"Let's build an Entity Component System (part 2): databases" PARTIAL code (creating entities and adding components)

ecs.zig

const std = @import("std");
const testing = std.testing;
const assert = std.debug.assert;
const Allocator = std.mem.Allocator;

/// An entity ID uniquely identifies an entity globally within an Entities set.
pub const EntityID = u64;

pub const void_archetype_hash = std.math.maxInt(u64);

/// Represents the storage for a single type of component within a single type of entity.
///
/// Database equivalent: a column within a table.
pub fn ComponentStorage(comptime Component: type) type {
    return struct {
        /// A reference to the total number of entities with the same type as is being stored here.
        total_rows: *usize,

        /// The actual densely stored component data.
        data: std.ArrayListUnmanaged(Component) = .{},

        const Self = @This();

        pub fn deinit(storage: *Self, allocator: Allocator) void {
            storage.data.deinit(allocator);
        }

        // If the storage of this component is sparse, it is turned dense as calling this method
        // indicates that the caller expects to set this component for most entities rather than
        // sparsely.
        pub fn set(storage: *Self, allocator: Allocator, row_index: u32, component: Component) !void {
            if (storage.data.items.len <= row_index) try storage.data.appendNTimes(allocator, undefined, storage.data.items.len + 1 - row_index);
            storage.data.items[row_index] = component;
        }

        /// Removes the given row index.
        pub fn remove(storage: *Self, row_index: u32) void {
            if (storage.data.items.len > row_index) {
                _ = storage.data.swapRemove(row_index);
            }
        }

        /// Gets the component value for the given entity ID.
        pub inline fn get(storage: Self, row_index: u32) Component {
            return storage.data.items[row_index];
        }

        pub inline fn copy(dst: *Self, allocator: Allocator, src_row: u32, dst_row: u32, src: *Self) !void {
            try dst.set(allocator, dst_row, src.get(src_row));
        }
    };
}

/// A type-erased representation of ComponentStorage(T) (where T is unknown).
pub const ErasedComponentStorage = struct {
    ptr: *anyopaque,
    deinit: fn (erased: *anyopaque, allocator: Allocator) void,
    remove: fn (erased: *anyopaque, row: u32) void,
    cloneType: fn (erased: ErasedComponentStorage, total_entities: *usize, allocator: Allocator, retval: *ErasedComponentStorage) error{OutOfMemory}!void,
    copy: fn (dst_erased: *anyopaque, allocator: Allocator, src_row: u32, dst_row: u32, src_erased: *anyopaque) error{OutOfMemory}!void,

    // Casts this `ErasedComponentStorage` into `*ComponentStorage(Component)` with the given type
    // (unsafe).
    pub fn cast(ptr: *anyopaque, comptime Component: type) *ComponentStorage(Component) {
        var aligned = @alignCast(@alignOf(*ComponentStorage(Component)), ptr);
        return @ptrCast(*ComponentStorage(Component), aligned);
    }
};

pub const ArchetypeStorage = struct {
    allocator: Allocator,

    /// The hash of every component name in this archetype, i.e. the name of this archetype.
    hash: u64,

    /// A mapping of rows in the table to entity IDs.
    ///
    /// Doubles as the counter of total number of rows that have been reserved within this
    /// archetype table.
    entity_ids: std.ArrayListUnmanaged(EntityID) = .{},

    /// A string hashmap of component_name -> type-erased *ComponentStorage(Component)
    components: std.StringArrayHashMapUnmanaged(ErasedComponentStorage),

    /// Calculates the storage.hash value. This is a hash of all the component names, and can
    /// effectively be used to uniquely identify this table within the database.
    pub fn calculateHash(storage: *ArchetypeStorage) void {
        storage.hash = 0;
        var iter = storage.components.iterator();
        while (iter.next()) |entry| {
            const component_name = entry.key_ptr.*;
            storage.hash ^= std.hash_map.hashString(component_name);
        }
    }

    pub fn deinit(storage: *ArchetypeStorage) void {
        for (storage.components.values()) |erased| {
            erased.deinit(erased.ptr, storage.allocator);
        }
        storage.entity_ids.deinit(storage.allocator);
        storage.components.deinit(storage.allocator);
    }

    /// New reserves a row for storing an entity within this archetype table.
    pub fn new(storage: *ArchetypeStorage, entity: EntityID) !u32 {
        // Return a new row index
        const new_row_index = storage.entity_ids.items.len;
        try storage.entity_ids.append(storage.allocator, entity);
        return @intCast(u32, new_row_index);
    }

    /// Undoes the last call to the new() operation, effectively unreserving the row that was last
    /// reserved.
    pub fn undoNew(storage: *ArchetypeStorage) void {
        _ = storage.entity_ids.pop();
    }

