realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface Class Reference

Blueprint/example interface demonstrating signal handling without external communication. More...

Inheritance diagram for realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface:

Public Member Functions
override void	OpenInterface ()
	Opens the interface - called on main thread.
override void	CloseInterface ()
	Closes the interface - called on main thread.
Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
override void	OpenInterface ()
	Opens the interface and starts communication thread.
override void	CloseInterface ()
	Closes the interface and stops communication thread.
virtual void	PreFixedUpdate ()
	Processes PLC outputs before FixedUpdate - applies data FROM PLC TO Unity objects IMPLEMENTS IPreFixedUpdate::PreFixedUpdate.
virtual void	PostFixedUpdate ()
	Processes PLC inputs after FixedUpdate - reads data FROM Unity objects TO send to PLC IMPLEMENTS IPostFixedUpdate::PostFixedUpdate.
void	SetManualPhysicsMode (bool enabled)
	Enables or disables manual physics control mode.
void	StepPhysics (float timestep=0f)
	Steps physics simulation forward by a specified time duration.
override void	PostAllScenesLoaded ()
	Override PostAllScenesLoaded to prevent base class from opening interface too early.
void	OnInterfaceEnable ()
	Called by realvirtualController after all scenes are loaded to enable the interface.
Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
void	UpdateInterfaceSignals (ref int inputs, ref int outputs)
	Creates a new List of InterfaceSignals based on the Components under this Interface GameObject.
Signal	CreateSignalObject (string name, SIGNALTYPE type, SIGNALDIRECTION direction)
	Create a signal object as sub gameobject.
Signal	AddSignal (InterfaceSignal interfacesignal)
void	RemoveSignal (InterfaceSignal interfacesignal)
virtual GameObject	GetSignal (string name)
	Gets a signal with a name.
void	SetAllSignalStatus (bool connected)
void	DestroyAllSignals ()
void	DeleteSignals ()
Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
virtual void	OnOwnershipChanged (bool isOwner)
	Called when network ownership changes.
void	SetNetworkOwner (bool isOwner)
	Sets IsNetworkOwner and triggers OnOwnershipChanged callback.
void	PreStartSim ()
	Is called by the realvirtualController before the component is started.
void	StartSim ()
	Is called by the realvirtualController to start or stop the component.
void	StopSim ()
Vector3	DirectionToVector (DIRECTION direction)
	Transfers the direction enumeration to a vector.
DIRECTION	VectorToDirection (bool torotatoin, Vector3 vector)
	Transfers a vector to the direction enumeration.
float	GetLocalScale (Transform thetransform, DIRECTION direction)
List< BehaviorInterfaceConnection >	UpdateConnectionInfo ()
List< Signal >	GetConnectedSignals ()
void	SetVisibility (bool visibility)
	Sets the visibility of this object including all subobjects.
List< BehaviorInterfaceConnection >	GetConnections ()
List< Signal >	GetSignals ()
GameObject	GetChildByName (string name)
	Gets a child by name.
List< GameObject >	GetChildsByName (string name)
	Gets all child by name.
GameObject	GetChildByNameAlsoHidden (string name)
List< GameObject >	GetAllMeshesWithGroup (string group)
List< GameObject >	GetAllWithGroup (string group)
List< GameObject >	GetAllWithGroups (List< string > groups)
List< GameObject >	GetAllMeshesWithGroups (List< string > groups)
List< string >	GetMyGroups ()
List< GameObject >	GetMeshesWithSameGroups ()
List< GameObject >	GetAllWithSameGroups ()
MeshRenderer	GetMeshRenderer ()
	Gets the mesh renderers in the childrens.
void	SetCollider (bool enabled, bool includeTriggers=true)
	sets the collider in all child objects
void	ErrorMessage (string message)
	Displays an error message.
void	ChangeConnectionMode (bool isconnected)
void	Log (string message)
	Logs a message.
void	Log (string message, object obj)
	Logs a message with a relation to an object.
void	Warning (string message, object obj)
	Logs a warning with a relation to an object.
void	Error (string message, object obj)
	Logs an error with a relation to an object.
void	Error (string message)
	Logs an error.
GameObject	DebugPosition (string debugname, Vector3 position, Quaternion quaternation, float scale)
	Displays a gizmo for debugging positions.
void	SetFreezePosition (bool enabled)
	Freezes all child components to the current poosition.
void	SetRbConstraints (RigidbodyConstraints constraints)
virtual void	AwakeAlsoDeactivated ()

