FlatBuffers Schema: Default, Optional & Required Values Explained

In FlatBuffers, the schema allows you to define the default, optional, and required values for fields in your data structures.\n\n1. Default Values: You can specify a default value for a field in the schema definition. When a field is not explicitly set during serialization, it will be assigned the default value. For example, if you have a field "age" with a default value of 0, and you do not set the "age" field in your data, it will be assigned the default value of 0.\n\n2. Optional Values: By default, all fields in FlatBuffers are optional. This means that you can choose not to set a value for a field during serialization, and it will be considered as not present in the data. When reading the data, you can check if the field is present or not using the "IsFieldPresent" function.\n\n3. Required Values: In some cases, you might want to enforce that a field must be set during serialization. In FlatBuffers, you can mark a field as required in the schema definition. If a required field is not set during serialization, an error will be thrown. Required fields are useful when you want to ensure certain data integrity or completeness. However, be cautious when using required fields, as it can make your data structures less flexible.\n\nIt's important to note that the usage of default, optional, and required values in FlatBuffers is specific to the serialization and deserialization process. Once the data is deserialized, there is no distinction between default, optional, or required fields.