Category:Type: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:46, 13 April 2024

A type describes a range of possible values. This includes numbers or other primitive types, but also more abstract concepts ranging from text, users, join requests up to just “parts of a world”.

Categorization

Types can be split into different categories. In many situations there is some kind of distinction between “simple” and “complex” types.

The specifics are dependent on the context you are talking about.

ProtoFlux

Execution of ProtoFlux is a local phenomenon that runs on the computer that started it. In fact the ProtoFlux implementation has been designed to be independent of FrooxEngine.^{[Citation needed]}

In summary it stays close to the underlying C# standards. C# differentiates types based on where the value is stored:


Category (ProtoFlux)	Category (C#)	Description
Value Type	Value Type	The value is stored directly within the variable/property.
Object Type	Reference Type	The value exists somewhere in memory. Variables/properties contain a reference to the memory location. Object types also form a hierarchy where an instance of a sub-type will always be an instance of a super-type. This allows a general concept (i.e. a collider) to be implemented in different ways. (BoxCollider, SphereCollider etc.)

Also see: Enums, a subcategory of value types.

World Model

The world model of Resonite needs to be kept consistent for multiple users. Where a value is stored locally is far less important than how it is communicated across the network.

In effect this means that when dealing with components and their properties one has to differentiate among the following categories:


Category	All Types	Description
Values	Value Types, strings, URIs, Nullable and IEncodable	The value will be written into and read from a network message as-is.
References	IWorldElement and all its derivatives (e.g. Slot)	The referenced object can be uniquely identified by a RefID which will be sent via the network. The receiver will then do a lookup to determine their own instance of that object.
Types	Type	Types aren't just used in properties. They are also very important internally to inform other users of newly created components. Therefore they are preferrably encoded as a simple number to avoid wasting network traffic. If such a shorthand is not yet available the full type name will be transmitted instead. As of `2024.4.3.1170` the shorthand is lazily and asynchronously generated by the host. There is one lookup-table per Session. (Speculation: The requirement of session information may be the reason why this has a separate implementation to values.)
Delegates	WorldDelegate	Delegates reference a method of a specific object instance. The network message contains the RefID to identify the instance and the name/declaring type of the method.

Be aware that strings, URIs and Nullable are objects in ProtoFlux but values for the world model!

This is especially visible when working with Dynamic Variables.

Subcategories

This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.

E

Enums‎ (152 P)

V

Value Types‎ (42 P)

Pages in category "Type"

The following 200 pages are in this category, out of 211 total.

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A

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C

D

E

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Type:KeyboardType

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Type:Object

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@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 | [[:Category:Type:Value|Value Type]] || [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/language-reference/builtin-types/value-types Value Type] || The value is stored directly within the variable/property.
 |+
-| Object Type || [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/language-reference/keywords/reference-types Reference Type] || The value exists somewhere in memory. Variables/properties contain a reference to the memory location.
+| Object Type || [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/language-reference/keywords/reference-types Reference Type] || The value exists somewhere in memory. Variables/properties contain a reference to the memory location. <br/> Object types also form a hierarchy where an instance of a ''sub-type'' will always be an instance of a ''super-type''. This allows a general concept (i.e. [[Type:ICollider|a collider]]) to be implemented in different ways. ([[Component:BoxCollider|BoxCollider]], [[Component:SphereCollider|SphereCollider]] etc.)
 |}