All-around improvements to Path

- Use `FormatOptions` struct to specify
  how paths get parsed and stringified
- Replace .alloc union with Allocator and
  booleans specifying what the path owns
- Implement clone function
- Add some helper functions
- More and improved documentation

src/path.zig

@@ -1,132 +1,253 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 const Allocator = std.mem.Allocator;
 
-const c = @import("./c.zig");
-
-pub var default_seperator = "/";
-pub var default_prefix = "/";
-
 // TODO: Do something better than just `std.debug.assert`.
+// TODO: Offer a way to validate paths, like checking for empty parts.
 
+/// Represents the path of an `Entity`, describing its place in the world's
+/// hierarchy which is constructed using `ChildOf` relationships.
 pub const Path = struct {
     /// Whether the path is specified to be absolute.
     /// Note that a relative path can still be interpreted as absolute.
     absolute: bool,
     /// The string parts that make up the path.
     parts: []const []const u8,
-    /// Specifies how the path has been allocated.
+    /// The allocator that was used to allocate `parts`.
-    /// Defines what happens when `deinit()` is called.
+    alloc: ?Allocator = null,
-    alloc: union(enum) {
+    /// Whether the parts outer array itself is owned by this `Path`.
-        /// None of the data is owned by the path.
+    owns_array: bool = false,
-        none,
+    /// Whether the parts inner strings are owned by this `Path`.
-        /// The parts array itself is owned by the path.
+    owns_parts: bool = false,
-        array: Allocator,
+
-        /// The parts array and the contained parts are owned by the path.
+    /// Format used to parse and stringify `Path`s.
-        parts: Allocator,
+    ///
-    },
+    /// When this type is formatted, you may use any of the `FormatOption`
+    /// constants in this type by name as `fmt` specifier, such as `"{unix}"`.
+    /// An empty `fmt` results in the `default` format being used, which can be
+    /// changed at runtime.
+    pub const FormatOptions = struct {
+        /// The prefix used for an absolute `Path`, if any.
+        ///
+        /// If set to `null`, absolute paths can't be represented using strings.
+        /// In this case, an absolue path and relative path with identical parts
+        /// will be indistinguishable.
+        prefix: ?[]const u8,
+        /// The separator used between parts that make up a `Path`.
+        sep: []const u8,
+
+        /// The format used by Flecs' C API. For example `flecs.core`.
+        pub const flecs_c = FormatOptions{ .prefix = null, .sep = "." };
+        /// The format used by Flecs' C++ API. For example `::flecs::core`.
+        pub const flecs_cpp = FormatOptions{ .prefix = "::", .sep = "::" };
+        /// Unix-like format. For example `/flecs/core`.
+        pub const unix = FormatOptions{ .prefix = "/", .sep = "/" };
+
+        /// The default format used when none is specified. Can be changed at runtime.
+        pub var default = flecs_c;
+    };
 
     /// Creates a new `Path` from the specified string parts.
+    ///
     /// The resulting path does not own any of the given slices.
     pub fn fromParts(absolute: bool, parts: []const []const u8) !Path {
         std.debug.assert(parts.len > 0);
-        return .{ .absolute = absolute, .parts = parts, .alloc = .none };
+        return .{ .absolute = absolute, .parts = parts };
     }
 
-    /// Creates a new `Path` from the specified string using the default
+    /// Parses a string as a `Path` using the `FormatOptions` specified,
-    /// seperator and prefix strings.
+    /// or `FormatOptions.default` if the argument is `null`.
-    ///
-    /// If the string starts with the default prefix (if any), the resulting
-    /// path will be absolute. The rest of the string will be split by the
-    /// default seperator, becoming its parts.
-    ///
-    /// The parts array will be allocated with the specified allocator and is
-    /// owned by the resulting path. `deinit()` must be called to free it.
-    pub fn fromString(path: []const u8, alloc: Allocator) !Path {
-        return fromStringCustom(path, default_seperator, default_prefix, alloc);
-    }
-
-    /// Creates a new `Path` from the specified string using the specified
-    /// seperator and optionally a prefix strings.
     ///
     /// If the string starts with the specified prefix (if any), the resulting
     /// path will be absolute. The rest of the string will be split by the
     /// specified seperator, becoming its parts.
     ///
-    /// The parts array will be allocated with the specified allocator and is
+    /// The parts array will be allocated with the specified `Allocator` and is
     /// owned by the resulting path. `deinit()` must be called to free it.
-    pub fn fromStringCustom(path: []const u8, sep: []const u8, prefix: ?[]const u8, alloc: Allocator) !Path {
+    pub fn fromString(path: []const u8, options: ?FormatOptions, alloc: Allocator) !Path {
-        std.debug.assert(path.len > 0);
+        if (path.len == 0) return error.MustNotBeEmpty;
+        const opt = options orelse FormatOptions.default;
 
         var remaining = path;
         var absolute = false;
 
