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crates/bevy_ecs/src/entity/mod.rs
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//!
//! # What is an Entity?
//!
//! An entity is a thing that exists in a [`World`].
//! Entities have zero or more [`Component`]s, which are just data associated with the entity.
//! Entities serve the same purpose as things like game objects from Unity or nodes from Godot:
//! They can be created, have their data accessed and changed, and are eventually deleted.
//! In Bevy, an entity can represent anything from a player character to the game's window itself (and everything in-between!)
//! However, unlike other engines, entities are not represented as large class objects.
//! This makes Bevy much faster in principal, but it also leads to some perhaps unintuitive differences that need to be considered.
//! The ecs [docs](crate) give an overview of what entities are and generally how to use them.
//! These docs provide more detail into how they actually work.
//! In these docs "entity" will refer to an [`Entity`], an identifier for a "game object" or "thing" in the ecs [`World`].
//!
//! Because entities are not traditional, object-oriented, garbage collected, class instances, more effort is needed to interact with them.
//! The biggest difference is that the [`Entity`] type does *not* represent a conceptual entity.
//! In other words, an entity's data, its components, are not stored within the [`Entity`] type.
//! Instead, the [`Entity`] acts as an id, and it's components are stored separate from its id in the [`World`].
//! In fact, one way to think about entities and their data is to imagine each world as a list of entity ids
//! and a hashmap for each component which maps [`Entity`] values to component values if the entity has that component.
//! Of course, the [`World`] is really quite different from this and much more efficient, but thinking about it this way will be helpful to understand how entities work.
//! Put another way, the world can be thought of as a big spreadsheet, where each component type has a column and each entity has a row.
//! In order to get an entity's components, Bevy finds the values by looking up the [`Entity`]'s [`EntityRow`] and the [`Component`](crate::component::Component)'s [`ComponentId`](crate::component::ComponentId).
//! Interacting with an entity can be done through three main interfaces:
//! Use the [`World`] with methods like [`World::entity`](crate::world::World::entity) for complete and immediate access to an entity and its components.
//! Use [`Query`]s for very fast access to component values.
//! Use [`Commands`] with methods like [`Commands::entity`](crate::system::Commands::entity) for delayed but unrestricted access to entities.
//! # In this Module
//!
//! In short:
//! This module contains four main things:
//!
//! - An entity is a thing in the world, similar to game objects from Unity or nodes from Godot.
//! - Entities can represent anything! (players, items, and the app window itself)
//! - Entities have data attached to them called [`Component`]s. (health on the player, damage on the item, and resolution on the window)
//! - The [`Entity`] type is an id for its entity; it is not the entity itself and does not store component data directly.
//! - To access an entity's data, use [`World`], [`Query`], or [`Commands`] apis.
//! - Core ecs types like [`Entity`], [`Entities`], and [`EntitiesAllocator`].
//! - Utilities for [`Entity`] ids like [`MapEntities`], [`EntityHash`], and [`UniqueEntityVec`].
//! - Helpers for game object tasks like [`EntityCloner`].
//! - Entity-related error types like [`EntityDoesNotExistError`].
//!
//! # Entity Life Cycle
//!
@ -38,37 +21,37 @@
//! They are created, used for a while, and eventually destroyed.
//! Let's start from the top:
//!
//! **Spawn:** An entity is crated.
//! **Spawn:** An entity is created.
//! In bevy, this is called spawning.
//! Most commonly, this is done through [`World::spawn`](crate::world::World::spawn) or [`Commands::spawn`](crate::system::Commands::spawn).
//! This creates a fresh entity in the world and returns its [`Entity`] id, which can be used to interact with the entity.
//! These methods initialize the entity with a [`Bundle`], which is a group of [components](crate::component::Component) that it starts with.
//! It is also possible to use [`World::spawn_empty`](crate::world::World::spawn_empty) or [`Commands::spawn_empty`](crate::system::Commands::spawn_empty), which are similar but do not add any components to the entity.
//! In either case, the returned [`Entity`] id is used to further interact with the entity.
//! Once an entity is created, you will need its [`Entity`] id to progress the entity through its life cycle.
//! This creates a fresh entity in the world and returns its [`Entity`] id, which can be used to interact with the game object it identifies.
//! These methods initialize the entity with a [`Bundle`], a group of [components](crate::component::Component) that it starts with.
//! It is also possible to use [`World::spawn_empty`](crate::world::World::spawn_empty) or [`Commands::spawn_empty`](crate::system::Commands::spawn_empty), which are similar but do not add any components to the game object.
//! In either case, the returned [`Entity`] id is used to further interact with the game object.
//! Once an game object is created, you will need its [`Entity`] id to progress the object through its life cycle.
//! This can be done through [`World::entity_mut`](crate::world::World::entity_mut) and [`Commands::entity`](crate::system::Commands::entity).
//! Even if you don't store the id, you can still find the entity you spawned by searching for it in a [`Query`].