Public Attributes
int	LogIntervalCycles
	Log signal values every N cycles when DebugMode is enabled.
bool	SimulateValueChanges
	Simulate changing values for output signals.
float	ValueChangeSpeed
	Speed of simulated value changes.
int	TotalSignalsFound
	Total number of signals found.
int	InputSignalCount
	Number of input signals.
int	OutputSignalCount
	Number of output signals.
int	DataExchangeCycles
	Number of communication cycles completed.
float	SimulationTime
	Total simulation time in seconds.
Public Attributes inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
string	State
	Current connection status with visual indicator.
InterfaceState	state
	Internal connection state enum.
new string	ErrorMessage
	Last error message if connection failed.
int	ReconnectAttemptCount
	Number of reconnection attempts made.
bool	IsReconnecting
	Whether interface is currently attempting to reconnect.
int	InputSignals
	Total number of input signals found.
int	OutputSignals
	Total number of output signals found.
int	CommCycleMs
	Actual communication cycle time in milliseconds.
int	CycleCount
	Total number of communication cycles completed.
int	UpdateCycleMs
	Communication thread update interval in milliseconds.
bool	OnlyTransmitChangedInputs
	Only send input signals that have changed since last transmission (performance optimization)
bool	AutoReconnect
	Automatically attempt to reconnect on connection loss.
float	ReconnectIntervalSeconds
	Time to wait between reconnection attempts.
int	MaxReconnectAttempts
	Maximum reconnection attempts (-1 = unlimited)
bool	DebugMode
Public Attributes inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
bool	IsConnected
List< InterfaceSignal >	InterfaceSignals
Hashtable	SignalNamesOutputs
Hashtable	SignalNamesInputs
Public Attributes inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
string	Name
	The name of the component if it should be different from the GameObject name.
ActiveOnly	Active
GameObject	FromTemplate
realvirtualController	realvirtualController
bool	HideNonG44Components
bool	SceneIsAdditive
bool	ForceStop
bool	IsNetworkOwner
	True when this component owns its simulation (local authority). Set to false by MultiplayerWEB on remote clients.

