godot/doc/classes/Reference.xml

43 lines
1.9 KiB
XML
Raw Normal View History

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<class name="Reference" inherits="Object" version="3.2">
<brief_description>
Base class for reference-counted objects.
</brief_description>
<description>
Base class for any object that keeps a reference count. [Resource] and many other helper objects inherit this class.
Unlike [Object]s, 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 [method 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 if misused.
</description>
<tutorials>
<link title="When and how to avoid using nodes for everything">https://docs.godotengine.org/en/3.2/getting_started/workflow/best_practices/node_alternatives.html</link>
</tutorials>
<methods>
<method name="init_ref">
<return type="bool">
</return>
<description>
Initializes the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.
Returns whether the initialization was successful.
</description>
</method>
<method name="reference">
<return type="bool">
</return>
<description>
Increments the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.
Returns [code]true[/code] if the increment was successful, [code]false[/code] otherwise.
</description>
</method>
<method name="unreference">
<return type="bool">
</return>
<description>
Decrements the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.
Returns [code]true[/code] if the decrement was successful, [code]false[/code] otherwise.
</description>
</method>
</methods>
<constants>
</constants>
</class>