         // If prefix is defined and path starts with it, the path is absolute.
-        if (prefix) |p| {
+        if (opt.prefix) |p| {
             if (std.mem.startsWith(u8, remaining, p)) {
                 remaining = remaining[p.len..];
                 absolute = true;
             }
         }
 
-        const parts_len = std.mem.count(u8, remaining, sep) + 1;
+        const parts_len = std.mem.count(u8, remaining, opt.sep) + 1;
         const parts = try alloc.alloc([]const u8, parts_len);
 
         var i: usize = 0;
-        var it = std.mem.splitSequence(u8, remaining, sep);
+        var it = std.mem.splitSequence(u8, remaining, opt.sep);
         while (it.next()) |part| : (i += 1) parts[i] = part;
 
-        return .{ .absolute = absolute, .parts = parts, .alloc = .{ .array = alloc } };
+        return .{
+            .absolute = absolute,
+            .parts = parts,
+            .alloc = alloc,
+            .owns_array = true,
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// Creates a deep clone of this `Path` using the specified `Allocator`.
+    pub fn clone(orig: Path, alloc: Allocator) !Path {
+        var parts = try alloc.dupe([]const u8, orig.parts);
+        errdefer alloc.free(parts);
+
+        var num_allocated: usize = 0;
+        errdefer for (parts[0..num_allocated]) |part|
+            alloc.free(part);
+
+        for (parts) |*part| {
+            part.* = try alloc.dupe(u8, part.*);
+            num_allocated += 1;
         }
 
-    pub fn clone(self: Path) !Path {
+        return .{
-        _ = self;
+            .absolute = orig.absolute,
-        return error.NotImplemented;
+            .parts = parts,
+            .alloc = alloc,
+            .owns_array = true,
+            .owns_parts = true,
+        };
     }
 
+    /// Destroys any memory owned by this `Path`, if any.
     pub fn deinit(self: Path) void {
-        switch (self.alloc) {
+        if (self.owns_parts)
-            .none => {}, // Do nothing.
+            for (self.parts) |part|
-            .array => |alloc| alloc.free(self.parts),
+                self.alloc.?.free(part);
-            .parts => |alloc| {
+        if (self.owns_array)
-                for (self.parts) |p| alloc.free(p);
+            self.alloc.?.free(self.parts);
-                alloc.free(self.parts);
+    }
-            },
+
+    pub fn toString(
+        self: Path,
+        options: ?FormatOptions,
+        alloc: Allocator,
+    ) ![:0]const u8 {
+        const opt = options orelse FormatOptions.default;
+        const length = self.calculateLength(opt);
+        var result = try alloc.allocSentinel(u8, length, 0);
+        var stream = std.io.fixedBufferStream(result);
+        try write(self, opt, stream.writer());
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    pub fn format(
+        self: Path,
+        comptime fmt: []const u8,
+        options: std.fmt.FormatOptions,
+        writer: anytype,
+    ) !void {
+        _ = options; // TODO: Actually make use of this.
+
+        const opt = if (fmt.len == 0)
+            FormatOptions.default
+        else if (@hasDecl(FormatOptions, fmt) and @TypeOf(@field(FormatOptions, fmt)) == FormatOptions)
+            @field(FormatOptions, fmt)
+        else
+            std.fmt.invalidFmtError(fmt, Path);
+
+        try self.write(opt, writer);
+    }
+
+    fn calculateLength(self: Path, opt: FormatOptions) usize {
+        // Separators.
+        var result = opt.sep.len * (self.parts.len - 1);
+        // Prefix.
+        if (self.absolute) {
+            if (opt.prefix) |p|
+                result += p.len;
+        }
+        // Parts.
+        for (self.parts) |part|
+            result += part.len;
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    fn write(self: Path, opt: FormatOptions, writer: anytype) !void {
+        // Write prefix (if applicable),
+        if (self.absolute) {
+            if (opt.prefix) |p|
+                try writer.writeAll(p);
+        }
+        // Write first part.
+        try writer.writeAll(self.parts[0]);
+        // Write other parts, each preceeded by separator.
+        for (self.parts[1..]) |part| {
+            try writer.writeAll(opt.sep);
+            try writer.writeAll(part);
         }
     }
 };
 
