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authorDavid Robillard <d@drobilla.net>2021-03-28 13:42:35 -0400
committerDavid Robillard <d@drobilla.net>2022-01-28 21:57:29 -0500
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+Model
+=====
+
+.. default-domain:: c
+.. highlight:: c
+
+A :struct:`SerdModel` is an indexed set of statements.
+A model can be used to store any data set,
+from a few statements (for example, a protocol message),
+to an entire document,
+to a database with millions of statements.
+
+A new model can be created with :func:`serd_model_new`:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-new
+ :end-before: end model-new
+ :dedent: 2
+
+The information to store for each statement can be controlled by passing flags.
+Additional indices can also be enabled with :func:`serd_model_add_index`.
+For example, to be able to quickly search by predicate,
+and store a cursor for each statement,
+the model can be constructed with the :enumerator:`SERD_STORE_CARETS` flag,
+and an additional :enumerator:`SERD_ORDER_PSO` index can be added like so:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin fancy-model-new
+ :end-before: end fancy-model-new
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Accessors
+---------
+
+The flags set for a model can be accessed with :func:`serd_model_flags`.
+
+The number of statements can be accessed with :func:`serd_model_size` and :func:`serd_model_empty`:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-size
+ :end-before: end model-size
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Adding Statements
+-----------------
+
+Statements can be added to a model with :func:`serd_model_add`:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-add
+ :end-before: end model-add
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Alternatively, :func:`serd_model_insert` can be used if you already have a statement.
+For example, the first statement in one model could be added to another like so:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-insert
+ :end-before: end model-insert
+ :dedent: 2
+
+An entire range of statements can be inserted at once with :func:`serd_model_insert_statements`.
+For example, all statements in one model could be copied into another like so:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-add-range
+ :end-before: end model-add-range
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Iteration
+---------
+
+An iterator is a reference to a particular statement in a model.
+:func:`serd_model_begin` returns an iterator to the first statement in the model,
+and :func:`serd_model_end` returns a sentinel that is one past the last statement in the model:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-begin-end
+ :end-before: end model-begin-end
+ :dedent: 2
+
+A cursor can be advanced to the next statement with :func:`serd_cursor_advance`,
+which returns :enumerator:`SERD_FAILURE` if the iterator reached the end:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin iter-next
+ :end-before: end iter-next
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Iterators are dynamically allocated,
+and must eventually be destroyed with :func:`serd_cursor_free`:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin iter-free
+ :end-before: end iter-free
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Pattern Matching
+----------------
+
+There are several functions that can be used to quickly find statements in the model that match a pattern.
+The simplest is :func:`serd_model_ask` which checks if there is any matching statement:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-ask
+ :end-before: end model-ask
+ :dedent: 2
+
+To access the unknown fields,
+an iterator to the matching statement can be found with :func:`serd_model_find` instead:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-find
+ :end-before: end model-find
+ :dedent: 2
+
+To iterate over the matching statements,
+the iterator returned by :func:`serd_model_find` can be advanced.
+It will reach its end when it reaches the last matching statement:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-range
+ :end-before: end model-range
+ :dedent: 2
+
+
+Similar to :func:`serd_model_ask`,
+:func:`serd_model_count` can be used to count the number of matching statements:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-count
+ :end-before: end model-count
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Indexing
+--------
+
+A model can contain several indices that use different orderings to support different kinds of queries.
+For good performance,
+there should be an index where the least significant fields in the ordering correspond to wildcards in the pattern
+(or, in other words, one where the most significant fields in the ordering correspond to nodes given in the pattern).
+The table below lists the indices that best support a kind of pattern,
+where a "?" represents a wildcard in the pattern.
+
++---------+--------------+
+| Pattern | Good Indices |
++=========+==============+
+| s p o | Any |
++---------+--------------+
+| s p ? | SPO, PSO |
++---------+--------------+
+| s ? o | SOP, OSP |
++---------+--------------+
+| s ? ? | SPO, SOP |
++---------+--------------+
+| ? p o | POS, OPS |
++---------+--------------+
+| ? p ? | POS, PSO |
++---------+--------------+
+| ? ? o | OSP, OPS |
++---------+--------------+
+| ? ? ? | Any |
++---------+--------------+
+
+If graphs are enabled,
+then statements are indexed both with and without the graph fields,
+so queries with and without a graph wildcard will have similar performance.
+
+Since indices take up space and slow down insertion,
+it is best to enable the fewest indices possible that cover the queries that will be performed.
+For example,
+an applications might enable just SPO and OPS order,
+because they always search for specific subjects or objects,
+but never for just a predicate without specifying any other field.
+
+Getting Values
+--------------
+
+Sometimes you are only interested in a single node,
+and it is cumbersome to first search for a statement and then get the node from it.
+A more convenient way is to use :func:`serd_model_get`.
+To get a value, specify a triple pattern where exactly one of the subject, predicate, and object is a wildcard.
+If a statement matches, then the node that "fills" the wildcard will be returned:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-get
+ :end-before: end model-get
+ :dedent: 2
+
+If multiple statements match the pattern,
+then the matching node from an arbitrary statement is returned.
+It is an error to specify more than one wildcard, excluding the graph.
+
+The similar :func:`serd_model_get_statement` instead returns the matching statement:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-get-statement
+ :end-before: end model-get-statement
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Erasing Statements
+------------------
+
+Individual statements can be erased with :func:`serd_model_erase`,
+which takes a cursor:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-erase
+ :end-before: end model-erase
+ :dedent: 2
+
+The similar :func:`serd_model_erase_statements` will erase all statements in the cursor's range:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-erase-range
+ :end-before: end model-erase-range
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Lifetime
+--------
+
+Models are value-like and can be copied with :func:`serd_model_copy` and compared with :func:`serd_model_equals`:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-copy
+ :end-before: end model-copy
+ :dedent: 2
+
+When a model is no longer needed, it can be destroyed with :func:`serd_model_free`:
+
+.. literalinclude:: overview_code.c
+ :start-after: begin model-free
+ :end-before: end model-free
+ :dedent: 2
+
+Destroying a model invalidates all nodes and statements within that model,
+so care should be taken to ensure that no dangling pointers are created.