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# reflection

The render pipeline’s reflection information, if available.

```
var reflection: MTLRenderPipelineReflection? { get }
```

## Discussion

The property is `nil` by default to help reduce your app’s memory footprint,
but you can create reflection information when your app needs it.

Create reflection information by building a pipeline from an
[`MTL4Compiler`](/documentation/Metal/MTL4Compiler) instance with the following steps:

1. Configure the [`shaderReflection`](/documentation/Metal/MTL4PipelineOptions/shaderReflection) property of an [`MTL4PipelineOptions`](/documentation/Metal/MTL4PipelineOptions) instance.
2. Assign that instance to the [`options`](/documentation/Metal/MTL4PipelineDescriptor/options) property of an [`MTL4PipelineDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTL4PipelineDescriptor) instance.
3. Create a compute pipeline state by passing that pipeline descriptor to one of the [`MTL4Compiler`](/documentation/Metal/MTL4Compiler) instance’s methods.

The property is `nil` when you create a pipeline state from an[`MTLDevice`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice) instance,
such as with its [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:)) method.

---

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