Protected Member Functions
virtual void	OnInterfaceStarting ()
	Called when interface starts - performs initialization on main thread This method is called from OpenInterface() BEFORE the background communication thread starts.
virtual void	OnInterfaceStopping ()
	Called when interface stops - performs cleanup on main thread This method is called from CloseInterface() AFTER the background communication thread has stopped.
override async Task	EstablishConnection (CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	Establishes connection on background thread This method is called ONCE when starting communication.
override async Task	CommunicationLoop (CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	Main communication processing on background thread This method is called REPEATEDLY in a loop after connection is established.
override void	CloseConnection ()
	Cleanup when closing connection on background thread This method is called when stopping communication or before reconnection.
override void	OnCommunicationStarted ()
	Called when communication thread starts successfully.
Protected Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
virtual void	OnCommunicationError (Exception exception)
	Handles communication errors and manages reconnection logic.
virtual void	OnCommunicationStopped ()
	Called when communication thread stops.
void	Start ()
	Unity Start - block base class behavior.
new void	OnEnable ()
	Unity OnEnable - opens interface when component is enabled.
new void	OnDisable ()
virtual void	OnApplicationPause (bool pauseStatus)
	Handles application pause events.
void	FixedUpdate ()
	Unity FixedUpdate for main thread operations (signal sync moved to PrePost FixedUpdate)
Dictionary< string, object >	GetInputsForPLC ()
	Gets all input signal values to send to PLC from background threads.
Dictionary< string, object >	GetChangedInputsForPLC ()
	Gets only changed input signal values to send to PLC from background threads.
void	ResetInputChangeDetection ()
	Resets change detection forcing all inputs to be considered changed on next call.
void	SetOutputsFromPLC (Dictionary< string, object > outputs)
	Sets output signal values from PLC data in background threads.
void	SetOutputFromPLC (string signalName, object value)
	Sets single output signal value from PLC data in background threads.
void	RebuildCachedSignalArrays ()
	Rebuilds the cached signal arrays used by SyncOutputsToUnity/SyncInputsFromUnity.
Dictionary< string, object >	ReadInputsThreadSafe ()
	[DEPRECATED] Use GetInputsForPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
Dictionary< string, object >	ReadChangedInputsThreadSafe ()
	[DEPRECATED] Use GetChangedInputsForPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
void	WriteOutputsThreadSafe (Dictionary< string, object > outputs)
	[DEPRECATED] Use SetOutputsFromPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
void	WriteOutputThreadSafe (string signalName, object value)
	[DEPRECATED] Use SetOutputFromPLC() instead for clearer data flow direction
virtual void	CopyPropertiesToThreadSafe ()
	Copies MonoBehaviour properties to thread-safe variables before background thread starts.
virtual void	PrepareForBackgroundThread ()
	Called on main thread to prepare any Unity GameObject data before background thread starts Override this to cache signal names, GameObject references, or other Unity-specific data that the background thread will need to access.
virtual void	CleanupAfterBackgroundThread ()
	Called on main thread after background thread stops to clean up Unity-specific resources Override this to clean up cached data, reset Unity components, or perform other main-thread cleanup.
virtual void	UpdateSignalCounts ()
	Updates input and output signal counts.
Protected Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
void	OnConnected ()
void	OnDisconnected ()
void	OnEnable ()
void	OnDisable ()
Protected Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
bool	hidename ()
bool	hideactiveonly ()
virtual void	OnStopSim ()
virtual void	OnPreStartSim ()
virtual void	OnStartSim ()
MU	GetTopOfMu (GameObject obj)
	Gets the top of an MU component (the first MU script going up in the hierarchy)
void	InitGame4Automation ()
	Initialiates the components and gets the reference to the realvirtualController in the scene.
virtual void	AfterAwake ()
void	Awake ()

Additional Inherited Members
Public Types inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
enum	ActiveOnly {   Always , Connected , Disconnected , Never ,   DontChange }
Static Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
static bool	IsManualPhysicsMode ()
	Gets whether manual physics mode is currently enabled globally.
Static Public Member Functions inherited from realvirtual.realvirtualBehavior
static bool	DirectionIsLinear (DIRECTION direction)
	Gets back if the direction is linear or a rotation.
Protected Attributes inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
string	threadSafeErrorMessage
int	privateCycleCount
int	privateCommCycleMs
bool	threadSafeDebugMode
int	threadSafeUpdateCycleMs
Properties inherited from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase
new bool	IsConnected [get]
override bool	ShowIsConnectedField [get]
	Used by [ShowIf] to hide IsConnected field for FastInterface classes - always returns false.
bool	IsInterfaceReady [get]
	Returns true if the interface has been initialized via OnInterfaceEnable.
Properties inherited from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass
virtual string	InterfaceDisplayName [get]
	Display name for interface in UI lists (removes "Interface" suffix by default, can be overridden for custom names)
virtual bool	ShowIsConnectedField [get]
Properties inherited from realvirtual.IOnInterfaceEnable

Detailed Description

Blueprint/example interface demonstrating signal handling without external communication.

This interface serves as a template for creating custom interfaces. It demonstrates:

• Signal discovery and metadata handling
• Thread-safe communication patterns
• Proper initialization and cleanup
• Value simulation for testing

To create your own interface:

1. Copy this file and rename the class
2. Replace the simulated connection in EstablishConnection() with your real connection logic
3. Implement your protocol in ProcessCommunication()
4. Add any cleanup code in CloseConnection()

Key helper methods available from FastInterface base class:

• this.GetAllSignals() - Get all child signals efficiently
• this.GetSignalComponent("name") - Find a specific signal by name with O(1) lookup
• GetSignalValue<T>("name") - Get signal value directly with fast access
• SetSignalValue<T>("name", value) - Set signal value directly with fast access Note: Additional extension methods may be available from FastSignalManagerHelper for specialized operations like signal creation and batch operations

