Skip to content

Commit

Permalink
Add an example teaching users about custom relationships (#17443)
Browse files Browse the repository at this point in the history
# Objective

After #17398, Bevy now has relations! We don't teach users how to make /
work with these in the examples yet though, but we definitely should.

## Solution

- Add a simple abstract example that goes over defining, spawning,
traversing and removing a custom relations.
- ~~Add `Relationship` and `RelationshipTarget` to the prelude: the
trait methods are really helpful here.~~
- this causes subtle ambiguities with method names and weird compiler
errors. Not doing it here!
- Clean up related documentation that I referenced when writing this
example.

## Testing

`cargo run --example relationships`

## Notes to reviewers

1. Yes, I know that the cycle detection code could be more efficient. I
decided to reduce the caching to avoid distracting from the broader
point of "here's how you traverse relationships".
2. Instead of using an `App`, I've decide to use
`World::run_system_once` + system functions defined inside of `main` to
do something closer to literate programming.

---------

Co-authored-by: Joona Aalto <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: MinerSebas <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Kristoffer Søholm <[email protected]>
  • Loading branch information
4 people authored Jan 20, 2025
1 parent ba5e71f commit b34833f
Show file tree
Hide file tree
Showing 5 changed files with 245 additions and 11 deletions.
11 changes: 11 additions & 0 deletions Cargo.toml
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -2048,6 +2048,17 @@ description = "Illustrates parallel queries with `ParallelIterator`"
category = "ECS (Entity Component System)"
wasm = false

[[example]]
name = "relationships"
path = "examples/ecs/relationships.rs"
doc-scrape-examples = true

[package.metadata.example.relationships]
name = "Relationships"
description = "Define and work with custom relationships between entities"
category = "ECS (Entity Component System)"
wasm = false

[[example]]
name = "removal_detection"
path = "examples/ecs/removal_detection.rs"
Expand Down
25 changes: 15 additions & 10 deletions crates/bevy_ecs/src/relationship/relationship_query.rs
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -37,8 +37,9 @@ impl<'w, 's, D: QueryData, F: QueryFilter> Query<'w, 's, D, F> {
/// there are no more related entities, returning the "root entity" of the relationship hierarchy.
///
/// # Warning
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely. Only call this for "hierarchy-style"
/// relationships.
///
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely.
/// If your relationship is not a tree (like Bevy's hierarchy), be sure to stop if you encounter a duplicate entity.
pub fn root_ancestor<R: Relationship>(&'w self, entity: Entity) -> Entity
where
<D as QueryData>::ReadOnly: WorldQuery<Item<'w> = &'w R>,
Expand All @@ -53,8 +54,9 @@ impl<'w, 's, D: QueryData, F: QueryFilter> Query<'w, 's, D, F> {
/// Iterates all "leaf entities" as defined by the [`RelationshipTarget`] hierarchy.
///
/// # Warning
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely. Only call this for "hierarchy-style"
/// relationships.
///
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely.
/// If your relationship is not a tree (like Bevy's hierarchy), be sure to stop if you encounter a duplicate entity.
pub fn iter_leaves<S: RelationshipTarget>(
&'w self,
entity: Entity,
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -93,8 +95,9 @@ impl<'w, 's, D: QueryData, F: QueryFilter> Query<'w, 's, D, F> {
/// [`RelationshipTarget`].
///
/// # Warning
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely. Only call this for "hierarchy-style"
/// relationships.
///
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely.
/// If your relationship is not a tree (like Bevy's hierarchy), be sure to stop if you encounter a duplicate entity.
pub fn iter_descendants<S: RelationshipTarget>(
&'w self,
entity: Entity,
Expand All @@ -109,8 +112,9 @@ impl<'w, 's, D: QueryData, F: QueryFilter> Query<'w, 's, D, F> {
/// [`RelationshipTarget`] in depth-first order.
///
/// # Warning
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely. Only call this for "hierarchy-style"
/// relationships.
///
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely.
/// If your relationship is not a tree (like Bevy's hierarchy), be sure to stop if you encounter a duplicate entity.
pub fn iter_descendants_depth_first<S: RelationshipTarget>(
&'w self,
entity: Entity,
Expand All @@ -125,8 +129,9 @@ impl<'w, 's, D: QueryData, F: QueryFilter> Query<'w, 's, D, F> {
/// Iterates all ancestors of the given `entity` as defined by the `R` [`Relationship`].
///
/// # Warning
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely. Only call this for "hierarchy-style"
/// relationships.
///
/// For relationship graphs that contain loops, this could loop infinitely.
/// If your relationship is not a tree (like Bevy's hierarchy), be sure to stop if you encounter a duplicate entity.
pub fn iter_ancestors<R: Relationship>(
&'w self,
entity: Entity,
Expand Down
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions examples/README.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -315,6 +315,7 @@ Example | Description
[Observers](../examples/ecs/observers.rs) | Demonstrates observers that react to events (both built-in life-cycle events and custom events)
[One Shot Systems](../examples/ecs/one_shot_systems.rs) | Shows how to flexibly run systems without scheduling them
[Parallel Query](../examples/ecs/parallel_query.rs) | Illustrates parallel queries with `ParallelIterator`
[Relationships](../examples/ecs/relationships.rs) | Define and work with custom relationships between entities
[Removal Detection](../examples/ecs/removal_detection.rs) | Query for entities that had a specific component removed earlier in the current frame
[Run Conditions](../examples/ecs/run_conditions.rs) | Run systems only when one or multiple conditions are met
[Send and receive events](../examples/ecs/send_and_receive_events.rs) | Demonstrates how to send and receive events of the same type in a single system
Expand Down
6 changes: 5 additions & 1 deletion examples/ecs/hierarchy.rs
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
//! Creates a hierarchy of parents and children entities.
//! Demonstrates techniques for creating a hierarchy of parent and child entities.
//!
//! When [`DefaultPlugins`] are added to your app, systems are automatically added to propagate
//! [`Transform`] and [`Visibility`] from parents to children down the hierarchy,
//! resulting in a final [`GlobalTransform`] and [`InheritedVisibility`] component for each entity.
use std::f32::consts::*;

