A simple C# static class to get and set globally accessible variables through a key-value approach (C#, Unity, .NET)

README.md

This is a simple C# static class to get and set globally accessible variables through a key-value approach.

Installation

Just download the script and import to your project or copy paste it to a script file.

It works in any C# project such as Unity.

It can be a great cross-scene persistent data storage for Unity, just import the script and use the GlobalVariables class to set and get data regardless of scenes.

It is also available on UnityCommunity/UnityLibrary repository at Assets/Scripts/Utilities/GlobalVariables.cs.

Usage

Take a look at the below usage example to learn how to use the provided API.

In the FirstClass we set the variables values:

public class FirstClass {

  public void SomeMethod() {
    GlobalVariables.Set("myStringVariable", "test");
    GlobalVariables.Set("myIntVariable", 123);
    GlobalVariables.Set("myObjectVariable", new List<string>());
  }

}

And then in the SecondClass we retrieve the values of the variables:

public class SecondClass {

  public void AnotherMethod() {
    string myStringVariable = GlobalVariables.Get<string>("myStringVariable");
    int myIntVariable = GlobalVariables.Get<int>("myIntVariable");
    List<string> myObjectVariable = GlobalVariables.Get<List<string>>("myObjectVariable");
  }

}

API

Getting a Variable

Description

Gets the variable by the given key and casts it to the provided type argument T.

Parameters

• key: The variable name/key.

Returns

Returns the variable value casted to the provided type.

T GlobalVariables.Get<T>(string key);

Setting a Variable

Description

Sets the variable by the given key.

Parameters

• key: The variable name/key.
• value: The variable value.

void GlobalVariables.Set(string key, object value);

Getting All Variables

Description

Gets all the variables.

Returns

Returns a dictionary of variables.

Dictionary<string, object> GlobalVariables.GetAll();

GlobalVariables.cs

using System.Collections.Generic;

/// <summary>
/// A simple static class to get and set globally accessible variables through a key-value approach.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>
/// <para>Uses a key-value approach (dictionary) for storing and modifying variables.</para>
/// <para>It also uses a lock to ensure consistency between the threads.</para>
/// </remarks>
public static class GlobalVariables
{

    private static readonly object lockObject = new object();
    private static Dictionary<string, object> variablesDictionary = new Dictionary<string, object>();

    /// <summary>
    /// The underlying key-value storage (dictionary).
    /// </summary>
    /// <value>Gets the underlying variables dictionary</value>
    public static Dictionary<string, object> VariablesDictionary => variablesDictionary;

    /// <summary>
    /// Retrieves all global variables.
    /// </summary>
    /// <returns>The global variables dictionary object.</returns>
    public static Dictionary<string, object> GetAll()
    {
        return variablesDictionary;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets a variable and casts it to the provided type argument.
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="T">The type of the variable</typeparam>
    /// <param name="key">The variable key</param>
    /// <returns>The casted variable value</returns>
    public static T Get<T>(string key)
    {
        if (variablesDictionary == null || !variablesDictionary.ContainsKey(key))
        {
            return default(T);
        }

        return (T)variablesDictionary[key];
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Sets the variable, the existing value gets overridden.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>It uses a lock under the hood to ensure consistensy between threads</remarks>
    /// <param name="key">The variable name/key</param>
    /// <param name="value">The variable value</param>
    public static void Set(string key, object value)
    {
        lock (lockObject)
        {
            if (variablesDictionary == null)
            {
                variablesDictionary = new Dictionary<string, object>();
            }
            variablesDictionary[key] = value;
        }
    }

}

I'm a noob at Unity. How do I import and activate this without a GameObject?

I'm a noob at Unity. How do I import and activate this without a GameObject?

Just import the script into your project, whether download it using Save As ... or create a new script in your Unity project and copy-paste the contents to it, also this is a static class, so you don't need to add it to any GameObject and you can't because it is a static class, you can use its public API in any script.

Really nice! Thank you!

Great Job, thanks a lot!