Tables

World uses the store tables, but adds access control. For onchain tables, the data is stored by the World contract, which is also a StoreData (opens in a new tab).

When a System reads or writes storage via table libraries, the request goes into StoreSwitch (opens in a new tab). This library decides which approach to use:

• If the System is in the root namespace, then it was called with delegatecall (opens in a new tab). This means it inherits the World storage and can write directly to storage using StoreCore (opens in a new tab). These calls bypass access control.

• If the System is in any other namespace, then it was called with call (opens in a new tab) and has to call back into the World using IStore (opens in a new tab). These calls go through access control. They are only permitted if the System has access to the table in question. By default a System has access to its own namespace and therefore to all the tables inside it. Additional access can be granted by the namespace owner.

1. An account calls a function called namespace_system_function via the World. This function was registered by the owner of the namespace namespace and points to the function function in the system system in the namespace namespace.

2. The World verifies that access is permitted (for example, because namespace:system is publicly accessible) and if so calls function on the namespace:system contract with the provided parameters.

3. At some point in its execution function decides to update the data in the table namespace:table. As with all other tables, this table is stored in the World's storage. To modify it, function calls a function on the World contract.

4. The World verifies that access is permitted (by default it would be, because namespace:system has access to the namespace namespace). If so, it modifies the data in the namespace:table table.