Add UI GhostNode (#15341)

# Objective

- Fixes #14826 
- For context, see #15238

## Solution
Add a `GhostNode` component to `bevy_ui` and update all the relevant
systems to use it to traverse for UI children.

- [x] `ghost_hierarchy` module
  - [x] Add `GhostNode`
- [x] Add `UiRootNodes` system param for iterating (ghost-aware) UI root
nodes
- [x] Add `UiChildren` system param for iterating (ghost-aware) UI
children
- [x] Update `layout::ui_layout_system`
  - [x] Use ghost-aware root nodes for camera updates
  - [x] Update and remove children in taffy
    - [x] Initial spawn
    - [x] Detect changes on nested UI children
- [x] Use ghost-aware children traversal in
`update_uinode_geometry_recursive`
- [x] Update the rest of the UI systems to use the ghost hierarchy
  - [x] `stack::ui_stack_system`
  - [x] `update::`
    - [x] `update_clipping_system`
    - [x] `update_target_camera_system`
  - [x] `accessibility::calc_name`

## Testing
- [x] Added a new example `ghost_nodes` that can be used as a testbed.
- [x] Added unit tests for _some_ of the traversal utilities in
`ghost_hierarchy`
- [x] Ensure this fulfills the needs for currently known use cases
  - [x] Reactivity libraries (test with `bevy_reactor`)
- [ ] Text spans (mentioned by koe [on
discord](https://discord.com/channels/691052431525675048/1285371432460881991/1285377442998915246))
  
---
## Performance
[See comment
below](#15341 (comment))

## Migration guide
Any code that previously relied on `Parent`/`Children` to iterate UI
children may now want to use `bevy_ui::UiChildren` to ensure ghost nodes
are skipped, and their first descendant Nodes included.

UI root nodes may now be children of ghost nodes, which means
`Without<Parent>` might not query all root nodes. Use
`bevy_ui::UiRootNodes` where needed to iterate root nodes instead.

## Potential future work
- Benchmarking/optimizations of hierarchies containing lots of ghost
nodes
- Further exploration of UI hierarchies and markers for root nodes/leaf
nodes to create better ergonomics for things like `UiLayer` (world-space
ui)

---------

Co-authored-by: Alice Cecile <alice.i.cecile@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: UkoeHB <37489173+UkoeHB@users.noreply.github.com>

Cargo.toml

@@ -2972,6 +2972,17 @@ description = "Demonstrates text wrapping"
 category = "UI (User Interface)"
 wasm = true
 
+[[example]]
+name = "ghost_nodes"
+path = "examples/ui/ghost_nodes.rs"
+doc-scrape-examples = true
+
+[package.metadata.example.ghost_nodes]
+name = "Ghost Nodes"
+description = "Demonstrates the use of Ghost Nodes to skip entities in the UI layout hierarchy"
+category = "UI (User Interface)"
+wasm = true
+
 [[example]]
 name = "grid"
 path = "examples/ui/grid.rs"

crates/bevy_ui/src/accessibility.rs

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use crate::{
     prelude::{Button, Label},
-    Node, UiImage,
+    Node, UiChildren, UiImage,
 };
 use bevy_a11y::{
     accesskit::{NodeBuilder, Rect, Role},
@@ -14,15 +14,14 @@ use bevy_ecs::{
     system::{Commands, Query},
     world::Ref,
 };
-use bevy_hierarchy::Children;
 use bevy_render::{camera::CameraUpdateSystem, prelude::Camera};
 use bevy_text::Text;
 use bevy_transform::prelude::GlobalTransform;
 
-fn calc_name(texts: &Query<&Text>, children: &Children) -> Option<Box<str>> {
+fn calc_name(texts: &Query<&Text>, children: impl Iterator<Item = Entity>) -> Option<Box<str>> {
     let mut name = None;
     for child in children {
-        if let Ok(text) = texts.get(*child) {
+        if let Ok(text) = texts.get(child) {
             let values = text
                 .sections
                 .iter()
@@ -59,11 +58,12 @@ fn calc_bounds(
 
 fn button_changed(
     mut commands: Commands,
-    mut query: Query<(Entity, &Children, Option<&mut AccessibilityNode>), Changed<Button>>,
+    mut query: Query<(Entity, Option<&mut AccessibilityNode>), Changed<Button>>,
+    ui_children: UiChildren,
     texts: Query<&Text>,
 ) {
-    for (entity, children, accessible) in &mut query {
-        let name = calc_name(&texts, children);
+    for (entity, accessible) in &mut query {
+        let name = calc_name(&texts, ui_children.iter_ui_children(entity));
         if let Some(mut accessible) = accessible {
             accessible.set_role(Role::Button);
             if let Some(name) = name {
@@ -85,14 +85,12 @@ fn button_changed(
 