Expand Down
213 changes: 213 additions & 0 deletions examples/ecs/relationships.rs
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,213 @@
//! Entities generally don't exist in isolation. Instead, they are related to other entities in various ways.
//! While Bevy comes with a built-in [`ChildOf`]/[`Children`] relationship
//! (which enables transform and visibility propagation),
//! you can define your own relationships using components.
//!
//! We can define a custom relationship by creating two components:
//! one to store the relationship itself, and another to keep track of the reverse relationship.
//! Bevy's [`ChildOf`] component implements the [`Relationship`] trait, serving as the source of truth,
//! while the [`Children`] component implements the [`RelationshipTarget`] trait and is used to accelerate traversals down the hierarchy.
//!
//! In this example we're creating a [`Targeting`]/[`TargetedBy`] relationship,
//! demonstrating how you might model units which target a single unit in combat.
use bevy::ecs::entity::hash_set::EntityHashSet;
use bevy::ecs::system::RunSystemOnce;
use bevy::prelude::*;

/// The entity that this entity is targeting.
///
/// This is the source of truth for the relationship,
/// and can be modified directly to change the target.
#[derive(Component, Debug)]
#[relationship(relationship_target = TargetedBy)]
struct Targeting(Entity);

/// All entities that are targeting this entity.
///
/// This component is updated reactively using the component hooks introduced by deriving
/// the [`Relationship`] trait. We should not modify this component directly,
/// but can safely read its field. In a larger project, we could enforce this through the use of
/// private fields and public getters.
#[derive(Component, Debug)]
#[relationship_target(relationship = Targeting)]
struct TargetedBy(Vec<Entity>);

fn main() {
// Operating on a raw `World` and running systems one at a time
// is great for writing tests and teaching abstract concepts!
let mut world = World::new();

// We're going to spawn a few entities and relate them to each other in a complex way.
// To start, Bob will target Alice, Charlie will target Bob,
// and Alice will target Charlie. This creates a loop in the relationship graph.
//
// Then, we'll spawn Devon, who will target Charlie,
// creating a more complex graph with a branching structure.
fn spawning_entities_with_relationships(mut commands: Commands) {
// Calling .id() after spawning an entity will return the `Entity` identifier of the spawned entity,
// even though the entity itself is not yet instantiated in the world.
// This works because Commands will reserve the entity ID before actually spawning the entity,
// through the use of atomic counters.
let alice = commands.spawn(Name::new("Alice")).id();
// Relations are just components, so we can add them into the bundle that we're spawning.
let bob = commands.spawn((Name::new("Bob"), Targeting(alice))).id();

// The `with_related` helper method on `EntityCommands` can be used to add relations in a more ergonomic way.
let charlie = commands
.spawn((Name::new("Charlie"), Targeting(bob)))
// The `with_related` method will automatically add the `Targeting` component to any entities spawned within the closure,
// targeting the entity that we're calling `with_related` on.
.with_related::<Targeting>(|related_spawner_commands| {
// We could spawn multiple entities here, and they would all target `charlie`.
related_spawner_commands.spawn(Name::new("Devon"));
})
.id();