Thread-safe data exchange (use in ProcessCommunication):

• GetInputsForPLC() - Read all input values safely from background thread
• SetOutputsFromPLC() - Write output values safely from background thread

Signal metadata methods:

• signal.SetMetadata("key", value) - Store custom data with signals
• signal.GetMetadata<T>("key") - Retrieve metadata
• signal.HasMetadata("key") - Check if metadata exists

Member Function Documentation

CloseConnection()

override void realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.CloseConnection ( )

protectedvirtual

Cleanup when closing connection on background thread This method is called when stopping communication or before reconnection.

Use this to:

• Close network connections gracefully
• Send disconnect messages to external system
• Dispose of communication resources
• Clean up any background thread resources

IMPORTANT: This runs on a background thread - do NOT access Unity GameObjects! This is called both during normal shutdown and before reconnection attempts.

Available methods:

• ThreadSafeLogger.LogInfo/LogError/LogWarning() - Thread-safe logging
• privateCycleCount - Get total cycles completed for logging
• Connection cleanup methods (Close(), Dispose(), Disconnect())

Example TCP cleanup: stream?.Close(); stream?.Dispose(); tcpClient?.Close();

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

CloseInterface()

override void realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.CloseInterface ( )

virtual

Closes the interface - called on main thread.

Reimplemented from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass.

CommunicationLoop()

override async Task realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.CommunicationLoop ( CancellationToken  cancellationToken )

protectedvirtual

Main communication processing on background thread This method is called REPEATEDLY in a loop after connection is established.

Use this to:

• Read data from external system
• Process received data and update output signals
• Read input signals and send to external system
• Handle protocol-specific communication

IMPORTANT: This runs on a background thread - do NOT access Unity GameObjects directly! The base class handles the loop timing based on UpdateCycleMs setting. This method should complete quickly to maintain consistent cycle times.

Available methods for signal data exchange:

• GetInputsForPLC(OnlyTransmitChangedInputs) - Get input signal values as Dictionary<string, object>
• SetOutputsFromPLC(Dictionary<string, object>) - Update output signal values

Available helper properties/fields:

• threadSafeDebugMode - Thread-safe copy of DebugMode property
• threadSafeUpdateCycleMs - Thread-safe copy of UpdateCycleMs
• threadSafeOnlyTransmitChangedInputs - Thread-safe copy of OnlyTransmitChangedInputs
• privateCycleCount - Current cycle number (use for statistics)

Available methods for logging and communication:

• ThreadSafeLogger.LogInfo/LogError/LogWarning() - Thread-safe logging
• ThreadSafeLogger.LogInfoIf(condition, message, source) - Conditional logging
• Network read/write methods on your connection objects
• Protocol-specific encoding/decoding methods

Example TCP pattern: byte[] buffer = new byte[1024]; int bytesRead = await stream.ReadAsync(buffer, 0, buffer.Length); await stream.WriteAsync(data, 0, data.Length);

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

EstablishConnection()

override async Task realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.EstablishConnection ( CancellationToken  cancellationToken )

protectedvirtual

Establishes connection on background thread This method is called ONCE when starting communication.

Use this to:

• Open network connections (TCP, UDP, WebSocket, etc.)
• Authenticate with external systems
• Perform handshaking protocols
• Initialize communication libraries

IMPORTANT: This runs on a background thread - do NOT access Unity GameObjects! If connection fails, throw an exception. The base class will handle reconnection automatically.

Available methods:

• ThreadSafeLogger.LogInfo/LogError/LogWarning() - Thread-safe logging
• Task.Delay(milliseconds) - Async delays
• Standard .NET networking classes (TcpClient, UdpClient, HttpClient, ClientWebSocket)
• throw new Exception("message") - To indicate connection failure

Example TCP implementation: tcpClient = new TcpClient(); await tcpClient.ConnectAsync(ip, port); stream = tcpClient.GetStream();

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

OnCommunicationStarted()

override void realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.OnCommunicationStarted ( )

protectedvirtual

Called when communication thread starts successfully.

