Asset System: New core type to represent assets (`AssetRepresenation`)

Introduces a new `AssetRepresentation` type, as a runtime only container
to hold asset information. It is supposed to become _the_ main way to
represent and refer to assets in the asset system, see T87235. It can
store things like the asset name, asset traits, preview and other asset
metadata.

Technical documentation:
https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Source/Architecture/Asset_System/Back_End#Asset_Representation.

By introducing a proper asset representation type, we do an important
step away from the previous, non-optimal representation of assets as
files in the file browser backend, and towards the asset system as
backend. It should replace the temporary & hacky `AssetHandle` design in
the near future. Note that the loading of asset data still happens
through the file browser backend, check the linked to Wiki page for more
information on that.

As a side-effect, asset metadata isn't stored in file browser file
entries when browsing with link/append anymore. Don't think this was
ever used, but scripts may have accessed this. Can be brought back if
there's a need for it.

1 files changed, 6 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_asset_types.h b/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_asset_types.h
index 29795519719..d7e3bcfc919 100644
--- a/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_asset_types.h
+++ b/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_asset_types.h
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ typedef struct AssetFilterSettings {
  *       more than that from the file. So pointers to other IDs or ID data are strictly forbidden.
  */
 typedef struct AssetMetaData {
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+  ~AssetMetaData();
+#endif
+
   /** Runtime type, to reference event callbacks. Only valid for local assets. */
   struct AssetTypeInfo *local_type_info;
 
@@ -114,6 +118,8 @@ typedef struct AssetLibraryReference {
 } AssetLibraryReference;
 
 /**
+ * To be replaced by #AssetRepresentation!
+ *
  * Not part of the core design, we should try to get rid of it. Only needed to wrap FileDirEntry
  * into a type with PropertyGroup as base, so we can have an RNA collection of #AssetHandle's to
  * pass to the UI.