X1The "ds_struct_create" Function
Syntax#
| Argument | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
N/A | N/A | No arguments |
Description#
Creates a new struct and returns the index (or ID).
A struct is a data structure similar to JSON (and also to GameMaker objects themselves!). Sometimes dubbed "lightweight objects", a struct contains a tree of key/value pairs which can themselves contain other structs, methods, or any other data type.
Like a ds_map, struct data is unordered. However, unlike any other data structure, structs are inherently non-scoped and non-volatile. This means any instance can access the struct by its ID without the need for copying the entire struct from one instance to another. Furthermore, instance variables like x and y can be given their own independent definitions within a struct.
Once created, a struct incurs no processing overhead and will exist until destroyed manually or until no more references to it exist, at which point it will be purged automatically. In other words, unlike other data structures, structs will typically not memory leak.
With so many positives, it's important to keep one negative in mind: structs are ideal for data with static, pre-determined trees. This means you should always know where data is stored in the struct rather than locate it programatically. While GML+ provides functions to do just that, they are potentially quite slow and should be used sparingly. For highly dynamic data, other data structures remain preferable.