Runtime type reflection: enumerate properties and fields by index, resolve ids
by name, read a field's type, and get/set/has an entity's fields generically —
the foundation the issue calls out for auto-serialization, data-driven tools,
and debug/inspector overlays. Built on the existing EV2 reflection ABI plus a
new EV8 metadata-enumeration layer, all generated at compile time (a table walk,
no heavy runtime introspection), so a binary that never reflects pays nothing.
Surface (Reflect.*, aliased in emit_call.ludic over the world_* reflection ABI):
- Reflect.prop(name) / field(prop,name) resolve ids by name (-1 = none)
- Reflect.prop_count() / prop_name(i) enumerate properties
- Reflect.field_count(prop) / field_name(prop,i) / field_type(prop,i)
enumerate a component's fields
- Reflect.get / set / has (entity, prop, ...) read/write/test a field by id
- Reflect.kind(entity) / model(name) an entity's model, by id/name
New codegen (emit_world.ludic, EV8): ludic_prop_count / prop_name /
field_count / field_name / field_type, generated the same way as ludic_prop_id
— a switch over the compile-time property/field metadata, falling through to the
mod-registered (dynamic) registries. Field names/types come straight from the
AST, so field_type reports the declared type ("int"/"fixed"/…). A program that
uses Reflect.* force-emits the reflection ABI (g_uses_reflect) so it needs no
@events of its own, exactly like Query.* (#42).
examples/library/reflect.ludic asserts 20 cases including a generic inspector
that sums every field of every component an entity has while naming none of them
— the auto-save / debug-overlay pattern end to end. Wired into x test (now 64
passed). Docs: a Reflect section + 12 per-symbol pages (positioned as an
advanced/tooling surface), inventory/coverage green. Seed reseeded; the C-free
bootstrap fixpoint holds.
Scope: this lands the reflection core and a real consumer (the generic
inspector). The generic value-tree `serialize` the proposal also sketches wants
a tagged-union/any value type from the #1 type-system work, so it is tracked as
a follow-up rather than forced in here.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
1.4 KiB
| id | title | order |
|---|---|---|
| reflect | Reflect | 31 |
Runtime reflection over the world schema — inspect properties, fields, and entity state by name and by index. It powers the conveniences game devs consume without writing reflection code: automatic save/load, data-driven tools, and debug/inspector overlays. Enumerate with Reflect.prop_count/Reflect.prop_name and Reflect.field_count/Reflect.field_name/Reflect.field_type; resolve ids with Reflect.prop/Reflect.field; read and write an entity's fields with Reflect.get/Reflect.set/Reflect.has; and identify its model with Reflect.kind/Reflect.model. The metadata tables are generated at compile time (the same reflection ABI a foreign mod binds), so introspection is a table walk, not heavy runtime machinery. This is an advanced/tooling surface — most developers get its benefits through built-in features. Related: World, Query.