Saving and Loading Data
Using Data Inputs
Data inputs in entities are automatically serialized. That means if you need to store any data in your custom asset or node, the best way is to simply define a data input:
[DataInput]
public Vector3 MySpecialVector3;
You can also have hidden data inputs if you don't want to show them to the user:
[DataInput]
[Hidden]
public Vector3 MySpecialVector3;
For more complex states, you can serialize them into a JSON string and deserialize when needed:
[DataInput]
[Hidden]
public string MyJSONState;
// Use Newtonsoft.Json to serialize and deserialize
MyJSONState = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(mySerializableObject);
mySerializableObject = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<MySerializableObject>(MyJSONState);
Using Persistent Data Manager
For non-serializable data, you can use Context.PersistentDataManager to access a file system API restricted to the data folder. For example, to load and save an image from a custom directory:
var bytes = await Context.PersistentDataManager.ReadFileBytesAsync("MyPlugin/MyProfileImage.png");
await Context.PersistentDataManager.WriteFileBytesAsync("MyPlugin/MyProfileImage.png", bytes);
Using Plugin Mod
A plugin mod can store text assets in the mod folder, which can be accessed by the plugin at runtime. For example, you can store a JSON file Animations.json in the mod folder and load it in the plugin:
protected override void OnCreate() {
base.OnCreate();
var json = ModHost.Assets.Load<TextAsset>("Assets/MyModFolder/Animations.json"); // Change the path to match your mod folder structure
}