db/tst_integration_plan.md

TST Integration Plan for HeroDB

Overview

This document outlines the plan for adding generic functionality to the herodb/src/db module to use the Ternary Search Tree (TST) for storing objects with prefixed IDs and implementing a generic list function to retrieve all objects with a specific prefix.

Current Architecture

Currently:

• Each model has a db_prefix() method that returns a string prefix (e.g., "vote" for Vote objects)
• Objects are stored in OurDB with numeric IDs
• The list() method in OurDbStore is not implemented

Implementation Plan

1. Create a TST-based Index Manager (herodb/src/db/tst_index.rs)

Create a new module that manages TST instances for different model prefixes:

use crate::db::error::{DbError, DbResult};
use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
use tst::TST;

/// Manages TST-based indexes for model objects
pub struct TSTIndexManager {
    /// Base path for TST databases
    base_path: PathBuf,
    
    /// Map of model prefixes to their TST instances
    tst_instances: std::collections::HashMap<String, TST>,
}

impl TSTIndexManager {
    /// Creates a new TST index manager
    pub fn new<P: AsRef<Path>>(base_path: P) -> DbResult<Self> {
        let base_path = base_path.as_ref().to_path_buf();
        
        // Create directory if it doesn't exist
        std::fs::create_dir_all(&base_path).map_err(DbError::IoError)?;
        
        Ok(Self {
            base_path,
            tst_instances: std::collections::HashMap::new(),
        })
    }
    
    /// Gets or creates a TST instance for a model prefix
    pub fn get_tst(&mut self, prefix: &str) -> DbResult<&mut TST> {
        if !self.tst_instances.contains_key(prefix) {
            // Create a new TST instance for this prefix
            let tst_path = self.base_path.join(format!("{}_tst", prefix));
            let tst_path_str = tst_path.to_string_lossy().to_string();
            
            // Create the TST
            let tst = TST::new(&tst_path_str, false)
                .map_err(|e| DbError::GeneralError(format!("TST error: {:?}", e)))?;
            
            // Insert it into the map
            self.tst_instances.insert(prefix.to_string(), tst);
        }
        
        // Return a mutable reference to the TST
        Ok(self.tst_instances.get_mut(prefix).unwrap())
    }
    
    /// Adds or updates an object in the TST index
    pub fn set(&mut self, prefix: &str, id: u32, data: Vec<u8>) -> DbResult<()> {
        // Get the TST for this prefix
        let tst = self.get_tst(prefix)?;
        
        // Create the key in the format prefix_id
        let key = format!("{}_{}", prefix, id);
        
        // Set the key-value pair in the TST
        tst.set(&key, data)
            .map_err(|e| DbError::GeneralError(format!("TST error: {:?}", e)))?;
        
        Ok(())
    }
    
    /// Removes an object from the TST index
    pub fn delete(&mut self, prefix: &str, id: u32) -> DbResult<()> {
        // Get the TST for this prefix
        let tst = self.get_tst(prefix)?;
        
        // Create the key in the format prefix_id
        let key = format!("{}_{}", prefix, id);
        
        // Delete the key from the TST
        tst.delete(&key)
            .map_err(|e| DbError::GeneralError(format!("TST error: {:?}", e)))?;
        
        Ok(())
    }
    
    /// Lists all objects with a given prefix
    pub fn list(&mut self, prefix: &str) -> DbResult<Vec<(u32, Vec<u8>)>> {
        // Get the TST for this prefix
        let tst = self.get_tst(prefix)?;
        
        // Get all keys with this prefix
        let keys = tst.list(prefix)
            .map_err(|e| DbError::GeneralError(format!("TST error: {:?}", e)))?;
        
        // Get all values for these keys
        let mut result = Vec::with_capacity(keys.len());
        for key in keys {
            // Extract the ID from the key (format: prefix_id)
            let id_str = key.split('_').nth(1).ok_or_else(|| {
                DbError::GeneralError(format!("Invalid key format: {}", key))
            })?;
            
            let id = id_str.parse::<u32>().map_err(|_| {
                DbError::GeneralError(format!("Invalid ID in key: {}", key))
            })?;
            