    /// Sets the value of the named component (column) for the given row in the table. Realizes the
    /// deferred allocation of column storage for N entities (storage.counter) if it is not already.
    pub fn set(storage: *ArchetypeStorage, row_index: u32, name: []const u8, component: anytype) !void {
        var component_storage_erased = storage.components.get(name).?;
        var component_storage = ErasedComponentStorage.cast(component_storage_erased.ptr, @TypeOf(component));
        try component_storage.set(storage.allocator, row_index, component);
    }

    /// Removes the specified row. See also the `Entity.delete()` helper.
    ///
    /// This merely marks the row as removed, the same row index will be recycled the next time a
    /// new row is requested via `new()`.
    pub fn remove(storage: *ArchetypeStorage, row_index: u32) !void {
        _ = storage.entity_ids.swapRemove(row_index);
        for (storage.components.values()) |component_storage| {
            component_storage.remove(component_storage.ptr, row_index);
        }
    }
};

pub const Entities = struct {
    allocator: Allocator,

    /// TODO!
    counter: EntityID = 0,

    /// A mapping of entity IDs (array indices) to where an entity's component values are actually
    /// stored.
    entities: std.AutoHashMapUnmanaged(EntityID, Pointer) = .{},

    /// A mapping of archetype hash to their storage.
    ///
    /// Database equivalent: table name -> tables representing entities.
    archetypes: std.AutoArrayHashMapUnmanaged(u64, ArchetypeStorage) = .{},

    /// Points to where an entity is stored, specifically in which archetype table and in which row
    /// of that table. That is, the entity's component values are stored at:
    ///
    /// ```
    /// Entities.archetypes[ptr.archetype_index].rows[ptr.row_index]
    /// ```
    ///
    pub const Pointer = struct {
        archetype_index: u16,
        row_index: u32,
    };

    pub fn init(allocator: Allocator) !Entities {
        var entities = Entities{ .allocator = allocator };

        try entities.archetypes.put(allocator, void_archetype_hash, ArchetypeStorage{
            .allocator = allocator,
            .components = .{},
            .hash = void_archetype_hash,
        });

        return entities;
    }

    pub fn deinit(entities: *Entities) void {
        entities.entities.deinit(entities.allocator);
        var iter = entities.archetypes.iterator();
        while (iter.next()) |entry| {
            entry.value_ptr.deinit();
        }
        entities.archetypes.deinit(entities.allocator);
    }

    pub fn initErasedStorage(entities: *const Entities, total_rows: *usize, comptime Component: type) !ErasedComponentStorage {
        var new_ptr = try entities.allocator.create(ComponentStorage(Component));
        new_ptr.* = ComponentStorage(Component){ .total_rows = total_rows };

        return ErasedComponentStorage{
            .ptr = new_ptr,
            .deinit = (struct {
                pub fn deinit(erased: *anyopaque, allocator: Allocator) void {
                    var ptr = ErasedComponentStorage.cast(erased, Component);
                    ptr.deinit(allocator);
                    allocator.destroy(ptr);
                }
            }).deinit,
            .remove = (struct {
                pub fn remove(erased: *anyopaque, row: u32) void {
                    var ptr = ErasedComponentStorage.cast(erased, Component);
                    ptr.remove(row);
                }
            }).remove,
            .cloneType = (struct {
                pub fn cloneType(erased: ErasedComponentStorage, _total_rows: *usize, allocator: Allocator, retval: *ErasedComponentStorage) !void {
                    var new_clone = try allocator.create(ComponentStorage(Component));
                    new_clone.* = ComponentStorage(Component){ .total_rows = _total_rows };
                    var tmp = erased;
                    tmp.ptr = new_clone;
                    retval.* = tmp;
                }
            }).cloneType,
            .copy = (struct {
                pub fn copy(dst_erased: *anyopaque, allocator: Allocator, src_row: u32, dst_row: u32, src_erased: *anyopaque) !void {
                    var dst = ErasedComponentStorage.cast(dst_erased, Component);
                    var src = ErasedComponentStorage.cast(src_erased, Component);
                    return dst.copy(allocator, src_row, dst_row, src);
                }
            }).copy,
        };
    }

    /// Returns a new entity.
    pub fn new(entities: *Entities) !EntityID {
        const new_id = entities.counter;
        entities.counter += 1;

        var void_archetype = entities.archetypes.getPtr(void_archetype_hash).?;
        const new_row = try void_archetype.new(new_id);
        const void_pointer = Pointer{
            .archetype_index = 0, // void archetype is guaranteed to be first index
            .row_index = new_row,
        };

        entities.entities.put(entities.allocator, new_id, void_pointer) catch |err| {
            void_archetype.undoNew();
            return err;
        };
        return new_id;
    }

    /// Returns the archetype storage for the given entity.
    pub inline fn archetypeByID(entities: *Entities, entity: EntityID) *ArchetypeStorage {
        const ptr = entities.entities.get(entity).?;
        return &entities.archetypes.values()[ptr.archetype_index];
    }

