Need some clarification about Object Type Variables.

Development Programming & Scripting Blueprint
1

Greetings.

I have only been trying UE4 for a little over a week and after trying out a couple of things in C++, I have moved to blueprints in the past few days. I am at the moment assessing if I can use UE4 as a 3D interface for an application that involves depicting data nodes in a hierarchical structure similar to a binary tree that can be created (ie spawned) buy the user, and I have succeeded in almost everything I have tested in doing this thus far using BluePrints.

The one thing that remains and is quite major, is to link each spawned data node object with a data pointer in a parent child relationship, and to do that, the BP class of each spawned node needs to store a pointer variable to another spawned node that exists in the 3D environment as a parent and a child. The user will create this relationship by selecting two nodes (spawned objects) and then press a key to create this relationship.

I have noticed there is an object type variable that can be created within the BluePrint class. I suspect, especially from the small amount of documentation and a small youtube video that this is equivalent, or is indeed a pointer variable as in C++ to an object class, but I am not certain of this.

ie BluePrint object type variable => CPP_Class *class_pointer;

Am I correct in this this assertion, and if not, then how exactly does a Blueprint object type variable reference another blueprint object?

Another Question is how does BluePrints initiate such a declared variable? Is it initiated to a NULL value or something else, so that if one were to try and reference an object variable that has not been given a value, a test could be done so as not to crash UE4, or does UE4 handle all of that?

I need to know this before I proceed any further as the next step I will be undertaking will need to know this in advance so I can plan on how to approach and implement this phase in BluePrints, or if I cannot. (In C++ I already have this all coded, tested and ready to go)

Thanks and much appreciated in advance for any replies an the time taken to answer my query.

Best regards

DominioN

2

No replies to this query. No matter I think I have answered my own question. Blue print object types variables look like they do behave in the same manner as if they are a C++ class pointer to a spawned actor with all the variables and structures in a blue prints object variable of each spawned actor able to be accessed and changed.

I have finished my assessment and have so far had full success and will continue, even though it is slow getting to know how Blueprints and UE4 engine works and what is needed to get a certain task done. It also needs a different way of thinking how things are done.

This thread canbe closed

DominioN.