            // Get the value from the TST
            let data = tst.get(&key)
                .map_err(|e| DbError::GeneralError(format!("TST error: {:?}", e)))?;
            
            result.push((id, data));
        }
        
        Ok(result)
    }
}

2. Update DB Module (herodb/src/db/mod.rs)

Add the new module to the db module:

pub mod db;
pub mod error;
pub mod macros;
pub mod model;
pub mod model_methods;
pub mod store;
pub mod tst_index; // Add the new module

pub use db::DB;
pub use db::DBBuilder;
pub use error::{DbError, DbResult};
pub use model::Model;
pub use model::Storable;

3. Modify DB Struct (herodb/src/db/db.rs)

Update the DB struct to include the TST index manager:

/// Main DB manager that automatically handles all models
#[derive(Clone, CustomType)]
pub struct DB {
    db_path: PathBuf,
    
    // Type map for generic operations
    type_map: HashMap<TypeId, Arc<RwLock<dyn DbOperations>>>,
    
    // TST index manager
    tst_index: Arc<RwLock<TSTIndexManager>>,
    
    // Transaction state
    transaction: Arc<RwLock<Option<TransactionState>>>,
}

4. Extend Transaction Handling

Extend the DbOperation enum to include model prefix and ID information:

#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
enum DbOperation {
    Set {
        model_type: TypeId,
        serialized: Vec<u8>,
        model_prefix: String, // Add model prefix
        model_id: u32,        // Add model ID
    },
    Delete {
        model_type: TypeId,
        id: u32,
        model_prefix: String, // Add model prefix
    },
}

5. Update Transaction Recording

Modify the set and delete methods to record model prefix and ID in the transaction:

pub fn set<T: Model>(&self, model: &T) -> DbResult<()> {
    // Try to acquire a write lock on the transaction
    let mut tx_guard = self.transaction.write().unwrap();
    
    // Check if there's an active transaction
    if let Some(tx_state) = tx_guard.as_mut() {
        if tx_state.active {
            // Serialize the model for later use
            let serialized = model.to_bytes()?;
            
            // Record a Set operation in the transaction with prefix and ID
            tx_state.operations.push(DbOperation::Set {
                model_type: TypeId::of::<T>(),
                serialized: serialized.clone(),
                model_prefix: T::db_prefix().to_string(),
                model_id: model.get_id(),
            });
            
            return Ok(());
        }
    }
    
    // ... rest of the method ...
}

pub fn delete<T: Model>(&self, id: u32) -> DbResult<()> {
    // Try to acquire a write lock on the transaction
    let mut tx_guard = self.transaction.write().unwrap();
    
    // Check if there's an active transaction
    if let Some(tx_state) = tx_guard.as_mut() {
        if tx_state.active {
            // Record a Delete operation in the transaction with prefix
            tx_state.operations.push(DbOperation::Delete {
                model_type: TypeId::of::<T>(),
                id,
                model_prefix: T::db_prefix().to_string(),
            });
            
            return Ok(());
        }
    }
    
    // ... rest of the method ...
}

6. Update Transaction Commit

Modify the commit_transaction method to update both OurDB and the TST index:

pub fn commit_transaction(&self) -> DbResult<()> {
    let mut tx_guard = self.transaction.write().unwrap();
    
    if let Some(tx_state) = tx_guard.take() {
        if !tx_state.active {
            return Err(DbError::TransactionError("Transaction not active".into()));
        }
        
        // Create a backup of the transaction state in case we need to rollback
        let backup = tx_state.clone();
        
        // Try to execute all operations
        let result = (|| {
            for op in &tx_state.operations {
                match op {
                    DbOperation::Set {
                        model_type,
                        serialized,
                        model_prefix,
                        model_id,
                    } => {
                        // Apply to OurDB
                        self.apply_set_operation(*model_type, serialized)?;
                        
                        // Apply to TST index
                        let mut tst_index = self.tst_index.write().unwrap();
                        tst_index.set(model_prefix, *model_id, serialized.clone())?;
                    }
                    DbOperation::Delete {
                        model_type,
                        id,
                        model_prefix,
                    } => {
                        // Apply to OurDB
                        let db_ops = self
                            .type_map
                            .get(model_type)
                            .ok_or_else(|| DbError::TypeError)?;
                        let mut db_ops_guard = db_ops.write().unwrap();
                        db_ops_guard.delete(*id)?;
                        
                        // Apply to TST index
                        let mut tst_index = self.tst_index.write().unwrap();
                        tst_index.delete(model_prefix, *id)?;
                    }
                }
            }
            Ok(())
        })();
        
