Slot Metadata Manager

Creating a premium load-save screen inside a professional game requires more than just loading raw state data. You need slot metrics: playtime totals, date-timestamps, game version validations, and slot name identifiers. Save System Pro provides an integrated, automated Slot Metadata tracking system natively.

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🏛️ The Slot Metadata Structure

Every slot file managed by Save System Pro (configurable up to 99 slots via the Control Panel) tracks and updates a structured metadata block on every save trigger:

[Serializable]
public class SlotMetadata
{
    public int slotIndex;
    public string displayName = "Save Slot";
    public bool isEmpty = true;
    public float playtimeSeconds;
    public string lastSaved;
    public string gameVersion;
}

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⏱️ Playtime Tracking API

Playtime is tracked using high-performance Unity engine counters. You can save updates by capturing the active session duration:

// Record save data to Slot 0, automatically passing session playtime
float currentSessionTime = Time.time; 
SaveSystemPro.Instance.Save(0, myPlayerData, currentSessionTime);

Behind the scenes, the Slot Manager reads the existing saved metadata playtime, adds the new session delta, and writes the updated metadata back to disk, maintaining a highly accurate, cumulative playtime tracking history.

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💻 Querying Metadata in Your UI

To populate a custom save-load UI, query the static SlotManager class:

using DecnetGames.SaveSystemPro;

void PopulateSlotUI(int slotIndex)
{
    var metadata = SlotManager.GetSlotMetadata(slotIndex);

    if (metadata.isEmpty)
    {
        slotTitleText.text = "Empty Slot";
        playtimeText.text = "--:--:--";
        timestampText.text = "";
    }
    else
    {
        slotTitleText.text = $"Save Slot {slotIndex}";
        timestampText.text = $"Saved on: {metadata.lastSaved}";
        
        // Format playtime seconds into Hours:Minutes:Seconds
        System.TimeSpan timeSpan = System.TimeSpan.FromSeconds(metadata.playtimeSeconds);
        playtimeText.text = string.Format("{0:D2}h:{1:D2}m:{2:D2}s", 
            timeSpan.Hours + (timeSpan.Days * 24), 
            timeSpan.Minutes, 
            timeSpan.Seconds);
    }
}

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🧼 Deleting Slot Files & Metadata

To erase save records completely, clear the slot data and reset metadata parameters in a single call:

// Completely erases Slot 0 data files and resets metadata parameters
SaveSystemPro.Instance.Delete(0);

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🛠️ The Editor Slot Manager Window

For developer convenience, Save System Pro features a premium dark-themed visual Slot Manager directly inside the Unity Editor:

1. Open it via Tools > Save System Pro > Slot Manager.
2. It lists all slots (up to your configured max).
3. If a slot is written, it displays active metadata (Playtime, Date, Game Version).
4. If the slot is empty, it labels it as “Empty”.
5. Click Delete Slot Data on any slot to wipe files instantly from your machine, allowing rapid debug testing.