Example of using PackedDataContainer

icedtonberry

(EDIT: previously I said PackedDataResource instead of PackedDataContainer; sorry for the confusion)

Does anyone have an example of using PackedDataContainer?

I would like to pack some data into a PackedDataContainer using a tool script that reads from a custom file format, and then save it as a resource for loading into the engine later, but I haven't quite figured out how to make this work. Searching online I've only found 2 other references to PackedDataContainer: one in the API documentation that doesn't really help too much, and one in another forum were someone else was asking how to use it.

Any examples or tips here would be appreciated. :)

icedtonberry

For what it's worth, I solved my problem a different way. I used a tool script inheriting from Resource as a property in a scene, used that to load the data into exported object properties, and then just saved the scene with the Resource embedded. This isn't exactly what I wanted, and involved a few more steps and objects each time I want to use this technique, but it does basically solve my current problem.

However, I'm still interested in how PackedDataContainer is meant to be used, as it seems like you can get data in (with pack()) but there isn't an obvious way to get the data back out (e.g. converting the data field back into a Variant).

EDIT: "PackedDataContainer"

Erich_L

I didn't see PackedDataResource in the docs, but there's a PackedDataContainer. The lack of info on it in the docs I'd suggest isn't the best of signs. Personally I use the resource too to save the relevant data in my game levels. The extra steps should force you to be more specific about what to save, which in the long run I'd suggest will give you much smaller save file sizes.

icedtonberry

Thanks for the reponse. Yes, I meant PackedDataContainer, which is a Resource, so I had the wrong name on the brain while typing this up. I've edited the title and my previous comments to fix that and make future searches hit on this question. Sorry for the confusion!

I found a bug filed in 2016 and then a PR about adding custom resource support into Godot here. I think once that is implemented it will solve my underlying problem much better anyway.

But still, does anyone know how the heck is PackedDataContainer supposed to be used? It's a built-in resource type and is present in the docs, it just doesn't have any useful descriptions and the API is not very clear. At this point I'm more morbidly curious than anything else. :)

TwistedTwigleg

I did a quick search on the Godot Github source code and I'm not sure it's used anywhere internally currently:

Maybe its from an older version of Godot? Like Godot 2?