 fn image_changed(
     mut commands: Commands,
-    mut query: Query<
-        (Entity, &Children, Option<&mut AccessibilityNode>),
-        (Changed<UiImage>, Without<Button>),
-    >,
+    mut query: Query<(Entity, Option<&mut AccessibilityNode>), (Changed<UiImage>, Without<Button>)>,
+    ui_children: UiChildren,
     texts: Query<&Text>,
 ) {
-    for (entity, children, accessible) in &mut query {
-        let name = calc_name(&texts, children);
+    for (entity, accessible) in &mut query {
+        let name = calc_name(&texts, ui_children.iter_ui_children(entity));
         if let Some(mut accessible) = accessible {
             accessible.set_role(Role::Image);
             if let Some(name) = name {

crates/bevy_ui/src/ghost_hierarchy.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,205 @@
+//! This module contains [`GhostNode`] and utilities to flatten the UI hierarchy, traversing past ghost nodes.
+
+use bevy_ecs::{prelude::*, system::SystemParam};
+use bevy_hierarchy::{Children, HierarchyQueryExt, Parent};
+use bevy_reflect::prelude::*;
+use bevy_render::view::Visibility;
+use bevy_transform::prelude::Transform;
+use smallvec::SmallVec;
+
+use crate::Node;
+
+/// Marker component for entities that should be ignored within UI hierarchies.
+///
+/// The UI systems will traverse past these and treat their first non-ghost descendants as direct children of their first non-ghost ancestor.
+///
+/// Any components necessary for transform and visibility propagation will be added automatically.
+#[derive(Component, Default, Debug, Copy, Clone, Reflect)]
+#[reflect(Component, Debug)]
+#[require(Visibility, Transform)]
+pub struct GhostNode;
+
+/// System param that allows iteration of all UI root nodes.
+///
+/// A UI root node is either a [`Node`] without a [`Parent`], or with only [`GhostNode`] ancestors.
+#[derive(SystemParam)]
+pub struct UiRootNodes<'w, 's> {
+    root_node_query: Query<'w, 's, Entity, (With<Node>, Without<Parent>)>,
+    root_ghost_node_query: Query<'w, 's, Entity, (With<GhostNode>, Without<Parent>)>,
+    all_nodes_query: Query<'w, 's, Entity, With<Node>>,
+    ui_children: UiChildren<'w, 's>,
+}
+
+impl<'w, 's> UiRootNodes<'w, 's> {
+    pub fn iter(&'s self) -> impl Iterator<Item = Entity> + 's {
+        self.root_node_query
+            .iter()
+            .chain(self.root_ghost_node_query.iter().flat_map(|root_ghost| {
+                self.all_nodes_query
+                    .iter_many(self.ui_children.iter_ui_children(root_ghost))
+            }))
+    }
+}
+
+/// System param that gives access to UI children utilities, skipping over [`GhostNode`].
+#[derive(SystemParam)]
+pub struct UiChildren<'w, 's> {
+    ui_children_query: Query<'w, 's, (Option<&'static Children>, Option<&'static GhostNode>)>,
+    changed_children_query: Query<'w, 's, Entity, Changed<Children>>,
+    children_query: Query<'w, 's, &'static Children>,
+    ghost_nodes_query: Query<'w, 's, Entity, With<GhostNode>>,
+    parents_query: Query<'w, 's, &'static Parent>,
+}
+
+impl<'w, 's> UiChildren<'w, 's> {
+    /// Iterates the children of `entity`, skipping over [`GhostNode`].
+    ///
+    /// Traverses the hierarchy depth-first to ensure child order.
+    ///
+    /// # Performance
+    ///
+    /// This iterator allocates if the `entity` node has more than 8 children (including ghost nodes).
+    pub fn iter_ui_children(&'s self, entity: Entity) -> UiChildrenIter<'w, 's> {
+        UiChildrenIter {
+            stack: self
+                .ui_children_query
+                .get(entity)
+                .map_or(SmallVec::new(), |(children, _)| {
+                    children.into_iter().flatten().rev().copied().collect()
+                }),
+            query: &self.ui_children_query,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the UI parent of the provided entity, skipping over [`GhostNode`].
+    pub fn get_parent(&'s self, entity: Entity) -> Option<Entity> {
+        self.parents_query
+            .iter_ancestors(entity)
+            .find(|entity| !self.ghost_nodes_query.contains(*entity))
+    }
+
+    /// Iterates the [`GhostNode`]s between this entity and its UI children.
+    pub fn iter_ghost_nodes(&'s self, entity: Entity) -> Box<dyn Iterator<Item = Entity> + 's> {
+        Box::new(