    /// Sets the named component to the specified value for the given entity,
    /// moving the entity from it's current archetype table to the new archetype
    /// table if required.
    pub fn setComponent(entities: *Entities, entity: EntityID, name: []const u8, component: anytype) !void {
        var archetype = entities.archetypeByID(entity);

        // Determine the old hash for the archetype.
        const old_hash = archetype.hash;

        // Determine the new hash for the archetype + new component
        var have_already = archetype.components.contains(name);
        const new_hash = if (have_already) old_hash else old_hash ^ std.hash_map.hashString(name);

        // Find the archetype storage for this entity. Could be a new archetype storage table (if a
        // new component was added), or the same archetype storage table (if just updating the
        // value of a component.)
        var archetype_entry = try entities.archetypes.getOrPut(entities.allocator, new_hash);
        if (!archetype_entry.found_existing) {
            archetype_entry.value_ptr.* = ArchetypeStorage{
                .allocator = entities.allocator,
                .components = .{},
                .hash = 0,
            };
            var new_archetype = archetype_entry.value_ptr;

            // Create storage/columns for all of the existing components on the entity.
            var column_iter = archetype.components.iterator();
            while (column_iter.next()) |entry| {
                var erased: ErasedComponentStorage = undefined;
                entry.value_ptr.cloneType(entry.value_ptr.*, &new_archetype.entity_ids.items.len, entities.allocator, &erased) catch |err| {
                    assert(entities.archetypes.swapRemove(new_hash));
                    return err;
                };
                new_archetype.components.put(entities.allocator, entry.key_ptr.*, erased) catch |err| {
                    assert(entities.archetypes.swapRemove(new_hash));
                    return err;
                };
            }

            // Create storage/column for the new component.
            const erased = entities.initErasedStorage(&new_archetype.entity_ids.items.len, @TypeOf(component)) catch |err| {
                assert(entities.archetypes.swapRemove(new_hash));
                return err;
            };
            new_archetype.components.put(entities.allocator, name, erased) catch |err| {
                assert(entities.archetypes.swapRemove(new_hash));
                return err;
            };

            new_archetype.calculateHash();
        }

        // HERE
        // Either new storage (if the entity moved between storage tables due to having a new
        // component) or the prior storage (if the entity already had the component and it's value
        // is merely being updated.)
        var current_archetype_storage = archetype_entry.value_ptr;

        if (new_hash == old_hash) {
            // Update the value of the existing component of the entity.
            const ptr = entities.entities.get(entity).?;
            try current_archetype_storage.set(ptr.row_index, name, component);
            return;
        }

        // Copy to all component values for our entity from the old archetype storage
        // (archetype) to the new one (current_archetype_storage).
        const new_row = try current_archetype_storage.new(entity);
        const old_ptr = entities.entities.get(entity).?;

        // Update the storage/columns for all of the existing components on the entity.
        var column_iter = archetype.components.iterator();
        while (column_iter.next()) |entry| {
            var old_component_storage = entry.value_ptr;
            var new_component_storage = current_archetype_storage.components.get(entry.key_ptr.*).?;
            new_component_storage.copy(new_component_storage.ptr, entities.allocator, new_row, old_ptr.row_index, old_component_storage.ptr) catch |err| {
                current_archetype_storage.undoNew();
                return err;
            };
        }
        current_archetype_storage.entity_ids.items[new_row] = entity;

        // Update the storage/column for the new component.
        current_archetype_storage.set(new_row, name, component) catch |err| {
            current_archetype_storage.undoNew();
            return err;
        };

        var swapped_entity_id = archetype.entity_ids.items[archetype.entity_ids.items.len - 1];
        archetype.remove(old_ptr.row_index) catch |err| {
            current_archetype_storage.undoNew();
            return err;
        };
        try entities.entities.put(entities.allocator, swapped_entity_id, old_ptr);

        try entities.entities.put(entities.allocator, entity, Pointer{
            .archetype_index = @intCast(u16, archetype_entry.index),
            .row_index = new_row,
        });
        return;
    }
};

test "ecs" {
    const allocator = testing.allocator;

    var world = try Entities.init(allocator);
    defer world.deinit();

    const player = try world.new();

    // Define component types, any Zig type will do!
    // A location component.
    const Location = struct {
        x: f32 = 0,
        y: f32 = 0,
        z: f32 = 0,
    };

    try world.setComponent(player, "Name", "jane"); // add Name component
    try world.setComponent(player, "Location", Location{}); // add Location component
    try world.setComponent(player, "Name", "joe"); // update Name component
}

Hey, first thx for the really good devlog on this.

I was just wondering if there is a reason for creating an ArchetypeStorage with hash = 0 at line 270 and later calling calculateHash instead of using the new_hash from line 260 directly

I haven't checked the code in mach to compare tho