//! Even if you don't store the id, you can still find the game object you spawned by searching for it in a [`Query`].
//!
//! **Insert:** Once an entity has been created, additional [`Bundle`]s can be inserted onto the entity.
//! There are lots of ways to do this and lots of ways to configure what to do when a component in the bundle is already present on the entity.
//! Each entity can only have 0 or 1 values for a component.
//! **Insert:** Once an game object has been created, additional [`Bundle`]s can be inserted.
//! There are lots of ways to do this and lots of ways to configure what to do when a component in the bundle is already present on the object.
//! Each game object can only have 0 or 1 values for a kind of component.
//! See [`EntityWorldMut::insert`](crate::world::EntityWorldMut::insert) and [`EntityCommands::insert`](crate::system::EntityCommands::insert) for a start on how to do this.
//!
//! **Remove:** Components on an entity can be removed as well.
//! **Remove:** Components on an game object can be removed as well.
//! See [`EntityWorldMut::remove`](crate::world::EntityWorldMut::remove) and [`EntityCommands::remove`](crate::system::EntityCommands::remove) for a start on how to do this.
//!
//! **Despawn:** Despawn an entity when it is no longer needed.
//! **Despawn:** Despawn an game object when it is no longer needed.
//! This destroys it and all its components.
//! The entity is no longer reachable through the [`World`], [`Commands`], or [`Query`]s.
//! Note that this means an [`Entity`] id may refer to an entity that has since been despawned!
//! Not all [`Entity`] ids refer to active entities.
//! If an [`Entity`] id is used when its entity no longer exists, an [`EntityDoesNotExistError`] is emitted.
//! Any [`System`](crate::system) could despawn entities; even if you never share an entity's id, it could still be despawned unexpectedly.
//! The game object is no longer reachable through the [`World`], [`Commands`], or [`Query`]s.
//! Note that this means an [`Entity`] id may refer to an game object that has since been despawned!
//! Not all [`Entity`] ids refer to active objects.
//! If an [`Entity`] id is used when its game object no longer exists, an [`EntityDoesNotExistError`] is emitted.
//! Any [`System`](crate::system) could despawn objects; even if you never share an entity's id, it could still be despawned unexpectedly.
//! Handle these errors gracefully.
//!
//! In short:
//!
//! - Entities are spawned through methods like [`World::spawn`](crate::world::World::spawn), which return an [`Entity`] id for the new entity.
//! - Game object are spawned through methods like [`World::spawn`](crate::world::World::spawn), which return an [`Entity`] id for the new entity.
//! - Once spawned, they can be accessed and modified through [`Query`]s and other apis.
//! - You can get the [`Entity`] id of an entity through [`Query`]s, so loosing an [`Entity`] id is not a problem.
//! - Entities can have components inserted and removed via [`World::entity_mut`](crate::world::World::entity_mut) and [`Commands::entity`](crate::system::Commands::entity).
@ -80,28 +63,55 @@
//! As mentioned entities each have an [`Entity`] id, which is used to interact with that entity.
//! But what actually is this id?
//! This [`Entity`] id is the combination of two ideas: [`EntityRow`] and [`EntityGeneration`].
//! You can think of the [`Entity`] type as a `struct Entity { row: u32, generation: u32 }`.
//!
//! An [`EntityRow`] always references exactly 1 entity in the [`World`]; they are always valid.
//! This differs from [`Entity`] which references 0 or 1 entities, depending on if the entity it refers to still exists.
//! Each [`EntityRow`] refers to an entity, and each entity has an [`EntityRow`].
//! The rows are represented with 32 bits, so there are always over 4 billion entities in the world.
//! However, not all these entities are usable or stored in memory.
//! To understand why, let's look at the states an entity row can be in:
//! To understand these ids, picture thee ecs [`World`] as a spreadsheet.
//! Each kind of component is represented by a column in the spreadsheet and each entity is a row.
//! That's what the `row` does in [`Entity`]; it identifies where in the spreadsheet to find component values.
//! If an entity doesn't have a component, picture leaving the cell at the that entity row and component column blank or `None`.
//! To find the component values of an entity, Bevy searches through the spreadsheet at the [`EntityRow`] for the entity and the [`ComponentId`](crate::component::ComponentId) for the component.
//!
//! Each [`EntityRow`] has a [`EntityIdLocation`] which defines that row/entity's state.
//! An [`EntityRow`] always references exactly 1 entity in the [`World`].
//! Think about it, even if the spreadsheet only *uses* rows 1, 2, and 12, it still *has* millions of rows.
//! In the spreadsheet analogy, you can think of each row in one of 3 states:
//!
//! 1. The row is not used.
//! Think of this as graying out the row or otherwise hiding it.
//! This row doesn't just have no components; it isn't even participating at this point.
//! 2. The row is empty.
//! The row is being used; it's visible, discoverable, etc; it just happens to not have any component values.
//! 3. The row is full.