+            self.children_query
+                .get(entity)
+                .into_iter()
+                .flat_map(|children| {
+                    self.ghost_nodes_query
+                        .iter_many(children)
+                        .flat_map(|entity| {
+                            core::iter::once(entity).chain(self.iter_ghost_nodes(entity))
+                        })
+                }),
+        )
+    }
+
+    /// Given an entity in the UI hierarchy, check if its set of children has changed, e.g if children has been added/removed or if the order has changed.
+    pub fn is_changed(&'s self, entity: Entity) -> bool {
+        self.changed_children_query.contains(entity)
+            || self
+                .iter_ghost_nodes(entity)
+                .any(|entity| self.changed_children_query.contains(entity))
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct UiChildrenIter<'w, 's> {
+    stack: SmallVec<[Entity; 8]>,
+    query: &'s Query<'w, 's, (Option<&'static Children>, Option<&'static GhostNode>)>,
+}
+
+impl<'w, 's> Iterator for UiChildrenIter<'w, 's> {
+    type Item = Entity;
+    fn next(&mut self) -> Option<Self::Item> {
+        loop {
+            let entity = self.stack.pop()?;
+            let (children, ghost_node) = self.query.get(entity).ok()?;
+            if ghost_node.is_none() {
+                return Some(entity);
+            }
+            if let Some(children) = children {
+                self.stack.extend(children.iter().rev().copied());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use bevy_ecs::{
+        prelude::Component,
+        system::{Query, SystemState},
+        world::World,
+    };
+    use bevy_hierarchy::{BuildChildren, ChildBuild};
+
+    use super::{GhostNode, UiChildren, UiRootNodes};
+    use crate::prelude::NodeBundle;
+
+    #[derive(Component, PartialEq, Debug)]
+    struct A(usize);
+
+    #[test]
+    fn iterate_ui_root_nodes() {
+        let world = &mut World::new();
+
+        // Normal root
+        world
+            .spawn((A(1), NodeBundle::default()))
+            .with_children(|parent| {
+                parent.spawn((A(2), NodeBundle::default()));
+                parent
+                    .spawn((A(3), GhostNode))
+                    .with_child((A(4), NodeBundle::default()));
+            });
+
+        // Ghost root
+        world.spawn((A(5), GhostNode)).with_children(|parent| {
+            parent.spawn((A(6), NodeBundle::default()));
+            parent
+                .spawn((A(7), GhostNode))
+                .with_child((A(8), NodeBundle::default()))
+                .with_child(A(9));
+        });
+
+        let mut system_state = SystemState::<(UiRootNodes, Query<&A>)>::new(world);
+        let (ui_root_nodes, a_query) = system_state.get(world);
+
+        let result: Vec<_> = a_query.iter_many(ui_root_nodes.iter()).collect();
+
+        assert_eq!([&A(1), &A(6), &A(8)], result.as_slice());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn iterate_ui_children() {
+        let world = &mut World::new();
+
+        let n1 = world.spawn((A(1), NodeBundle::default())).id();
+        let n2 = world.spawn((A(2), GhostNode)).id();
+        let n3 = world.spawn((A(3), GhostNode)).id();
+        let n4 = world.spawn((A(4), NodeBundle::default())).id();
+        let n5 = world.spawn((A(5), NodeBundle::default())).id();
+
+        let n6 = world.spawn((A(6), GhostNode)).id();
+        let n7 = world.spawn((A(7), GhostNode)).id();
+        let n8 = world.spawn((A(8), NodeBundle::default())).id();
+        let n9 = world.spawn((A(9), GhostNode)).id();
+        let n10 = world.spawn((A(10), NodeBundle::default())).id();
+
+        world.entity_mut(n1).add_children(&[n2, n3, n4, n6]);
+        world.entity_mut(n2).add_children(&[n5]);
+
+        world.entity_mut(n6).add_children(&[n7, n9]);
+        world.entity_mut(n7).add_children(&[n8]);
+        world.entity_mut(n9).add_children(&[n10]);
+
+        let mut system_state = SystemState::<(UiChildren, Query<&A>)>::new(world);
+        let (ui_children, a_query) = system_state.get(world);
+
+        let result: Vec<_> = a_query
+            .iter_many(ui_children.iter_ui_children(n1))
+            .collect();
+
+        assert_eq!([&A(5), &A(4), &A(8), &A(10)], result.as_slice());
+    }
+}