# Objective
Following the pattern established in #15593, we can reduce the API
surface of `World` by providing a single function to grab both a
singular entity reference, or multiple entity references.
## Solution
The following functions can now also take multiple entity IDs and will
return multiple entity references back:
- `World::entity`
- `World::get_entity`
- `World::entity_mut`
- `World::get_entity_mut`
- `DeferredWorld::entity_mut`
- `DeferredWorld::get_entity_mut`
If you pass in X, you receive Y:
- give a single `Entity`, receive a single `EntityRef`/`EntityWorldMut`
(matches current behavior)
- give a `[Entity; N]`/`&[Entity; N]` (array), receive an equally-sized
`[EntityRef; N]`/`[EntityMut; N]`
- give a `&[Entity]` (slice), receive a
`Vec<EntityRef>`/`Vec<EntityMut>`
- give a `&EntityHashSet`, receive a
`EntityHashMap<EntityRef>`/`EntityHashMap<EntityMut>`
Note that `EntityWorldMut` is only returned in the single-entity case,
because having multiple at the same time would lead to UB. Also,
`DeferredWorld` receives an `EntityMut` in the single-entity case
because it does not allow structural access.
## Testing
- Added doc-tests on `World::entity`, `World::entity_mut`, and
`DeferredWorld::entity_mut`
- Added tests for aliased mutability and entity existence
---
## Showcase
<details>
<summary>Click to view showcase</summary>
The APIs for fetching `EntityRef`s and `EntityMut`s from the `World`
have been unified.
```rust
// This code will be referred to by subsequent code blocks.
let world = World::new();
let e1 = world.spawn_empty().id();
let e2 = world.spawn_empty().id();
let e3 = world.spawn_empty().id();
```
Querying for a single entity remains mostly the same:
```rust
// 0.14
let eref: EntityRef = world.entity(e1);
let emut: EntityWorldMut = world.entity_mut(e1);
let eref: Option<EntityRef> = world.get_entity(e1);
let emut: Option<EntityWorldMut> = world.get_entity_mut(e1);
// 0.15
let eref: EntityRef = world.entity(e1);
let emut: EntityWorldMut = world.entity_mut(e1);
let eref: Result<EntityRef, Entity> = world.get_entity(e1);
let emut: Result<EntityWorldMut, Entity> = world.get_entity_mut(e1);
```
Querying for multiple entities with an array has changed:
```rust
// 0.14
let erefs: [EntityRef; 2] = world.many_entities([e1, e2]);
let emuts: [EntityMut; 2] = world.many_entities_mut([e1, e2]);
let erefs: Result<[EntityRef; 2], Entity> = world.get_many_entities([e1, e2]);
let emuts: Result<[EntityMut; 2], QueryEntityError> = world.get_many_entities_mut([e1, e2]);
// 0.15
let erefs: [EntityRef; 2] = world.entity([e1, e2]);
let emuts: [EntityMut; 2] = world.entity_mut([e1, e2]);
let erefs: Result<[EntityRef; 2], Entity> = world.get_entity([e1, e2]);
let emuts: Result<[EntityMut; 2], EntityFetchError> = world.get_entity_mut([e1, e2]);
```
Querying for multiple entities with a slice has changed:
```rust
let ids = vec![e1, e2, e3]);
// 0.14
let erefs: Result<Vec<EntityRef>, Entity> = world.get_many_entities_dynamic(&ids[..]);
let emuts: Result<Vec<EntityMut>, QueryEntityError> = world.get_many_entities_dynamic_mut(&ids[..]);
// 0.15
let erefs: Result<Vec<EntityRef>, Entity> = world.get_entity(&ids[..]);
let emuts: Result<Vec<EntityMut>, EntityFetchError> = world.get_entity_mut(&ids[..]);
let erefs: Vec<EntityRef> = world.entity(&ids[..]); // Newly possible!
let emuts: Vec<EntityMut> = world.entity_mut(&ids[..]); // Newly possible!
```
Querying for multiple entities with an `EntityHashSet` has changed:
```rust
let set = EntityHashSet::from_iter([e1, e2, e3]);
// 0.14
let emuts: Result<Vec<EntityMut>, QueryEntityError> = world.get_many_entities_from_set_mut(&set);
// 0.15
let emuts: Result<EntityHashMap<EntityMut>, EntityFetchError> = world.get_entity_mut(&set);
let erefs: Result<EntityHashMap<EntityRef>, EntityFetchError> = world.get_entity(&set); // Newly possible!
let emuts: EntityHashMap<EntityMut> = world.entity_mut(&set); // Newly possible!
let erefs: EntityHashMap<EntityRef> = world.entity(&set); // Newly possible!
```
</details>
## Migration Guide
- `World::get_entity` now returns `Result<_, Entity>` instead of
`Option<_>`.
- Use `world.get_entity(..).ok()` to return to the previous behavior.
- `World::get_entity_mut` and `DeferredWorld::get_entity_mut` now return
`Result<_, EntityFetchError>` instead of `Option<_>`.
- Use `world.get_entity_mut(..).ok()` to return to the previous
behavior.
- Type inference for `World::entity`, `World::entity_mut`,
`World::get_entity`, `World::get_entity_mut`,
`DeferredWorld::entity_mut`, and `DeferredWorld::get_entity_mut` has
changed, and might now require the input argument's type to be
explicitly written when inside closures.
- The following functions have been deprecated, and should be replaced
as such:
- `World::many_entities` -> `World::entity::<[Entity; N]>`
- `World::many_entities_mut` -> `World::entity_mut::<[Entity; N]>`
- `World::get_many_entities` -> `World::get_entity::<[Entity; N]>`
- `World::get_many_entities_dynamic` -> `World::get_entity::<&[Entity]>`
- `World::get_many_entities_mut` -> `World::get_entity_mut::<[Entity;
N]>`
- The equivalent return type has changed from `Result<_,
QueryEntityError>` to `Result<_, EntityFetchError>`
- `World::get_many_entities_dynamic_mut` ->
`World::get_entity_mut::<&[Entity]>1
- The equivalent return type has changed from `Result<_,
QueryEntityError>` to `Result<_, EntityFetchError>`
- `World::get_many_entities_from_set_mut` ->
`World::get_entity_mut::<&EntityHashSet>`
- The equivalent return type has changed from `Result<Vec<EntityMut>,
QueryEntityError>` to `Result<EntityHashMap<EntityMut>,
EntityFetchError>`. If necessary, you can still convert the
`EntityHashMap` into a `Vec`.