Reimplemented from realvirtual.FastInterfaceBase.

OnInterfaceStarting()

virtual void realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.OnInterfaceStarting ( )

protectedvirtual

Called when interface starts - performs initialization on main thread This method is called from OpenInterface() BEFORE the background communication thread starts.

The signal manager is already initialized by the base class before this method is called. Use this to:

• Discover and configure signals
• Set up any data structures needed for communication
• Add metadata to signals
• Initialize hardware or libraries (main thread only operations)

IMPORTANT: This runs on the Unity main thread, so you can safely access GameObjects IMPORTANT: Signal manager is pre-initialized - you can immediately use all helper methods

Available methods from FastInterface base class:

• this.GetAllSignals() - Get all child signals as IEnumerable<Signal>
• this.GetSignalComponent("signalName") - Find specific signal by name (O(1) lookup)
• GetSignalValue<T>("signalName") - Get signal value directly
• SetSignalValue<T>("signalName", value) - Set signal value directly

Available extension methods from FastSignalManagerHelper (for Editor operations):

• this.CreateOrUpdateSignal("name", SignalType.Bool, SignalDirection.Input, metadata)
• signal.SetMetadata("key", value) - Add metadata to existing signals
• signal.GetMetadata<T>("key", defaultValue) - Read signal metadata
• this.GetAllSignals().Where(s => s.HasMetadata("key")) - Find signals by metadata
• this.HasSignal("signalName") - Check if signal exists
• this.GetInputSignals() / this.GetOutputSignals() - Get signals by direction
• this.CountSignals(direction, signalType) - Count signals by criteria

NEW: Comprehensive Signal Management with CreateOrUpdateSignal:

• this.CreateOrUpdateSignal("name", SignalType.Bool, SignalDirection.Input, metadata) → Creates new signal if doesn't exist → Updates metadata if signal exists with same direction → Replaces signal component if direction changed (keeps GameObject)

Example usage for dynamic signal import: var metadata = new Dictionary<string, object> { ["Source"] = "PLC", ["Address"] = "DB100.DBX0.0" }; var signal = this.CreateOrUpdateSignal("Motor1_Running", SignalType.Bool, SignalDirection.Output, metadata);

Signal direction change handling: // If Motor1_Running was previously an Input, it will be replaced with Output component // The GameObject is preserved, only the component changes signal = this.CreateOrUpdateSignal("Motor1_Running", SignalType.Bool, SignalDirection.Output, metadata, allowDirectionChange: true);

OnInterfaceStopping()

virtual void realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.OnInterfaceStopping ( )

protectedvirtual

Called when interface stops - performs cleanup on main thread This method is called from CloseInterface() AFTER the background communication thread has stopped.

Use this to:

• Log final statistics
• Clean up any resources created in OnInterfaceStarting
• Save any persistent data

IMPORTANT: This runs on the Unity main thread after communication has fully stopped

Available methods:

• this.GetAllSignals() - Access all signals for final state logging
• this.GetSignalValue<T>("signalName") - Read final signal values
• Debug.Log() - Safe to use Unity logging

OpenInterface()

override void realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.OpenInterface ( )

virtual

Opens the interface - called on main thread.

Reimplemented from realvirtual.InterfaceBaseClass.

Member Data Documentation

DataExchangeCycles

int realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.DataExchangeCycles

Number of communication cycles completed.

InputSignalCount

int realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.InputSignalCount

Number of input signals.

LogIntervalCycles

int realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.LogIntervalCycles

Log signal values every N cycles when DebugMode is enabled.

OutputSignalCount

int realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.OutputSignalCount

Number of output signals.

SimulateValueChanges

bool realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.SimulateValueChanges

Simulate changing values for output signals.

SimulationTime

float realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.SimulationTime

Total simulation time in seconds.

TotalSignalsFound

int realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.TotalSignalsFound

Total number of signals found.

ValueChangeSpeed

float realvirtual.BlueprintFastInterface.ValueChangeSpeed

Speed of simulated value changes.