Table of Contents

Class RefCounted

Namespace
Godot
Assembly
GodotSharp.dll

Base class for any object that keeps a reference count. Resource and many other helper objects inherit this class.

Unlike other GodotObject types, RefCounteds keep an internal reference counter so that they are automatically released when no longer in use, and only then. RefCounteds therefore do not need to be freed manually with Free().

RefCounted instances caught in a cyclic reference will not be freed automatically. For example, if a node holds a reference to instance A, which directly or indirectly holds a reference back to A, A's reference count will be 2. Destruction of the node will leave A dangling with a reference count of 1, and there will be a memory leak. To prevent this, one of the references in the cycle can be made weak with @GlobalScope.weakref.

In the vast majority of use cases, instantiating and using RefCounted-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.

Note: In C#, reference-counted objects will not be freed instantly after they are no longer in use. Instead, garbage collection will run periodically and will free reference-counted objects that are no longer in use. This means that unused ones will linger on for a while before being removed.

public class RefCounted : GodotObject, IDisposable
Inheritance
RefCounted
Implements
Derived
Inherited Members

Constructors

RefCounted() 

public RefCounted()

Methods

GetReferenceCount()

Returns the current reference count.

public int GetReferenceCount()

Returns

int

HasGodotClassMethod(in godot_string_name)

Check if the type contains a method with the given name. This method is used by Godot to check if a method exists before invoking it. Do not call or override this method.

protected override bool HasGodotClassMethod(in godot_string_name method)

Parameters

method godot_string_name

Name of the method to check for.

Returns

bool

HasGodotClassSignal(in godot_string_name)

Check if the type contains a signal with the given name. This method is used by Godot to check if a signal exists before raising it. Do not call or override this method.

protected override bool HasGodotClassSignal(in godot_string_name signal)

Parameters

signal godot_string_name

Name of the signal to check for.

Returns

bool

InitRef()

Initializes the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.

Returns whether the initialization was successful.

public bool InitRef()

Returns

bool

InvokeGodotClassMethod(in godot_string_name, NativeVariantPtrArgs, out godot_variant)

Invokes the method with the given name, using the given arguments. This method is used by Godot to invoke methods from the engine side. Do not call or override this method.

protected override bool InvokeGodotClassMethod(in godot_string_name method, NativeVariantPtrArgs args, out godot_variant ret)

Parameters

method godot_string_name

Name of the method to invoke.

args NativeVariantPtrArgs

Arguments to use with the invoked method.

ret godot_variant

Value returned by the invoked method.

Returns

bool

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.

public bool Reference()

Returns

bool

Unreference()

Decrements the internal reference counter. Use this only if you really know what you are doing.

Returns true if the object should be freed after the decrement, false otherwise.

public bool Unreference()

Returns

bool
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