Why do I get a null reference when trying to assign a value to an instance?

Archived Forums Questions & Answers
1

I’m trying to create an object add a variable and add it to a list, but Unity seems to make a very simple thing very hard to do. I’ve tried every example in the manuals and forums but still can’t get it to work.

void Start () {

		GameObject pl1 = Instantiate(Resources.Load("Planet"),new Vector3(0,0,0),Quaternion.identity) as GameObject;

		Planet pl =  pl1.GetComponent<Planet>();		
		pl.planetName = "Earth";
		
		planetList.Add(pl1);

}

I get NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object when doing pl.planetName
2

This means that the gameobject does not have the planet script attached. Make sure it is on the same gameobject and not a child or parent of the gameobject pl1.