185 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
185 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
# Ternary Search Tree (TST)
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A persistent ternary search tree implementation in Rust using OurDB for storage.
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## Overview
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TST is a space-optimized tree data structure that enables efficient string key operations with persistent storage. This implementation provides a persistent ternary search tree that can be used for efficient string key operations, such as auto-complete, routing tables, and more.
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A ternary search tree is a type of trie where each node has three children: left, middle, and right. Unlike a radix tree which compresses common prefixes, a TST stores one character per node and uses a binary search tree-like structure for efficient traversal.
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Key characteristics:
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- Each node stores a single character
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- Nodes have three children: left (for characters < current), middle (for next character in key), and right (for characters > current)
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- Leaf nodes contain the actual values
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- Balanced structure for consistent performance across operations
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## Features
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- Efficient string key operations
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- Persistent storage using OurDB backend
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- Balanced tree structure for consistent performance
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- Support for binary values
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- Thread-safe operations through OurDB
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## Usage
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Add the dependency to your `Cargo.toml`:
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```toml
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[dependencies]
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tst = { path = "../tst" }
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```
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### Basic Example
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```rust
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use tst::TST;
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fn main() -> Result<(), tst::Error> {
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// Create a new ternary search tree
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let mut tree = TST::new("/tmp/tst", false)?;
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// Set key-value pairs
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tree.set("hello", b"world".to_vec())?;
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tree.set("help", b"me".to_vec())?;
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// Get values by key
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let value = tree.get("hello")?;
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println!("hello: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&value)); // Prints: world
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// List keys by prefix
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let keys = tree.list("hel")?; // Returns ["hello", "help"]
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println!("Keys with prefix 'hel': {:?}", keys);
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// Get all values by prefix
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let values = tree.getall("hel")?; // Returns [b"world", b"me"]
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// Delete keys
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tree.delete("help")?;
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Ok(())
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}
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```
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## API
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### Creating a TST
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```rust
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// Create a new ternary search tree
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let mut tree = TST::new("/tmp/tst", false)?;
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// Create a new ternary search tree and reset if it exists
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let mut tree = TST::new("/tmp/tst", true)?;
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```
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### Setting Values
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```rust
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// Set a key-value pair
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tree.set("key", b"value".to_vec())?;
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```
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### Getting Values
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```rust
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// Get a value by key
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let value = tree.get("key")?;
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```
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### Deleting Keys
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```rust
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// Delete a key
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tree.delete("key")?;
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```
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### Listing Keys by Prefix
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```rust
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// List all keys with a given prefix
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let keys = tree.list("prefix")?;
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```
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### Getting All Values by Prefix
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```rust
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// Get all values for keys with a given prefix
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let values = tree.getall("prefix")?;
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```
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## Performance Characteristics
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- Search: O(k) where k is the key length
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- Insert: O(k) for new keys
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- Delete: O(k) plus potential node cleanup
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- Space: O(n) where n is the total number of nodes
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## Use Cases
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TST is particularly useful for:
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- Prefix-based searching
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- Auto-complete systems
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- Dictionary implementations
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- Spell checking
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- Any application requiring efficient string key operations with persistence
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## Implementation Details
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The TST implementation uses OurDB for persistent storage:
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- Each node is serialized and stored as a record in OurDB
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- Node references use OurDB record IDs
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- The tree maintains a root node ID for traversal
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- Node serialization includes version tracking for format evolution
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## Running Tests
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The project includes a comprehensive test suite that verifies all functionality:
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```bash
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cd ~/code/git.threefold.info/herocode/db/tst
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# Run all tests
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cargo test
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# Run specific test file
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cargo test --test basic_test
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cargo test --test prefix_test
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```
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## Running Examples
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The project includes example applications that demonstrate how to use the TST:
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```bash
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# Run the basic usage example
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cargo run --example basic_usage
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# Run the prefix operations example
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cargo run --example prefix_ops
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# Run the performance test
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cargo run --example performance
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```
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## Comparison with RadixTree
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While both TST and RadixTree provide efficient string key operations, they have different characteristics:
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- **TST**: Stores one character per node, with a balanced structure for consistent performance across operations.
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- **RadixTree**: Compresses common prefixes, which can be more space-efficient for keys with long common prefixes.
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Choose TST when:
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- You need balanced performance across all operations
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- Your keys don't share long common prefixes
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- You want a simpler implementation with predictable performance
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Choose RadixTree when:
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- Space efficiency is a priority
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- Your keys share long common prefixes
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- You prioritize lookup performance over balanced performance
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## License
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This project is licensed under the same license as the HeroCode project. |