ZIm/crates/gpui/docs/contexts.md
Mikayla Maki a6b1514246
Fix missed renames in #22632 (#23688)
Fix a bug where a GPUI macro still used `ModelContext`
Rename `AsyncAppContext` -> `AsyncApp`
Rename update_model, read_model, insert_model, and reserve_model to
update_entity, read_entity, insert_entity, and reserve_entity

Release Notes:

- N/A
2025-01-26 23:37:34 +00:00

41 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown

# Contexts
GPUI makes extensive use of _context parameters_, typically named `cx` and positioned at the end of the parameter list, unless they're before a final function parameter. A context reference provides access to application state and services.
There are multiple kinds of contexts, and contexts implement the `Deref` trait so that a function taking `&mut AppContext` could be passed a `&mut Window, &mut AppContext` or `&mut ViewContext` instead.
```
AppContext
/ \
ModelContext WindowContext
/
ViewContext
```
- The `AppContext` forms the root of the hierarchy
- `ModelContext` and `WindowContext` both dereference to `AppContext`
- `ViewContext` dereferences to `WindowContext`
## `AppContext`
Provides access to the global application state. All other kinds of contexts ultimately deref to an `AppContext`. You can update a `Model<T>` by passing an `AppContext`, but you can't update a view. For that you need a `WindowContext`...
## `WindowContext`
Provides access to the state of an application window, and also derefs to an `AppContext`, so you can pass a window context reference to any method taking an app context. Obtain this context by calling `WindowHandle::update`.
## `Context<T>`
Available when you create or update a `Model<T>`. It derefs to an `AppContext`, but also contains methods specific to the particular model, such as the ability to notify change observers or emit events.
## `ViewContext<V>`
Available when you create or update a `View<V>`. It derefs to a `WindowContext`, but also contains methods specific to the particular view, such as the ability to notify change observers or emit events.
## `AsyncApp` and `AsyncWindowContext`
Whereas the above contexts are always passed to your code as references, you can call `to_async` on the reference to create an async context, which has a static lifetime and can be held across `await` points in async code. When you interact with `Model`s or `View`s with an async context, the calls become fallible, because the context may outlive the window or even the app itself.
## `TestAppContext` and `TestVisualContext`
These are similar to the async contexts above, but they panic if you attempt to access a non-existent app or window, and they also contain other features specific to tests.