a few fields that can't be serialized and one that can be. In another script I create an instance of the ScriptableObject, set all of its fields and then save it using UnityEditor.AssetDatabase.CreateAsset(string path). I have a final script with a serialized field of the ScriptableObject.

When adding the newly saved ScriptableObject to the third script and attempting to read data from it, the List and the Dictionary are both set to null, while the Sprite retains the value it was set to.

Is there any way to save the List and Dictionary to the .asset file?

My code is as follows:

Code (CSharp):

1. public class MyScriptableObject : ScriptableObject
2. {
3.     public Dictionary<string, Sprite> sprites;
4.  
5.     public Sprite sprite;
6. }

Code (CSharp):

1. MyScriptableObject myObject = (MyscriptableObject)ScriptableObject.CreateInstance("MyScriptableObject");
2.  
3. Dictionary<string, Sprite> sprites = new Dictionary<string, Sprite>();
4.  
5. //loadedSprites is a [SerializeField] List<Sprite> present in this class
6. for(int i = 0; i < loadedSprites.Cout; i++)
7. {
8.     sprites[i + ""] = loadedSprites[i];
9. }
10. myScriptableObject.sprites = sprites;
11.  
12. myScriptableObject.sprite = loadedSprites[0];

Code (CSharp):

1. //loadedMyScriptableObject is a [SerializeField] MyScriptableObject present in this class
2. //and I drag the saved asset onto this script
3.  
4. //when this code is run, loadedMyScriptableObject.sprites is null,
5. //but loadedMyScriptableObject.sprite is what it was set to in the previous code
6. List<Sprites> sprites = loadedMyScriptableObject.sprites;
7. Sprite sprite = loadedMyScriptableObject.sprite;

 

Right after I posted this I realized I probably should have posted it as a question in the Answers section so I did that here: https://answers.unity.com/questions/1536722/saving-a-scriptableobject-with-complex-fields.html Maybe this thread should be closed? Though obviously I'd appreciate help here if that question hasn't been answered yet.

 

Well as you said dictionary isn't serialized, so it's not getting saved to the asset. That's what being serialization does, it serializes the data into something that can be written to disk.

Furthermore, in your 3rd piece of code you say:

Code (csharp):

1. List<Sprites> sprites = loadedMyScriptableObject.sprites;

This doesn't make sense, 'MyScriptableObject.sprites' is a Dictionary<string, Sprite>, not a List<Sprites> (Sprites isn't even a known type as far as defined here). This line of code shouldn't work at all.

 

So in order to be able to save the data I will just have to use a different data structure?

That line was just a mistake, I meant for it to be

Code (CSharp):

1. Dictionary<string, Sprite> sprites = loadedMyScriptableObject.sprites;

I've obviously already fixed that, but not my problem.

 

To serialise a

Dictionary

you can implement the

ISerializationCallbackReceiver

interface and serialise the keys and values yourself. The documentation has an example of this. It's fairly straightforward.

Sam

 

If you are trying to save and load complicated or non serializable data structures you may be better off using a database rather than scriptable objects.

Have a look at SQL4Unity which supports most Unity datatypes

https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/utilities/sql4unity-115308

The documentation is online at https://stevesmith.software