Variable types

Variables are available since v1.1.0. GPU Sync was added in v2.0.0.

Purpose

This reference documents all 11 built-in variable types. You will find the use cases, GPU Sync compatibility, and code examples for each type.

---

Type overview

Type	GPU Sync	Example Use Cases
Int	✅	Score, health, currency, level
Long	❌	Timestamps, large numbers
Float	✅	Timer, volume, progress
Double	❌	High-precision values
Bool	✅	Game paused, feature enabled
String	❌	Player name, status message
Vector2	✅	2D position, input axis
Vector3	✅	3D position, velocity
Quaternion	✅	Rotation, orientation
Color	✅	Theme color, material tint
GameObject	❌	Current target, selected object

---

GPU Sync support

GPU Sync allows variable values to be automatically synchronized to shader global properties. This enables shaders, VFX Graph, and Compute Shaders to react to gameplay state without additional bridging code.

Variable Type	Shader Method	HLSL Type
Int	SetGlobalInteger	int
Float	SetGlobalFloat	float
Bool	SetGlobalInteger	int (0 or 1)
Vector2	SetGlobalVector	float4 (xy used)
Vector3	SetGlobalVector	float4 (xyz used)
Quaternion	SetGlobalVector	float4 (xyzw)
Color	SetGlobalColor	float4

String, Long, Double, and GameObject do not support GPU Sync due to their data types.

---

Common API

All variable types share this API.

Properties

Property	Type	Description
Value	T	Current value (get/set)
InitialValue	T	Value set in Inspector
OnValueChanged	EventChannelSO<T>	Event channel to notify changes

Methods

Method	Description
ResetToInitial()	Restore Value to InitialValue
NotifyValueChanged()	Force event notification without value change

Events

Setting Value automatically raises OnValueChanged if the new value differs from the current value. This uses EqualityComparer<T> for comparison.

---

Int

Integer variables for whole numbers within standard range.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Int Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private IntVariableSO playerScore;

// Write
playerScore.Value += 100;

// Read
int score = playerScore.Value;

// Listen to changes (requires IntEventChannelSO assigned to OnValueChanged)
[SerializeField] private IntEventChannelSO onScoreChanged;
// Then subscribe: onScoreChanged.OnEventRaised += UpdateScoreUI;

GPU Sync

// In shader (after enabling GPU Sync)
int score = _PlayerScore;

Common use cases

• Player score
• Currency (gold, gems)
• Health / stamina (integer-based)
• Level / experience
• Wave / round numbers
• Inventory quantities

---

Long

64-bit integer variables for large numbers and timestamps.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Long Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private LongVariableSO lastSaveTime;

// Write
lastSaveTime.Value = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeMilliseconds();

// Read
long timestamp = lastSaveTime.Value;

Common use cases

• Unix timestamps
• Large score values (> 2 billion)
• Unique identifiers
• Frame counters in long sessions
• Database keys

---

Float

Floating-point variables for decimal values and percentages.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Float Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private FloatVariableSO masterVolume;

// Write
masterVolume.Value = 0.75f;

// Read
audioSource.volume = masterVolume.Value;

GPU Sync

// In shader
float volume = _MasterVolume;
float healthFactor = saturate(_PlayerHealthPercent);

Common use cases

• Volume settings
• Health / stamina / mana (normalized 0-1)
• Progress values (loading, crafting)
• Timer countdowns
• Speed multipliers
• Spawn rates

---

Double

Double-precision variables for high-accuracy calculations.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Double Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private DoubleVariableSO preciseDistance;

// Write
preciseDistance.Value = Vector3.Distance(a, b);

// Read
double distance = preciseDistance.Value;

Common use cases

• Scientific calculations
• Financial values (high precision)
• Large coordinate systems
• Statistical calculations

---

Bool

Boolean variables for true/false states.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Bool Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private BoolVariableSO isPaused;

// Write
isPaused.Value = true;

// Read
if (isPaused.Value) Time.timeScale = 0;

