stride3d/stride · error · FileNotFoundException

Unable to find shader [{type}]

Error message

Unable to find shader [{type}]

What it means

ShaderSourceManager.LoadShaderSource looks up a shader source by type/name among the registered shader sources; when the source is absent after all lookup attempts it throws FileNotFoundException with "Unable to find shader [{type}]" and the suggested file name "{type}.sdsl". Raised from GetShaderSourceHash's call chain when a shader's source text is needed (e.g. to compute its source hash) but no registered provider contains it.

Solutions

1. Ensure the shader source is registered with ShaderSourceManager (add source/register assembly) before asking for its hash.
2. Verify the shader type name string exactly matches the .sdsl file name.
3. If the shader comes from an external buffer, load it through the path that populates Sources/loadedShaderSources first.
4. Confirm the .sdsl file exists in a searched location and the candidate name in the exception is correct.

Example fix

// before
var hash = sourceManager.GetShaderSourceHash("MissingShader"); // FileNotFoundException
// after
if (!sourceManager.HasShaderSource("MissingShader"))
    sourceManager.AddOrReplaceShaderSource("MissingShader", sdslText);
var hash = sourceManager.GetShaderSourceHash("MissingShader");

// guard before asking for a hash
if (!sourceManager.HasShaderSource(type) && !File.Exists(Path.Combine(shaderDir, type + ".sdsl")))
    throw new FileNotFoundException($"Register or ship shader source: {type}.sdsl");

try { var hash = sourceManager.GetShaderSourceHash(type); }
catch (FileNotFoundException ex) when (ex.FileName == type + ".sdsl") {
    RegisterShaderSource(type, sdslText); // then retry once
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling LoadShaderSource(type) (directly or via GetShaderSourceHash) for a shader name that has not been added to loadedShaderSources / registered sources and cannot be found on the shader lookup path; FileNotFound carries the candidate file name {type}.sdsl.

Common situations: Hash lookup for a shader compiled from memory/external buffer that was never registered in the source manager; renamed shader; shader source assembly not referenced.

Understand the failure class

Background: "File not found" and ENOENT errors: why libraries can't find a file that should exist — this error's family across 50 libraries.

Related errors

• Shader {name} could not be found
• Package file [{filePath}] was not found
• Cannot detect dependencies of projet '{Name}' because the pr
• File not found inside ZIP archive.
• Unable to find the file [{url}]

AI-assisted analysis of stride3d/stride@96fad776d2 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6b4bfa5a3dd93dea. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sources/shaders/Stride.Shaders.Compilers/ShaderSourceManager.cs:220

                                    {
                                        sourceStream.Position = 0;
                                        var data = new byte[sourceStream.Length];
                                        sourceStream.ReadExactly(data, 0, (int)sourceStream.Length);
                                        shaderSource.Hash = ObjectId.FromBytes(data);
                                    }
                                    else
                                    {
                                        shaderSource.Hash = databaseStream.ObjectId;
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }

                        loadedShaderSources[type] = shaderSource;
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        throw new FileNotFoundException($"Unable to find shader [{type}]", $"{type}.sdsl");
                    }
                }
                return shaderSource;
            }
        }

        private static ObjectId CalculateHashFromSource(string source)
        {
            return ObjectId.FromBytes(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(source));
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Determines whether a class with the specified type name exists.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="typeName">The typeName.</param>
        /// <returns><c>true</c> if a class with the specified type name exists; otherwise, <c>false</c>.</returns>
        public bool IsClassExists(string typeName)
        {

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