//! This is the "normal" state of a row.
//! It has some component values and is being used.
//!
//! [`EntityRow`] behaves much the same way.
//! Each row has a [`EntityIdLocation`] which defines that row/entity's state.
//! The [`EntityIdLocation`] is an `Option` of [`EntityLocation`].
//! If this is `Some`, the row is considered constructed, otherwise it is considered destructed.
//! If this is `Some`, the row is considered constructed (think *used* in the spreadsheet), otherwise it is considered destructed (think *grayed out* in the spreadsheet).
//! Only constructed entities, entities with `Some` [`EntityLocation`], participate in the [`World`].
//! The [`EntityLocation`] further describes which components an entity has and where to find them.
//! That means each entity row can be in three states: 1) It has some components, 2) It has no components *empty*, 3) It has no location *null*.
//! Only non-null entities are discoverable through [`Query`]s, etc.
//! The [`EntityLocation`] further describes which components an entity has and where to find them; it determines which spreadsheet cells are blank and which ones have values.
//! Only constructed rows are discoverable through [`Query`]s, etc.
//!
//! With that spreadsheet intuition, lets get a bit more precise with some definitions:
//!
//! - An entity that is used, not grayed out in the spreadsheet, is considered *constructed*.
//! - An entity that is is grayed out in the spreadsheet, not used, is considered *destructed* or *null*.
//! - A constructed entity that has no components is considered *empty* or *void*, which is different from *null* since these are still participating entities, discoverable through queries and interact-able through commands.
//!
//! An [`EntityRow`] always references exactly 1 entity in the [`World`]; they always exist (even though they may still be null).
//! This differs from [`Entity`] which references 0 or 1 entities, depending on if the entity it refers to still exists.
//! Each [`EntityRow`] refers to an entity, and each entity has an [`EntityRow`]; this is a [bijection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijection).
//! The rows are represented with 32 bits, so there are always over 4 billion entities in the world.
//! However, not all these entities are usable or stored in memory; Bevy doesn't store information for rows that have always been *null* (never been constructed).
//!
//! Rows can be repeatedly constructed and destructed.
//! Each construction and destruction corresponds to a [`EntityGeneration`].
//! The first time a row is constructed, it has a generation of 0, and when it is destructed, it gets a generation of 1.
//! This differentiates each construction of that [`EntityRow`].
//! All an [`Entity`] id is is a [`EntityRow`] (which entity it is) and a [`EntityGeneration`] (which version of that row it references).
//! Again, all an [`Entity`] id is is a [`EntityRow`] (which entity it is) and a [`EntityGeneration`] (which version of that row it references).
//! When an [`Entity`] id is invalid, it just means that that generation of its row has been destructed.
//! It could still be null or it could have since been constructed again.
//! Either way, that entity, that row-generation pair no longer exists.
//!
//! As mentioned, once an [`EntityRow`] is destructed, it is not discoverable until it is constructed again.
//! To prevent these rows from being forgotten, bevy tracks them in an [`EntitiesAllocator`].
@ -114,7 +124,7 @@
//! Of course, to make that entity usable, it will need to be passed to [`World::construct`](crate::world::World::construct).
//! Managing entity ids manually is advanced but can be very useful for concurrency, custom entity allocators, etc.
//! But there are risks when used improperly:
//! Loosing a destructed entity row without returning it to bevy's allocator will cause that row to be unreachable, effectively a memory leak.
//! Loosing a null entity row without returning it to bevy's allocator will cause that row to be unreachable, effectively a memory leak.
//! Further, constructing an arbitrary [`EntityRow`] can cause problems if that same row is queued for reuse in the allocator.
//! Use this powerfully but with caution.
//!
@ -130,6 +140,19 @@
//! - While understanding these details help build an intuition for how bevy handles entities, using these apis directly is risky but powerful.
//! - Lots of id information can be obtained from [`Entities`].
//!
//! # Storage
//!
//! As mentioned about, an ecs [`World`] can be imagined as a spreadsheet.
//! One way that spreadsheet could be implemented is a list of [`Entity`]s and a hashmap for each component that maps an [`EntityRow`] to a component value if that row has the entity.
//! Bevy's ecs is quite different from that implementation (and much, much faster).
//! For details on how component storage actually works, see [`storage`](crate::storage).
//!
//! Regardless, the spreadsheet also needs a special column that tracks metadata about an entity.
//! This column doesn't represents a component and is specific to the [`EntityRow`], not the [`Entity`].
//! For example, one thing Bevy stores in this metadata is the current [`EntityGeneration`] of the row.
//! It also stores more information like the [`Tick`] a row was last constructed or destructed, and the [`EntityIdLocation`] itself.
//! For more information about what's stored here, see [`Entities`], Bevy's implementation of this special column.
//!
//! [`World`]: crate::world::World
//! [`Query`]: crate::system::Query
//! [`Bundle`]: crate::bundle::Bundle