        // If any operation failed, restore the transaction state
        if result.is_err() {
            *tx_guard = Some(backup);
            return result;
        }
        
        Ok(())
    } else {
        Err(DbError::TransactionError("No active transaction".into()))
    }
}

7. Implement List Method

Implement the list method to use the TST's prefix search:

pub fn list<T: Model>(&self) -> DbResult<Vec<T>> {
    // Get the prefix for this model type
    let prefix = T::db_prefix();
    
    // Use the TST index to get all objects with this prefix
    let mut tst_index = self.tst_index.write().unwrap();
    let items = tst_index.list(prefix)?;
    
    // Deserialize the objects
    let mut result = Vec::with_capacity(items.len());
    for (_, data) in items {
        let model = T::from_bytes(&data)?;
        result.push(model);
    }
    
    Ok(result)
}

8. Add Recovery Mechanism

Add a method to synchronize the TST index with OurDB in case they get out of sync:

pub fn synchronize_tst_index<T: Model>(&self) -> DbResult<()> {
    // Get all models from OurDB
    let models = self.list_from_ourdb::<T>()?;
    
    // Clear the TST index for this model type
    let mut tst_index = self.tst_index.write().unwrap();
    let prefix = T::db_prefix();
    
    // Rebuild the TST index
    for model in models {
        let id = model.get_id();
        let data = model.to_bytes()?;
        tst_index.set(prefix, id, data)?;
    }
    
    Ok(())
}

// Helper method to list models directly from OurDB (not using TST)
fn list_from_ourdb<T: Model>(&self) -> DbResult<Vec<T>> {
    match self.type_map.get(&TypeId::of::<T>()) {
        Some(db_ops) => {
            let db_ops_guard = db_ops.read().unwrap();
            let result_any = db_ops_guard.list()?;
            match result_any.downcast::<Vec<T>>() {
                Ok(vec_t) => Ok(*vec_t),
                Err(_) => Err(DbError::TypeError),
            }
        }
        None => Err(DbError::TypeError),
    }
}

Implementation Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant DB
    participant TransactionState
    participant OurDbStore
    participant TSTIndexManager
    participant TST
    
    Client->>DB: begin_transaction()
    DB->>TransactionState: create new transaction
    
    Client->>DB: set(model)
    DB->>TransactionState: record Set operation with prefix and ID
    
    Client->>DB: delete(model)
    DB->>TransactionState: record Delete operation with prefix and ID
    
    Client->>DB: commit_transaction()
    DB->>TransactionState: get all operations
    
    loop For each operation
        alt Set operation
            DB->>OurDbStore: apply_set_operation()
            DB->>TSTIndexManager: set(prefix, id, data)
            TSTIndexManager->>TST: set(key, data)
        else Delete operation
            DB->>OurDbStore: delete(id)
            DB->>TSTIndexManager: delete(prefix, id)
            TSTIndexManager->>TST: delete(key)
        end
    end
    
    alt Success
        DB-->>Client: Ok(())
    else Error
        DB->>TransactionState: restore transaction state
        DB-->>Client: Err(error)
    end
    
    Client->>DB: list<T>()
    DB->>TSTIndexManager: list(prefix)
    TSTIndexManager->>TST: list(prefix)
    TST-->>TSTIndexManager: keys
    TSTIndexManager->>TST: get(key) for each key
    TST-->>TSTIndexManager: data
    TSTIndexManager-->>DB: (id, data) pairs
    DB->>DB: deserialize data to models
    DB-->>Client: Vec<T>

Testing Strategy

1. Create unit tests for the TST index manager
2. Test the list functionality with different model types
3. Test transaction handling (commit and rollback)
4. Test error recovery mechanisms
5. Test edge cases (empty database, large datasets)

Implementation Steps

1. Add TST dependency to herodb/Cargo.toml
2. Create the tst_index.rs module
3. Update the DB module to include the TST index manager
4. Extend the transaction handling
5. Implement the list method
6. Add tests for the new functionality
7. Update documentation

Considerations

1. Performance: The TST operations add overhead to insert/delete operations, but provide efficient list functionality.
2. Consistency: The enhanced transaction handling ensures consistency between OurDB and the TST index.
3. Error Handling: Proper error handling and recovery mechanisms are essential for maintaining data integrity.
4. Backward Compatibility: The implementation should maintain backward compatibility with existing code.