Unity C# Run a Random StartCoroutine stored in a Dictionary

Question

I have a dictionary on a C# Unity file, of type Dictionary<string,IEnumerator> dic. I'd like to select a random string, match it to an enumerator, and run the coroutine.

The tricky part is my dictionary is located in a different script, so I'm not really sure how to do that.

I did try passing in the Enumerator's string but that didn't work + I have to pass parameters.

I also tried accessing the enumerators by directly accessing the property keys as such:

StartCoroutine(File2.enumerator1()), where File2 is my other file and enumerator1 is 1 of the random enumerators I'm trying to call, but that won't be too effective because Idk which enumerator is selected, and thus can't specify the property..

Any ideas?

thx

Answer 1

I assume you have access to, and the ability to modify the code relating to the Dictionary? If so, you could try another approach. This is what your second file could like like (edited to demonstrate my reason for using a Func):

    private Dictionary<string, Func<string, IEnumerator>> _functions;
    private string [ ] _directions = { "North", "South", "East", "West" };

    private void Start ( )
    {
        _functions = new Dictionary<string, Func<string, IEnumerator>>
        {
            [ "North" ] = North,
            [ "South" ] = South,
            [ "East" ] = East,
            [ "West" ] = West
        };
    }

    public IEnumerator North ( string message ) { Debug.Log ( $"North and \"{message}\"" ); yield return null; }
    public IEnumerator South ( string message ) { Debug.Log ( $"South and \"{message}\"" ); yield return null; }
    public IEnumerator East ( string _ ) { yield return null; }
    public IEnumerator West ( string _ ) { yield return null; }

    public Func<string, IEnumerator> GetRandomRoutine ( )
    {
        var direction = _directions [ UnityEngine.Random.Range ( 0, _directions.Length ) ];
        if ( _functions.TryGetValue ( direction, out var func ) ) return func;
        return null;
    }

You'd then call that in your first file like this:

    public void SomeMethod ( )
    {
        var routine = GetRandomRoutine ( );
        StartCoroutine ( routine( "Hello!" ) );
    }

As suggested below, a simplified version could look like this:

    private Dictionary<string, IEnumerator> _functions;
    private string [ ] _directions = { "North", "South", "East", "West" };

    private void Start ( )
    {
        _functions = new Dictionary<string, IEnumerator>
        {
            [ "North" ] = North ( ),
            [ "South" ] = South ( ),
            [ "East" ] = East ( ),
            [ "West" ] = West ( )
        };
    }

    public IEnumerator North ( ) { yield return null; }
    public IEnumerator South ( ) { yield return null; }
    public IEnumerator East ( ) { yield return null; }
    public IEnumerator West ( ) { yield return null; }

    public IEnumerator  GetRandomRoutine ( )
    {
        var direction = _directions [ UnityEngine.Random.Range ( 0, _directions.Length ) ];
        if ( _functions.TryGetValue ( direction, out var func ) ) return func;
        return null;
    }

And be called the same way, but with no argument being passed.