Hello, welcome to my first official post for my new blog. Let’s start with a basic breakdown of data types for Unity scripting. Think of it like a cheat sheet of sorts to check on now and then.

With C#, data types are used to define the type of data that a variable can hold. We’re looking through Unity Engine specifically because it uses C# as its primary programming language. Here are some of the basic data types you’ll encounter when scripting. To get started with creating a script, right-click on the project window and click on Create -> C# script.

Basic Data Types

Integers

1

int score = 0;

An int or integer is a data type that holds a whole number, positive or negative. Important note is that ints cannot be decimals, only whole numbers here.

Floats

1

float speed = 5.5f;

A float represents a floating-point number, the main difference between an int and a float is that floats can have decimal points. Append an ‘f’ at the end to signal to Unity that it is a float.

Booleans

1

bool isJumping = false;

A bool or boolean represents a state that can be either true or false.

Strings

1

string playerName = "Alex";

A string represents a sequence of characters. For Unity, you might use strings to store names, UI text, currency names or more.

Advanced Data Types

Colors

1

Color backgroundColor = Color.red;

The Color data type stores values for Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha (transparency).

Arrays

1

int[] scores;

An array is a collection of variables of the same type. You can store multiple values in a single array variable. In Unity, you can add or remove entries of an array within the inspector. Remember, arrays will start with the data entry of 0, not 1.

Lists

1

List<int> scores;

A List is similar to an array but with additional functionality such as adding and removing elements at runtime.

Dictionaries

1

Dictionary<string, int> inventory;

A Dictionary is a collection of key-value pairs. For example, you might use a dictionary to store an inventory of items, where the item name is the key and the quantity is the value.

Vector3

1

Vector3 playerPosition = new Vector3(0, 0, 0);

A Vector3 represents a three-dimensional vector, commonly used for positions, directions, and more in 3D space.

Protection levels

Public

1

public int score = 0;

Public data types are like open fields in your code. Any script when given a reference can access and modify the specified variable directly. You will also see any publicly defined variables within the inspector menu back in Unity.

Private

1

private int score = 0;

Private data types are exclusive to the script they’re declared in. Other scripts can’t directly access them. One note is that an effect of a variable becoming private is that it will not appear in the inspector menu back in the Unity Editor.

These are just a few of the many different variables you will use when scripting in Unity. If you want a deeper dive into variable types with components, please use the official Unity documentation linked below.

Sources: Unity Docs