Asset Registries

Description

A type-indexed library of typed dictionaries — the single place to fetch any loaded asset (mesh, font, texture, sampler, style, action, …). Each registry is a Dictionary<TKey, TValue> stored in two parallel lookups: library keyed by the value Type, and libraryByName keyed by a string name. The set of registries is declared in Registry.xml and built at bootstrap; assets are then loaded into them. Resolved through Paths / Virtual File System, so the engine’s default Registry.xml is used unless an app overrides it.

API summary

Member	Kind	Summary
`GetRegistryByValueType<K,V>(Type t)`	static	The dictionary whose value type is `t`.
`GetRegistryByKeyType<K,V>(Type t)`	static	The dictionary whose key type is `t`.
`GetRegistryByName<K,V>(string name)`	static	The dictionary registered under `name`.
`GetAsset<T>(string name)`	static	One asset of type `T` by name (throws if missing).
`AddLibraryEntry(string name, object dict, Type t)`	static	Register a dictionary under both lookups (no-op if `t` already present).
`ParseXML(string xmlName)`	static	Build registries from `Registry.xml`.

Bootstrap steps ([A_XSDActionDependency(..., "Bootstrap")]): InstantiateRegistries → RegisterSerializableTypes → PrepareDefaultAssets → PrepareAllAssets.

Fields & Properties

public static Dictionary<Type, object> library = new();   // value Type → dictionary
public static Dictionary<string, object> libraryByName = new();   // name → dictionary

Methods

Lookup

GetRegistryByValueType / GetRegistryByKeyType / GetRegistryByName return the underlying typed dictionary; GetAsset<T>(name) is the convenience accessor for a single named asset.

Building (bootstrap)

InstantiateRegistries → ParseXML("Registry.xml") creates an empty Dictionary<K,V> per <Dictionary> element and registers it under both lookups.
RegisterSerializableTypes scans all assemblies for [Serializable] types and stores them in the IDMap registry keyed by a hashed ID (used by the Serializer).
PrepareDefaultAssets loads engine defaults: default mesh, the uidefault quad mesh, default font, default + invisible textures, a default ControlStyle, and the default sampler.
PrepareAllAssets loads every sampler via SamplerAsset.LoadAll (unioned across mounts).

Gotcha

PrepareDefaultAssets still imports the uidefault mesh from a hardcoded absolute FBX path — a known piece of engine techdebt; the asset isn’t in the repo yet.

Data / XML

<AssetRegistries xmlns="http://arctisaurora/AuroraAssetRegistryTypes">
  <Dictionary Name="meshes" KeyType="xs:string" ValueType="AVulkanMesh"/>
  <Dictionary Name="fonts" KeyType="xs:string" ValueType="FontAsset"/>
  <Dictionary Name="Samplers" KeyType="xs:string" ValueType="SamplerAsset"/>
  <!-- … -->
</AssetRegistries>

XML-XSD — type resolution + parsing
Asset — the base type loaded into these registries
Paths · Virtual File System — where Registry.xml is resolved