Godot.Reference
lastmod 2023-03-30created 2023-03-302 edits
Base class for reference-counted objects.
Description
Base class for any object that keeps a reference count. Resource and many other helper objects inherit this class.
Unlike other Object types, References keep an internal reference counter so that they are automatically released when no longer in use, and only then. References therefore do not need to be freed manually with Object.free.
In the vast majority of use cases, instantiating and using Reference-derived types is all you need to do.
The methods provided in this class are only for advanced users, and can cause issues when misused.
In C#
In C#, a Reference is not freed instantly as soon as it is no longer in use.
Instead, garbage collection runs periodically and frees references that are no longer in use.
This means that unused references will linger on for a while before being removed.
Methods
init_ref
Initializes the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.
Returns whether the initialization was successful.
reference
Increments the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.
Returns true if the increment was successful, false otherwise.
unreference
Decrements the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.
Returns true if the decrement was successful, false otherwise.