Serialization and object references

Unity Engine
1

Consider the following example :

[Serializable]
public class ClassA : ScriptableObject
{
    [SerializeField]
    ClassB[] mBs;
}

[Serializable]
public class ClassB
{
    [SerializeField]
    int mValue;
}

[Serializable]
public class ClassC : ScriptableObject
{
    [SerializeField]
    ClassB mB1;
    ClassB mB2;

    void Init ( ClassA lib, int index1, int index2 )
    {
        mB1 = lib.mBs[ index1 ];
        mB2 = lib.mBs[ index2 ];
    }
}

ClassA instance is the owner of ClassB instances, like a library.
ClassC instance references ClassB instances, from a ClassA instance.

Doing this at runtime and I have c.mB1 === a.mBs[ index1 ] and so for c.mB2.
But when serializing, then deserializing, it seems that it’s not true anymore.
Actually, serialization makes a copy of ClassB instances and put them on ClassA and ClassC serialized objects.

I don’t wanna make ClassB extend from ScriptableObject because I don’t wanna have to save ClassB instances manually with AssetDatabase.AddObjectToAsset ( eachB, a ), like I do for ClassC instances, whom I want them be directly drag’n’drop-able from the Project Window.

Is there any way to force serialization to keep just a reference on a object ?

2

Old thread, completely invalid now. Youth looks terrible when I look back ^^

3

Sorry for digging up the past but I’m trying to do a similar thing whereby in a serializable object I would like to store a reference to an object in a list rather than it creating a duplicate. What has your experience taught you about this approach?