rhai/doc/src/patterns/events.md

Scriptable Event Handler with State

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Usage Scenario

• A system sends events that must be handled.

• Flexibility in event handling must be provided, through user-side scripting.

• State must be kept between invocations of event handlers.

• Default implementations of event handlers can be provided.

Key Concepts

• An event handler object is declared that holds the following items:

  • [Engine] with registered functions serving as an API,
  • [AST] of the user script,
  • a [Scope] containing state.

• Upon an event, the appropriate event handler function in the script is called via [Engine::call_fn][call_fn].

• Optionally, trap the EvalAltResult::ErrorFunctionNotFound error to provide a default implementation.

Implementation

Declare Handler Object

In most cases, it would be simpler to store an [Engine] instance together with the handler object because it only requires registering all API functions only once.

In rare cases where handlers are created and destroyed in a tight loop, a new [Engine] instance can be created for each event. See One Engine Instance Per Call for more details.

use rhai::{Engine, Scope, AST, EvalAltResult};

// Event handler
struct Handler {
    // Scripting engine
    pub engine: Engine,
    // Use a custom 'Scope' to keep stored state
    pub scope: Scope<'static>,
    // Program script
    pub ast: AST
}

Register API for Any Custom Type

[Custom types] are often used to hold state. The easiest way to register an entire API is via a [plugin module].

use rhai::plugin::*;

// A custom type to a hold state value.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Eq, PartialEq, Hash, Default)]
pub struct SomeType {
    data: i64;
}

#[export_module]
mod SomeTypeAPI {
    #[rhai_fn(global)]
    pub func1(obj: &mut SomeType) -> bool { ... }
    #[rhai_fn(global)]
    pub func2(obj: &mut SomeType) -> bool { ... }
    pub process(data: i64) -> i64 { ... }
    #[rhai_fn(get = "value")]
    pub get_value(obj: &mut SomeType) -> i64 { obj.data }
    #[rhai_fn(set = "value")]
    pub set_value(obj: &mut SomeType, value: i64) { obj.data = value; }
}

Initialize Handler Object

Steps to initialize the event handler:

1. Register an API with the [Engine],
2. Create a custom [Scope] to serve as the stored state,
3. Add default state variables into the custom [Scope],
4. Get the handler script and [compile][AST] it,
5. Store the compiled [AST] for future evaluations,
6. Run the [AST] to initialize event handler state variables.

impl Handler {
    pub new(path: impl Into<PathBuf>) -> Self {
        let mut engine = Engine::new();

        // Register custom types and API's
        engine
            .register_type_with_name::<SomeType>("SomeType")
            .load_package(exported_module!(SomeTypeAPI));

        // Create a custom 'Scope' to hold state
        let mut scope = Scope::new();

        // Add initialized state into the custom 'Scope'
        scope.push("state1", false);
        scope.push("state2", SomeType::new(42));

        // Compile the handler script.
        // In a real application you'd be handling errors...
        let ast = engine.compile_file(path).unwrap();

        // Evaluate the script to initialize it and other state variables.
        // In a real application you'd again be handling errors...
        engine.consume_ast_with_scope(&mut scope, &ast).unwrap();

        // The event handler is essentially these three items:
        Handler { engine, scope, ast }
    }
}

Hook up events

There is usually an interface or trait that gets called when an event comes from the system.

Mapping an event from the system into a scripted handler is straight-forward:

impl Handler {
    // Say there are three events: 'start', 'end', 'update'.
    // In a real application you'd be handling errors...
    pub fn on_event(&mut self, event_name: &str, event_data: i64) -> Result<(), Error> {
        match event_name {
            // The 'start' event maps to function 'start'.
            // In a real application you'd be handling errors...
            "start" => self.engine.call_fn(&mut self.scope, &self.ast, "start", (event_data,))?,

            // The 'end' event maps to function 'end'.
            // In a real application you'd be handling errors...
            "end" => self.engine.call_fn(&mut self.scope, &self.ast, "end", (event_data,))?,

            // The 'update' event maps to function 'update'.
            // This event provides a default implementation when the scripted function
            // is not found.
            "update" => self.engine
                            .call_fn(&mut self.scope, &self.ast, "update", (event_data,))
                            .or_else(|err| match *err {
                                EvalAltResult::ErrorFunctionNotFound(fn_name, _) if fn_name == "update" => {
                                    // Default implementation of 'update' event handler
                                    self.scope.set_value("state2", SomeType::new(42));
                                    // Turn function-not-found into a success
                                    Ok(Dynamic::UNIT)
                                }
                                _ => Err(err.into())
                            })?
        }
    }
}

Sample Handler Script

Because the stored state is kept in a custom [Scope], it is possible for all functions defined in the handler script to access and modify these state variables.

The API registered with the [Engine] can be also used throughout the script.

fn start(data) {
    if state1 {
        throw "Already started!";
    }
    if state2.func1() || state2.func2() {
        throw "Conditions not yet ready to start!";
    }
    state1 = true;
    state2.value = data;
}

fn end(data) {
    if !state1 {
        throw "Not yet started!";
    }
    if state2.func1() || state2.func2() {
        throw "Conditions not yet ready to start!";
    }
    state1 = false;
    state2.value = data;
}

fn update(data) {
    state2.value += process(data);
}