// Simply inserting the `Targeting` component will automatically create and update the `TargetedBy` component on the target entity.
// We can do this at any point; not just when the entity is spawned.
commands.entity(alice).insert(Targeting(charlie));
}

world
.run_system_once(spawning_entities_with_relationships)
.unwrap();

fn debug_relationships(
// Not all of our entities are targeted by something, so we use `Option` in our query to handle this case.
relations_query: Query<(&Name, &Targeting, Option<&TargetedBy>)>,
name_query: Query<&Name>,
) {
let mut relationships = String::new();

for (name, targeting, maybe_targeted_by) in relations_query.iter() {
let targeting_name = name_query.get(targeting.0).unwrap();
let targeted_by_string = if let Some(targeted_by) = maybe_targeted_by {
let mut vec_of_names = Vec::<&Name>::new();

for entity in &targeted_by.0 {
let name = name_query.get(*entity).unwrap();
vec_of_names.push(name);
}

// Convert this to a nice string for printing.
let vec_of_str: Vec<&str> = vec_of_names.iter().map(|name| name.as_str()).collect();
vec_of_str.join(", ")
} else {
"nobody".to_string()
};

relationships.push_str(&format!(
"{name} is targeting {targeting_name}, and is targeted by {targeted_by_string}\n",
));
}

println!("{}", relationships);
}

world.run_system_once(debug_relationships).unwrap();

// Demonstrates how to correctly mutate relationships.
// Relationship components are immutable! We can't query for the `Targeting` component mutably and modify it directly,
// but we can insert a new `Targeting` component to replace the old one.
// This allows the hooks on the `Targeting` component to update the `TargetedBy` component correctly.
// The `TargetedBy` component will be updated automatically!
fn mutate_relationships(name_query: Query<(Entity, &Name)>, mut commands: Commands) {
// Let's find Devon by doing a linear scan of the entity names.
let devon = name_query
.iter()
.find(|(_entity, name)| name.as_str() == "Devon")
.unwrap()
.0;

let alice = name_query
.iter()
.find(|(_entity, name)| name.as_str() == "Alice")
.unwrap()
.0;

println!("Making Devon target Alice.\n");
commands.entity(devon).insert(Targeting(alice));
}

world.run_system_once(mutate_relationships).unwrap();
world.run_system_once(debug_relationships).unwrap();

// Systems can return errors,
// which can be used to signal that something went wrong during the system's execution.
#[derive(Debug)]
#[expect(
dead_code,
reason = "Rust considers types that are only used by their debug trait as dead code."
)]
struct TargetingCycle {
initial_entity: Entity,
visited: EntityHashSet,
}

/// Bevy's relationships come with all sorts of useful methods for traversal.
/// Here, we're going to look for cycles using a depth-first search.
fn check_for_cycles(
// We want to check every entity for cycles
query_to_check: Query<Entity, With<Targeting>>,
// Fetch the names for easier debugging.
name_query: Query<&Name>,
// The targeting_query allows us to traverse the relationship graph.
targeting_query: Query<&Targeting>,
) -> Result<(), TargetingCycle> {
for initial_entity in query_to_check.iter() {
let mut visited = EntityHashSet::new();
let mut targeting_name = name_query.get(initial_entity).unwrap().clone();
println!("Checking for cycles starting at {targeting_name}",);

// There's all sorts of methods like this; check the `Query` docs for more!
// This would also be easy to do by just manually checking the `Targeting` component,
// and calling `query.get(targeted_entity)` on the entity that it targets in a loop.
for targeting in targeting_query.iter_ancestors(initial_entity) {
let target_name = name_query.get(targeting).unwrap();
println!("{targeting_name} is targeting {target_name}",);
targeting_name = target_name.clone();

if !visited.insert(targeting) {
return Err(TargetingCycle {
initial_entity,
visited,
});
}
}
}

// If we've checked all the entities and haven't found a cycle, we're good!
Ok(())
}

// Calling `world.run_system_once` on systems which return Results gives us two layers of errors:
// the first checks if running the system failed, and the second checks if the system itself returned an error.
// We're unwrapping the first, but checking the output of the system itself.
let cycle_result = world.run_system_once(check_for_cycles).unwrap();
println!("{cycle_result:?} \n");
// We deliberately introduced a cycle during spawning!
assert!(cycle_result.is_err());

// Now, let's demonstrate removing relationships and break the cycle.
fn untarget(mut commands: Commands, name_query: Query<(Entity, &Name)>) {
// Let's find Charlie by doing a linear scan of the entity names.
let charlie = name_query
.iter()
.find(|(_entity, name)| name.as_str() == "Charlie")
.unwrap()
.0;

// We can remove the `Targeting` component to remove the relationship
// and break the cycle we saw earlier.
println!("Removing Charlie's targeting relationship.\n");
commands.entity(charlie).remove::<Targeting>();
}

world.run_system_once(untarget).unwrap();
world.run_system_once(debug_relationships).unwrap();
// Cycle free!
let cycle_result = world.run_system_once(check_for_cycles).unwrap();
println!("{cycle_result:?} \n");
assert!(cycle_result.is_ok());
}

0 comments on commit b34833f

Please sign in to comment.