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.. DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE!!!
.. Generated automatically from Godot engine sources.
.. Generator: https://github.com/godotengine/godot/tree/master/doc/tools/make_rst.py.
.. XML source: https://github.com/godotengine/godot/tree/master/doc/classes/StringName.xml.

.. _class_StringName:

StringName
==========

An optimized string type for unique names.

Description
-----------

``StringName``\ s are immutable strings designed for general-purpose representation of unique names (also called "string interning"). ``StringName`` ensures that only one instance of a given name exists (so two ``StringName``\ s with the same value are the same object). Comparing them is much faster than with regular :ref:`String<class_String>`\ s, because only the pointers are compared, not the whole strings.

You will usually just pass a :ref:`String<class_String>` to methods expecting a ``StringName`` and it will be automatically converted, but you may occasionally want to construct a ``StringName`` ahead of time with ``StringName`` or the literal syntax ``&"example"``.

See also :ref:`NodePath<class_NodePath>`, which is a similar concept specifically designed to store pre-parsed node paths.

Constructors
------------

+-------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` | :ref:`StringName<class_StringName_constructor_StringName>` **(** **)**                                          |
+-------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` | :ref:`StringName<class_StringName_constructor_StringName>` **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` from **)** |
+-------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` | :ref:`StringName<class_StringName_constructor_StringName>` **(** :ref:`String<class_String>` from **)**         |
+-------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Methods
-------

+-----------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`int<class_int>` | :ref:`hash<class_StringName_method_hash>` **(** **)** |const| |
+-----------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Operators
---------

+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator !=<class_StringName_operator_neq_bool>` **(** :ref:`String<class_String>` right **)**         |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator !=<class_StringName_operator_neq_bool>` **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)** |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator <<class_StringName_operator_lt_bool>` **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**   |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator <=<class_StringName_operator_lte_bool>` **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)** |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator ==<class_StringName_operator_eq_bool>` **(** :ref:`String<class_String>` right **)**          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator ==<class_StringName_operator_eq_bool>` **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**  |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator ><class_StringName_operator_gt_bool>` **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**   |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :ref:`bool<class_bool>` | :ref:`operator >=<class_StringName_operator_gte_bool>` **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)** |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Constructor Descriptions
------------------------

.. _class_StringName_constructor_StringName:

- :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` **StringName** **(** **)**

Constructs an empty ``StringName``.

----

- :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` **StringName** **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` from **)**

Constructs a ``StringName`` as a copy of the given ``StringName``.

----

- :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` **StringName** **(** :ref:`String<class_String>` from **)**

Creates a new ``StringName`` from the given :ref:`String<class_String>`. ``StringName("example")`` is equivalent to ``&"example"``.

Method Descriptions
-------------------

.. _class_StringName_method_hash:

- :ref:`int<class_int>` **hash** **(** **)** |const|

Returns the 32-bit hash value representing the ``StringName``'s contents.

Operator Descriptions
---------------------

.. _class_StringName_operator_neq_bool:

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator !=** **(** :ref:`String<class_String>` right **)**

----

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator !=** **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**

----

.. _class_StringName_operator_lt_bool:

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator <** **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**

----

.. _class_StringName_operator_lte_bool:

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator <=** **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**

----

.. _class_StringName_operator_eq_bool:

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator ==** **(** :ref:`String<class_String>` right **)**

----

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator ==** **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**

----

.. _class_StringName_operator_gt_bool:

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator >** **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**

----

.. _class_StringName_operator_gte_bool:

- :ref:`bool<class_bool>` **operator >=** **(** :ref:`StringName<class_StringName>` right **)**

.. |virtual| replace:: :abbr:`virtual (This method should typically be overridden by the user to have any effect.)`
.. |const| replace:: :abbr:`const (This method has no side effects. It doesn't modify any of the instance's member variables.)`
.. |vararg| replace:: :abbr:`vararg (This method accepts any number of arguments after the ones described here.)`
.. |constructor| replace:: :abbr:`constructor (This method is used to construct a type.)`
.. |static| replace:: :abbr:`static (This method doesn't need an instance to be called, so it can be called directly using the class name.)`
.. |operator| replace:: :abbr:`operator (This method describes a valid operator to use with this type as left-hand operand.)`