 test Path {
     const alloc = std.testing.allocator;
-    // const expect = std.testing.expect;
+    const expectFmt = std.testing.expectFmt;
-    const expectEql = std.testing.expectEqual;
+    const expectEqual = std.testing.expectEqual;
-    const expectStrEql = std.testing.expectEqualStrings;
+    const expectEqualDeep = std.testing.expectEqualDeep;
-
+    const expectEqualStrings = std.testing.expectEqualStrings;
-    const path1 = try Path.fromStringCustom("some/relative/path", "/", "/", alloc);
+
-    defer path1.deinit();
+    // Paths may be constructed by parsing strings.
-    try expectEql(false, path1.absolute);
+    const relative = try Path.fromString("some.relative.path", null, alloc);
-    try expectEql(@as(usize, 3), path1.parts.len);
+    defer relative.deinit();
-    try expectStrEql("some", path1.parts[0]);
+
-    try expectStrEql("relative", path1.parts[1]);
+    // Alternatively they can be made by specifying the individual component
-    try expectStrEql("path", path1.parts[2]);
+    // parts they're made of, as well as an argument specifying whether it's
-
+    // an absolute path.
-    const path2 = try Path.fromStringCustom("/absolute", "/", "/", alloc);
+    const absolute1 = try Path.fromParts(true, &.{ "I'm", "absolute!" });
-    defer path2.deinit();
+    // No need for `deinit()`, does not own outer array nor inner string parts.
-    try expectEql(true, path2.absolute);
+
-    try expectEql(@as(usize, 1), path2.parts.len);
+    // With `options` unspecified, it's not possible to represent an absolute
-    try expectStrEql("absolute", path2.parts[0]);
+    // path using a string. Pass your own `FormatOptions` to be able to.
-
+    const absolute2 = try Path.fromString("/home/copygirl", Path.FormatOptions.unix, alloc);
-    const path3 = try Path.fromStringCustom("foo.bar.baz", ".", null, alloc);
+    defer absolute2.deinit();
-    defer path3.deinit();
+
-    try expectEql(false, path3.absolute);
+    // Use `.absolute` to test if the path is absolute.
-    try expectEql(@as(usize, 3), path3.parts.len);
+    // Relative paths can be treated as absolute in the absence of a context.
-    try expectPartsEql(&.{ "foo", "bar", "baz" }, path3.parts);
+    // Using absolute paths where a relative one is expected may cause an error.
-
+    try expectEqual(false, relative.absolute);
-    const path4 = try Path.fromParts(true, &.{ "I", "am", "Groot!" });
+    try expectEqual(true, absolute1.absolute);
-    // defer path4.deinit(); -- Not necessary, cannot leak.
+    try expectEqual(true, absolute2.absolute);
-    try expectEql(true, path4.absolute);
+
-    try expectPartsEql(&.{ "I", "am", "Groot!" }, path4.parts);
+    // The internal component parts of the path can be accessed with `.parts`.
-}
+    try expectEqual(@as(usize, 3), relative.parts.len);
-
+    try expectEqualStrings("some", relative.parts[0]);
-fn expectPartsEql(expected: []const []const u8, actual: []const []const u8) !void {
+    try expectEqualStrings("relative", relative.parts[1]);
-    try std.testing.expectEqualDeep(expected, actual);
+    try expectEqualStrings("path", relative.parts[2]);
+    try expectEqualDeep(@as([]const []const u8, &.{ "I'm", "absolute!" }), absolute1.parts);
+    try expectEqualDeep(@as([]const []const u8, &.{ "home", "copygirl" }), absolute2.parts);
+
+    // Paths are formattable, and as the `fmt` specifier you can either use one
+    // of the pre-defined ones defined in the `FormatOptions` type, or just an
+    // empty string to use the default.
+    try expectFmt("some.relative.path", "{}", .{relative});
+    try expectFmt("::I'm::absolute!", "{flecs_cpp}", .{absolute1});
+    try expectFmt("/home/copygirl", "{unix}", .{absolute2});
+
+    // They can also be turned directly into strings, which
+    // allows you to use entirely custom `FormatOptions`s:
+    const absolute1_str = try absolute1.toString(.{ .prefix = "= ", .sep = " + " }, alloc);
+    defer alloc.free(absolute1_str);
+    try expectEqualStrings("= I'm + absolute!", absolute1_str);
+
+    // The default `FormatOptions` may be changed.
+    Path.FormatOptions.default = Path.FormatOptions.unix;
+
+    // This affects functions that use them to parse or format strings.
+    try expectFmt("some/relative/path", "{}", .{relative});
+    const another_relative = try Path.fromString("mom/sister/child", null, alloc);
+    defer another_relative.deinit();
+    try expectFmt("mom/sister/child", "{}", .{another_relative});
+
+    // A deep clone of a path can be allocated using `.clone()`.
+    // This clone owns the outer array and its inner strings.
+    const twin = try another_relative.clone(alloc);
+    try expectFmt("mom/sister/child", "{}", .{twin});
+    twin.deinit();
 }