dynamically change a part of the variable path - variables

Question

I know this question has been asked a bunch of times, but none of the answers (or at least what i took away from them) was a help to my particiular problem.
I want to dynamically change a part of the variable path, so i don't have to repeat the same code x-times with just two characters changing.
Here's what i got:
In the beginning of my script, i'm setting the reference to PlayerData scripts, attached to the GameManager object like this:
var P1 : P1_Data;
var P2 : P2_Data;
function Start(){
P1 = GameObject.Find("GameManager").GetComponent.<P1_Data>();
P2 = GameObject.Find("GameManager").GetComponent.<P2_Data>();
}
Later, i want to access these scripts using the currentPlayer variable to dynamically adjust the path:
var currentPlayer : String = "P1"; //this actually happens along with some other stuff in the SwitchPlayers function, i just put it here for better understanding
if (currentPlayer.PlayerEnergy >= value){
// do stuff
}
As i was afraid, i got an error saying, that PlayerEnergy was not a part of UnityEngine.String.
So how do I get unity to read "currentPlayer" as part of the variable path?
Maybe some parse function I haven't found?
Or am I going down an entirely wrong road here?
Cheers
PS: I also tried putting the P1 and P2 variables into an array and access them like this:
if (PlayerData[CurrentPlayerInt].PlayerEnergy >= value){
// do stuff
}
to no success.

Answer 1

First of all,
var currentPlayer : String = "P1"
here P1 is just string, not the previous P1/P2 which are referenced to two scripts. So, if you want, you can change
currentPlayer.PlayerEnergy >= value
to
P1.PlayerEnergy >= value
or,
P2.PlayerEnergy >= value
But if you just want one function for them, like
currentPlayer.PlayerEnergy >= value
Then you have to first set currentPlayer to P1/P2 which I assume you are trying to do. You must have some codes that can verify which player is selected. Then, maybe this can help -
var playerSelected: int = 0;
var currentPlayerEnergy: int = 0;
.....
//Use your codes to verify which player is selected and then,
if (playerSelected == 1) {
currentPlayerEnergy = P1.PlayerEnergy;
} else if (playerSelected == 2) {
currentPlayerEnergy = P2.PlayerEnergy;
}
//Now use your favorite function
if (currentPlayerEnergy >= value) {
//Do stuff
}

Answer 2

As there was no reply providing the answer I needed, I'll share the solution that did the trick for me, provided by a fellow student.
Instead of having the PlayerData scripts pre-written, I generate them using a public class function in a Playermanager script. This generates the Playerdata as attached scripts, saved into an array.
I can then access them through Playermanager.Playerlist[Playernumber].targetvariable.
Which is what I wanted to do, only with the Playerdata being attached to a script instead of a gameobject. And it works great!
Here's the full code of my Playermanager Script:
//initialise max players
public var maxplayers : int = 2;
// Initialise Playerlist
static var Players = new List.<PlayerData>();
function Start () {
for (var i : int = 0; i < maxplayers; i++){
var Player = new PlayerData();
Players.Add(Player);
Players[i].PlayerName = "Player " + i;
}
DontDestroyOnLoad (transform.gameObject);
}
public class PlayerData {
public var PlayerName : String;
public var PlayerEnergy : int = 15;
public var Fleet : List.<GameObject> = new List.<GameObject>();
}
As you see, you can put any type of variable in this class.
I hope this helps some of you who have the same problem.
cheers,
Tux