GPU Sync

// In shader (0 = false, 1 = true)
int paused = _IsPaused;
if (paused) { /* apply pause effect */ }

Common use cases

• Game paused state
• Feature toggles
• Mute settings
• Player alive state
• Debug mode enabled
• Tutorial completed

---

String

Text variables for names, messages, and identifiers.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > String Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private StringVariableSO playerName;

// Write
playerName.Value = "Hero";

// Read
nameLabel.text = playerName.Value;

Common use cases

• Player name
• Current level name
• Status messages
• Localization keys
• Save slot names

---

Vector2

2D vector variables for positions and input.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Vector2 Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private Vector2VariableSO inputAxis;

// Write
inputAxis.Value = new Vector2(Input.GetAxis("Horizontal"), Input.GetAxis("Vertical"));

// Read
Vector2 input = inputAxis.Value;

GPU Sync

// In shader
float4 input = _InputAxis;  // xy contains the Vector2 values
float2 axis = input.xy;

Common use cases

• Input axis values
• 2D positions
• Screen positions
• Minimap coordinates
• Joystick values

---

Vector3

3D vector variables for positions and directions.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Vector3 Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private Vector3VariableSO playerPosition;

// Write
playerPosition.Value = transform.position;

// Read
Vector3 pos = playerPosition.Value;

GPU Sync

// In shader
float4 pos = _PlayerPosition;  // xyz contains the Vector3 values
float3 playerPos = pos.xyz;
float distance = length(worldPos - playerPos);

Common use cases

• Player position (for shaders)
• Target positions
• Spawn points
• Wind direction
• Light direction

---

Quaternion

Rotation variables for 3D orientations.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Quaternion Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private QuaternionVariableSO cameraRotation;

// Write
cameraRotation.Value = Camera.main.transform.rotation;

// Read
Quaternion rot = cameraRotation.Value;

GPU Sync

// In shader
float4 rot = _CameraRotation;  // xyzw contains quaternion components

Common use cases

• Camera orientation
• Object rotations
• Procedural rotation

---

Color

Color variables for theming and visual effects.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > Color Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private ColorVariableSO themeColor;

// Write
themeColor.Value = Color.red;

// Read
uiImage.color = themeColor.Value;

GPU Sync

// In shader
float4 theme = _ThemeColor;  // RGBA values
float3 rgb = theme.rgb;

Common use cases

• UI theme color
• Danger indicator color
• Health bar tint
• Environment fog color
• Lighting color

---

GameObject

Object reference variables for tracking targets.

Create

Create > Reactive SO > Variables > GameObject Variable

Usage

[SerializeField] private GameObjectVariableSO currentTarget;

// Write
currentTarget.Value = hitEnemy;

// Read
if (currentTarget.Value != null)
{
    attackTarget = currentTarget.Value;
}

Notes

• Can hold null to indicate “no object”
• Reference may become invalid if object is destroyed
• Always null-check before use
• No GPU Sync support

Common use cases

• Current target reference
• Selected object
• Interacting object
• Closest enemy
• Active weapon

---

Creating custom types

Create a custom variable type by extending VariableSO<T>.

using Tang3cko.ReactiveSO;
using UnityEngine;

[CreateAssetMenu(
    fileName = "WeaponVariable",
    menuName = "Reactive SO/Variables/Weapon Variable"
)]
public class WeaponVariableSO : VariableSO<WeaponData>
{
    // Inherits Value, InitialValue, ResetToInitial() automatically
}

[System.Serializable]
public struct WeaponData
{
    public string Name;
    public int Damage;
    public float Range;
}

Create a matching event channel for change notifications.

[CreateAssetMenu(
    fileName = "WeaponEvent",
    menuName = "Reactive SO/Channels/Weapon Event"
)]
public class WeaponEventChannelSO : EventChannelSO<WeaponData>
{
}

Custom types do not support GPU Sync unless you override SyncValueToGPU().

---

References

• Variables Guide - How to use variables
• Event Types Reference - All event channel types
• Debugging Overview - Debug variable values