Problem when saving a List using player prefs.

Questions & Answers
1

So i’m trying to make a player saving and loading script, it was going good untill i got to where i need to save my generic list’s i have one for inventory, and equipment. But i am not having any luck saving this until i came along to a random post on a forum that I can’t remember where he showed and example of saving the contents of a generic list, but the list is in the same script, mine however is in another script, so does this code:

	public void SaveInventory()
	{
		//Get a binary formatter
		var b = new BinaryFormatter();
		//Create an in memory stream
		var m = new MemoryStream();
		//Save the scores
		b.Serialize(m, inv.mainInventory.Count);
		//Add it to player prefs
		PlayerPrefs.SetString("Inventory", Convert.ToBase64String(m.GetBuffer()));
	}

	public void LoadInventory()
	{
		//Get the data
		var data = PlayerPrefs.GetString("Inventory");
		//If not blank then load it
		if(!string.IsNullOrEmpty(data))
		{
			//Binary formatter for loading back
			var b = new BinaryFormatter();
			//Create a memory stream with the data
			var m = new MemoryStream(Convert.FromBase64String(data));
			//Load back the scores
			inv.mainInventory= (List<ItemHandler>)b.Deserialize(m) as List<ItemHandler>;

			inv.mainInventory = inventoryStorage;
		}
	}

that is the snippet of the code i’m using everything else works about my list except for this so should I just put this in my inventory script as well as my equipment script and will that work? still not sure.

EDIT: So I tried putting it in the script where the List is, and nope same error, saves without any errors but when it loads it gives me this:

InvalidCastException: Cannot cast from source type to destination type.
Inventory.LoadInventory () (at Assets/Scripts/PlayerScripts/Inventory/Inventory.cs:514)
PauseMenu.OnGUI () (at Assets/PauseMenu.cs:37)


CS:514:

mainInventory = (List<ItemHandler>)b.Deserialize(m);

CS:37:

inv.LoadInventory();

I am 100% at a loss from this i tried casting as List still the same error so any help will be great, also please don’t tell me to google(or if you do tell me what I was SUPPOSED to find when doing that. God knows i love halting my game progress to just post on here instead of a supposed quick google…)

2

You almost have it, I actually just implemented this the other day. I use this in a generic way for any serializable object as part of a “Helpers” class along with other useful functions.

	public static string ObjectToStr<T> (T _saveMe)
	{
		BinaryFormatter _bin = new BinaryFormatter ();
		MemoryStream _mem = new MemoryStream ();
		_bin.Serialize (_mem, _saveMe);
		
		return Convert.ToBase64String (
			_mem.GetBuffer ()
		);
	}
	
	public static T StrToObject<T> (string _data) where T : class
	{
		if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty (_data)) {
			BinaryFormatter _bin = new BinaryFormatter ();
			try {
				MemoryStream _mem = new MemoryStream (Convert.FromBase64String (_data));
				
				T _obj = _bin.Deserialize (_mem) as T;
	
				return _obj;
			} catch (Exception ex) {
				throw new Exception (ex.Message);
			}
			
		} else {
			throw new Exception ("_data is null or empty");
		}
	}

Saving

PlayerPrefs.SetString ("KeyName", Helpers.ObjectToStr<List<*TYPE*>> (serializableObj));

Loading

List<*TYPE*> _myserializableObj = Helpers.StrToObject<List<*TYPE*>> (PlayerPrefs.GetString ("KeyName"));